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Happy spring! Welcome to the season of enjoying low elevation biking and high elevation skiing all in the same day. We’re all getting excited for summer, but stay stoked on winter a bit more too; March is historically the biggest snow month in the rocky mountain west, followed by April. Ski season isn’t over!
Sure you could rock shorts and a Hawaiian shirt or a bikini or a tutu or whatever you like as mountain weather warms up. But snow is sharp and can cut up bare skin even in the most minor falls, and it reflects sunlight readying you for lobster fest 2013 if you’re not careful. So on days when you’re not feeling up to risking painful snow grazes and epic sunburn, here are some tips for dressing for spring skiing.
- While you may be tempted to wear not much of anything, keep in mind: it’s colder up on the mountain than down in town, and moving quickly on skis is colder than standing still. On cooler spring days you can still wear your normal ski jacket with the vents open. On warmer days you’ll appreciate a technical shell windbreaker jacket to keep your body heat from being ripped away on quick descents while not insulating you too heavily.
- Ski pants with zip open thigh vents keep your legs protected but not stifled.
- Many ski and snowboard helmets these days have vents that can be opened up for extra fresh air. The Smith Optics Variant Brim helmet is a favorite for this reason.
- Sunscreen any exposed skin (as always).
- You want the lighter weight spring skiing gloves. Sweaty hands bleh, don’t deal with that.
- Lightweight, moisture-wicking base layers are key! They will keep you comfortable by pulling sweat away from your skin so you don’t have to go through the stickiness and then the damp coldness that you’d otherwise have to deal with.
- Shop for spring skiing clothing such as base layers, vented ski helmets, and lightweight ski jackets at Jans.
– Kendall Fischer, Content Writer
