Givin’ Old Man Winter the Boot: Sorel Smirks at Zero, Snickers at Snow & Ice

Oh man. When I found out I had a chance to review a pair of Sorel boots, I started prayin’ for some ice and snow and hideously cold temperatures.

Yeah, that was me. You’re welcome, mid-Westerners.

My pair of beautiful Sorel Caribou Reserve boots arrived on my doorstep on the eve of our first major snowfall of the season. Just feast your eyes on these beauties, people!

And Old Man Winter socked it to us but good, leaving me no other option than to don my thickest pair of camping socks, sink my feet into deep pillowy softness, lace up my new cold-weather footwear and head outside to clear the driveway and walks around my house. Did you hear me go “Oooooooh,” and “Aaaaaaaaah,” from where you are? I wouldn’t be at all surprised if you had.

These boots are deceptively light and supremely comfortable, despite their rather ominous presence. I wear a women’s size 7, but from the outside this boot looks like about a men’s size 10. It all makes sense though, when you get your foot inside – the reason the boot’s so big is because between your foot and the exterior of the boot is a thick, warm, toasty layer of cozy shearling. Heaven, I tell you!

Stepping outside in them, I noted immediately that the rugged sole kept me sure on my feet, even though beneath 5 inches of snow lay a slick coating of ice. My huge, heavy snowblower slipped and slithered in my grasp, but my feet stayed whereever I planted them, and for a complete klutz like me, that is no small accomplishment.

But most importantly, when I got back inside the house, after stumping around in just-above-zero temps on a sheet of snow-covered ice for almost an hour, I can tell you without reservation that my feet were well and truly warmer than any other part of my body. In fact, my feet didn’t even know they’d BEEN outside. They thought they’d been propped up by the fireside the whole time and all that snow-blowing and shoveling had been nothing more than a bad dream.

These boots, people. These are The Boots for me. Warm, soft, sturdy and luxurious. I’ll have them, and wear them, the rest of my life, and perhaps be buried in them. Up to my neck, if I have my say. I lurv them.

Now. For those of you who don’t find yourselves out wrestling snow-blowers on icy driveways in the dead of winter, and just want a warm, functional but perhaps more feminine boot, what does Sorel have to offer you? Well, let me show you a few options.

Check out Sorel’s Pakua, Kaska, and Joan of Arctic:

And my personal favorite, the Sorel Northern Lite Tall:

Cute, huh? May have to make room next to my Caribous for a pair of those! I bet they’d be super chic and feminine with jeans, but’d still keep me warm, dry and steady on my feet.

You’ll find Sorel’s legendary boots where outdoor gear and footwear is sold. My Caribou Reserves pictured above (and currently parked right outside my back door, waiting for me!) are available at Nordstrom and Jeffry’s. To find a retailer near you, look here.