My favorite piece of clothing for spring skiing in sunny weather is a fleece vest, for a bunch of reasons. It keeps your torso warm while giving your limbs freedom of movement. It’s not too warm on the chairlift ride up and keeps you warm on the way down. It gives you pockets for storing lip balm, keys, and the season pass. It has a collar to keep the sun off your neck. It’ll make you look like a skier and rider, on and off the slopes. And there’s lots of choices for how much you want to spend on one.
Archive for the ‘Winter Clothing’ Category
We can take a tip from the Aussies for sun protection in spring skiing conditions. Living on the hottest, driest, and flatest continent on earth, Australians are far more aware of the dangers being in the sun than most Americans. Teaching skiing Downunder was unique in many ways, perhaps most notably that you’re a lot closer to the sun in the Southern Hemisphere than when you’re in North America. The Aussies’ national motto for having fun outside is “Slip, Slap, and Slop!” and it’s a good mantra for spring-time skiing and riding as well.
The most unprotected body part while skiing and riding is your lips. Of all the features between your neck and forehead, the lips are the most sensitive to weather conditions and need to be protected. Lip balm is a small but critical detail in any awesome day of winter recreation.
My experience is that a great choice of lip balm is Blistex DCT Daily Conditioning Treatment. It’s got an SPF of 20, stays pliable in very cold temperatures, seems to last more than other products, and has a relatively neutral taste. At around $2, it’s a good value as one container will last a couple months of daily use. It’s a good idea to get a number of DCT’s and stage in them in several locations including jackets, the car, and daypacks. I prefer the container-style lip balm as the lid seals tightly and prevents spillage. And, inevitably, I fail to check all my pockets and send DCT through the wash, but it survives just fine.
So, you’ve invested in good outer clothing. And dressed in multiple layers. And you’re not wearing any cotton, anywhere! There are still a few other details to which you’ve got to pay attention to get the best performance from your clothing. Here, in no particular order, are a number of items you should check to get the most warmth during the coldest part of the winter.
Check that all of your pockets are zipped shut. Check that any pit or chest vents are zipped shut.
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Old wives’ tales insist that mittens are warmer, but experience has shown otherwise. The rationale that having all four fingers next to eachother generates more heat for all discounts the advantage of having insulation directly surrounding your skin. The further advantage of greater dexterity pretty much ends the debate in my opinion. If you have to frequently take mittens off in cold weather to adjust your snowboard bindings, it’s just practical that gloves are warmer since you don’t have to expose your skin to make those same efforts. For skiing, the form-fitting feature of glove design represents a lower profile of material between your hand and the pole grip than mittens would allow. A firm grip yields a firm pole swing which brings firm turn commitment that will improve your skiing. Whether riding or skiing, gloves are the best way to keep warm and provide dexterity.
There’s cold weather, winter weather, and then there’s BRUTAL weather. Brutal is my best word to explain extreme weather when the winds are high and the temperature is below zero farenheit. These temperatures will set the snow up for what could be an excellent day of skiing and riding, but only if you can stand up to the elements. When the weather gets brutal, it’s going to take more than just a helmet or hat to combat the elements. When the going gets tough on the slopes, a balaclava made of windblock fleece will keep the tough going.
An old Maine saying goes “If you don’t like the weathah, wait a minute.” No matter where you are, weather can change in a minute and your best clothing protection will come from being as versatile as Mother Nature. Flexibility in the outdoors means using many layers to simulatenously provide warmth, protection, and venting to match the immediate conditions. Like in the way several ingredients make a sandwich greater than its individual parts, the right selection of clothing layers will give you the most protection from the day’s weather.
Anyone who goes outside should have at least one good fleece jacket. There’s just no other item for outdoor recreation that provides the optimal balance of warmth, durability, and functionality. With its ability to provide warmth even when wet, a fleece jacket will perform under many weather conditions to keep you comfortable and protected from the elements. Fleece jackets come in various weights and cuts that allow them to be used as outerwear or an insulating layer. No matter what you’re doing in the Great Outdoors, a fleece jacket is just the tool to get you through it.
From experience, I’m a big fan of synthetic clothing for outdoor pursuits. For warmth and durability, blends of natural and synthetic materials have every advantage over solely natural materials such as cotton and wool. I’ve found that the durability of most synthetic materials is so good that it’s tempting to wear clothing more than once between washings. Resist that urge: clean clothing is warm clothing!
A helmet or cold-weather hat will keep your head warm in most winter situations, but the weather you face while skiing and riding can often take you past most situations. Helmets and hats provide a single layer of insulation which may not be enough in a mountain environment. Use a balaclava under your headgear to dial up its warmth factor. A balaclava worn close to the skull can be tucked into other layers at the neckline and create a single, larger insulating effect. Other significant advantages of a balaclava are its ability to pull up to protect the face, its close fit stays in place, and it represents less material around the neck area than other options. Some people almost immobilize their necks with hoods and neckups and this loss of freedom can reduce your skiing/riding skills. A mask will only add warmth to your face and it’s typically a struggle to keep it in the best position.