Cold Weather Skiing
Here is something to share with the club. It just reminds us that if you dress for it, the cold isn’t too bad. But you must remember your body’s limitations.
For example, face protection is mandatory – a ski buff or a neck tube is a valuable item. This also takes care of another concern- breathing cold air is not good for us – especially those with asthma. You can actually burn your lungs with very cold air – particularly if you are working hard and breathing large amounts of air. You can cause permanent damage to lungs if you don’t protect yourself. That is why ski races are cancelled at –20 degrees Celsius (-15 degrees for younger children). Jackrabbits are cancelled at –25 degrees Celsius. This is tough in a place like Saskatchewan when you are trying to run events like races in January, because it can easily get that cold –forcing the cancellation of the event (eg. 500 mile night!).
The other thing to consider is feet. The wearing of warm thicker socks or a thin sock and a thicker second pair helps considerably. COTTON socks are TERRIBLE because they hold moisture against the skin – your foot will freeze! A good warm sock will have pure wool or a wool/polyester/spandex in it and that is what works best. Good modern ski boots are also MUCH warmer to wear than the old 1970 or 1980 vintage ski boots which had very little insulation. If there is one good reason to get upgraded to newer equipment it is to get into a more comfortable and WARMER boot that is more supportive. You won’t regret it!
Lastly (but not least) the hands. Again layers are good. The layer next to the hand does best with a wool inner mitt while the outer layer can be nylon or leather mitt with a good lining. Layers are great – if you get too warm just remove one layer!. Fleece mitts and gloves do not work as well. Depending on the type of fleece (eg. 100 per cent polyester) it may not wick the moisture away from your hand and you will be cold. If there is some wool in the fabric then you might be OK. Fleece mitts also tend to collect snow and frost and can therefore be cooler to wear as an outer layer (especially with kids who like to be active and play in the snow). With both feet and hands, you cannot wear TIGHT layers or you will constrict the blood vessels (which carry heat in your body) and make you colder. MITTS work much better than gloves if you are out in the cold. Another valuable tip for those who get cold hands easily (kids or those with poor circulation) is to get the iron oxide hand or foot warmers – available at most hardware and sport stores. Just make sure you break open the package and shake the warmers at least 30 minutes prior to skiing (before you leave the house) so they will be at good heat levels before you start. Marks Work Warehouse also carries a battery operated hand warmer that you can recharge. It looks like they produce about the same level of heat as the iron oxide warmers (they have 2 heat levels), but no waste – you simply recharge them. The pair of warmers that have been tried by a fellow skier only seem to last about 1.5 hours – which is probably OK for most us skiers unless you are in a Loppet. Lastly, the cause of cold hands can also be a result of your technique!! If you are not holding your ski poles properly or if you are hanging on to the grip with your entire hand through your entire ski cycle, you will have poor circulation in your hands from gripping too hard or too much. Another reason to take a ski lesson!!
So just a few tips to make winter and cross country skiing more enjoyable. You must experiment a bit to find what works best for you. It will depend on how hard you work when you ski – the harder you ski, the more heat you will generate. It will also depend on your body size – kids have less blood to circulate and get colder easier. It will depend on wind chills (wind robs us of heat quicker especially if we are out in the open, as opposed to being in the bush skiing). After a while you will know what combination of clothing works best in certain temperature ranges and activity levels (you likely will not be working as hard skiing with young children, on the other hand you may push your limits skiing with a teenager that skis well!). The best thing to do is go out on the golf course trails or short loops at Dixon where you are never far from warmth and have the extra layers in your car where you can add or subtract clothing until you get a combination that works for you . You may want to even write it down for next time!!
Finally, remember your body’s physical limitations. Cold weather forces us to work harder – we have more layers which is a hindrance to movement, we have to wear something around our face which restricts some air flow to the lungs, and the cold (drier) air makes the snow produce less glide on our skis which makes us work harder to ski the same distances. DO NOT OVER EXERT yourself if you are not sure of your body’s limits. You are better going for a short ski and enjoying it rather than going for a long ski and suffering because of it!! If you experience any cardiovascular symptoms you must see about it and adapt properly.
