Bare Lee, i know doesn't take much. But for some inspiration, Barefoot Rick (Roeber), ran 20 miles on ice at at 16F, incredible.
Yah, ice is a slightly different animal than snow, because it stays below the foot, whereas snow kills me because it gets between the toes and on top of the foot, but Rick's accomplishment is very impressive. He's adapted very well over the years, but I also know he suffered a lot of frostbite along the way. And the Iceman, who can actually regulate his body temperature consciously, almost lost some toes while running his half-Mary up in the Arctic, right? My frostnip was very minor--about two hours of burning sensation and then another couple of days of minor pain, then my callouses molted. But that was enough to put the fear of god in me. I consider myself so lucky to still have a fully functional body in middle-age, I'm not going to take unnecessary risks.
Nonetheless, I had intended to push my adaptation in snow a bit this year. Last winter I could do OK on ice patches in the 20s, and in slush around freezing or higher, although I never ran more than 5-7 miles at a time, and usually less, because I was working through ITBS. This year I had a plan to test my limits a bit more while carrying back-up booties that I could slip on at the first sign of trouble. But it got so cold and so snowy so fast in December, that there wasn't really any time for transitioning. I think I ran 280-300 qualifying kilometers in October and November, in mostly dry conditions, but since then it's been less than 50 km, not counting the week I ran/walked/hiked in Southern California. For two months now it's been either too cold or too snowy or both. A real contrast with last winter, when it seemed like I could run barefoot about half the time.
But in about a week we're supposed to have highs in the mid-20s or better, so I'm looking forward to finishing out the winter strong. I may even try some shorter runs in snow if my cold-running adaptation comes back fast enough, but probably nothing more than a kilometer or a mile. I definitely don't see myself running 1.5 miles or more in five inches of snow! Course, you run much faster than me, so that probably helps . . .
Anyway, it's fun sharing experiences here. Most people think we're crazy to even think about running barefoot in the winter, so it's nice to know we're not alone. Thanks again YOW for setting this thread/challenge up!