Silks?

We normally go to Austria about January time, its cold but not that cold and often when the sun is out we dont even bother with gloves or thermals come to that, except may-be for evening excursions. Next year we have booked for Ruka/Finland where I know it will be cold sometimes -30. I have been been reading on a lot of sites about traveller revues and they are all favourable but all mention the cold. A lot of people mention 'dont forget really warm clothing and silk liners'. I am probably being dumb... again but what are they. Are they glove liners, boot liners, or under thermals liners. Perhaps any-one knows and if so where do I get them. We have pre-booked thermal suits and boots for snow safari excursions and night time excursions across the russian border, cos we know it will be freezing. Hope all these suits are not the same I do like to stand out in my ski Attire :lol:

Silk is a great first layer. It may not wick quite as well as the most technical fabrics, but it is very comfortable and generally doesn't get as smelly as other base layer materials. It is not very robust, not as bad as silk stckings, but will snag and run. It's just a matter of finding deals that make it affordable. I've bought roll neck tops in the US from Sierra Trading Post which I have liked.

http://www.sierratradingpost.com/search/SearchResults.aspx?N=0&allWords=terrimar&searchDescriptions=true

As for general activities in cold climes, it's not quite what you think. The big problem you can run into is that we generally think of layering for the cold when we do sports. In daily life in a cold climate you are often in and out of the cold. Too many layers are a pain in the butt in shops and museums etc, as you try to carry all the layers you have had to shed. We as Brits also tend to think everything has to be waterproof. If average temps are much below zero, nothing gets wet.

For everyday activities, I normally wear long underwear under jeans on my lower half. I like a thicker material for this as thin materials like silk still let some of the shock of a blast of wind or a cold car seat through. On my upper body, I wear a thick coat. If there is a significant wind chill, you will need to cover everything including your face.

For outdoor sports, you ski gear will work fine with layers underneath. Footwear is a problem as the locals will certainly use some kind of insulated boot for working and playing outside. Wool socks and hiking boots are your best bet.

Lastly, cold is like heat in that you do acclimatise to it. If it gets up to zero in feb and there's no wind, I'll be walking around in a T-shirt. So sometimes the locals will be wearing less than you might think.

Minus 20 is about the temp that you really notice it's getting cold.

Trencher

RoseR,
Silk is one of the very best insulation/warmth underwear , however with the new materials on market you can get equivalent underwear that are very efficient!

The matter to consider is not only warmth but also transfer of body "water" ie sweat! Many high tech underwear allow sweat to transfer out yet maintain heat in. Lifa, Spyder, Helly Hasen and North Face are some of the better brands!

Now if you are a real fanatic and want great ,,I mean great underwear get the new Spyder underwear! It has so many great features that if I list them all, it will seem that I am selling the product!

Just trust me,,it beats all others and I have all the "others"!

This underwear is so "cool" that you can wear it in ski chalet and it looks like "racing suit"! I wore just the top in a ski bar and all wanted to know how I got the great racing T-shirt!

Hope this helps you!

Oh,,,it is rated for -40 also!

I'm with you Pavel, I treated myself to a spyder skin for my birthday last year and I wear it as a top on skiing holidays and also at home! It's a bit of a comfort blanket :?

caron-a wrote:I'm with you Pavel, I treated myself to a spyder skin for my birthday last year and I wear it as a top on skiing holidays and also at home! It's a bit of a comfort blanket :?

oooooh.....get you with the expensive brands

I know, extravagant eh?! I'll tell you what though, I've already had my money's worth :thumbup:

I bought an Arc'Teryx fleece- was about £150 but worth every penny.

Also silk thermals are awesome-use them aswell. Got some Spydery layers and couldn't ask for more-warm/breathable.