You'll quite possibly find the ones you already have are suitable. The air in the Alps tends to be much drier than in the UK, so the cold doesn't penetrate to the same degree. And it's not going to rain if the temperature's that low. I really feel the cold on my legs, so I usually wear long underwear in winter (under Schoeller pants), but most of the men I know don't seem to notice cold legs to the same degree. If you're like me though, you could try long johns, or if you really get cold, powerstretch leggings.
I would like to see people who aren't young, aren't fit and can't afford hundreds of pounds worth of gear encouraged to enjoy the mountains. If that means building the odd cafe or mountain railway, so be it. It's hardly a pristine mountain wilderness there anyway. And as Lloyd says, it could be done as it is in the Alps, in a discreet way that wouldn't offend the delicate sensibilities of 'proper walkers'. Anyone who wants a bit more peace and quiet only has to go a few miles down the road to find it.
My own preferred blister treatment is to pop the blister using a Swiss Army Knife thang I have that seems designed for the purpose, draining, drying, then applying a compeed. To get the compeed to stick well, the foot needs to be clean and totally dry AND warm (which is a pain if you're camping out in subzero temps). And the plaster needs to be warmed in the hands first, as they recommend in the instruction leaflet, too. Powder or vaseline will stop it sticking. I find if I tape my blisters up well, I have no problem carrying on walking straight away. Which is just as well, as I usually get them halfway through a 3 week trek and miles from anywhere.
For prevention, you could try a different type of sock (I like using inners and outers myself). And footbeds and/or inserts might help, by slightly changing the position of the foot within the boot.
joan collins
