« Back to Article |
Ski gear that will help you stay extra warm on the slopes
By Louise Hudson | February 20, 2014
-
Heated gloves or mitts are a must for serious skiers. With rechargeable batteries, they radiate heat through thin skin on the top of the hand to warm up fingers. Seirus Heat Touch gloves and mitts are operated by a simple push button and the lowest setting keeps them warm all day.
-
Heated gloves or mitts are a must for serious skiers. With rechargeable batteries, they radiate heat through thin skin on the top of the hand to warm up fingers. Seirus Heat Touch gloves and mitts are operated by a simple push button and the lowest setting keeps them warm all day.
-
Sunshine Village, near Banff, Canada, is senior-friendly and has a ski-in/out boutique hotel.
-
The Dynamax Quick Combo balaclava by Seirus
-
Patagonia Women s Capilene 4 Expedition Weight One-Piece suit (also available for men)
-
Therm-ic Supermax Powerpack: batteries and global charger
-
Rossignol s Women s Tracy PR Jacket in cloud print
-
Photo By SonnyphotosThe al fresco hot tub at Sunshine Mountain Lodge is ready to soothe aching joints and muscles.
-
Photo By Joel Bajrech / thedesignerlab.coLeah stretch jacket by Nils
-
Photo By Joel Bajrech / thedesignerlab.coLane 4-way stretch ski pants by Nils
-
Photo By Simon HudsonTherm-ic Supermax Powerpack
-
Photo By Simon HudsonTherm-ic Supermax Powerpack
Being cold can cut short even the best day's skiing. However, new technology in thermal fabrics and battery-heated garments means no one need suffer frozen faces or frigid digits anymore.
Heated hands
Heated gloves or mitts are a must for serious skiers. With rechargeable batteries, they radiate heat through thin skin on the top of the hand to warm up fingers. Seirus Heat Touch gloves and mitts are operated by a simple push button and the lowest setting keeps them warm all day. Vitals: From $199.99 to $329.99 at Sun & Ski Sports and Academy.
Toasty torso
If the tum gets numb, the rest of the body follows suit. Volt has solved this by designing its core-coddling Women's Heated Insulated Vest 7V-IVwith rechargeable battery. The slim-line battery pack slides into a pocket section and has four settings to adjust heat throughout the day as temperatures rise. Vitals: $199.95 at Brookstone and voltheat.com.
Cozy nose
To prevent frostbite to cheeks and noses, there's nothing more efficient than a full face-mask or balaclava. Not too pretty, but it withstands wind-chill and enables easy breathing without fogging up goggles. Seirus makes a lightweight Dynamax Quick Combo balaclava with a stretchy Weather-Shield face mask - which doesn't get damp - connected to a warm, woolly skullcap that fits under helmets or hats. Vitals: $24.99 at Academy and Sun & Ski Sports.
Warmest onesy
Two-piece base-layers come in every fabric from bamboo to merino wool. However, one of the warmest versions is the Capilene 4 One-PieceSuit from Patagonia's Expedition range. Made from breathable but cozy Capilene, it has an ingenious zip-up panel in the women's version for bathroom visits. Vitals: $199 at patagonia.com.
Temperate toes
Cold toes can cause intolerable pain and numbness, hampering skiing ability. Smartwool socks help prevent this, but for many skiers this isn't enough. This is where boot heaters come into play. The Therm-ic Supermax Powerpack (with batteries and global charger) makes a rechargeable heating system that can be installed in any ski or snowboard boot. It has three different settings with low or medium heat being sufficient for most ski days. Vitals: $170 (or $210 including insole) at cozywinters.com and amazon.com.
Ingenious jackets
Style doesn't have to be compromised by comfort in ski jackets anymore with today's slim-line fabrics and insulation. Using a 15,000/15,000 waterproof/breathable membrane, Rossignol's W Tracy PR jacket combines Thinsulate Platinum technology with fancy French fashion design from Jean-Charles de Castelbajac. Vitals: $850 at rossignol.com.
Another trend is to make ski jackets with insulated stretch fabrics. Nils Skiwear specializes in this with its Leah jacket using four-way stretch, three-layer fabric. As well as the Spandex content, shirring at the sides and elbows make it highly flexible for skiing maneuvers, and there's plenty of room for a heated vest underneath. Vitals: $395 ($495 with real fur trim) at Flatiron Sports in Crested Butte and nils.us.
Snug ski pants
Nils Skiwear's 4-way Lane stretch ski pants combine snug insulation with a snug fit. Made from thick, stretchy Derimzax fabric, they are a boot-cut, yoga-style pant. Stirrups keep legs and front seams straight, and a tight midriff panel acts like Spanx. Despite the insulation, they still require a base layer for optimum winter warmth. Vitals: $285 at sunandski.com and nils.us.