 Poster: A snowHead
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I seem to have acquired two down the years still can't work out why I should use one. Do they work any better than water bottles other than the fact that they get mouldy and can give you an excuse to get off work when you feel unwell?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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T Bar, Had one, used it once and then took the water thingy out and use it now to carry chocolate and a hip flask, much more valuable. Anyway high in the cold mountains people overestimate the amount of water they need.
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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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Like a lot of skiing "essentials" they appeal to the well-heeled gadget freak. I've always managed with a water bottle, never been skiing so hard that I couldn't possibly stop for 30 seconds to fish the bottle out, have a swig, and put it away again. I'm obviously not hardcore enough!
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the ice perv, I've run marthons and drank less water running one than I have seen some people cruising blues and reds drink in a day 
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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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I must be a well-heeled gadget freak, then. I find mine very useful. My mouth gets very dry a lot of times when I don't want to be heaving my sack off to get at a bottle. If you are not similarly afflicted, you don't need one.
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thefatcontroller's guide to skiing:
If I do it, you should too
If I don't do it, you shouldn't either
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thefatcontroller, no they don't...especially not with 12 pints of Mutzig on board from the night before... 
They're also particularly useful while touring/climbing as then you don't need to stop everyone everytime you're thirsty. For similar, if inverted, reasons really hard core involves catheters...
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David Murdoch,
Surely one bottle could serve both purposes. 
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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I don't use one because I believe its a faff to keep clean etc etc...but as I have been de-hydrated on the hill a few times, this is an issue I'll have to get round.
I prefer water bottles but you should drink before you feel you need to, IMV
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While I consider them a necessity for mountain biking, I find them totally redundant for recreational skiing.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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uktrailmonster, I found my (middle-aged) endurance off-piste significantly improved once I started skiing with one, and since you are wearing a pack, you might as well have a hydration sac. Also as David Murdoch implies - good on the rare occasion I skin. Twix bars are my other essential fix.
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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.
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You know it makes sense.
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I use one, little sips throughout the day, ie on a lift, in a lift queue, work fine for me. Burger all cleaning, I dry it out on a radiator, and occasionally clean the tube with a long thin cleaning brush...
I think I've used Miltons on it once or twice.
Much quicker than undoing 2 rucksack straps, swinging off back, opening, finding bottle, swigging, then replacing.......
Cheers,
Greg
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| T Bar wrote: |
David Murdoch,
Surely one bottle could serve both purposes. |
You may jest, but I have seen a catheter bag (preservative free type) used as a hydration pack , converted by a couple of cheapskate pharmacists doing the Coast to Coast cycle route. Filled with an energy drink, it did not look particularly appealing.
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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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I do use a bladder occasionally,
the up side is-
ease of use which means your far more likely to use it and nice as you go along and no need to stop.
The down sides are-
freezing
unexpectedly running out of water
the valve can get dirty or leak down your jacket
I have found it really good on cold early starts from huts when I get it filled with a hot (not too hot) drink usually blackcurrant or lemon, as well as keeping my back warm, its a great psychological boost to have a warming drink
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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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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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Lou, this one had a drainage tap. Nor could I, but back then, Camelbaks were extremely expensive.
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thefatcontroller, I'll get you a catheter bag and see what a difference it'll make (and a leg-bag too, so you don't have to stop too often) 
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jbob,
that sounds like a good idea. I'll maybe stick to water bottles for my skiing but if I ever get to tour start using the bladder.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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jbob, Freezing can be prevented by lowing back the water in the tube - water will freeze even inside an insulated tube, in my experience.
thefatcontroller's point about the weight of water you are carrying is a very good one. A full pack can weigh a lot, and I rarely full mine fully. If I am going piste skiing only on a cold day, I carry very little - since I won't need much. Quite a different story if I am going off-piste skiing and some climbing is in the offing, or in hot weather. And yes, I do appreciate that sweat when climbing is in part caused by the weight of water being carried. Experience teaches you how much water you are likely to need.
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For piste skiing I just can't see the point. Mountaineering, warm weather hillwalking, mountainbiking etc are a different matter - where energy output and sweating/moisture loss are a major feature a hydration system enables "little but often" moisture replacement. I do think some poeple overdo the amount of liquid you need to take in during the day (and overstate the diuretic effects of beer and caffeine). I have happily completed 3 day via ferratta trips in the Dolomites in summer, with 2 litres of water in total, and just beer in the evening and coffee at breakfast in huts.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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RobinS, fair enough if you don't see the point but many people just don't drink enough, skiing or otherwise. If someone's prepared to carry water in a pouch as opposed to in a bottle in rucksack or whatever, and it's more convienient, I don't see the problem? Each to their own, but 2 litres of water a day is about the mnimum required in a normal day for most adults, before any physical exertion.
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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.
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i've used one for years now. first got it for mountain biking and it's brilliant for that. You can drink on the climbs and just keep on going. Also used it a few times when skiing but eventually went back to just drinking from the bottle on lifts or on breaks at the top of the hills while taking in the scenery. So, i'd say they are much more beneficial to mountain bikers than skiers.
