WoolWeenies Club

[Triskeliongirl]

As I posted earlier, I decked out my entire family in merino for X-mass. I bought DH stuff for an upcoming ski trip, but with the cold snap we are under he hasn't stopped wearing it since X-mass day. DD phones me from frigid Boston yesterday, to say "I finally get this smartwool" and DS heads off for a trip to mexico with his GF sporting his new icebreaker sweater...............

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Sittin' here at my desk all warm and toasty (19F right now with a windchill of 8F)....wearing two pairs of stripey smartwool socks, my Ibex thick wool tights, a little cotton tiedyed sleeveless dress, with a thin Ibex base layer top and a thick smartwool black turtleneck over that. mmmmmmmmmmm........snuggly!!!

wool. it's not just for breakfast anymore.

[Crankin]

The people I was x country skiing with were very interested in my Ibex tights/pants. Although they were dressed appropriately, not a one had any wool on.
I will educate them over the course of the next few weeks.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I will educate them over the course of the next few weeks.

They will be assimilated.

[Triskeliongirl]

Crankin, tell me more. Perhaps I strayed. I own the Ibex alpstar pant, but thought they might not hold up X-country skiing in switzerland in feb. if I got caught in the rain.

So, I just bought the arctyrex scorpion goretex shell pant, plan to layer it over my ibex woolies for x-country, and shebeest windpro fleece tight for downhill. Do you really think I'd be better of in the alpstar pant over woolies for x-country. I get cold very easily...........

Do you dress for x-country skiing like for biking, or warmer (i.e. I was planning to layer an ibex zepher and shak under my arctyrex goretex shell on top, or do I need my patagonia down sweater?). Same thing on bottom, is a fleece tight under the goretex shell too much, or will I need it?

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I don't know about xcountry skiing, but I get way colder when biking in the cold than I do when snowshoeing in the cold. With biking, my feet and hands stick out pretty isolated, and I am heading into a constant wind of my own making on my bike, going much faster than on foot.

[Crankin]

Hey Trisk,
You know, I do dress for x country skiing like I do for cycling. I don't ride when it gets below 40 (or 30 for very slow hybrid rides), but I just heat up so much when I ski. I wish I could tell you the style of my pants. My DH ordered them for me a few years ago, when we got back into skiing. They are like tights, in that they are "tight," and have ankle zips. The backs of the thighs are wool and the rest of the tights are a pretty good windproof type of material. These were my first piece of Ibex, although I had no idea where it would lead me!
What I usually wear for skiing: base layer, like a Craft LS top, or silk long underwear top. Once in awhile I wear a Smart Wool base layer, but it has to be pretty cold (like in the single digits). I find the Craft base layers keep me soooo warm. My mid layer is either a mid-weight wool piece or a mid-weight fleece piece. Most of them are cycling tops, although I have a couple non-cycling fleeces, along with my Shak hoodies I have worn. My jacket is a Go-Light. It's pretty thin and windproof. It is not a soft shell and not waterproof, but it's pretty water resistant. I have also worn it for winter riding. On the bottom I wear Ibex boy shorts and the above pants, or a pair of wool Jones Ware hiking pants. They are pull ups and have flared legs. If it's below 30, I wear a pair of thin silk long underwear, too. If it's super cold, like below 18 or so, I have another pair of long underwear that are mid weight, but are synthetic something. I wear wool ski socks, sometimes with a silk or polypro sock liner. That's it.
I add headwear according to the temperature, and often take my headband to switch to, because I sweat like crazy. I have a pair of Cabela mittens that are super warm. It has to be in the twenties to wear them. Otherwise, I wear my Pearl Izumi Am-Fibs. Yesterday I had my glove liners on, too. They have a nice little pocket for chemical handwarmers! I use those and foot warmers, when it's really cold. I had them on yesterday, because it was very windy, although not that cold. I start with a fleece neck gaiter on, so I don't inhale the cold air, but it drives me nuts after 20 minutes or so and I usually take it off, unless it's frigid.
I find the key to being comfortable is to dress in very thin layers, and for me, it has to be thin enough so that if I stop skiing for a few minutes, I feel cool. I just heat up so much, and then that makes me tired, uncomfortable, which makes me lose my form. I see a lot of people wearing way too much.