I don't think the guy you were replying to was skiing, he was just hiking. But generally speaking, if you are hiking to ski, you put regular boots on, and if the hike is any significant distance, you get a backpack to put your ski boots in and lash your skis to them. For really short hikes (like a few hundred feet) you can just throw everything over your shoulder, and even hike in your ski boots, but for anything longer a backpack is highly recommended. Depending on the terrain, snow shoes or spikes can be useful.