ISO Ski gear recs Part 2

[jgenie]

Thank you for the wonderful recs on ski clothes. I’m back to ask for recs on the warmest ski socks. I have several different brands but am wondering if there is a tried and true brand that is really warm. I would love to get boot warmers and heated gloves. Any recommendations on either? We had disposable hand and toe warmers this weekend and my fingers and toes were still numb. TIA

[basil]

How cold was it?

Consider an extra layer on your head or torso. Sometimes when fingers and toes are cold/numb it's not the gloves or boots that are at fault, it's that your body got cold and started shunting heat/blood away from your extremities to preserve your head and core.

Wear mittens instead of gloves. Get mittens without finger inserts, and wear glove liners. Mine are Smartwool. Mittens are warmer than gloves.

Make sure your boots aren't too tight. Otherwise I just wear regular wool socks. I have a zillion cheap pairs from Costco and a few more expensive pairs like Smartwool or Darn Tough, but I don't find any difference in warmth.

Mostly, make sure your body and head are really warm. On cold days, I wear a liner under my helmet, and a hood over it.

[jgenie]

How cold was it?

Consider an extra layer on your head or torso. Sometimes when fingers and toes are cold/numb it's not the gloves or boots that are at fault, it's that your body got cold and started shunting heat/blood away from your extremities to preserve your head and core.

Wear mittens instead of gloves. Get mittens without finger inserts, and wear glove liners. Mine are Smartwool. Mittens are warmer than gloves.

Make sure your boots aren't too tight. Otherwise I just wear regular wool socks. I have a zillion cheap pairs from Costco and a few more expensive pairs like Smartwool or Darn Tough, but I don't find any difference in warmth.

Mostly, make sure your body and head are really warm. On cold days, I wear a liner under my helmet, and a hood over it.

I think it was about 8 degrees this morning. I had a smartwool base layer, a Patagonia nanopuff and then my ski coat. I had forgotten my quarter zip fleece layer. I bet you’re right that I was cold from getting my kids suited up and never really warmed up again. I have really nice Hestra mittens and Hestra liners so I was surprised I was feeling the cold so much. Would you mind linking to your hood and liner? I didn’t think to put a balaclava on but that probably would have helped. Thanks!

[acmom]

I have a balaclava, but find them really confining and uncomfortable with my hair jammed under. I found this skull cap that fits under my helmet and keeps my head warm. Then I can wear a separate neck warmer.

https://skipro.com/apparel/turtle-fu...caAhWsEALw_wcB

[StantonHyde]

I love my balaclava under my helmet on cold days. Keeps everything warm and tucks into your coat. 8 degrees is just butt cold !!

[jgenie]

I love my balaclava under my helmet on cold days. Keeps everything warm and tucks into your coat. 8 degrees is just butt cold !!

There were teeny tiny kids that seemed perfectly fine with the temps which made me feel like such a wimp.

[basil]

I think it was about 8 degrees this morning. I had a smartwool base layer, a Patagonia nanopuff and then my ski coat. I had forgotten my quarter zip fleece layer. I bet you’re right that I was cold from getting my kids suited up and never really warmed up again. I have really nice Hestra mittens and Hestra liners so I was surprised I was feeling the cold so much. Would you mind linking to your hood and liner? I didn’t think to put a balaclava on but that probably would have helped. Thanks!

Yes, 8 is getting down there!

I would have been wearing more layers than you. For 8, on the bottom, I would wear a base layer, fleece pants, then insulated ski pants. On top, a wool tank top, wool base layer or maybe 2, thin fleece jacket, and puffer jacket. My ski jacket (TNF triclimate) has a zip out liner that I also would have used. If it looked windy, I may even have added a windproof fleece vest or thin puffer vest. Another trick I used to do was to stuff one of those hand warmer packets into the front of my shirt between layers so it kind of stuck in the folds of my tucked in shirt and stayed on my belly.

My under helmet liner is crazy old Patagonia (30 years?) capilene. It's very thin and keeps my hair wisps out of my face. My over helmet hood is from TNF https://www.thenorthface.com/shop/tn...-hood-nf0a3fio I sewed another piece of back cloth onto it to make it attach to my goggles. My kids have Burton ones that are also nice. If it's raining or snowing, the hood of my coat also fits over my helmet.

IMG_3238.jpg

[jgenie]

Yes, 8 is getting down there!

I would have been wearing more layers than you. For 8, on the bottom, I would wear a base layer, fleece pants, then insulated ski pants. On top, a wool tank top, wool base layer or maybe 2, thin fleece jacket, and puffer jacket. My ski jacket (TNF triclimate) has a zip out liner that I also would have used. If it looked windy, I may even have added a windproof fleece vest or thin puffer vest. Another trick I used to do was to stuff one of those hand warmer packets into the front of my shirt between layers so it kind of stuck in the folds of my tucked in shirt and stayed on my belly.

My under helmet liner is crazy old Patagonia (30 years?) capilene. It's very thin and keeps my hair wisps out of my face. My over helmet hood is from TNF https://www.thenorthface.com/shop/tn...-hood-nf0a3fio I sewed another piece of back cloth onto it to make it attach to my goggles. My kids have Burton ones that are also nice. If it's raining or snowing, the hood of my coat also fits over my helmet.

IMG_3238.jpg

I saw a family wearing those hoods! For fleece pants, would our fleece pj pants work?

[jgenie]

I have a balaclava, but find them really confining and uncomfortable with my hair jammed under. I found this skull cap that fits under my helmet and keeps my head warm. Then I can wear a separate neck warmer.

https://skipro.com/apparel/turtle-fu...caAhWsEALw_wcB

I have several of these for running. Never crossed my mind to put it under my helmet. Thank you!

[marinkitty]

For 8, here is what I would have worn:

Feet: Smartwool socks (I actually do better with thinner ones than thicker and I can't do the toe warmers because they bunch up and bother me). If you always have cold toes, look into the heat packs you can put on the back of your boots that have a foot bed warmer. DH has these on his new boots and two of my friends have them and swear they were game changers. I'm doing it on my next pair of boots for sure!

Bottom: Fleece lined leggings. Mine are Arcteryx and a fairly thick compared to my normal base layer. If I keep them on after skiing in the house I always get too hot. Snow pants (North Face). I never add a third bottom layer - too bulky and constricting for me but with the fleece lined leggings I'm always fine as long as the rest of me is warm enough.

Top: Sports bra tank (Lulu), long sleeve wicking running shirt with mock turtle (Lulu), Smartwool 1/4 tunic zipped all the way up, light down puffer (Patagonia nano puff), shell (North Face, noninsulated).

Head: A Buff (a thin one with the microfleecy inside, not thick fleece, pulled up over my ears under my helmet (I don't like the full skull cap and the part of my head under the insulated part of my helmet never gets cold)), helmet, googles.

Hands: Gloves (mine are ancient Swanis with glove liners built inside the mittens and a big pocket for hand warmers - on freezing days I put two sets in to give coverage to the full fingers and I always start them about 30 minutes before I ski and let them warm up before I put them in my gloves).

And I fill my Camelback with hot water and drink often, blowing the water back into the bladder every time I stop drinking so that the hose doesn't freeze up (and I have a neoprene hose insulator too).