Ski Clothing and Mountain Apparel

Ski Jacket Features and Designs:

Insulation: There is no denying that warmth and comfort will affect your mountain experience. For warmth one will have to start with well insulated clothing. Two major insulation materials stand out, natural (down feathers, cotton and wool) and synthetic insulation. Down feathers are typically restricted for use in jackets. Common synthetic insulation includes fleece, Gore-Tex and Climashield which can be found in many ski garments.

Hood: The choices here are limited to insulated and non-insulated. Typically we get our insulation from our hat, headband or helmet. On deep powder days or rainy days a hood will keep you dry.

Pockets: Jacket designs these days include many pockets. Back country skiers will appreciate a large chest pocket for a radio and shoulder attach point for a microphone.. Many jackets will come with specialized pockets for lip balm, trail maps, goggles, mountain pass (clear pocket), cameras, cell phones, wallets, etc.

Sleeves: Two venting features are often associated with sleeves, removable sleeves or arm pit vents. Either way, the idea here is temperature comfort during spring skiing. Sleeve straps are becoming more popular with the deep powder crowd as it allows one to seal the wrist to prevent snow entry,

Powder resistance: Some jackets have features to keep powder snow out of your jacket. Chords and straps which can be tightened around the bottom of the jackets as well as the sleeves, may do wonders to keep out the snow.

Waterproofing: Most winter sports jackets are water proofed. It is the older jacket which loses its waterproofing which causes trouble. Products like 3M Scotchgard can return ski apparel to its original waterproof condition.

Fabric is measured for "waterproofing" by the amount of water pressure required to cause it to leak (measured in mm). Typical values are around 5,000 mm while fabrics of high quality are around 20,000mm.
For comparison, 704mm = 1 psi.

Fabric "breath-ability" is measured by the amount of water vapor which will pass through a fabric in a 24 hour period (measured in grams of water vapor which can pass through a square meter of fabric per day often simplified as just "grams"). For example, Gore-Tex Performance 3-layer ranges from 10,000g to 15,000g while Gore-Tex Pro Shell 2 and 3-layer measure at 25,000g plus.

Dare 2b:

Burton:

Bergans:

Karbon:

Loki Gear: Jacket with built-in glove:

Obermyer:

Spyder:

This apparel goes by many names including "fleece" (named after the covering material found on a wool-bearing animal), "soft shell" and "Turtle Fur" (a brand name). Fleece falls into two categories, that which is brushed on one side and that which is brushed on both sides. On that which is brushed on one side, that is the side which soft and faces the skin. Typically the fleece material is 100% polyester although it is becoming more common to see blends made out of recycled materials. Fleece has become popular with winter apparel products due to its water resistant nature and wrinkle-free properties.

Fleece Manufacturers Links:

• Columbia
• Karbon
• Marmot
• Mont-bell
• Mountain Hardwear
• Patagonia
• Pearl Izumi
• Polar Max
• Smartwool
• Turtle Fur

Manufacturers Links:

• Descente
• Karbon
• Spyder

Also see Heated Gloves

Manufacturers Links:

• Armada
• Mont-bell
• Mountain Hardwear
• Nobis
• Obermeyer
• Spirit Hoods - Spirit Hoods for kids

Manufacturers Links:

• Crazee Heads
• Chaos

Also see Heated Hats and Headwear

Manufacturers Links:

• EC3D Sports - compression wear
• Lorpen Socks
• Ortovox: Merino - wool thermal underwear
• Mont-bell
• Opedix
• PolarMax - manufactured completely in the USA
• SUGOi - "Compression apparel"
• Zoot - CompressRx

Manufacturers Links:

• UGG
• Kamik
• Keen Footwear
• Timberland
• Baffin
• Kodiak

As with any outdoor winter sport, we must make up for the fact that we humans are not made for the cold weather conditions. With the exception of spring skiing on a sunny day, skiers and boarders will encounter all levels of cold weather. Here are some tips for the extremely cold days:

• Add layers to meet the challenge of the cold weather. This provides air gaps which add an insulation factor to hold in the heat of our body.
• Add insulation layers but avoid over heating and sweating as this will lead to a more frigid experience than you would otherwise. Moisture draws heat from the body more rapidly than air as it is a conductor of heat rather than an insulator.
• Use a base-layer at the first or skin layer to wick moisture and keep the skin dry.
• Use breathable materials to allow moisture to be drawn away from the body and event to escape. Some completely non-breathable material act to create humid sauna like conditions which are usually followed by extreme and unrecoverable cold.
• Add mid layers of insulation for colder days. Keeping the body warm helps keep other parts of your body warm. If your core is cold, your extremities will become cold more easily.
• Use an outer shell for protection from wind and moisture (eg melting snow).
• Use outer shells which keep snow out. Many ski jackets will have "powder skirts" for this very purpose.
• Dry and switch gloves each day. Switching gloves each day allows the insulation to recover and help keep the insulation from "packing out", reducing the effectiveness of the insulation. Drying the surface of the insulation is not enough. The entire volume of the insulation has to dry out.
• Change socks daily for the same reason as for your gloves. They need to dry out and unpack.
• Style and warmth are often at odds. Many want to show their charming faces rather than wear a ski mask. Saving your face from extreme cold will help save your skin and good looks later in life. Goggles will protect the face more than sunglasses. See our coverage of ski goggles.
• Don't constrict blood flow: Tight glove wrist covers, tight boots or powder skirts can restrict blood flow. Ski boots are often buckled down to improve ski response by eliminating any "play" between the foot and ski. Loosen the buckles when not skiing.
• Choose a quality pair of ski socks with good insulation properties. Regular socks do not perform well. See our coverage of Ski Socks.
• There are a variety of heated ski wear which use batteries or exothermic chemical reactions to generate heat. See our coverage of Heated Ski-Wear.
• Remember that this is a recreation sport and that it is suppose to be fun. Some days should be skipped.

• Heated ski-wear
• Alpine Ski Socks