What base layers/recommendations for December trip?

A snowHead

I'm a bit clueless to this as in years gone by I'd just throw on hoodies etc underneath jackets without giving it much thought.

I'm headed to Val Thorens at the end of December and I've bought a Helly Hansen shell jacket (elevation infinity 3.0 if it matters) so I should probably get some proper base layers to go with it, what would you recommend so I'm not going to sweat or freeze to death?!

also any brands/recommendations to look at would be great!

A snowHead

I've tried all the HH jackets and thought they were terrible for someone who favors a goretex shell. However, the HH Morino wool mix base layer was very high quality. Other than that I have Surfanic which very thin but is better designed in that it ends where the ski boot starts unlike the HH which goes down to the ankle, which means you have to roll it up.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

BTW, no offense intended. The choice of jacket is entirely subjective. I just did not like the huge HH logo.

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I've tried all the HH jackets and thought they were terrible for someone who favors a goretex shell. However, the HH Morino wool mix base layer was very high quality. Other than that I have Surfanic which very thin but is better designed in that it ends where the ski boot starts unlike the HH which goes down to the ankle, which means you have to roll it up.

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Great! Obviously you need several thin layers underneath a shell. It just depends but I imagine VT can be brutal in howling wind if you get stuck on the lift.

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Natural fibres are your friend. Anything merino wool is a good bet for insulation and for sweat prevention as wool is a naturally wicking material.

I've got Mountain Warehouse merino base layers. They've seen me through -20 in Iceland and Norway as well as in the considerably warmer climes of your average Alps ski trip (anywhere between -6 and 6 degrees).

Don't neglect your feet. All well and good keeping your limbs warm, but if you get cold toes, it's game over. Natural fibres here again. Our Northern Lights tour guide in Iceland told us that if you have a decent pair of wool socks, you don't need anymore than a single pair. I live my life by this advice. I've got some merino ones that are so thin, you'd think they wouldn't keep you warm, but they're very effective.

My husband opted for a shell jacket for our Iceland trip. He teamed it with base layers and a fleece zip up coat underneath. He said he was very comfortable. I prefer an insulated coat personally.

After all it is free

@damanpunk, merino base, top and bottom is good, no particular preference but mine is old "icebreaker" thats worked well. Thin fleece type mid layer for top in addition to base.

Doesn't bulk up too much under shell, breathes reasonably, effective in insulation.

The merino base on legs helps with keeping the heat from big muscles and makes hands and feet less susceptible to cold from promoted circulation.

Currently favour military surplus thin fleece top as mid, cheap, tough and very effective with long tail and soft neck closure. Can give link if needed Very Happy

I really love my HH Morino base layer. I don't know how you would find a Morino that finished at boot level except by ordering them online to see, with the option to return.

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To add, skied VT 3rd week of December, v-cold but dry too, with bright sun. Very good conditions, but we weren't sitting around outside much.

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And since you loose 90% of your heat through your head, all you need is a really good hat. Laughing

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I’ve just bought a pretty decent Merino wool base layer from SportPursuit for just over £20. I so really recommend Merino for anything touching your skin except socks.

SportPursuit is a company that specialises in selling on bankrupt stock amongst other things. I tend to look at items that are high quality, new but two or three years old in Design. There are other alternatives out there, but I find them to offer a good deals if you shop selectively. I got to know some of the managers of our local Ellis Brigham pretty well over the last 20 years. All of them without exception bought a fair amount of their personal kit from SportPursuit rather than with the staff discount.

Other than the base, I will wear two or three micro fleece layers. I like the fact that these are relatively thin and that if I want to take one off, I can just roll it up and wrap it round my waist.

Apart from what most people think as normal skiing clothes, I tend to find it as long as you’re able to learn is wind proof that it’s the items that block the air getting into your jacket and trousers that are most important.

Having a really good thick neck buff and a warm but thin balaclava to go under your helmet can be really useful in the low temperatures and strong wind. If the temperature drops a lot or windchill is extreme I use a neoprene facemask mask which doesn’t incredible job of keeping my face dry even in the coldest of conditions.

Finally, I use Hästra Heli ski gloves with long cuff gaiters normally but mittens when it’s very cold. I also have a pair of almost waterproof Hästra over gloves which almost turn my normal gloves into mittens and make them so much warmer in cold or wet conditions. However, if I was buying again, I would not buy the Hästra ones as they rather stupidly coated the inside of them with something that might as well be Teflon. Once you’ve got them on, it’s almost impossible to get hold of a Poma or anything else slippery. I ended up sticking some glue on them and rubbing them in find the sand to get some sort of reasonable hand grip on the inside Laughing

I didn’t mean to hijack your OP question about layers but just wanted to point out that addressing leakage from the extremities can be just as important if not more so. They are also usually the first place to feel really cold.

Really valid points about the neck buff and hat. I've got a buff from Intersport that's fleece on the bottom half and cotton on the top. I usually have it over ny head like a balaclava so the fleece keeps my neck warm and the cotton stretches over my ears and doubles up over my mouth and nose.

Mr. O has this one. He got it few years ago and really rates it. He uses it throughout the winter on the football pitch sidelines, too.
https://tuclothing.sainsburys.co.uk/product/tuc144451118

Nowhere near big enough to cover his ears, but he tends to run hot, so his helmet does a good enough job of that, and the buff keeps his neck and face warm.

You know it makes sense.

This is the military base/mid thin fleece https://goarmy.co.uk/products/british-army-brown-buffalo-type-fleece really high performance for price.

The neck can be rolled down and open, or zipped up to form a neck "buff" for more extreme. Really soft material with covered zip that doesn't touch your ski anywhere along it.

Long rear "fishtail" excellent for cycling in winter too.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

A snowHead

As Sportpursuit has been mentioned already, I’m not sure if they still have any, but there were a load of Mons Royale base layers on there a couple of weeks ago. If you can get those at a good price, especially the 100% merino ones, definitely worth it.

A snowHead

Thanks for all the info, loads for me to go on. Time to fire up sportpursuit!

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Layers themselves are critical.

Do keep a close watch on the forecast and adapt accordingly.

Merino base layer as mentioned, fleece, buff. Add extra for colder weather.

Help!!

What base layers/recommendations for December trip?

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