 Poster: A snowHead
|
Yeah yeah I know it's been discussed many times before, but hey a new season's on the way.
You'd think after 20 years of skiing I'd have sorted out my base layer combo but I haven't!
Last season I was moaning about my cold backside and I still haven't solved that problem. I'm generally warm enough 'up top', I have a thermal wicking base layer, then a thin fleece, then my jacket which is fitted but padded, I prefer it to a shell.
Soooooooo I'm currently looking at buying merino wool Icebreaker 260 3/4 leggings, and a 260 top but will the leggings be warm enough? Will the top be too warm? And OMG it's expensive.
I've seen other people on here say they swear by Helly Hansen stuff. Oh and people also recommend wicking underwear too.
I just don't know what to buy 
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
Silk thermals cut just below the knee because they were full length! Silk L/S T-shirt. Jacket / Ski trousers.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
|
Merino leggings from here. They are only 200g, but are warm enough for me.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
|
Picadilly, so have you not been wearing any leggings of any kind up to now? Just your salopettes over the top of bare legs was it?
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
Picadilly, you're right, they can be expensive but I got quite a few of the sets I've got as presents  , and it has come in very handy not having to wash the same ones all the time. I do find the Icebreakers comfortable to wear but I must admit I do find the Hellys to be a lot warmer for some reason and equally as comfortable. We are all different mind you, some people love their Icebreakers and that's all they wear. Also, it takes a bit of trial and error to find your set up that is right for you, 'course it depends on how hard you're working at the time as well.
My base layer set up (I wear a shell though) is this:-
Lowe Alpine womens' shorts (I'll explain this in a minute re your "wicking underwear" mention in your post)
Helly leggings and Helly top
Another looser Helly top or similar wicking t-shirt over the top of the first Helly-long sleeve preferably although I have worn short sleeve with no problems.
A thinnish gilet which is breathable too
Shell jacket-I must admit I've found my shell to be just as warm as my insulated jacket I had in the past was even with the same number of layers on underneath it
If it's a very cold day say in Dec or Jan then I would wear a thin 100 fleece top under the gilet. That seems to suit me, you might not need as much as that though if your jacket is insulated, like I say depends on the bod you're layering over.
Re the Lowe Alpine shorts-well I was chatting to a very wise man once, and we were talking about layers etc, and he said that many people ski wearing the same underwear under their base layer that they would wear to work say, which usually, is made of cotton and then they wonder why their back gets cold. I found this to be so true myself and so one day I clocked this Lowe Alpine stuff in the sales at a third of the normal price-I bought enough pairs for every day for a week's skiing and I've never looked back-they are brilliant IMV so I stuck with his advice since it worked for me.
Oh, a lot of people like Icebreaker because merino doesn't, or shouldn't smell and some people find Helly's get a bit niffy from what I have gathered. I haven't found this myself mind you what with having enough for a week anyway from the presents I collected. But could be true if you only buy 1 or 2 sets and intend on washing them in the sink.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
|
The warmest stuff I've had is Under Armour Cold Gear (worn under North Face ski pants, dainese core jacket and North Face Goretex Shell) - in fact it's much too hot unless it's below -10.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
As a respectable married woman I refuse to talk about my underwear on a public forum. Tsk, are there no standards these days.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I usually plump for a chainmail tunic on top, combined with a pair of 1983 football shorts on the bottom half. The mesh hammock has come away, but they're still surprisingly comfortable.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
I've got some Berghaus 'Polartec' bases, then Icebreaker jumpers (one 260, one 320, depending on how cold I think it might be) and then a really crap 'Groovestar' jacket which is about as warm as wearing a bin bag. Never bother with base layer leg things. I've never felt particularly cold in this get-up, but I suspect the top of the Kleinie Matterhorn in Zermatt this coming December might alter that. Fancy a new jacket anyway 
The best thing I ever bought, though, was a North Face snood/scarf thing.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Patra silk longjohns and camisole/vest - lightweight but warm, but doesn't trap the heat when you go into a hot bar.
