Patrol Tip of the Week 5

[ski911]

We have some forecasted cold temps coming up so i thought I'd offer some tips that work for me.

 

1. Dress in layers with moisture wicking layers against the skin (Under Armor, quality long underwear, Capilene, polypropilene, etc)

2. Always put your ski socks on just before you boot up. Wearing your socks in your street shoes, in the car, will probably make your feet sweat, and then your feet will get cold. I also change my socks at lunch on a cold day.

3.Cover your head. Helmets, hats, balaclavas, neck warmers will all help hold in the heat. We lose a large percentage of body heat through our head.

4. Good gloves or mittens.

 

I'm sure some of you also have some good ideas. Please share

[Glenn]

Your hands and feet get cold because your core is cold. In order to keep your core body temperature up less blood is sent to your extremities. To keep your hands and feet warm, wear appropriate gloves/boots/socks but also wear sufficient (what may seem overkill) layers for your torso, and don't let the heat escape from your head!

[method9455]

I always have an extra pair of good gloves in my car/bag so that if I get snow in one pair and its super cold I can switch to avoid freezing my fingers. Even if its a long walk, its better than ending your day early and you warm up on the walk over and back to the hill.

 

Another option is to stand at the bottom for a minute or 2, you work up the body heat coming down the hill and before you head right onto the lift again let it spread to your extremities, as soon as you get on the lift you are surrounded by wind/cold and your body cuts off the fingers and toes. It doesn't take long but just standing for a minute makes a huge difference.

[stever2003]

I like that second idea method...I never thought of that.

 

Since you mentioned it and we're on the topic, I generally keep a pair of gloves and maybe a hat in my car, in case I ever get stranded in the cold. I really should throw a hoodie in my trunk too. It's not a bad idea to be prepared for such emergencies...you never know when and where something will break down, or how far you are from help.

[method9455]

On high school ski club nights I usually brought 3-4 pairs of gloves and a hat in by bag (and I don't even wear a hat) because my friends always forgot shit. Almost every night at least 2 kids were using stuff I had brought. You never know what you are going to need. I always have an extra hoodie for layers/the ride home too, because I run out of my house in the morning and don't realize how cold it is until an hour into the ski day.

[ColoradoHigh]

For skiing in uber cold temps, I wear those really neat foldable ear muff under my ear flaps on my helmet. It keeps my ears warm, and I don't feel the wind as much as I ski down the MT. I need those heat packs that you can put inside your boots and gloves.

[Margaritaville Skier]

Best way to beat real cold weather is move to Florida!!

[method9455]

careful with the heat packs. They have been known to cause burns and also might make it too hot, you sweat, and then you freeze. I would buy better gloves and socks before using those things.

[im rick james]

Another tip is to avoid alcohal/caffeine on a really cold day because it will actually make your body colder and also dehydrated..

 

I disagree. A flask filled w/ some nice bourbon or scotch will keep you warm, or at least numb you to the cold. You just have to drink it in smaller, less-frequent increments.

[method9455]

Funny story, I was bombed out of my mind once right after a huge snowstorm and ended up getting fairly involved with a girl in about a foot of snow at about 2am, in jeans and a t-shirt, and didn't feel how cold it was until a few hours later when I sobered up and realized I was soaked in melted snow and mud. So yea, I can vouch for the alcohol keeping you from feeling how fucking cold it is, but its not necessarily the healthiest of ways to stay warm.

[Skizilla]

We have some forecasted cold temps coming up so i thought I'd offer some tips that work for me.

 

1. Dress in layers with moisture wicking layers against the skin (Under Armor, quality long underwear, Capilene, polypropilene, etc)

2. Always put your ski socks on just before you boot up. Wearing your socks in your street shoes, in the car, will probably make your feet sweat, and then your feet will get cold. I also change my socks at lunch on a cold day.

3.Cover your head. Helmets, hats, balaclavas, neck warmers will all help hold in the heat. We lose a large percentage of body heat through our head.

4. Good gloves or mittens.

 

I'm sure some of you also have some good ideas. Please share

 

Looks like this will be good advice for this weekend. Temps are goin down!!!

 

Do yourself a favor and at least get get some decent gloves. Even the cheap ski gloves from Target are better than using someones driving gloves or leather work gloves. The first time you come into the lodge with frozen or cold and soaking wet gloves and your hands are numb you will hate life when they warm up. Feels like a monkey with a hammer is beating the heck out of them. Although, it is funny seeing people using socks as gloves.

 

If you know your feet normally sweat a lot then a boot dryer will save you from cold toes on multi day trips. I got one at an end of the season sale a few years back and won't leave home without it.

 

Oh and about the heat packs.... Don't let the foot ones get too much air. They are designed to be inside a closed boot and will get too hot if exposed too much.

[Glenn]

If you know your feet normally sweat a lot then a boot dryer will save you from cold toes on multi day trips. I got one at an end of the season sale a few years back and won't leave home without it.

 

I'd really like to get a boot dryer but I just don't have the budget for it. In the meantime I just prop all of my stuff on/against heater vents. Sure it will make whatever room smell like gloves/boots but at least my stuff is dry.

[zaldon]

i wear shorts and a t shirt in 40 degrees and shorts t shirt and facemask in 8 degree temp

[librider]

if my hands get cold, a temporay fix is to get blood flowing. I Make a fist and squeeze about 4 or 5 times as hard as I can. Then I shake my hand real real hard. Within 2 mins they start to warm up for a little bit.

[shopey1080]

1. Dress in layers with moisture wicking layers against the skin (Under Armor, quality long underwear, Capilene, polypropilene, etc)

 

under armor is really bad to wear when its really cold just so you all know...it doesn't matter which kind you wear its still bad

[sibhusky]

Mittens keep your hands warmer and allow the heat packs to actually reach your fingers. You glove wearers are missing out.

I wear Boot Gloves on days it'll be below 10 degrees. Put them over my WARM boots right before I go out. If my toes happen to get cold (rarely) it's just a little bit, certainly bearable. My boots are always kept warm with boot sticks whenever I am not skiing, except for driving to and from the ski area. I'll stuff the warm boots with something to keep the heat in on the drive over. Then I put on my boots INSIDE where it's warm.

I make an effort to keep my "core" warm. Today (zero degrees with high winds) I had on two layers of Thermax long johns, plus a Hot Chili top and a turtleneck under my LLBean All Conditions jacket. Spyder Taratula pants. DOUBLE face mask (one neoprene to stop the wind, one knit one to provide insulation). Helmet, but don't need any extra stuff under it, it's plenty warm. FANNY FLAP helps immeasurably with chair rides, noticed that yesterday when I forgot to put it on, so I made sure I had it on today.

[Glenn]

under armor is really bad to wear when its really cold just so you all know...it doesn't matter which kind you wear its still bad

 

Care to elaborate?

[sibhusky]

I think a lot of underwear relies on "wicking" and not insulation. If you are the sweaty type, wicking is fine. But if you are NOT and it's really cold, it's useless. I know the Under Armour that Siblet owns is stylish but she is always a popsicle. I wish I could find some stylish WOOL for her.

[AtomicSkier]

For skiing in uber cold temps, I wear those really neat foldable ear muff under my ear flaps on my helmet. It keeps my ears warm, and I don't feel the wind as much as I ski down the MT. I need those heat packs that you can put inside your boots and gloves.

 

 

My roomate has those. I've seen Glenn wear them too.