Liners so you don't catch anything ugly. There are cap liners too. Even the welders beanies are good.
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Andy Mink
Everyone loves spring skiing but not in January
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Honestly, my helmet has been used more for the surprise "bar down". It's also saved me from a few pokes in the head from small branches I've not seen. The one crash I had last season was on a green run, barely moving along. It was a beautiful day and I forgot my helmet. Wife said go get one, either buy or rent. But I know better. SLAM! Rung my bell good. Probably would have still rung my bell but my ear and side of my face probably wouldn't have been bleeding. On cold days I just use a light neck gaiter and pull it up over my head under the helmet. If you have access to Costco they may still have Bolle brand helmets for fairly cheap. Better than nothing and way better than slipping on someone else's sweaty rental.
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I like my helmet because when you crash it is less of a yard sale. Goggles clip on it stays on your head. I own mine used a liner once in 5yrs for the cold. Do wonder about rental helmets so. Not quality just sharing a helmet the thing.
Thx for all your suggestions!
I just pulled the trigger on what I thought was a killer deal.
Now I'm starting to second guess myself. Can you tell if this jacket is insulated or just a liner?
DESCENTE, Mens High Performance Ski Jacket, size XL | eBay
<p>DESCENTE, Mens High Performance Ski Jacket, size XL. Skiers standard for warmth and performance. Shipped with USPS Priority Mail.</p><p>(USU XS50000)</p>
www.ebay.com
From your link, "Breathable, Hood, Insulated, Moisture Wicking, Waterproof, Windproof, Zipped Pockets"Thx for all your suggestions!
I just pulled the trigger on what I thought was a killer deal.
Now I'm starting to second guess myself. Can you tell if this jacket is insulated or just a liner?
DESCENTE, Mens High Performance Ski Jacket, size XL | eBay
<p>DESCENTE, Mens High Performance Ski Jacket, size XL. Skiers standard for warmth and performance. Shipped with USPS Priority Mail.</p><p>(USU XS50000)</p>www.ebay.com
The low price would scare me off, too good to be true and all than. Maybe cheap made in china knock-off, maybe identical to real one, only an extra production run. Maybe stolen. It's your's now. Good luck.
Due to recent health problems, I had to upgrade my mittens. I would add Outdoor Research Altitude mittens to the list of good ones. Removable Goretex outer shell, warm inner liner with pocket for chemical hot pack. With mittens, you can curl your fingers and thumb up together in the finger pocket to keep the warm on the lift.
Thx for all your suggestions!
I just pulled the trigger on what I thought was a killer deal.
Now I'm starting to second guess myself. Can you tell if this jacket is insulated or just a liner?
DESCENTE, Mens High Performance Ski Jacket, size XL | eBay
<p>DESCENTE, Mens High Performance Ski Jacket, size XL. Skiers standard for warmth and performance. Shipped with USPS Priority Mail.</p><p>(USU XS50000)</p>www.ebay.com
I think you just bought a vintage jacket from the 1980s. Yes, it is insulated. But... it might need waterproofing. Here's why I think it's got some age on it. It has a tight elastic waist, wide sleeves whose bottom seams connect directly to the waist, and multiple colors that are sprinkled about. It is well made, but over time the water resistance may have dissipated. There are threads on this forum on how to re-water-proof jackets. If you find that droplets of water from the tap don't bead up on the surface, do some waterproofing. You can start a thread on how to do that if you need to.
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I agree it has a vintage look, but I'd place it in the early 90's, maybe late 80s. Looking at wear spots like cuffs and corners, everything is extremely crisp. If not new, it is barely used. Doubt its a knock off. Too old a cut and features (did you see the pass pocket?) to sell in quantity. It likely is well insulated, but it is waist length, so you'll get a little more wind exposure to your upper hips than with a longer cut. The snap flap over zipper side pockets look annoying, but that's minor. The darker blue fabric looks less than new to me just from the pucker/wrinkles look of the fabric. I suspect it's been washed.