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
This is something I've never really considered before either, never really worn and thermals on the legs except for the one week skiing in America I did. Do people think it's possible for your legs to get a bit cold and hence muscles not work as well without necessarily noticing they're getting particularly cold? Also, while we're on the subject of base layers, (although this might be a bit of a thread-jack, and if so I apologise), I never manage to stop my feet getting cold, what are the best sort of socks around?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
i never get cold and just grab a longsleeve jersey, then a t-shirt on top then jacket. take a spare t shirt in bag with scarf and balaclava. I dont get cold on my body really but yes, gregor the viking, my feet get cold from time to time too.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
gregor the viking,
| Quote: |
Do people think it's possible for your legs to get a bit cold and hence muscles not work as well without necessarily noticing they're getting particularly cold?
|
Definitely. That's why compression leggings are recommended for exercise.
| Quote: |
what are the best sort of socks around
|
Falke are very good. They're the first pair of socks that have kept my feet warm enough without a silk pair underneath. (All the boot experts will tell you that you should avoid wearing more than one pair of socks.)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
gregor the viking,
Merino wool ski socks.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
I use a maser roll neck and a tnf tka fleece under a tnf goretex xcr jacket. legs are lowe alpine power strech tights with a pair of berghaus xcr big wall pants. Toasty, thought this year i've picked up a salomon motomesh top. Lockwoods said it was a mid layer, but salomon say a base, either way, i tried it on a trip to the coast as a base layer and it was warmer than anything i'd used previous, and it was dang cold monday on that norfolk beach.
Previous tops being a salomon zip neck merino/xstatic top. That was good, a xstatic top which was not so, and the universal warmth giver for warmer days, the helly hansen lifa t shirt.
Midlayers do vary though from a musto polartec gilet, a tnf polartec 300 fleece denali jacket which is old and yellow... a tog 24 polartec windpro pull over and a tnf flight series clingy stretch jacket which i'm clueless over the model name, but used for more for warmer conditions.
Indoor snowdome I use a spyder tahoe top with a dare2be hydrofort coat and some dare2be salopettes I picked up cheap from m&m sports. I can't fault the dare2be stuff as when I first entered skiing, I bought nevica at twice the price and soon discovered I wasted lots of pounds... Columbia rescued me for many years.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
johnDUB, did you have to dig out all your ski stuff and look at the labels before you wrote that or do you know it all off by heart?
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
By heart... Shocking innit 
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
I have Falke Athletic Light (that's the posh term for skin tight) longsleeve shirt and 3/4 length longjohn type things. Then I also have a handful of looser Odlo and Helly Hansen thermal base layers. If it's mighty cold I'll wear one of these on top of the Falke ones, else it'll be one layer of whatever takes my fancy that day. Falke ski socks (SK2 iirc), one pair in every colour I could find (including radioactive orange that's bright enough to melt the snow).
Then its a micro fleece (iirc Hotstuff or Campagnolo, only 10€ from local department store). Then topped off with Schoeffel jacket and Columbia ski pants (which will be replaced this year, since I'm positive they've shrunk over the years).
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
johnDUB, good grief! 
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
| Lizzard wrote: |
| As a respectable married woman I refuse to talk about my underwear on a public forum. Tsk, are there no standards these days. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Hurtle,
| Quote: |
Falke are very good. They're the first pair of socks that have kept my feet warm enough without a silk pair underneath. (All the boot experts will tell you that you should avoid wearing more than one pair of socks.)
|
Yes, I have Falke and they are excellent. Smartwool I've found to be good too but prefer the Falkes for comfort. My Smartwool socks did shrink a smidgen when I washed them.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
andy,
| Quote: |
Falke ski socks (SK2 iirc),
|
Yes, that's the ones I've got, but the women's ones. They are brill.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
Also a big fan of Falke SK2 socks - they're the only ones that don't shrink in the wash. I like them so much I bought a load of their ordinary street socks too
I like the silk longjohns because I have to wear something between my legs and my ski trousers or I sweat, the trews stick to my legs and I can't move. Since the silk stays cool when you're warm, it's perfect for me. On top, I wear a rollneck with a slightly fleecy lining (CHF 40 from Migros), then a fleece, then jacket.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
eng_ch, yeah, even in the warmer ski months I wear my Helly leggings under my shell pants-I've never felt too warm and I do like to wear a layer underneath the shell pants anyway, it makes them more comfortable to wear I think. Besides I guess the purpose of the Helly's are not just to keep warm, but to keep cool by wicking too, so basically keeping you at a comfortable temperature either way. 
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
| Libertine wrote: |
| i never get cold and just grab a longsleeve jersey... |
Are you a Saffa by any chance?
