Ski Season is (almost) here!

Part 4 - What to wear at the ski trip/mountain/resort

In Part 4, we will go into detail about your leg insulation, how it differs from top insulation and which layers are needed for best performance.

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

Let's quickly start with bottom layers are:

1) A trustworthy, thermal wool or a synthetic base layer bottom

2) A windproof ski pant

That's it. We recommend three layers for your top because you core needs to stay warm but legs do not need as much insulation.

That doesn't mean it isn't as important but smart layering solve the problem quickly.

How to choose the bottom insulation for the ski day?

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

The Objective

Objective with bottom insulation to cut wind to greatly reduce windchill and provide extra warmth with the help of a base layer. Your base layer will also wick moisture and help manage sweat, so you stay dry.

This will be packed with information, as promised.

Buckle up and let's dive right in.

Ski Clothing 101

Bottom base layers

Quick but detailed information to digest:

- Same principles apply here: Never choose a cotton or a cotton blend bottom layer, neither on the pant nor on the base layer.

- You heard us saying this many times by now: You got two fabric options: wool or synthetics (polyester and nylon, aka plastics). Because, these two wick moisture

- Plastics will dry faster, be more durable (wool is durable too) but sadly, stink quicker.

- Wool will be overall softer, more comfortable and odor resistant.

- You want a base layer that is layerable, like all our base layers. Your comfy thick trackpants won't work here. The rule of thumb is, if you cannot wear your ski pant on top comfortably, then you shouldn't wear that garment as a base layer.

- 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 follow instructions carefully to avoid shrinking or losing the garment altogether. Read our article on wool care here, or in our product pages.

- Base layer bottoms are a bit more tricky, since you don't wear them all-year around, you probably aren't used to two layers on your legs. They have to very comfortable, use high quality seams and smart seam placements to make sure it is very comfortable and fits well. Try crouching and moving around to test it before going up to slopes.

- Also make sure to wear your ski pant to test with it too, to make sure that it is ultimately moves with you. Just like underwear, uncomfortable base layer bottoms will likely ruin your day.

- Another important feature you might want to look out for is the functional fly. At the resort, or wherever the adventure takes you to, you probably will have to use the bathroom. So why would you settle for less, a base layer that don't have the fly?

- Our base layer bottoms are carefully designed to achieve all this. With the 30-day returns and Lightning Guarantee in place, you will have piece of mind to return or exchange it, if it doesn't fit. We use the best-in-class flatlock seams for an chafe-free design, superfine wool for itch-free and buttery-soft experience and smart seam placements to give you the freedom of movement.

You should focus on the adventure on the slopes, not stuck, thinking about if the clothing will hurt your... you know... bottoms.

What thickness to wear?

We recommend base layer bottoms to be the same thickness of your base layer top. At least midweight 240 gsm is highly recommended, but anything up to 360 gsm will work, depending on how hot you run.

How to choose the ski pants for the ski day?

Ski pants have this vital task: block the wind and thus reduce the windchill as much as possible.

Not even the thickest base layer bottom could provide enough leg insulation without a wind-blocking pair of ski pants.

The rest of the features are optional and depends on personal taste and budget.

Features you should look for in ski pants

- Make sure it is windproof. If it is sold as a ski pant, it probably is.

- Make sure that it is waterproof. Not every brand will list their ratings sadly, but look for the ones that has about 10,000 mm waterproof rating. The more the better.

- Make sure the DWR and the membrane the pants uses is PFAS-free.

- There is also breathability ratings. 10,000 g/m^2/24h is a good starting point. The higher the better.

- Choose nylon blends ideally, not polyester.

- You might want thigh zips for dumping extra heat. We never needed this with a pair of uninsulated ski pants but everybody is different.

- Make sure it has gaiters. Ski boots or snowboard boots are big, so the elastic-hem built-in gaiters will attach to the top of your boot and keep snow out.

- You'll ideally want 3L pants for the maximum performance, but a 2L pants from a prominent brand will work, especially for beginners. What does this mean? Out of scope of this post.

- Pockets are nice to have.

AND FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, PLEASE DO NOT WEAR JEANS instead of ski pants.

JUST BECAUSE YOU WEAR "LONG JOHNS", IT DOESN'T MEAN JEANS WILL DO THE TRICK.

 

Jeans are made out of cotton, cannot block wind and will get wet in the first contact with snow. You will be cold and sad. Please don't do it. Thank you.

Ski pants or bibs?

Bibs offer extra coverage, especially against fresh powder. However, it is harder to get into and get out from. Consider how you'd go to the bathroom with them.

Not every product is the same, make sure to test the innovative features (zippers etc.) to make sure that it is practical to use.

For resort skiing, the ski pants are totally fine.

Insulated ski pants or not?

- This is a bit personal. We know people who normally run cold, just use uninsulated pants alongside a great quality, 100% merino wool base layer bottom, and be just fine.

- If you are worried about getting cold or don't trust your base layer bottom much, you can go for insulated pants. Shouldn't be a problem.

Can you use your softshell pant for skiing?

- Technically yes you can. No one can stop you. But should you? Probably no. There are a couple reasons for this.

1) Most softshell hiking/winter pants aren't windproof. Some are wind-resistant, others don't even list any windproofness feature. If it cannot effectively block winds, you will get cold.

2) Most aren't truly waterproof. You perhaps can get away with water-resistant pants in a ski resort but you never know what may go wrong. And no one wants wet pants and base layers when the wind is blowing through.

3) Most softshell pants don't have a gaiter or have one that isn't big enough for the ski boot. Ski pants are specifically made for this. Feeling melting snow in your ankles isn't a great feeling. We'd know.

We still think that if you aren't ready for an investment yet and already have a great-performing softshell pant, you can give it a go to see if it works for you. However, be warned, you might have to buy one at the mountain shop.

Simsek currently does not make any ski pants, so your current pair of pants is the best until we make one. Stay tuned.