Waterproofing may or may not be an issue. You really don't need it for skiing in a snowstorm or even through snowmaking guns. You do need it for freezing rain and rain, but not many low days per year skiers go out in the rain. And if you do, your sopping gloves will bring you inside before the jacket does.
As a way to get out on the slopes for cheap, I think its a good score. A new jacket of similar quality and features is $5-700 minimum, less on spring sale. Just don't expect to see any other jackets that match on the hill.
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I get my ski jackets at thrift shops. I live near enough to ski country to do this.
Newish, $6.00 - $24.00.
Newish, $6.00 - $24.00.
I usually take ad descriptions in ebay ads with a grain of salt. Pics are worth a thousand words and some sellers who just turn around large quantities don't really know what they have. I couldn't help but notice most of the current offerings from Descente are mono tone and not only boring to look at but ridiculously expensive. Who pays $1000 for a ski jacket? Not me, that's for sure. I really like the colors. If it reminds people of the 80's or 90's, that's fine with me. It will match my straight skis from the same era and I'll be easy to find that's for sure!
I'll give it a good inspection when it arrives and if it's a knock-off, I'll be sending it right back. Like prev mentioned, knock-off are usually trying to replicate current designs so I'm not too worried.
I don't ski in the rain, however I have gotten pretty wet before spring skiing so I'll test the water proofing and go from there.
Thx for the feedback!
I'll give it a good inspection when it arrives and if it's a knock-off, I'll be sending it right back. Like prev mentioned, knock-off are usually trying to replicate current designs so I'm not too worried.
I don't ski in the rain, however I have gotten pretty wet before spring skiing so I'll test the water proofing and go from there.
Thx for the feedback!
if you are teaching with a beginner you may likely need frequent access to your hands. for your mittens, be sure the mittens you get have wrist straps so you can just slide them off, help with whatever, then more easily get your mittens back on. You can also buy hestra handcuff straps to add to any glove that doesnt have it.
Yes the typical ski helmet will do a great job to keep your head warm with its 1in of protective foa. Most also have a slider to open vents when they are too hot.
For your core body, add layers, the typical look is a puffy (down) vest or jacket as the midlayer for insulation.
Most jackets have inner pockets so if it is really cold you can use the chemical heat packets inside there too to warm your core. If you end up skiing a lot and need core heat, to reduce single use waste, there are rechargeable battery handwarmers about the size of a deck of cards for pockets you could buy.
Be careful about overstuffing your boot with extra sock for warmth. this may cut off circulation and makes things worse not better. The sock isn't really the main insulation mechanism for ski boots.
With rental boots a med thick should be fine, if you end up getting buying and fitting your own boots, an ultrathin or thin sock will be whst you should use.
All and all if it is too cold, just head into the lodge for a break and get fully warmed up.
Yes the typical ski helmet will do a great job to keep your head warm with its 1in of protective foa. Most also have a slider to open vents when they are too hot.
For your core body, add layers, the typical look is a puffy (down) vest or jacket as the midlayer for insulation.
Most jackets have inner pockets so if it is really cold you can use the chemical heat packets inside there too to warm your core. If you end up skiing a lot and need core heat, to reduce single use waste, there are rechargeable battery handwarmers about the size of a deck of cards for pockets you could buy.
Be careful about overstuffing your boot with extra sock for warmth. this may cut off circulation and makes things worse not better. The sock isn't really the main insulation mechanism for ski boots.
With rental boots a med thick should be fine, if you end up getting buying and fitting your own boots, an ultrathin or thin sock will be whst you should use.
All and all if it is too cold, just head into the lodge for a break and get fully warmed up.
Still haven't decided which gloves to get. Looking hard at the OR Highcamp 3-finger gloves since I'm not a big fan of mittens but fingers do get cold in gloves.
I placed in the cart a set of Coldpuf II platinum base layers. They seem to be a good balance between warmth and price. Anyone have experience with these?
Smartwool Phd medium socks arrived. I still have a set of super thin silk socks. Guess I'll take them but hopefully the Smartwools will be enough by themselves.
Still haven't found my old ski shirts. I had a few really nice ones (from the 80's).
