 Poster: A snowHead
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Hey all,
I got recommend another piece of 'essential' kit as a new skier. The buff (www.buffwear.com), just wondering if any of you use these? They are kind of like a scarf/hat combo thing?!? Are they worth the £12? Or is it more expense I can get away without??
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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tomb, they ARE very useful but IME you don't need to spend a lot of money on them - Lidl and Aldi have microfleece versions around this time of year, for a couple of quid. My family has several of them, plus a couple of 'real' Buffs and - for the type of skiing we do and the conditions, they are fine. As for can you get away without them, 'course you can, but they are very good in cold or windy conditions or sitting on chairlifts, as they pull up onto your face for protection.
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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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tomb, always have one with me when I'm skiing (and when I'm mountain biking in winter). An extra 'half layer' - and takes up no room at all.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I have a buff-like tube with fleece one end and thin stuff the other. Useful on cold days for sealing the gap around my collar and for pulling up over my chin to keep my neck warmer. Sometimes when it snows I put the tube over my collar to stop snow going inside my jacket. On very cold days I pull the thin stuff over my head and then put a hat on top to get the effect of a balaclava. Previously I used the thin-stuff only version, now I prefer the one with added fleece.
Shop around. Similar things can be had for much less.
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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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Even the thin ones make a big difference to how warm you feel. A thin one will go in a pocket and you'd never notice it was ther utill you need it. I wouldn't pay £12 for one though. Igot a pack of three free jst for joining a motorbike kit websites mailing list, a Snowheads one for going on the EOSB and a fleecy one for a few quid from Aldi.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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The problem, I find, with fleecy ones is that the fleece doesn't stretch much so it makes the thing far less versatile. I prefer the simple thin ones.
My only problem with them is that they're so small when packed that I keep losing them!
Last edited by You'll need to Register first of course. on Mon 14-11-11 18:54; edited 1 time in total
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Best thing on a chilly, windy day. Have two, one with fleece, one without.
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great piece of kit, especially the thin one !!! - they have great designs but like everything else you are paying for the brand name! If you're a brand type person then get the Buff and if not then head for Lidl
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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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Cheers guys, will definately keep an eye out for a reasonably priced buff then!!
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Motorbike shops often have generic versions cheaper. I've seen as low as 3 for £6 in TK Maxx.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Want a seriously cheap fleece buff? Get a knackered old fleece you don't want any more. Or if you must, go to Primark and buy the cheapest fleece jumper or jacket they sell. It will be about £3.
Then get a pair of scissors and cut off the very top of each arm, about 8" wide strip. Put it over your head. You have a nice fleece buff, and even better one end will be a nice snug fit around your face or neck, the other end will be wider and tuck down into the neck of your jacket.
Best of all you'll be left with a nice fleece gilet if you used a zipped jacket to make it. Or a fleece wifebeater if you used a fleece jumper. At the very least you have a whole load of spare fleece material for making things to keep you warm. And a couple of weird fleece sleeves that I've not found a use for yet.
Monium engineering strikes again. I know. Some kind of genius maybe. There should be awards for this stuff. How do I know this works? Ever turned up in an expensive resort in the middle of nowhere with no buff and a very very cheap fleece?
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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 have a couple - one polar type one with the fleece bit and one normal thin one - wouldn't be without them. The normal one is particularly versatile and use it in different ways all year around. Great for pulling up under bottom of goggles frame in biting wind or snow/rain. I normally hate things around my neck but they are sufficiently light and comfy 
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Almost essential as a face cover for storm skiing, the rest of the time really not necessary, and ruins your goggle tan 
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You know it makes sense.
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Haven't seen them in the offers yet this year but another vote for the Aldi/Lidl ones.
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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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Lol, think I'll give the DIY buff a miss, don't think the misus would be too impressed if I started taking scissors to items of clothing in my house!
I'm quite glad I asked now as I was not going to bother with buff.... Which leads me onto another questions;
Is there an item of clothing or equipment that is not considered a technical necessity that actually makes your ski trips a lot better or easier??? Like a buff??
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Poster: A snowHead
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| Quote: |
Is there an item of clothing or equipment that is not considered a technical necessity that actually makes your ski trips a lot better or easier??? Like a buff??
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Hipflask.
