What Should Men Wear for Skiing?
What is the most important thing about ski equipment? Do you think the skis themselves? You are wrong. The correct answer is skis and clothes. That’s right, the choice of clothing for skiing is no less important than the choice of the skis themselves.
What do you think is the most important thing in ski clothing? No, not heat preservation, although this is also included in the list of necessary qualities. The most important property of clothing is to keep the athlete’s body dry. To achieve this in such an active sport is possible only with an integrated approach.
The theory of a skier’s three layers of clothing
The first layer is absorbent. So, we started with the fact that the most important quality of ski clothing is to keep the body dry. This is the main task of the first layer – to absorb moisture (sweat) and remove it from the skin. It is strictly forbidden to wear cotton T-shirts as the bottom layer! Cotton perfectly absorbs moisture and retains it even better. At one fine moment, the T-shirt can no longer absorb moisture, and sweat, evaporating from the skin, cools it. A person gets cold, being dressed very warmly.
The best choice is thermal underwear. In fact, the prefix “thermo” does not mean at all that this underwear warms the body in some special way. No, its purpose is to constantly remove sweat from the body, keep the skin dry and allow the body to generate heat on its own.
The second layer is heat retaining. The task of the second layer is to keep warm and remove moisture even further away from the body. We put aside our favorite deer sweater. Of course, it looks chic, and on the slope, it will make an amazing impression on others, but, without being treated in a special way, it perfectly absorbs moisture and warms much worse. Instead, we consider one of three options: fleece, down, or merino wool.
Fleece is an artificial material that was created on the basis of the structure of fur villi. It has excellent thermal insulation properties (it will perfectly retain body heat). Provides normal air exchange, is resistant to getting wet, and dries very quickly.
A vest or cardigan filled with goose down is also a good option for a second layer, but you need to pay attention to a few nuances. Firstly, the quality of the product, the amount of fluff in it must be at least 70%. It is better if 90. Secondly, it is better to choose quilted models in which the fluff is distributed over equal segments.
And the third option is a jacket made of merino wool, treated with a special composition. These clothes are lightweight, keep warm, and breathable.
The third layer is protective. It performs two completely opposite functions in clothing: on the one hand (outer side), it protects the athlete from precipitation (rain, snow), on the other, it releases steam, which is removed from the body by the lower layers of clothing. These properties are described by two indicators: water resistance and breathability (or vapour permeability).
We hope the article was helpful. Now you what do you need to get to enjoy the ski. Find all the necessary garments available in one place – Castore.
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