Waiting for my vintage(?) ski jacket to arrive so I can an idea of how much mid layer I think I'll need. I used to just wear a thermal shirt, a nice ski shirt and a nice goose down jacket. That kept me pretty warm but then again I was pretty active. This next trip I'll be on the bunny hill most of the time teaching my daughter to ski for the first time so activity will be considerably less I imagine. Suspect I'll get in a couple of runs in while daughter is in the half-day ski school. May need the puffy vest, not sure yet.
Also received my North Face snow boots for hoof'in around and night-time tubing. They got good reviews and seem pretty comfy. Won't really know how warm they are till I get there but suspect with the Smartwool socks, they will be fine.
Found a couple sets of Smith googles (yellow and clear) in my tub of vintage gear. They are ~12 yrs old now and seem to be OK, but if I go with a helmet I may just use a shield. I've been wearing full face motorcycle helmets my whole life but the whole ski helmet thing is new to me.
I placed in the cart a set of Coldpuf II platinum base layers. They seem to be a good balance between warmth and price. Anyone have experience with these?
Smartwool Phd medium socks arrived. I still have a set of super thin silk socks. Guess I'll take them but hopefully the Smartwools will be enough by themselves.
Still haven't found my old ski shirts. I had a few really nice ones (from the 80's).
Waiting for my vintage(?) ski jacket to arrive so I can an idea of how much mid layer I think I'll need. I used to just wear a thermal shirt, a nice ski shirt and a nice goose down jacket. That kept me pretty warm but then again I was pretty active. This next trip I'll be on the bunny hill most of the time teaching my daughter to ski for the first time so activity will be considerably less I imagine. Suspect I'll get in a couple of runs in while daughter is in the half-day ski school. May need the puffy vest, not sure yet.
Also received my North Face snow boots for hoof'in around and night-time tubing. They got good reviews and seem pretty comfy. Won't really know how warm they are till I get there but suspect with the Smartwool socks, they will be fine.
Found a couple sets of Smith googles (yellow and clear) in my tub of vintage gear. They are ~12 yrs old now and seem to be OK, but if I go with a helmet I may just use a shield. I've been wearing full face motorcycle helmets my whole life but the whole ski helmet thing is new to me.
See my responses in blue inside the quote. **Don't take my comments personally. Just an observation.
For a base layers if you dont want to commit a lot, just get any kind of wicking athletic tops from your local sporting good store. e.g. nike, reebok, underarmor, house brand generic gym shirt etc.
It doesnt have to be winter specific, you can reuse it for other activities. You dont need to depend on baselayer for warmth, the other layers can provide that. Nor are you climbing el capitan where you need every piece of clothing to be technical gear and as light as possible and not fail on you for 2weeks.
Agree on the advice and idea for pro lessons, it is mentioned frequently in other threads in this subforum. If you have nothing, there usually are learn to ski beginners packages that are diacounted with a restricted lift ticket. It should come out to be fairly priced and can be about the same as just getting gear and a liftticket w/o the lesson. It seems you have the right idea you can take a few runs after the lesson to practice what was taught, but prepare that often firsttimers are just done after the first half day.
Googles I also echo getting new.
Someone just posted there are lots of well priced offbrand made in China goggles that are fine if you are unsure what to get just yet. Likely not as good as name brand, but probably a big step up from your old goggles.
It doesnt have to be winter specific, you can reuse it for other activities. You dont need to depend on baselayer for warmth, the other layers can provide that. Nor are you climbing el capitan where you need every piece of clothing to be technical gear and as light as possible and not fail on you for 2weeks.
Agree on the advice and idea for pro lessons, it is mentioned frequently in other threads in this subforum. If you have nothing, there usually are learn to ski beginners packages that are diacounted with a restricted lift ticket. It should come out to be fairly priced and can be about the same as just getting gear and a liftticket w/o the lesson. It seems you have the right idea you can take a few runs after the lesson to practice what was taught, but prepare that often firsttimers are just done after the first half day.
Googles I also echo getting new.
