How to Layer for Skiing

Sections:

Choosing the right layers to wear while skiing can make or break a day on the slopes. Wear too many or too heavy of layers, and you’ll spend the day hot, sweaty, and uncomfortable. Wear too little or too light of layers, and you’ll spend the day shivering on the chairlift—in which case you better hope you’re riding a high-speed detachable quad.

For those reasons alone, it’s worth putting a bit of thought and time into the layers you wear when you’re skiing, along with looking at the weather forecast to see what kind of weather and temperatures you’ll be dealing with. As you’ll discover, though, layering for skiing is both a science and an art, and you’ll need to do some experimenting to see what type of layers and layering combinations work best for you and the conditions at hand. With that being said, there are a few baseline truths you can rely on to guide you towards your ideal layering system.

The goal of layering is temperature regulation. Or, in other words, to maintain a healthy core body temperature under your outerwear. The key to this is allowing body heat (in the form of vapor) to escape before it turns to sweat, leaving you cold and clammy. To do this, you need to wrap your body in a series of progressive layers that, working from the inside out, maintain a high level of breathability and pull moisture away from your skin quickly if you start to sweat.

This is why it’s important to dress in layers. If you start to overheat, you can shed a layer before that heat turns to sweat. And you can add layers before you start to cool down too much. Generally speaking, the proven method of layering consists of a baselayer, midlayer, and outerwear. It’s not enough, though, to simply layer with any clothes you have just sitting in your closet. Selecting the right kind layers with the right attributes is paramount to staying comfortable and warm. Picking the wrong kind of layers (i.e. cotton) isn’t just uncomfortable, it can also be dangerous.

Baselayers rest next to your skin and play a critical role in regulating your body temperature and managing moisture from sweat. If you’ve ever heard someone say “cotton kills,” they are referring to cotton’s inability to regulate body temperature or manage moisture from sweat, making it a poor layer for skiing, hiking, or really any outdoor activity. For this reason, the two materials used to make baselayers are synthetic (polypropylene or polyester) or merino wool. Proprietary fabrics aside, there are a few key differences you should understand when you’re choosing between a merino wool or synthetic baselayer.

Merino Wool Baselayers

Merino wool is an ultra-fine wool sourced from sheep raised in New Zealand and Australia. The fine, hollow fibers of merino wool make it comparable to cotton in terms of comfort while maintaining the ability to breathe well, dry quickly, and regulate body temperature. Other benefits of merino wool include: UV protection, natural anti-odor properties, and the ability to insulate when wet.

It’s important to note that while merino wool does an effective job of regulating body temperature (therefore preventing sweat before it has a chance to start), it does not actively wick sweat the same way synthetic fibers do.

Synthetic Baselayers

Synthetic layers are made from either polyester or polypropylene. While several different proprietary fabrics are available to skiers and outdoor enthusiasts, with different levels of performance, all synthetic fibers wick sweat, dry quickly, and cost less than quality merino wool baselayers. Generally speaking, synthetic baselayers are also lighter and more durable than merino wool.

Midlayers are essentially any layer worn between your baselayer and outerwear. These are the layers you’ll want to either shed or add to prevent getting too hot or cold. There are a lot of different midlayers available, ranging from fleece to lightweight insulated jackets and pullovers to insulated vests and hybrid layers, which usually consist of merino wool along the sleeves and back, with some kind of insulation throughout the torso.

Selecting the right baselayer will depend primarily on how hot or cold you run and the weather conditions you’ll be skiing in. If it’s a cold, clear January day, and you tend to run cold, you’ll most likely want to go with a midweight insulated jacket or heavyweight fleece. If it’s warm spring conditions and you tend to run hot, you may want to forgo a midlayer altogether and wear your outerwear directly over your next-to-skin baselayer.

Outerwear is the tip of the spear, so to speak, of your ski layering kit. Since this is the layer that’ll be taking the brunt of the elements, it’s important that it’s waterproof, windproof, and breathable. If your outerwear isn’t breathable, it’s going to feel like you’re just wearing a tarp. Ski outerwear can be broken into two categories: insulated and non-insulated. Insulated ski jackets and pants will generally contain a lightweight (between 60 and 100 grams per square meter) layer of down or synthetic fill. These jackets are great if you tend to run cold or ski in temperatures that are well below freezing. If you tend to run warm, or would just rather choose your own midlayer depending on the conditions, you’ll want to go with non-insulated outerwear.

In terms of weather protection, there’s a lot to consider as you look at different jackets and pants. There’s no shortage of waterproof, breathable garments available to skiers these days, so you’ll want to do some research on what different waterproof, breathability ratings mean, along with the different shell constructions available. Suffice it to say, a good ski jacket or pants will have at least a 10K/10K waterproof, breathability rating, fully sealed seams, and either a two- or three-layer shell construction. Anything less, and you’ll most likely get wet and cold during storm days.