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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 said easier not more dangerous
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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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Buff, brilliant. Not the fleece one for me as I hate the way it feels on my chin when the stubble kicks in.
| Quote: |
Is there an item of clothing or equipment that is not considered a technical necessity that actually makes your ski trips a lot better or easier??? Like a buff??
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Small cable lock. Lidl/Aldi sell the Safeman for £5 with their ski/bike lines. They are £14 elsewhere. Not "master criminal" proof but thieves have plenty of unlocked skis to choose from.
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I have both types (obv, for a complete kit tart), but only use the plain cloth one occasionally. They're very warm and comforting on the chair lift, but stupidly hot after a run. I run warm anyway, so only use it when it's very very cold.
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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 have the thin one. I use it as a neck tube for riding the motorbike and as a hairband-keep-ears-warm-type-thing when skiing.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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+1 for hipflask.
Buff is a great item to have, my one gripe with it is that it gets a bit soggy very quickly. Last season I used a Bandero face mask which I thought worked better http://www.bandero.co.uk/index.htm
Worth having a buff though.
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Indispensable for me. You often get free ones with cycle mags. I've got a couple of thin ones and a fleece one, and I must say I find the thin ones more useful, although in extremis the fleece is great.
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If you have a bald head you can get the solar buff with added UV protection, great for head coverage or hanging in a flap down the back for mountain biking too.
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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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Buffs in TK Maxx now (Kingston). Three pack for £5.99. Also gloves Surfanic, Rossignol, Reusch, Gordinni. Nice Tommy Hilfiger Gortex ski pants for £45, ideal if you are a size stick insect woman (XS). Surfanic goggles and some nice beanies by various manufacturers.
Best of all some really good quality 100% merino long sleeve base layers in normal sizes. Some Patagonia base layers in X Large also available.
In my opinion last years Aldi soft shell ski pants/jackets killed the TK Maxx stuff for value and there wasn't much in there today to change my opinion.
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palumbex, That's interesting. Thanks!
I manage to fold my Buff so that it will go under my helmet with the fleece bit around my neck.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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When my eye caught this thread I thought it referred to skiing in the buff. At my age, that would not be a pretty sight.
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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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Mrs M here. I use a buff pretty much all the time when skiing cos I get cold ears, even under my nice snug helmet with its little ear pad thingumys. I use one that's half fleece when it's cold, as extra block from drafts, with a neoprene mask on top if it's REALLY cold (like -35 sort of cold), and I have just a regular material one for when it's warmer.
Most places do buff rip-offs, think I have a Trespass one, sommat that TKMaxx had in, and one of Mr M's homemade jobbies after he sacrificed a fleece (and if you think that's odd, I wear things on my boots that are the result of a wetsuit sacrifice...).
Long story short, buff = good.
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Always carry one when skiing - for reasons mentioned above.Bought them years ago when they were cheap 
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You know it makes sense.
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| Bones wrote: |
| Always carry one when skiing - for reasons mentioned above.Bought them years ago when they were cheap |
me too. paid 8 quid for it. I always wear it when snowboarding cos its just so versatile.
Last edited by You know it makes sense. on Mon 14-11-11 21:55; edited 2 times in total
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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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Cheap fleece scarf (c. £1 ) wrap firmly around face, mark where it overlaps, cut, sew ends together. Got 3 from my scarf. Cut small hole in it to breathe through when I pull it up to my goggles on really cold or snowy days.
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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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nickH, A buff costs around £12. I recon what your describing will take around 3 hours. Thats not far off minimum wage in terms of time/saving. No thanks.
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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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Thought this thread was going to be about nude skiing. What a let down. 
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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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I have the windstopper one with the fleecy bit down the bottom. Does a good job and saves carrying a hat to sit outside the bar in.
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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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+1 Buff
+1 Hipflask
plus Neoprene Face Mask for really cold and/or windy days.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Dr John, even with my sewing, 5 mins to dig out sewing machine, 10 mins to sew the 3, at most 20 min all up. Therefore 9 buffs an hour at £12 each .........hang on, I think I'm finally on my way to a fortune !!! 
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when you guys say hip flask do you mean the alcohol variety or like a drinks bottle??
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I have a buff which is fleecy at one end and thin and strecthy at the other. I wouldn't be without it. I got it from TK maxx a few years back, it's a trek mate one I think.
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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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| tomb wrote: |
| when you guys say hip flask do you mean the alcohol variety or like a drinks bottle?? |
This is snowHeads, what do you think? 
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