We encourage you to stay aware of your basic needs for your comfort and enjoyment of the tour. Be sure to layer, de-layer, eat a snack, and drink water as needed! Layering and de-layering are especially crucial during activities like backcountry skiing, where exertion levels can vary, and weather conditions may change rapidly. It helps to prevent excessive sweating, which, if left unaddressed, can lead to damp clothing and an increased risk of hypothermia when activity levels decrease.
WHERE TO FIND SKIING/SNOWBOARDING APPAREL
There are several options of where to procure these items and you can choose whatever works for you and your budget.
Purchase: You can purchase layers at stores like REI, backcountry.com, evo.com, Sierra.com, physical Sierra stores (there are several in New England), or your local Ski Shop. Sierra is nice because you can find some steep discounts on apparel and other outdoor recreation gear. Ski socks run between $7-$12 dollars which is 50% off or more of the retail price. Though, ski gear can still be expensive even with discounts. The quarterly REI garage sale is a great place to find deals, and many brands, including REI, have a used gear section of their website and in-store at some locations..
Borrow: Hit up your friends and ask them if they have apparel you can borrow or if they can ask their friends/network if they have gear they can lend!
Rent: There are some online websites such as Kit Lender where you can rent ski clothes. The rental minimum is usually 3 days, though there are other sites if you search on google with different requirements. Ski cloth rental is not super common but there are places that offer it. We recommend doing a google search of ski shops near you or perhaps en route to Mt Abrams, and call them to see if they offer this service.
If the above options are not accessible to you, please let us know so we can help you find the gear you need!
THE BASICS OF LAYERING
Anytime you go skiing or snowboarding, it will mean you will be out in the elements in cold weather. It may snow that day, or it may be sunny, perhaps you bought your lift ticket in advance and the weather changed rapidly for that day to single digit numbers. The key is to stay warm and dry in any of these situations while out in the mountains to keep you safe.
The best way to layer for skiing is to do it in three key sections:
Base Layers – wick away moisture
Mid Layers – trap body heat
Outer Layers – keep out wind, rain & snow
Having layers will give you the flexibility to take some off if you get too warm, or add some on if you get too cold. You can bring a backpack with you to ski with to carry extra items, or you can leave them in the resort lodge and go in to change if you need to.
BASE LAYERS
Base layers should fit closely to your body. Good materials to wear are merino wool, nylon or polyester. Stay away from cotton as this material tends to absorb water (in this case sweat) and take a long time to dry. Which means you will be wet and cold with a cotton layer once you start sweating.
Socks – You should always wear one pair of good quality socks, rather than layering them on. We recommend using a thin, forfeiting sock, to avoid rubbing and lumps inside your boot that may be uncomfortable and lead to blisters. Socks should be long enough to come above the ski boot so that you don’t get any uncomfortable rubbing. Some brands make ski-specific socks, such as Darn Tough and SmartWool.
Long-sleeve Thermal Top – A form-fitting top will keep you warm and allow for mobility as well.
Thermal Leggings – Again, similar to your top, you want a fitted pair of leggings in a breathable fabric. Sometimes they sell these paired with the long sleeve top. Also, tuck in your top into your bottoms to avoid snow getting in your pants if you fall!
MID LAYERS
Usually you will only wear a midlayer on your top and skip the legs. Sometimes in really cold or high mountain settings, you will do a mid-layer on your legs, but for our day you can probably skip it. We use our legs a lot while skiing, so they also tend to stay a bit warmer.
Long-sleeve Mid Layer – This layer should keep your heat trapped close to your body. The most common material for mid layers is fleece. Other options could be a thin synthetic down jacket or a thin merino wool sweater.
OUTER LAYERS
The most important part of your outer layer is that it’s totally waterproof. Gore-tex is now widely used and is part of most ski gear, if not other waterproof technology. There are many pants that are waterproof, and are not gore-tex material, which tend to be cheaper.
Ski or snowboard Pants –There are some that are just a shell and others with insulation – choose what is best for your body temperature, and the time of year you’ll be skiing. You’ll likely want pants specific to the activity (either ski or snowboard pants) so that they can fit over your boots.
Waterproof Jacket – Just like waterproof pants, there are jacket options with insulation as well. Choose/borrow one that best suits your needs. A waterproof jacket without insulation is referred to as a “hard shell”. If you wear this, be sure to layer it over a substantial down or synthetic puffy jacket.
Waterproof Gloves or Mittens – Cold and wet hands can ruin a ski day! Invest in some high-quality gloves or mittens that are comfy and fit well. You want to make sure your gloves or mittens fit with a little space at the end of each finger to provide movement and maximum insulation. You can also bring some disposable hand warmers and put them in your gloves if you tend to run cold!
ADDITIONAL ITEMS (for while skiing or after skiing)
Down Jacket – Throw a down jacket in your backpack in case it gets super cold. They’re very lightweight and you won’t regret it.
Buff/neck gaiter/ski mask – Lots of people opt to wear a buff to keep their neck & face warm on colder days.
Hat – A thin winter hat can come in handy if you don't have a buff or you want to keep extra warm under your helmet.
Extra Gloves and socks – Bring an extra pair if you can in case yours gets wet!
Disposable hand warmers, toe warmers or heated insoles (or the more eco-friendly rechargeable versions)