Nutcracker Ski Club

This is Part Two in a series for first time visitors to the snow on what to wear up on the mountain. See part One here.

In the last post I gave an introduction as to how the clothes you take with you to the snow can determine whether your experience at the snow is good or bad. This article is the beginning of things to consider when deciding on the type of clothing to take with you on your Snow Holiday.

When first timers think of a snow holiday at Mt Buller they will most likely first think of the white stuff. Snow!

While Snow is the predominant feature, the conditions in the Alpine region are very diverse and change constantly. Apart from snow, the conditions you can expect to experience are:

• Cold Temperatures
• Wind Gusts and Wind chill
• Sleet
• Rain
• Fog
• Snow Storms

Right now the temperature at Mt Buller is 1.7 degrees Celsius. Taking wind chill into consideration it’s probably closer to feeling like -4.5. And we are still 3 weeks away from the start of Ski Season. These temperatures are also during the day so expect the temperature to drop well below zero at night time.

In terms of what to wear in these conditions, we are looking for maximum warmth, and protection, without looking like the Michelin Man!

Snow is a very beautiful sight to see, but have a go at walking on it in sneakers and track pants and that ‘beautiful sight’ may be short lived! Snow is slippery to walk on. And when it melts it turns into slush. Combine this with rain, sleet or snow, and it can compound the conditions further. So when you begin deciding on what to take with you up to the Mountain, remember that you’ll need footwear that doesn’t make you go ‘a over t’ all the time and clothing that can keep you dry!

Another factor to consider is the wind. On days where a cold front is moving in, the wind can pick up quite considerably and adding wind chill to the temperature. In this case we would want clothing that shields us from this and keeps us warm. Read more »

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I was reading a popular fashion magazine on the weekend and came across an article relating to fashion for a mountain/snow getaway.

What they were suggesting was a choice of cotton tracksuit pants, nylon blend hoodie, gloves, scarf, snow boots and a handbag. Will this be practical and keep you warm in snow conditions? No Way!

Sure, you might look great in a pair of $200 fashion designed track pants, but you’re butt will be shivering before you get 100 meters from the snug warm Lodge! Being this cold, you may not venture outside for the rest of your time and the chances of you having a great snow experience are very slim. Also, cotton track pants aren’t generally waterproof so you will end up with wet legs and bum out in the snow!

I’m feeling cold and uncomfortable just writing that sentence.

So, you end up wasting $200 on track pants that don’t keep you warm and dry, and you’ve wasted your well earned, and expensive, holiday up on the mountain staying indoors. Would you consider going up to the snow again after that? Highly Unlikely. And that would be a shame.

What you take up to the mountain to wear can make all the difference to your snow experience.

It prompted me think about my first time at the snow and what I thought was going to be appropriate clothing for the conditions. From that first experience, and others holidays to the snow since, what advice I could impart to first timers heading up to the snow this year?

This is a very simple guide aimed at first timers to the snow. I’m certainly no expert in snow clothing and I won’t go into depth about brands and clothing technology, that might be something you can research for yourself, but at least you will have an idea of what to expect, how to dress for the conditions and how to have a good experience at the snow without getting cold and catching one in the process!

I’m never cold up at the snow, so I can’t be doing that bad ?

Over the next few days I will post a series of articles on this subject. I will take into consideration all the aspects of going on a snow holiday - what conditions to expect, what activities you may do up on the mountain and the type of clothes you will need to consider. I’ll try to include a couple of examples that you might want to consider purchasing.

For those of you who are seasoned snow bunnies and have any suggestions or comments you’d like to add, they are greatly welcome. As I said, I’m no expert, this is what works for me, others may have different ideas and they would be more than appreciated.

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