Someone just posted there are lots of well priced offbrand made in China goggles that are fine if you are unsure what to get just yet. Likely not as good as name brand, but probably a big step up from your old goggles.
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Lots of good stuff. Thanks.
Daughter will be doing a half day lesson on the first day. Should be good for her to be around others at the same skill level to see what others do and don't do. It will also give me a chance to get my ski legs back.
New jacket arrived this afternoon. Took it outside and looked it over. Didn't see any issues at all. Fits a little large but I was just wearing a T-shirt so think it will be fine. Dribbled some water on it and it beaded-up very well. Think it's good-to-go. There's a little sideways pocket on the left breast (outside). Thought it had a clear window like for a lift ticket, but turns out its just a pocket. What's supposed to go in there? RFID thingy??
Not sure what "over mitt or undermitt " means. Does it refer to to the liner and outer shell?
Daughter will be doing a half day lesson on the first day. Should be good for her to be around others at the same skill level to see what others do and don't do. It will also give me a chance to get my ski legs back.
New jacket arrived this afternoon. Took it outside and looked it over. Didn't see any issues at all. Fits a little large but I was just wearing a T-shirt so think it will be fine. Dribbled some water on it and it beaded-up very well. Think it's good-to-go. There's a little sideways pocket on the left breast (outside). Thought it had a clear window like for a lift ticket, but turns out its just a pocket. What's supposed to go in there? RFID thingy??
Not sure what "over mitt or undermitt " means. Does it refer to to the liner and outer shell?
Z toe warmers work BUT open each pkg 30 min before you are going to use. shake them and let the oxygen get to them so they activate if you don't do this there is not enough oxygen in buckled ski boot to activate. Don't put ski socks on until you are ready to put boot on as if you wear them on the ride up a small amount of perspiration will form and then cool inside a cold boot.
Boot gloves work but just a little however on a very cold day they can make a difference. the warmest gloves I know are Hestra 3 finger gloves that have a built in liner area for a hand warmer. On cold days I wear glove liners and have never had cold fingers with the liners on.
Boot gloves work but just a little however on a very cold day they can make a difference. the warmest gloves I know are Hestra 3 finger gloves that have a built in liner area for a hand warmer. On cold days I wear glove liners and have never had cold fingers with the liners on.
RFID wasn’t in use at ski resorts when that jacket was made. That was the age of the ticket wicket. Stick your name tag in the slot.
Over vs under mitts are how the glove/mitt cuff are designed. Some prefer big over cuffs to go up over their wrist outside the jacket. Other prefer the glove cuff under the wrist of their jacket.
Some retro/vintage Rousch over gloves would go great with that jacket.
Vintage Reusch US Racing Freestyle Ski Team Skiing Leather Gloves modell 5738 sm | eBay
Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Vintage Reusch US Racing Freestyle Ski Team Skiing Leather Gloves modell 5738 sm at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!
rover.ebay.com
Good tip on when to put on the socks. Hoping the Smartwool socks work by themselves, but I did order a 40pk of the toe warmers just in case. I'll be sure to remember to activate them for a while before putting them inside boot. I've heard a few folks say that lack of oxy can be an issue especially with fitted boots. I'll be in rentals for this trip so no telling what the fit will be like.
RFID wasn’t in use at ski resorts when that jacket was made. That was the age of the ticket wicket. Stick your name tag in the slot.
Over vs under mitts are how the glove/mitt cuff are designed. Some prefer big over cuffs to go up over their wrist outside the jacket. Other prefer the glove cuff under the wrist of their jacket.
Some retro/vintage Rousch over gloves would go great with that jacket.
Vintage Reusch US Racing Freestyle Ski Team Skiing Leather Gloves modell 5738 sm | eBay
Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Vintage Reusch US Racing Freestyle Ski Team Skiing Leather Gloves modell 5738 sm at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!rover.ebay.com
I was a little confused abt the under/over mitts after seeing a product called "overmitts". Like an extra liner that goes over regular mitts.
Thx for clearing that up.
If I wore glove like that, people would be expecting great things. I prefer to set expectations low, then surprise them..
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