Enjoy Cross Country Skiing. See you on the Trails!
For example, face protection is mandatory – a ski buff or a neck tube is a valuable item. This also takes care of another concern- breathing cold air is not good for us – especially those with asthma. You can actually burn your lungs with very cold air – particularly if you are working hard and breathing large amounts of air. You can cause permanent damage to lungs if you don’t protect yourself. That is why ski races are cancelled at –20 degrees Celsius (-15 degrees for younger children). Jackrabbits are cancelled at –25 degrees Celsius. This is tough in a place like Saskatchewan when you are trying to run events like races in January, because it can easily get that cold –forcing the cancellation of the event (eg. 500 mile night!).
The other thing to consider is feet. The wearing of warm thicker socks or a thin sock and a thicker second pair helps considerably. COTTON socks are TERRIBLE because they hold moisture against the skin – your foot will freeze! A good warm sock will have pure wool or a wool/polyester/spandex in it and that is what works best. Good modern ski boots are also MUCH warmer to wear than the old 1970 or 1980 vintage ski boots which had very little insulation. If there is one good reason to get upgraded to newer equipment it is to get into a more comfortable and WARMER boot that is more supportive. You won’t regret it!
Lastly (but not least) the hands. Again layers are good. The layer next to the hand does best with a wool inner mitt while the outer layer can be nylon or leather mitt with a good lining. Layers are great – if you get too warm just remove one layer!. Fleece mitts and gloves do not work as well. Depending on the type of fleece (eg. 100 per cent polyester) it may not wick the moisture away from your hand and you will be cold. If there is some wool in the fabric then you might be OK. Fleece mitts also tend to collect snow and frost and can therefore be cooler to wear as an outer layer (especially with kids who like to be active and play in the snow). With both feet and hands, you cannot wear TIGHT layers or you will constrict the blood vessels (which carry heat in your body) and make you colder. MITTS work much better than gloves if you are out in the cold. Another valuable tip for those who get cold hands easily (kids or those with poor circulation) is to get the iron oxide hand or foot warmers – available at most hardware and sport stores. Just make sure you break open the package and shake the warmers at least 30 minutes prior to skiing (before you leave the house) so they will be at good heat levels before you start. Marks Work Warehouse also carries a battery operated hand warmer that you can recharge. It looks like they produce about the same level of heat as the iron oxide warmers (they have 2 heat levels), but no waste – you simply recharge them. The pair of warmers that have been tried by a fellow skier only seem to last about 1.5 hours – which is probably OK for most us skiers unless you are in a Loppet. Lastly, the cause of cold hands can also be a result of your technique!! If you are not holding your ski poles properly or if you are hanging on to the grip with your entire hand through your entire ski cycle, you will have poor circulation in your hands from gripping too hard or too much. Another reason to take a ski lesson!!
So just a few tips to make winter and cross country skiing more enjoyable. You must experiment a bit to find what works best for you. It will depend on how hard you work when you ski – the harder you ski, the more heat you will generate. It will also depend on your body size – kids have less blood to circulate and get colder easier. It will depend on wind chills (wind robs us of heat quicker especially if we are out in the open, as opposed to being in the bush skiing). After a while you will know what combination of clothing works best in certain temperature ranges and activity levels (you likely will not be working as hard skiing with young children, on the other hand you may push your limits skiing with a teenager that skis well!). The best thing to do is go out on the golf course trails or short loops at Dixon where you are never far from warmth and have the extra layers in your car where you can add or subtract clothing until you get a combination that works for you . You may want to even write it down for next time!!
Finally, remember your body’s physical limitations. Cold weather forces us to work harder – we have more layers which is a hindrance to movement, we have to wear something around our face which restricts some air flow to the lungs, and the cold (drier) air makes the snow produce less glide on our skis which makes us work harder to ski the same distances. DO NOT OVER EXERT yourself if you are not sure of your body’s limits. You are better going for a short ski and enjoying it rather than going for a long ski and suffering because of it!! If you experience any cardiovascular symptoms you must see about it and adapt properly.
Enjoy Cross Country Skiing. See you on the Trails!