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What to wear under snow jacket and trousers - February in France ?

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
I have another newbee question

What will I need to wear in February on the slopes in France ?
how many layers?

I'm thinking the below, am I on the right track?

Thermals, t-shirt, fleece then jacket ?

Thermals then ski pants ?
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
I wouldn't bother with the t shirt. Depends too how cold/windy/snowy it is, how much you feel the cold, how hard you're working, etc, etc.
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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?
Heavens, you'll bake alive in all that lot unless you are an especially nesh person! I simply wear a thin base layer under my jacket most days, or a wool base layer on colder days.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
Thermal base / thin fleece / thick fleece / windproof / waterproof

Mix-and-match as required.

Do NOT wear cotton!
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
I'm nowwhere near as hard as some of the posters on here so :

At 2000-2500 m I would typically wear:

Top: Base layer thermal T/zip neck
Fleece/Merino midweight pref full zip to regulate heat
Shell Jacket with pit zips i.e. zero liner or "drop liner" or thin insulation


Bottoms : Mid weight Long johns
Shell trousers as above
calf length socks

Decent gloves, buff and beanie (even with helmets for stops)

Variables to consider are : Altitude ; efficiency/fitness / Experience (experienced skiers should get colder as they work less through good technique); Rucksack (=a layer in its own right); Breakfast/Booze (hungover vs porridge); Meds - some prescription meds affect blood thinning and temps.

So I adapt the above for altitude, weather time of year, most typically with a primaloft waistcoat.

Conclusion - Layering/adaptability easiest done with peripherals and pit zips/ full chest zips. If you are a newbie skier i d go out on the basis that you want to be warm (and dry) stood still . No one feels cold actually skiing ! but they do on the lifts or waiting !
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 You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
@Oliver8, if you're a newbie, are you in lessons? It's hard work, learning to ski, so you may well find yourself stripping off most of your layers and then need to have somewhere to put them! Where are you going? Height and likelihood of cold wind also plays a part but FWIW I usually wear a top half base layer, thin top/fleece and ski jacket and very rarely any bottom half thermals. A thin 'neck hat' (as they're called in our house - really a snood type thing) is good to have and folds to nothing in a pocket if not needed.
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
I have never been cold skiing yet.

Top - Thermal vest, fleece ski jacket
Legs - Thermal long john things and ski trousers

Nothing fancy and not too many layers. Skied 2000-2500m but I have never skied in below -5 I don't think (I don't carry a thermometer).
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
Thermals under ski pants should do. If your pants are insulated you may not even need thermals unless it's very cold. On top - base layer (avoid cotton), fleece, jacket. Buff is useful on windy days. Ideally jacket and pants should have vents. You should be comfortable when still, not too warm, so vents give you extra option regulate your body temperature. Generally having one more layer - like a vest - is preferable to jackets with thick insulation as it's easier to drop a layer.
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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.
If you can take a rucksack then you can always pack a spare layer or take layers off. You may find that you get hot skiing but sitting outside for lunch can sometimes get chilly.
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 Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
I've skied in the -20sC (without windchill) a few times in Sweden, and I have added a fleece over my wicking baselayer (in addition to the insulated ski jacket and trousers of course).

If its that cold though, the main things to worry about are your face (ears, cheeks, and especially your nose) and your hands (so good gloves).

What you have to remember is that if it is say -2C and no wind and you are just walking, then the heat you are generating is enough so your jacket and trousers should insulated enough on their own to keep your warmth in and the cold out. When you start moving faster then you will create an airflow which will make the ambient temperature feel colder (think of it as windchill) but again the jacket and trousers will keep the airflow away from your body so you wont feel it, in fact you might get hot, even though its cold outside the jacket.

If its blowing a hoolie then the wind will probably start to get into your jacket (up underneath or in through the neck) and you will feel it.

I once made the mistake (one Christmas in Are) after skiing all day in the late -20s C leaving the apartment at night when it was -30C wearing just jeans on my legs (although with my ski jacket on top), my nuts nearly froze off when I stepped outside the door! Shock Of course the others in the apartment with me told me to wear thermals under my jeans but I ignored them as I'm a bloke... trouble was being a bloke I pretended I didn't feel the cold and had to run between pubs to stop my legs from freezing!

It was because I had been insulated from the cold on the piste, so I just didn't realise how cold it was (except on my nose, for some reason ski masks never cover the tip of the nose, they think its vital to let this part of the body freeze, especially when you are zipping downhill against the wind and creating an even greater windchill!)



So my advice is, if you already have an insulated ski jacket and trousers, and you think its going to be cold then by all means bring along a fleece and thermal leggings "just in case", but instead of worrying overly about how warm your body will be, you should really worry about the more exposed extremities, such as your hands, ears, nose, neck and chin.
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 snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
Depends on your jacket/salopettes. I wear leggings under my salopettes (cotton leggings Shocked wink ) and then a running top and a slightly thicker 'ski' base layer. If it's cold I might add a fleece but it's rare. My husband pretty much always skis with a fleece. We ski last week in Jan/first in Feb - french alps.

My old jacket needed a fleece under it though or was freezing, and one of my salopettes need a proper thermal base layer, more for going up lifts than anything else.

Take them all, see how you find it on day1 Smile

aj
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 And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And yes get one of these: http://www.decathlon.co.uk/fleece-neck-warmer-id_8075598.html
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
Take a selection of stuff and see what you like. I find I only get cold on chairlifts and am fine with one base layer (top and bottom), plus maybe an extra layer on top on really cold days; but my buff is the most useful for keeping my neck and face warm, whilst sitting still on the lift up the hill.
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
@a.j.,
Shirley you mean one of these:
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