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Ski Clothing

SladeDT

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Under Armour Cold Gear Hood
fitnesslines-ColdGear%C2%AE-Hood.jpg


It kept my face warm while everyone else's was dripping snot and freezing.
 

asdf

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Originally Posted by SladeDT
Under Armour Cold Gear Hood
It kept my face warm while everyone else's was dripping snot and freezing.


I hate wearing things over my face.
 

Bounder

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Just to keep it interesting, I'm going to disagree with much of the advice on this thread. First, once again, it depends a lot on where you are skiing. If you are in eastern North America, for example, conditions tend to be more uniform. But there are some big mountains in western North America and there can easily be a thirty degree and thirty mph difference between the top and the bottom. There's also human nature to consider. While it is possible to ski in, for example, blizzard conditions, you'll find lots of excuses not to so you seldom will. Even if you do go out, you will always be five minutes away from fire/food/alcohol so, assuming you are not off-piste, cross country skiing in the back country or whatever, your gear isn't a matter of life and death. So you don't really want gear that can see you through extreme conditions. You want gear that can keep you semi-comfortable in changing conditions. If you're just a little cold at the top when it is 0F, snowing and a 30mph wind and just a little warm at the bottom when it is 30F, sunny and calm, you are in business. In many resorts, you can easily experience all these conditions over the course of half-an-hour. So wool thermal underwear is fine for expeditions, but I usually use a smart fabric base layer that cools you off when you get hot and warms you up when you get cold. These really work, within limits. They're perfect for skiing in changing conditions. http://www.backpacker.com/gear-revie...ers/gear/14435 A decent shell with pit zips is very practical. Get lots of pockets. They come in handy. I've tried different brands and I can't say that the cheap ones are that much worse than the expensive ones. The expensive ones tend to be super waterproof, for example. But if the shell you use for skiing needs to be super waterproof, you are doing it wrong. Underneath, I usually just put a fleece or two, as needed. A windproof, zipped-up shell and even one 200 weight fleece will keep you surprisingly warm even in fairly harsh conditions. Waterproof pants are another story. Your pants need to be really waterproof. Few things suck more that getting on a chair and sitting in a pile of slush if your pants are not waterproof. As for goggles, I prefer sun glasses unless it is really cold, windy or snowing. I have a cheap pair of Natives with interchangeable lenses so I just put in yellow lenses when the light is flat. I have a pair of photochromic goggles, which I thought would be a great idea, but they turned out to be of limited utility as when it is really cold or windy, the light is usually flat and I prefer goggles with yellow/rose lenses.
 

Fraiche

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Originally Posted by Bounder
Waterproof pants are another story. Your pants need to be really waterproof. Few things suck more that getting on a chair and sitting in a pile of slush if your pants are not waterproof.

+100

The three things I would not skimp money on are:

1. Merino wool icebreaker undergarments
2. Waterproof pants
3. Hestra gloves (I like them because the model I got had wrist bands preventing me from dropping them when I remove them on lifts.)
 

Flieger

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I wonder if our american and canadian members like and use other ski brands then us euros.
Ski manufacturers i mean.
 

Fred49

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Filson... Merino Wool crew neck sweater, Only comes in blue or green. Go blue. I have had mine for over 10 years and it remains stylish. The knit is tight. I have used it in all weather conditions. best piece I own and I own a lot of ski gear.
 

Kark

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Originally Posted by Bounder
Just to keep it interesting, I'm going to disagree with much of the advice on this thread.

--snip--

So you don't really want gear that can see you through extreme conditions. You want gear that can keep you semi-comfortable in changing conditions. If you're just a little cold at the top when it is 0F, snowing and a 30mph wind and just a little warm at the bottom when it is 30F, sunny and calm, you are in business. In many resorts, you can easily experience all these conditions over the course of half-an-hour.

So wool thermal underwear is fine for expeditions, but I usually use a smart fabric base layer that cools you off when you get hot and warms you up when you get cold. These really work, within limits. They're perfect for skiing in changing conditions.

http://www.backpacker.com/gear-revie...ers/gear/14435


--snip--
.


You're mistaken regarding the versatility of wool base layers. very mistaken.
I use the same base layers from -25 deg celcius to +12 ish. In fact, on a recent bike trip I wore (comfortably) the same merino Hincapie base shirt when it was around zero at the top of the Gotthard pass, and I left it on the rest of the day even when it was +25 and sunny between Bellinzona and Monza stripping off only the shell.

When skiing the only difference in clothing from the minus 25 nights to the sunny days just below zero is a couple very thin wool layers.

Bottom line is that merino is not just for expeditions.

Othewise your post didn't really disagree with much of the advice already posted. It just added to it.
Seriously, try the merino and I'd bet dollars to donuts you'll completely abandon the synthetics.
 

unjung

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My gear consists of layers everywhere, and GoreTex everything. Goggles are a must every single day and I wear mitts.
Originally Posted by TurboBruce
Yes, you're right. If you don't know what recco is already, you better stay away from places where there are risks of avalanches.
What? No. RECCO is passive and only useful at hills where they have the active searching equipment (which the rider themselves never has). If you're legitimately going backcountry, you need to take an avy course, and get a probe, shovel and beacon. That has nothing to do with RECCO.
Unlike operating a transceiver, which requires education and practice, there is no learning curve for use of the RECCO reflector. It is integrated into commercially available gear by the manufacturer and therefore requires no additional investment by the on-hill user. The reflector can be washed without damage and will not interfere with any electronic device since it does not transmit any sort of signal. And, with only a passive role to play in the rescue, the RECCO reflector does not compete with other search methods and therefore functions as an effective complement to–but not a replacement for–wearing a transceiver.
 

Flieger

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I want to know more about Volant skis, they look interesting, is it just a gimmick or are they actually good skis?
 

eml4sker

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Do you wear an undershirt beneath the merino base layer or is it against your skin?
 

Fraiche

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Originally Posted by eml4sker
Do you wear an undershirt beneath the merino base layer or is it against your skin?

Against skin.
 

Bounder

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Originally Posted by Kark
You're mistaken regarding the versatility of wool base layers. very mistaken.
Yeah, I know all about the wonders of wool. But my long underwear uses nanotechnology!!
teacha.gif
What can I say? Chicks dig 'em.
 

yarnsforth

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Originally Posted by Kark
try the merino and I'd bet dollars to donuts you'll completely abandon the synthetics.
I prefer a merino wool base layer, bottom and top. It's effective at different temperatures and more comfortable against my skin than synthetics. Plus, it doesn't get funky like synthetics do after a day's wear. Over the wool I wear a Patagonia down sweater. Super warm and super light. It packs into itself if I need to remove it and carry it instead. For a fully waterproof outer layer you'd need to wear rubber. Even triple-layer goretex will eventually allow seepage if you're in contact with wet, slushy snow long and often enough.
 

eml4sker

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Wanted to give a big thanks to everyone that provided help on this thread. I dropped about $500 in total and picked up Hestra gloves, Patagonia merino base wool level three, a Syncro Jacket, the Underarmour Hood and smartwool socks. As with all of my SF-guided purchases, everything has been above and beyond my expectations.

Couple more final questions. What do people typically wear over the merino wool bottoms? Snowpants? Or is there an in-between layer? Same thing for over merino wool tops. Regular sweatshirt? Also, what are the opinions on bibs vs. boarding snow pants?
 

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