The Plight Of A Midwestern Sneakerhead

Image vie @symsdesigns

Being a sneakerhead in the midwest is not easy. We have long winters and weather that plays with your heart. Just a few weeks back we had temperatures in the mid to high 40’s, the parking lots were almost completely clear and down to the bare concrete. Then a couple weeks ago we got 2 feet of snow on a Thursday, and we were back to sunshine and high 30’s by Saturday. Then come the following Monday we get slammed with another 8 inches of wet heavy snow. The rest of that week was completely  clear with mid to high 30’s. Now as I’m writing this out we are supposed to get hit with another 4 inches and it's 32 degrees so it will be heavy and hard to move. 

 All that makes it really hard to rock sneakers. Through winter I won't wear anything that has a suede or mesh upper from the first snowfall until it all finally melts. Our first snow that actually sticks is usually mid November and we are pretty lucky if the snow melts by mid April. That eliminates a lot of my collection. I try to stick to the full leather upper, that will be easy to clean, or I will rock some boots. The way parking lots get up here with the mix of salt and sand that gets laid down to keep ice from building up and to give vehicles traction on slippery surfaces, makes it so you have to walk carefully through the parking lot, avoiding puddles and slush in order to get your milk and eggs. Especially towards the end of our winter the parking lots get a lot of slush built up and sometimes it will end up above your ankles if you are wearing a low top sneaker. 

Almost every brand has their own "winterized" version of their classic models, like Jordan Brand with their winterized Retros or New Balance. There is some really good options for all weather sneakers. Clearweather Brand is a good example of a brand that makes fashionable sneakers but is still can stand up to the winters. They can be a bit pricey but they are 100% worth it.

With winters that last 5 months long it leaves a lot of time for your collection to sit and when you cop something during those winter months you have to sit around and wait to break them out and it can be tough. All 3 of my pick ups this winter are still sitting on ice waiting for the sun to come around. What I can say is, the thing that keeps me up here, in the Upper Peninsula, is the fact that you cannot beat the summers. They are short, they don’t get crazy warm but let me tell you it is absolutely beautiful. Nothing is better than sitting on my patio on a warm June night with the fire roaring in the fire pit, a cold beverage in my hand and  a dope pair of kicks on my feet.

You can contact the author, Andy Morrison (aka Biggie Smores), on any of his social media pages: @Biggie_Smores