 SKI AND SNOWBOARD CLOTHING |
 |
General points |
|
|
| To be able to ski or surf in optimal safety and comfort conditions, you need to wear clothing that protects you against: |
|
 Cold temperatures (thermal isolation), |
|
|
|
External humidity (water-proofness, water-repellency), |
|
|
|
Internal dampness (breathable fabric so that it evacuates the sweat), |
|
|
| What's more, in case of a fall, the clothes should not be too slippery.
|
|
|
Protecting yourself against the cold in the mountains |
|
|
| The main thing to know is that the best insulation against the cold is air. As such, ski clothing that trap large quantities of air in their fibres or materials are the most effective.
|
|
|
Down jackets |
|
|
| Eiderdown or goose down provides the best protection to volume ratio. A down jacket is therefore a reliable choice if it's thick enough... Make sure to to check however that the feathers are well spread out and that they don't leak out of the jacket. Synthetic down jackets also provide high thermal insulation and are easier to take care of. One last piece of advice: don't pack down your down jacket too much when you fold it or it'll loose some of its fluff and will provide less insulation. |
|
|
Fleece jackets |
|
|
Fleece jackets rank in second. Fleece is both warm and light, it dries quickly and as such, is particularly recommended for any mountain activity.
Watch out for mediocre-quality products (there are a lot of them), that tend to clump : the fibres at the end of the threads that create the insulating layer tend to tangle and form small balls (the clumps) when a repeated mechanical action occurs (washing, rubbing). The fleece jacket then looses most of its insulation qualities.
As the quality can vary greatly for these products in the market, it is therefore recommended to buy brand names or products with a anti-clumping treatment (also called "anti-piling"), as the quality can vary greatly in the market. MALDEN is a leading brand in the market but there are other brands that offer good quality products.
To try out a fleece jacket, discretely but rather vigorously rub two parts of the clothing together for 30 seconds (make sure no one's around, the stores don't usually like this kind of testing...). If the parts you rubbed together now have clumps, change brands...
Caution: fleece is a fabric that "clings". Don't ever choose a parka with fleece-lined sleeves. We also don't recommend fleece-lined parkas : if you're wearing a fleece jacket underneath it, your mobility will be limited.
|
|
|
Sweaters |
|
|
| Good old sweaters continue to be a safe bet, as long as you're also wearing an item of clothing that will protect you effectively against wind and humidity. Sweaters made of wool or, as a second choice, acrylic are the most heat insulating (a very good compromise would be a mix of both fabrics). Pick a sweater with a thick and dense knitting. |
|
|
Protecting yourself against internal humidity. |
|
|
| Fabrics are, by definition, not water-proof because of their weaving. Indeed, the weaving, no matter how fine it is, leaved gaps betweens the threads (you'll notice it easily if you look at a piece of fabric in the light). To improve the fabric's ability to protect against bad weather, two techniques are used: |
|
|
A water-repellent treatment |
|
|
The water-repellent treatment is a superficial application of an water-resistant substance, which lets the drops of water slide. This process doesn't make the item of clothing completely water-proof. As a result, when the fabric is exposed to much water pressure, drops will go through. What's more, these treatments don't fare well when machine-washed (after 4 or 5 washes, their effective is usually dramatically reduced). However, one can buy sprays that will retreat the clothing...
Some of these treatments are both hydrophobic and oleophobic, which means they also repel fat, therefore keeping the fabric clean longer.
Most items of clothing, whether meant for outdoors or when they low to medium quality ski clothing are water-repellent. Most items of clothing, whether meant for outdoors or when they low to medium quality ski clothing are water-repellent. One should note that many products that are supposed to be waterproof are usually just water-repellent. That being said, a water-repellent fabric is more than enough for alpine skiing clothing. However, clothes that are really waterproof are preferable when hiking.
To see if an item of clothing is water-repellent, put it at a 45° angle and pour a small quantity of water on it. If the water turns to drops that roll around on the fabric, you can consider this fabric to be water-repellent.
|
|
|
Coating and membranes |
|
|
Coating (a layer of plastic material) a fabric or adding a detached membrane to it will make this fabric waterproof. When used for sport activities, it is necessary to choose a coated fabric or one that has a breathable membrane system (a lot more expensive of course) such as GORTEX, ENTRANT, SYMPATIX that evacuates sweat by allowing the moisture vapour to evaporate.
To see if a fabric is coated, you should, either know what you're looking for (the feel of a coated fabric and the noise it makes are characteristic), or be able to look at the back of the fabric, which usually look different than the front (often, whiter or shiny). That being said, it's usually dangerous to start cutting a product in a store to see the fabric on the inside! If you're really curious, you can usually see the back of the fabric on the hood when it's not lined.
The fabric's seams, even once the fabric is coated or equipped with a waterproof membrane system, will still be permeable. On certain clothing items meant for top-level sport or hiking will have seams that are made waterproof by means of heat-activated adhesive tape.
These seams are called "taped seams" or "heat sealed seams".
|
|
|
Protection against internal humidity |
|
|
| In the mountains, protecting yourself against perspiration is as important as protecting yourself against bad weather, since in both cases, the goal is to keep the body from cooling down because it's wet. |
|
|
The undergarment's role |
|
|
Specialised undergarments are very effective when it comes to evacuating perspiration. They are made of hydrophobic fibres that ... the water out/towards the exterior. Cotton, on the contrary, is a hydrophilic fibre and therefore tends to absorb the water. In other words, if you sweat in a cotton item of clothing, it's very likely you'll stay wet until the end of the day (and that you'll smell too by the evening).
This is why cotton base layers are not recommended.
|
|
|
Evacuating perspiration |
|
|
| Perspiration, in its gas form (moisture vapour) can go through the middle layer (the sweater or the fleece jacket) with no problem, but has to be evacuated to be able to leave the outer layer. In order for this to happen, the item of clothing has to be made out a fabric that was either coated or has a breathable membrane system (see above). This kind of clothing is a lot more expensive than those with a membrane system without breathing properties (such as the ones the first K-WAYs had), which are not made for sport activities. Basically, if you don't want to spend a lot of money on your ski wear, go with clothing that was treated to be water-repellent. |
|
|
Non-slippery fabrics
|
|
|
| This aspect may seem rather unimportant, but you'd be wrong to think that.... A direct causal link was established between the fabric an item of clothing is made of and the skier's capacity to stop himself when falling. A certain number of accidents - some of them with dramatic results - were caused by the fact the skier was wearing clothes made in a thin and slippery fabric (wind-breaker fabric for instance). Prefer fabrics that feel a bit rough... |
|
|
Ski suits or ensembles? |
|
|
| That is the question... Regarding protection, there are no big differences between the two, as what really matters is which fabrics are used and the clothing's different characteristics. However, the trousers/coat ensemble has 2 undeniable perks: it's more « fashionable » than the ski suit, and allows for a better modularity. |
|
|
WINTER-SPORTS.COM 's advice |
|
|
Carline or similar, technical hydrophobic undergarments
Evacuates perspiration. |
|
|
Fleece jacket
Protects against the cold. |
|
|
Waterproof jacket made of breathable material, unlined or thin-lined
Protects against wind and bad weather. |
|
|
Trousers with warm lining
Protects against wind, bad weather and cold temperatures. |
|
|
|
|
|