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
I am a huge fan of both Falke and Icebreaker. Despite the fact that they are very soft garments, I still find Icebreaker wool too scritchy to wear next to the skin. So I wear a Falke Athletic Light ladies top and 3/4 long johns, and then up to 3 more layers of Icebreaker on top - usually a 260 BodyFit mid layer and one or two 310 top layers (I really feel the cold). If it is cold I wear two pairs of the 3/4 long johns. This layer combination is also good for Nordic Walking in the British winter.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
docsquid, circulation problems doc?
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
PsychoBabble, no, it is more that I am just very, very tiny. Very, very tiny people have a higher surface area to volume ratio, and are therefore more prone to lose body heat. Plus I have a very low body fat percentage.
Another vote for Falke skis socks too, BTW.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
+1 vote for Falke here too.
docsquid, that's a lotta layers though! Are you sure you're a mammal?
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
docsquid,
| Quote: |
Plus I have a very low body fat percentage
|
I'm thinking this is a good thing generally but maybe need to eat more and exercise less pre ski holiday (not a prescription that would normally be doled out).
| Quote: |
I am just very, very tiny
|
You are quite small then? 
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
OK, and now how to do it 'on the cheap'. I've acquired two Nike long sleeved cycling tops with pockets in the back from a cycling web site, they are broad bands of black,red and yellow, but what the hell, they are 100% Merino and were only £7 each!! Last spring I raided Lidls and got cashmere thermal leggings (I think about a fiver a pair). This autumn I also got two cheapish wicking walking T shirts - they were synthetic, but had the antibacterial silver treatment and I thought they would do for walking, and probably for skiing too (about £10 each). Over these I use a variety of standard T shirts, polo necks or polo shirts and/or a fleece depending on the weather then my ski clothes.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
|
Patra silk stuff is pretty cheap.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
| Lizzard wrote: |
| johnDUB, did you have to dig out all your ski stuff and look at the labels before you wrote that or do you know it all off by heart? |
nah he's got it all in a spreadsheet with date purchased, supplier and cost - I mean don't we all do that?
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
| VolklAttivaS5 wrote: |
| Re the Lowe Alpine shorts-well I was chatting to a very wise man once, and we were talking about layers etc, and he said that many people ski wearing the same underwear under their base layer that they would wear to work say, which usually, is made of cotton and then they wonder why their back gets cold. I found this to be so true myself and so one day I clocked this Lowe Alpine stuff in the sales at a third of the normal price-I bought enough pairs for every day for a week's skiing and I've never looked back-they are brilliant IMV so I stuck with his advice since it worked for me. |
Interesting as a bloke I've suffered from damp boxers a bit probably due to sweat when I get up from falling over again, and whilst some of my mates do I can't really get my head round 'going commando' - ok so the long john is an option, but I don't always wear those when it's warm or I've got my 'specially' warm trousers on.
I also agree with the comments about helly stuff starting to pong - I use thermals under a drysuit when sailing and after about 18 months of sailing and skiing the hell tops just have to go in the bin - I can sweat like a packet of sweets left on the dash all day in the summer...
Do you think these lowe's do liquorice allsort type stuff too - any web links.
Cheers
bb
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
bertie bassett, so are they going commando under just their salopettes or underneath their Helly leggings or whatever? I suppose them going commando under thermal leggings such as Helly or Icebreaker would present less of a problem that wearing cotton boxers under them and then getting cold from the cotton.
I know what you mean though re
| Quote: |
| and whilst some of my mates do I can't really get my head round 'going commando' |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
I have rather unfasionable Peter Storm (millets) polysommink/viscose thermal tops and bottoms plus one pair of even more unfashionable M&S wool based thermal bottoms, but they seem to do the job fine. Over that its a M&S light fleece. I also have a Quechua (Decathlon) and Groovstar (Tkmaxx) tops meant as as base layers but can be used as lighter options over the thermals or an extra layer under the fleece.
I recently got a pair of Kalenji (Decathlon) running tights which I might try as a base layer. They give a bit of muscle support.
I have a selection of socks including tubes, Quechua, Nordica and Columbia. The firm favourites are the Columbia (merino wool), warm comfy non-smelly and I now just use the two pairs for a week. The others are just worn non skiing when I want long thick socks.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ
