Trans Sierra Ski Trip - What to Wear?

Discussion about winter adventure sports in the Sierra Nevada mountains including but not limited to; winter backpacking and camping, mountaineering, downhill and cross-country skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, etc.
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Steve Bearman
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Trans Sierra Ski Trip - What to Wear?

Post by Steve Bearman »

This one is for all you folks who go out for multi-day backcountry ski trips.

What is your layering system for clothing? I would love a little advice on how best to balance what to wear while skiing all day in the sun vs. hanging out in camp at night in the cold.

Also, as far as boots go, what kind of footwear do you bring to wear while at camp?

Some fashion advice would be helpful too, but I should probably save that for another forum.

Thanks!
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Re: Trans Sierra Ski Trip - What to Wear?

Post by copeg »

Steve Bearman wrote:This one is for all you folks who go out for multi-day backcountry ski trips.

What is your layering system for clothing? I would love a little advice on how best to balance what to wear while skiing all day in the sun vs. hanging out in camp at night in the cold.

Also, as far as boots go, what kind of footwear do you bring to wear while at camp?

Some fashion advice would be helpful too, but I should probably save that for another forum.

Thanks!
All I gotta say is...I am sooo jealous of a trans-sierra ski trip :nod:

My ski trips usually don't last more than two nights, and I've only been ski touring for a few years now, so I may not be the best qualified to answer this...but here goes. for layering: the top I usually bring a synthetic t-shirt, some long johns, two fleece, a shell, a fleece scarf, a shell, and a down jacket. For the bottom I bring some thermals, some full length spandex, and shell. I shed as the weather applies, if I'm know I'm gonna get hot once I get moving, I'll strip until I get a hint of cold, then get moving. During the day I usually just wear spandex + shell for the bottom and t-shirt + fleece + shell for the top.
For camp, I always just wear my plastic ski boots. They always keep my feet warm. I've tried to bring the down booties, but have never really liked them. I do try and dry out my feet in the sun or sleeping bag frequently because the plastic really holds in the moisture.
If you haven't looked yet, you can probably find a lot of info over at telemarktips.
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Post by paul »

Here's what I wear - and be aware that I am the sort who is a furnace when on the move, but an iceberg when sitting still; during the day, lightweight long johns with shorts and light shell pants on the bottom, and a lightweight white long sleeve crew neck polyester shirt. (mine is aTerramar, it wicks great and keeps me cooler than anything else I've tried). If it cools down a little, I can add a zip t-neck over that, or if it gets truly foul, my Precip shell instead of or on top of hte zip-t. When it gets really warm (and it probably will), the shell pants come off, and even the shorts for maximum ventilation. The long johns are white, by the way, so they don't soak up the solar heat. For the hands, I have powerstretch liners, some mittens my friend's mom knit for me in 1973, and gore-tex mitten shells. For the head, a lightweight underwear-type balaclava and thick fleece hat, and a sun hat with big brim and flap hanging down the back of the neck. The sun hat is critical, you will fry without it no matter how much sunscreen you glop on. For loungewear, I pull out a polargaurd 3D pullover and pants, and polarguard 3D booties. I have lightweight overbooties to keep the booties dry when tramping around the campsite.
The basic things I would keep in mind are:
You will get hot during the day - sometimes very hot - and you want your base layer to be light colored so you won't get any hotter than you have to.
Handwear needs to be in several layers so you can deal with all the variations of temperature and wind.
Sun hat is critically important, a big brim all around or a neck flap is mandatory.
Warm hat is also critical, and having a light one and a warmer one is nice for varying conditions.
It's better to err on the side of too light for the big insuating pieces, as you're only going to wear them when you are camped or having lunch, and when camped you can always get in the sleeping bag, and if you get cold at lunch you just saddle up and get moving.
If you don't feel a little chilly when you strip down to your traveling outfit from your camp outfit, you're probably wearing too much. If it's cold when I start skiing, I often start out in just my shirt, but wearing the big warm hat and a couple layers of gloves. The gloves and hat are easy to shed without stopping as you warm up.
I also try to think ahead, to avoid getting to hot or cold. Putting the mitten shells on before I start the big down hill is usually a good idea, as is stripping down to the minimum before the big ascent.
And of course, lots of sunscreen - when I'm being a good boy I put it on about every two hours, and lip balm as often as I can remeber to do it.
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Steve Bearman
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Post by Steve Bearman »

Hey, I'm sorry I never thanked you both for your replies. I only ended up going out for a few days this year, but I have managed to reduce my clothing to only what I need.

Down really seems to be the key to staying warm at camp, and my Sierra Designs waterproof down booties have been my favorite new purchase. After hearing much hard shell / soft shell debate, I went with hard shell so as to not have to bring an extra waterproof layer just in case.

I also discovered the necessity of non-water based sunscreen!

Thanks for your help along the way . . .
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Winter gear

Post by gdurkee »

Too late for your trip, but for the archives, you can check out my winter gear list (not that I ski anymore. I just work on my tan by the warm glow of my LCD...).

http://ostranderhut.com/durkee_gear.html

George
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