I know "avoid cotton" is pretty standard advice for base layers, but I've done it anyway because that was is available. Typically, my top layers are:
That's done pretty well for me over the years. On sunnier days, I've even gone without the parka and had the hockey jersey as outerwear. My Columbia snow pants and long johns worked fine for my legs.
However, Super Bowl Sunday evening skiing it wasn't enough. Granted, the freezing toes and fingers were more of a problem, but it got me thinking if I already have something that help keep my core warmer. That was the coldest I had skied in a looooong time.
Has anybody used a bike jersey as a base layer? I'd have thermal shirt and every thing else over it. While they wick away sweat fairly well, they aren't as great at keeping warm. Would the other layers mitigate the heat loss effectively?
I'm hoping to go to Elk on Saturday with the forecast being about freezing and cloudy. Also, for those who don't know, I only ski 1 - 3 times annually, so I don't anticipate buying much new gear, though I'm certainly open to it if there is a good deal in the offseason.
I have an assorted of vests of different materials. Regardless of what other layers I have, makes it much easier to keep my core warm. Usually warm core means feet and hands don't get cold as quickly.
Thrift shops can be a good place to buy base layers. Even in the southeast.
Just don't wear cotton socks. And don't wear socks that are thin and have thicker course threads. Nothing ruins day like feet that feel like sandpaper from rough socks or wet socks.
Cotton everywhere else is fine as long as you don't sweat heavily or fall often. Once wet those things aren't drying out until the next day. That's the only reason you don't wear cotton. Most casual riders don't need to worry about that.
I'm a big fan of a tight thin base layer for bottoms and tops. It makes quite the difference in comfort.
If it's going to be 30-40 degrees and cloudy id wear a thin base layer, medium mid layer and my shell jacket that is fairly thick. Colder and I may add a medium layer or thick thick mid layer , sunny or warmer the mid layer is a thin sport fishing long sleeve.
On Super Bowl Sunday at Laurel my hands were fine, but my feet got cold, though I wasn't skiing at night. Night would have been extreme. I could have done more though. Usually I don't have to, because looping the moguls keeps me warm. I think there were too many breaks with the lift stopping and the lines being blocked. For extreme cold I use mittens, and I have wool mitten inserts. The neck warmer should come up under the helmet, and then maybe a thicker lower neck warmer on top that doesn't go under the helmet (which I didn't use). The gloves should seal to the jacket with no airflow (I was having trouble with that), and use a parka with a powder skirt that snaps together (I didn't use mine). Make sure you have a parka that is windproof through the zipper and the seams. The jacket that I used that day has a flap that Velcros over the zipper. On some other jackets I feel the wind coming through the zipper. NEVER take off your gloves to do anything!
pagamony wrote:
If I wore as much as wfyurasko I would die of heat stroke. Normally, 1 short sleeve dryfit, 1 fleece jacket or thinner quaterzip, 1 light-insulated ski jacket. If it is too warm I'll switch that to a thin shell, or too cold I'll combine the fleece and quarterzips. One of the thin quarterzips came from a bike shop, and one did not, so I don't distinguish bike jersey. Bracelayer is the new thermal bottom layer. Clava and or beanie as needed. Never any pure cotton anywhere. All this to say that even at Crested Butte in well less than 10 below zero F I have been fine. Good gloves are essential, sometimes with liners. Thin wool ski socks but actually I find compression socks work better. Your body is a heat pump - lose heat anywhere and it affects the whole system. Most importantly if it is precipitating - stay dry !!!! I need to work on that, my tech gear is ooooold.
Same on the heat stroke.
For 15+F to 30F I wear a synthetic t-shirt, and a thin smart wool quarter zip plus my coat over top. I'm never cold. Above 30 I ski I use the same t-shirt and smart wool, but only use a shell. Above 40F I'm skiing in a vest with the quarter zip, or a t-shirt and fleece w/o a coat.
Where I struggle the most is out west where it's dry air so 25F there feels like 35F in the humid MidA. I'm always burning up at the bottom and freezing at the top.
What I've found is that multiple thin layers work much better than puffy thick layers for staying warm. I've also found if my core is warm my hands and feet stay warm. Some of my family has super cold feet and I've purchased heated socks on Amazon for them.
The last factor to staying warm is make sure you don't start out cold. That means coats/boots/gloves etc all in the car on the ride up. I used to keep all of our stuff in the truck bed and it never bothered me, but my wife and kids couldn't handle putting on a 22F jacket and 22F gloves before skiing. They'd always end up in the lodge to warm up after two runs.
IME, skiing and biking, nothing really wicks or works as well as marino wool. It's an almost perfect base layer. If you can find brands or blends that aren't itchy, then you've got the perfect option. IME.
When warmth is a bigger concern than normal, a down mid layer is usually the ticket for me. And a good shell that breaks the wind over that.
On most normal mid Atlantic days I do not wear down mid layer, just marino top and shell.
I appreciate all the feedback and heat stroke concerns. My Super Sunday trip was an outlier, I'm rarely skiing in conditions that cold. Mostly, because I don't ski at night very often any more.
@Leo - I'm open to suggestions on non-itchy marino wool.
@oddballstocks - having boots in the warm car to start the day is maybe 25% of the reason I bought a pair a few years back, even though I ski only 1-3 times a year. I remember always getting in cold rental boots, though there is more climate control in the rental areas than the past it seems.
@Stephen - Taking my gloves of to takes photos of my kids didn't help the other week. If/when I do my Colorado trip, I'll invest in some more serious gloves before hand.
Saturday has a different potential problem - rain on Friday. I'm wondering if it's worth the trouble over on this thread - Elk Mountain and rain concerns
https://www.stio.com/products/mens-basis-peakwool-midweight-crew-ls
This is what I use currently for skiing. It's a blend which helps. But it's not itchy at all. Stio is at a point in their life cycle where you are paying a bit of a premium but they still make good stuff. You could probably find better deals on something similar from a different company.
I wear Ice Breaker merino wool short sleeve shirts for mountain biking. They aren't even really marketed as a biking jersey but I find them perfect for what I want. If you keep an eye on various sites there are often steep discounts on Ice Breaker stuff.
wfyurasko wrote:
I appreciate all the feedback and heat stroke concerns. My Super Sunday trip was an outlier, I'm rarely skiing in conditions that cold. Mostly, because I don't ski at night very often any more.
@Leo - I'm open to suggestions on non-itchy marino wool.@oddballstocks - having boots in the warm car to start the day is maybe 25% of the reason I bought a pair a few years back, even though I ski only 1-3 times a year. I remember always getting in cold rental boots, though there is more climate control in the rental areas than the past it seems.
@Stephen - Taking my gloves of to takes photos of my kids didn't help the other week. If/when I do my Colorado trip, I'll invest in some more serious gloves before hand.
Saturday has a different potential problem - rain on Friday. I'm wondering if it's worth the trouble over on this thread - Elk Mountain and rain concerns
Welp, my planned trip to Elk today was cancelled. The friend I was going with got laid off Friday morning. So, I'm not getting to test my bike jersey as base layer idea.
I'm considering hitting Massanutten next Saturday instead and that might be a bike jersey as a top layer kind of day...
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