 Poster: A snowHead
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I've climbed in the very cold and dry Canadian conditions and as long as you are active you do need fairly little in the way of insulation. In less cold conditions where the humidity is raised, and/or breathable layers less effective then the cold can feel more penetrating.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I wear a good jacket and a base layer most of the time. Although insulated, the jacket is still very breathable, as is the base layer. Only if it gets really cold do I need to add another layer such as a good, lightweight fleece.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Anyone tried Falke thermals yet? Blacks are stocking them in-store (but apparently not online).
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I tend to wear:
1. Helly Hansen Lifa thermals - old style polyprop one - nice and warm, comfortable but smell terrible pretty quickly - merino wool is supposed to be much better on this front (althou 50% more expensive)
2. very thin Nike fleece shirt/zip neck - actually has lycra side panels so very comfortable/stretchy
3. Mountain Hardware windstopper vest - seems very warm for its tiny bulk
4. acrteryx goretex xcr shell - brilliant design but flippin' expensive. A North Face hyvent jacket would be a much more reasonable 100 quid and do almost as well in most ski situations. I like a proper hood for windy January chairlifts. The arcteryx one is very good but too small to get over a ski helmet easily
5. legs North Face 3-layer goretex shell pants - not really insulated although partially microfleece lined - these were pricy but several people are selling them NEW on ebay for 50 quid + post. I suspect they are slipping out the back door of a factory in China but could just be excess stock.
All that adds up to several very thin/unrestrictive layers - warmth without bulk.
If it is very cold I might replace the windstopper gilet with a thick fleece jacket and pull a pair of Ron Hills on between my thermal bottoms and shell pants. If it's warm I'll lose either the vest or the fleece shirt.
I've just bought a Mountain Hardware soft shell jacket because, well it was nice, I suspect I'll wear this instead of vest and arcteryx shell in spring weather and instead of vest in bleak weather.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Today on Trisha: 'Your snowboard jacket just isn't waterproof anymore - get rid of it!'
Meet Freestyle: for 2 years she's been having a relationship with a good looking jacket which constantly lets her down; embarrassing her in public by behaving like a wet weekend to the point where she shakes uncontrollably with chattering teeth and blue lips. She's here today to ask for your help to finally decide if she should give their relationship another go. Can she mend this soggy mess with a can of reproof to give a much needed injection of warmth into their relationship? So far, this sodden thing has cost Freestyle one set of Icebreaker thermals and 2 North Face mid layers. Can she go on like this? Once a jacket and its owner have lost their proofing, can the warmth between them ever be reignited or should she just get rid of the big drip?
We find out what the forum thinks....
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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3 layers, microfleece, polar200 and hard shell does most conditions. If its very very good I will add a wool base layer.
Can't envisage more than that but what works for you, works for you..
Freestyle,
Keep the thermals and bin the jacket...if it isn't upto mountain
Reproofing the jacket will make it more waterproof but will also affect the breathabilty, making it less so. This is a small trade-off and one that Gore-tex does as well as any others IMO. For example Polycotton is much more breathable than Goretex but not waterprof and when you waterproof it is isn't as breathable as the Gore tex jacket. So keep the thermals and get a good XCR shell from Mountain Hardware or the like, even North Face. A good mountaineering/climbing shell wil last you longer than the fashion statement its may make so get colours that you can live with for 5 plus years. That is why £300 for a shell is quite good value in the long run
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Or, if you're a fashion victim like me, get one of the fully specced Gortex Paclite jackets you can get these days. You can get one with a proper hood and decent features for not much more than £100; my last one cost about £70 in a sale and is still going strong after 3 years (which included a full ski season) and I've only replaced it because I wanted one in a different colour. It's made by Mountain Equipment by the way.
These full-on 3 layer goretex XCR jackets that shops try to sell you are totally overspecified for most people IMO.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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[quote]
An alternative and much cheaper option already mentioned by Ski are M&S thermals. Last season they did a range for extreme cold that were a mixture of merino wool (around 30% I think) and man made fibre. These were only about £17 a pair as I remember, seemed pretty toasty and wicked moisture ok.
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These part merino ones are brilliant, especially as they are more laundry-friendly than a lot of the expensive high-tech alternatives. However M&S's own and their suppliers' warehouses are out of stock of the long sleeve vests and unlikely (apart from in chairlift-busting sizes) to be available again in time for this winter.
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