i had a nice late October barefoot hike this morning. Years ago, my lowest temperature target for barefooting was 50 degree F. I have been pushing it to get to lower temps each year. Last year, 45 F. Today it was about 39 F when I started out. Nice morning, though. No wind, rising sun. And it felt great! I think the cooler temps make the feeling even more intense. Every twig, pine cone, rock feels more intense! When I was done, my soles felt very stimulated, even more so than summer hiking. I’m going to keep hiking in the cooler weather until the snow gets deep.
The fastest half marathon ran while barefoot on ice or snow is 2 hr 16 min 34 sec by Wim Hof (Netherlands) near Oulu, Finland, on 26 January 2007. Done for the Discovery Channel's 'Real Superhumnas and the Quest for the Future Fantastic'...
I've gone as low as -10 Celsius (=14 Fah.), but one must understand that you can only sustain that for about 5 minutes max, before you start risking injury. Last December I did a mile long walk in -5 Celsius (=23 Fah.) on a nice side road, where I had privacy, but I carried an emergency pair of shoes with me in a canvas bag, just in case. When I got home, I gave my feet a nice, warm bath.
