Hardwear Sessions

Right from the start, avoid the dreaded Sweat/Freeze cycle when touring. The typical trap is set like this... You drive to the trailhead in a nice warm car, then get really cold while you are gearing up so you put on extra clothes. Next, in the excitement of getting going, you start out with a fast pace, immediately overheat, strip off your warm clothes, which then exposes your now damp underlayers, which then get cold again, so you stop and put on warm clothes. It's misery in motion.

Think of starting out like you are a car, where you may be cold to begin with, but as you start moving you reach a nice comfy operating temperature that can be controlled through pacing. In general, I dress much, much lighter for backcountry skiing than I do for resort skiing. A typical BC outfit will be a base layer on top and bottom covered with a shell top/bottom and that's all. This keeps me warm all the way down to about zero degrees mainly as I'm generating heat through movement. If I have to stop for more than a few minutes, I'll put on an insulated jacket to retain heat and then put it away before starting up again.

Slightly loose clothing has the advantage of trapping warm air, being more comfortable and generating heat through friction. A loose fit is a warm fit when it comes to boots and fingers. With boots, it is important to be able to freely wiggle your toes. With fingers, a light pair of mittens can be far warmer than a beefy pair of gloves (although less dexterous).

When the temps swing the other way, I wear the same clothes but vent them as much as possible. Full side zips on the legs are good for cooling your personal high-speed quads. On the top, I like shells that can be unzipped and vented to the point that they are almost loose shards of fabric flapping in the wind. The conditions have to radically change for me actually add or remove a piece of clothing once I start out.

As a crowning touch, think of your head as the thermostat that controls your overall temperature. It's hard to be warm with a cold brain, but by using various combinations of hats and hoods, you can set your desired temp, kick back and glide through the day in plush comfort.