Ski Season is Here!

Part 2 - What to wear at the ski trip/mountain/resort

We already listed what you should wear/bring to the resort on your ski day in our previous post here.

Now it is time to go into more detail. In Part 2, we will go into detail about your base layer tops and how to choose it carefully.

This blog series should help you make informed decisions in buying, packing and using your gear.

Let's quickly remember our top layers from previous post:

1) A trustworthy, thermal thickness/knit wool or synthetic base layer, like our Lightning series thermal tops

2) A mid layer, usually a moisture wicking fleece hoodie (skip this in end-season or spring ski days, 50F+, or if you already run too hot)

3) An outer layer, a waterproof ski jacket or a waterproof ski shell

We will focus on base layers here.

How to choose the best base layer in the ski day?

Remember the picture above? That's our founder, at a ski resort in US Northeast, taking a break.

But it also shows perfectly the layers you should be bringing along.

Skiing is a very active adventure, so it is crucial to dress right to avoid both getting cold and overheating issues.

The Objective

You have two primary objectives:

1) Stay warm comfortably in a way that you get neither too cold nor too hot.

2) Manage moisture, to achieve #1.

Despite the heavy marketing from other brands, let us make one thing clear: You do not stop sweating even with the most expensive gear. That isn't the goal here.

The goal is to manage that sweat (moisture) effectively so that you can focus on your skiing and fun; not itching, getting shudders or overheating.

This will be packed with information, as promised.

Buckle up and let's dive right in.

Ski Clothing 101

Base Layers

Base layers are your first defense against the cold.

You should wear your base layer before going to the resort, unless you can't. (if you are going after work, for example. Then, pack it in your backpack.)

There is no shortage of base layers in the market but not every base layer is created equally.

So what makes a good base layer top, especially for resort skiing?

Quick but detailed information to digest:

- Never choose a cotton or a cotton blend base layer or sweater (we constantly try to share this in our website in our social media, but in essence, cotton soaks up moisture and takes forever to dry. It is never recommended for outdoor adventures, and skiing is not an exception)

- You got two fabric options: wool or synthetics (polyester and nylon, aka plastics). Because, these two wick moisture (i.e. take your sweat from the skin and moves outward, which is a must for moisture management)

- You want a base layer that is layerable, like all our base layers. Even if 100% wool, your bulky comfy (or itchy?) thick sweater won't work here. The rule of thumb is, if you cannot wear your fleece on top comfortably, then you shouldn't wear that garment as a base layer.

- Wool is a miraculous natural material but it comes with thermoregulation (a fancy word that means it regulates your temperature so you won't be subject to sudden temperature drops, even if the outside temperature changes) and excellent breathability, something you need the most under your jacket.

- Also wool packs odor resistance (no one wants to stink in the lunch break), wrinkle resistance, softness (some pieces even buttery-soft like in our base layers)

- You wash wool less thanks to odor and stain resistance, but you still ideally want a base layer that is machine washable. At Simsek, we make all base layers machine washable to make life easier for you. If you are using another brand, make sure to check care instructions carefully to avoid shrinking or losing the garment altogether. Read our article on wool care here, or in our product pages.

- Downside of wool? It is pricier than plastic options.

BUY NOW

Simsek's Men's Lightning Thermal Base Layer Top is ideal for any cold adventure out there and skiing is a perfect example where you'd need the ultimate comfort and performance.

- For nerds out there, let's get technical. Polyester have the water saturation or holding capacity of about 1%, nylon 8% and wool is about 1/3, i.e. 33%. This isn't inherently good or bad. It requires its own post to explain, but to put it simply, polyester dries much faster than others because it doesn't soak up moisture as much. This might be ideal for very high exertion activities, but as a resort skier, we never felt the need for this. Wool's saturation works slightly differently, it can soak up moisture up to its 1/3 weight but that will make you feel dry, rather than feeling like you are wearing a wet and heavy cotton fabric, because you won't feel the sweat on your skin. And when encountered with an energy source (i.e. your body heat), wool will effectively help that moisture turn into steam and move away from your body and you will feel refreshed as ever.

- Polyester base layers might feel clammy for this exact reason (the feeling where you sweat a lot and your base layer cannot work efficient enough, so you get this soggy-unbreathable-sticky situation, if you know you know, it isn't desirable at all)

- What about blends? Some brands market wool-polyester blend as "best of both worlds". Is it actually true? They are not actually wrong but here is our two cents from all the experience we had: You should only allow wool to touch to your skin. You need maximum thermoregulation (every addition of polyester reduces it) and maximum odor resistance for good times on a break or after the ski day. Adding polyester dilutes that performance. Wool already effectively wicks moisture so we don't see a need for polyester here. For mid layers and fleeces, we agree in general, which will be broken down in our next blog post. The decision is ultimately yours.

We are a premium outdoor clothing brand offering great base layers, yet we recommend starting with what you have at home to see if it works for you. If you decide to invest in limited edition, 100% merino wool premium pieces for ultimate comfort, we will be here waiting for you, as long as we have stock.

What thickness to wear?

You should aim for midweight or higher; no matter how hot you run.

Mountain conditions are unpredictable, and temps can drop at any time. Do not take a risk with a base layer designed for fall/spring. For example, do not wear our T-shirt base layers for skiing. Don't get us wrong, they are one of the most comfortable in the market and they are also 100% merino wool. But they are not made for skiing. Too thin for that.

To get more technical, aim for 240 gsm or higher. You could get away with 200 gsm garments, but the a bad turn of weather might make things too cold for you. Reputable outdoor brands will list the fabric weight (of course, we do too) in the product detail page.

If you already own a base layer and you don't know what gsm it is, then try searching for it online. If you cannot find it, go with your gut or bring extra layers just to be safe.

1/4 or 1/2 zip or Crew Neck Base Layer Tops?

When it comes to base layer tops, there are different options.

Usually, they will tell you that it is recommended to get at least 1/4 zip neck base layers to further control the heat transfer. If you get too hot for example, you can just unzip the neck and dump heat out.

However, in our testing, this isn't really a practical option. Mountains are windy and you dress in way to cut that wind with all your layering system.

We love close fitting zip-up hoodies (read more in our next post) for example. We recommend neck gaiters to both keep your neck warm and to be protective to your hoodie (yep, ew, runny noses). So our neck and upper torso is already protected and breathable. You cannot reach that little zipper on your zip-neck with your ski gloves anyway.

We didn't see any difference with the quarter zips. If that's what you have, then fine. But crew neck works fine. Half zips are way too aggressive anyway, you will never zip down halfway in the context of skiing.

Final Note on Backpack Usage

Resort skiing usually doesn't require you to carry a backpack during skiing. You can usually leave your backpack in a locker or an open space (if you trust it), depending on the ski mountain/resort you go to.

Backcountry skiing however, will require you to carry all the essentials with your backpack, which we do not cover here.

If you want to increase the versatility of your base layer, make sure that it features some sort of offset shoulder seam structure and ideally use flatlock seams for ultimate comfort with the backpack. This will also come in handy in other winter activities like winter hiking, winter backpacking and snowshoeing.

This, in short, means that the shoulder seam don't go parallel to your natural shoulder line, so the backpack don't dig into your shoulders, essentially a no-chafe design, complete with flatlock seams. You can watch our video explaining this in Instagram here.

We designed our base layers knowing this, so they feature all the qualities you could ever ask for in a base layer, including offset should seams and best-in-class flatlock seams. You can check our winter tops here (also shown above).