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| thefatcontroller wrote: |
| T Bar, Had one, used it once and then took the water thingy out and use it now to carry chocolate and a hip flask, much more valuable. Anyway high in the cold mountains people overestimate the amount of water they need. |
Different people have different needs. I have always tended to drink rather more water than the average person.
I always carried a water bottle or two, and rarely finished the day with anything left. Then I was given a camelbak for christmas two years ago, and since I almost always ski with a small rucsack anyhow, I found the camelbak very much more convenient than water bottles.
It is only a 1.5 litre one, so doesn't weigh too much, but I do sometimes need to refill it during the day.
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You know it makes sense.
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I go through about 2-4 litres a day great to have there if you need it and no grief of having to stop and undo bags etc? Diffrent strokes fro diffrent folks I guess?
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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When I first got my bladder I used it for hill walking. I was amazed at how much better I felt using it. In actual fact, I was drinking less than if I used bottles yet I felt much better and fresher when using it. I think I tended to only drink water from bottles when I was starting to feel really thirsty which is the wrong thing to do because if you're getting very thirsty your body is starting to dehydrate. Of course it was linked with having to stop and take a bottle out etc which is a hassle. With the bladder I have a few sips here and there, never have to worry about stopping and am obviously much better hydrated compared to what I used to be with carrying bottles.
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Poster: A snowHead
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| shoogly wrote: |
| i've used one for years now. first got it for mountain biking and it's brilliant for that. ... So, i'd say they are much more beneficial to mountain bikers than skiers. |
Yep, and saves drinking from a bottle attached to frame thats plastered in mud and horse poo.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Used one this year for the first time...
I ended up with a terrible back the day after my return from Andorra last year.
My wife's always nagging me to drink more but never really paid much attention before until then. But when I asked the doctor in France about why a suden bad back (it was a muscular issue) when there were no obvious reasons he said there were several possibilities and the 1st one he listed was dehydration.
So for less than £20 I picked up an hydration pack at Decathlon. It carries 2L plus doubles up as a small back pack. I hardly know it is there even when full, I drink a lot more than I ever use to because it's so much more convenient than a bottle, and I felt a lot better for it. All my mates were constantly asking if they could have a sip and went round to buy their own...
Can you do without one? certainly...
But why would you at that price and especially if you're going to carry a backpack anyway..Just makes life a lot easier...
I feel mine with energy drink/lucozade and it works a treat on hangovers as well...
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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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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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here's a good trick for you camelback users. After a night on Mutzig, if like me you are afflicted with heartburn as just deserves. A teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda in with the water dampens it down a treat. It also has to added benifit of cleaning the inside when we - inevitably - leave the water in for a couple of days. (much the same cleaning technique as our mothers employed to clean the tea stains out of the pot) tasted a bit weird to start with but if your a sufferer then its worth it.
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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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achilles, I guess I am one too 
I have asthma and my inhalers give me a very dry mouth, that is before any skiing is done. After my ski trip in November, I really struggled with dehydration, it was catch 22, I needed my ventolin to help me breathe in the thin air, that then made me thirsty. I didn't drink enough the first day and felt quite ill.
So this time, I picked up a 1.5ltr hydration pack for just £9.95 from Tesco and it was perfect, holding just the right amount and it also had a few little pockets as well. I did get some funny looks as I slurped away but it meant I could have a drink without opening any zips, opening bottles, removing my gloves or even letting go of my ski poles
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I can see the point if ......
1) Ski Touring.
2) Skiing hard from lift start to lift stop and not wanting to carry multiple bottles around or waist ski time in restaurant queues.
3) A recreational skier who doesn't ski hard but gets slaughtered every night on the beer and would benefit from many litres of water to fight against dehydration.
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PisteHead, Thats the one. Where you see the 2 black zips, that is where the bladder is, it comes out for cleaning very easily indeed and the drinking tube is just threaded through the webbing.
I used it a bit before the holiday, to see if I could get the hang of it and if I felt too much of a numpty and found it very easy to clean, after emptying it, I just rinsed it through with a mild sterilising fluid, then rinsed it again in the morning with just water. It is also very easy to fill.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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I don't really see where the idea comes from that you need to clean the bladder all the time. If you only put water in, then there is nothing for bacteria to grown on, so no need to clean all the time. I just rinse and dry mine after each use and it's fine.
But if I'm using energy powder in it as well (which I when on the MTB), then I agree then it needs a period clean to get rid of the furry bits.
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RobW, I used the SIS powders, a new flavour for each day well, I had to try them all !! and each time I gave the bladder a rinse through with a sterilising fluid, but the times I have used it for just water, I rinse it through with boiling water and left it to dry. I did find it took a good few initial rinses to get rid of the plastic taste before I used it for the first time.
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FAQ
. He probably needs loads of water from sweating because he is carrying a load of weight around on his back 