The Siberian version of Russian valenki (felted wool boots), «pimy», came from the Nenets people and their «piyuny». That is what the Nenets, one of the peoples that have lived in Siberia for hundreds and hundreds of years, call reindeer skin boots. Russian immigrants borrowed the idea, developing their own boots from sheep’s wool. Long ago «pimokaty», craftsmen that specialise in making “pimy,” lived in every Siberian village. Nowadays there are very few such men. A pimokat’s job is not an easy one, but the woolen boots that they make keep them warm. In these parts people believe that there is no warmer shoe - a statement that should not be taken lightly considering the temperature here often falls below negative 40 degrees Celsius in the winter. For this reason valenki manufacturers in the Golyshmanovsky District of Tyumen Oblast have their work cut out for them even in the June heat as they prepare for the cruel winter frosts.