Hi TOGS friends! Thanks for your patience this week…I’m coming back from a winter camping/skiing trip for The North Face in Canada so this newsletter is a bit belated.
But the trip also had me thinking and testing layering ideas for ski touring in all seasons. This TOGS is all about function!
Also-did you listen to the latest Blister Review Podcast. Jonathan (hi!) chatted with Kellyn and I about the origins and future of TOGS as well as another project Blister+. It was such a nice conversation and we love Blister!
Ski touring, like road biking, have a way of confusing my body-how can I be simultaneously hot/sweating and freezing/numb at THE SAME TIME??!! It’s taken me many years and many tears (hello screaming barfies) to master the art of layering for movement.
This week, I’ve shared all my tips, breaking it down by weather. As an athlete for North Face, everything below comes from the brand or one of it’s partners…but the guidelines are easily transferable to things you probably already own for skiing.
Hot temps
We’ve had some crazy hot temps in Chamonix the last three seasons, to the point where you’re wondering how you’re even able to ski in such heat, and also wondering how many layers of sunscreen will you need to avoid getting scorched.
These are the easiest days to dress: sun hoodie plus a mid weight down jacket in the bag for the way down. Light pants, a light cap, and lots and lots of sunscreen and water.
Warm Temps
Future Fleece+Wind Jacket+Puffy Jacket
The days where it is not that cold, but you are getting your sweat on and potentially skiing down when it’s later in the day were always the trickiest for me. I eventually learned that the key to those days is both wearing my fleece layer next to skin and ditching my normal shell jacket for a running shell.
Using light fleece fabric as a base layer works great by wicking away my sweat in a way that feels different than a normal skin tight base layer. I find it dries quickly and the hood is nice for either extra shade or extra warmth. I now will even use the fleece pants as my under ski pant layer. They do have a cuffed ankle so for some it’ll be annoying in your boot. Or if you’re like me, your boots are too big and any extra fabric only helps to take up space.
During the warm temps, I found myself turning to my ultra running friends for inspiration. I’ll often leave my normal ski shell at home and grab a wind layer designed for running/hiking instead. They pack down smaller, and are often a quieter fabric. They seem to do just fine with light wind, snow, or rain.
This black one is similar to the one I’m wearing but I have my eyes on either this tan or blue one. The blue one is Futurelight fabric, which I will fall on a sword defending it’s perfection for ski touring. It’s light, but also soft. I find the crinkly sound of swishing on a ski tour highly annoying, and this fabric is perfectly mute.
If I’m going with this light and fast mode-I’ll usually only bring a medium weight puffy to throw on top of the wind layer for the ski down.
Real Winter
Wool Tank and bottoms+ Fleece top+Synthetic Mid Layer+Shell top and bottom+Puffy
It seems like winter decides to show up in March these days, and I find I have to pull out some heavier layers this time of year (or if you lived in the states last year you probably never put them away!). This is my go to touring kit when the elements are active and it’s either really cold, really snowy, or both!
I’ll layer a wool tank under the future fleece (the white fleece is so beautiful in person-grab one while they are in stock!). I find the tank is perfect for keeping my core warm, but not so much that I overly sweat. A wool tank is an underrated layer in my opinion.
Next I’ll add the Casaval (previously called the ventrix) on top of my fleece. Super breathable, lightly waterproof, synthetic layer that allows you to stay that perfect temperature even during high heat generating activities like bootpacking. As a bonus-this layer works all year round. Perfect for fall and spring rock climbing, colder hikes, and everything in between. It’s definitely my most worn/used jacket.
Then I’ll add a beefier shell than the wind layer. I love the futurelight fabric, and found it was perfect in dry snowy climates. My friends who live in the pacific northwest/whistler prefer gore. TNF has lots of options in this department. I’m partial to the Stimson (futurelight), or the shorter Pumori (gore). The key here is that it’s still packable because you won’t always be touring up in it, so it has to fit in your bag with everything else.
My down layer goes on last. I find I throw it over my shell anytime we are stopped-for transitions or snack breaks. It keeps me as warm as if it was under my shell, and means I don’t have to take off my shell and expose myself to any wind or snow. Depending on the temps I’ll do either the big belay down, or just a mid weight down. The key here is to go up one size for your down layers so they fit comfortably over your shells and midlayers.
Bits and bobs and some extra secrets
Gloves: I always tour with one lightweight pair of gloves and one pair of mittens. Mittens aren’t great if you have to do any rope work, but my cold hands just can’t handle being in gloves all day long.
Hats: I love a good fleece trapper style hat. You get the warmth and a brim to protect from sun or snow. If it’s warm and I’m trying to stay light, I’ll just bring a beanie that fits under my helmet.
Extras: I always have this pan scraper in my pant pocket. Best 8 dollars I’ve ever spent. Perfect for getting ice off your skis, or snow out of your pin bindings. And in a pinch can cut through that block of cheese so you can share with friends.
Food: The team at The Feed and Lentine Alexis hooked us up for our latest mission with the Fraîche bars and now it’s hard for me to want anything else on my long mountain days.
Car Clothes: When I lived in Austria, everyone always brought something to change into for the drive home. Sometimes the drive was long, 50+ minutes. But I’ve made it routine that even for the short 15/20 minutes from the resort, I’ll immediately take off at least all my top layers and ski socks and put on something dry and probably cottony. I swear it’s helped me not get as sick this year.
Bras/Undies: I’m not sure who started this-Hilaree Nelson or Kit Deslauries, but I learned from both of them that the best sports bras/underwear for ski touring come from the lingerie section. Lace bras/undies are what I wear under my technical gear. Lace just doesn’t hold any moisture, so gone are the days where I packed an extra sports bra for the way down in order to get ride of that wet layer that wrapped and subsequently froze my core. I’ll be honest, I have no idea if this works well for people who have bigger boobs-would love to hear feedback there. The bra doesn’t have to be expensive, just supportive enough and full lace to avoid trapping any of your sweat.
Sunnies: Smith made my FAVORITE sunnies ever and they were finally released this year. Most of my skiing in France is done on a glacier, so it’s pretty key for me to have a sunglass that protects adequately but these are so dang cute I would wear them anywhere. The sun shields are removable and you’re left with a stylish round frame.
So in summary:
Light fleece makes for a great base layer. Down jackets can go over shells. Shells can be bought in the running section. Lace bras are where it’s at.
And even if the down is only part of the up, it’s always worth the slog, especially for turns like the ones below!
Love,
Hadley
Lace! Who would have thought. Will be trying!
I’d love to see a version of this for mountain biking!