Coldest temps you've skied?

[Guy in Shorts]

Last Jan 5th temps dropped during the day as the storm attacked the mountain with snow. Lifts opened a half hour late and closed a hour early as temps dropped to somewhere south of minus 20. Wind loaded drift carving fun paired with our gondolas made for a great day. No people, first real bottomless turns of the year, Mr. Moose free skiing for day due to lack of students. Never really got cold myself just smeared on some Vaseline, turned on the boot heaters and had a ball. Killington lifts stayed closed the next day due cold for the first time that anyone can remember. Often skiing the storm days stay burned in the memory banks.

Needles Eye

 

[Erik Timmerman]

I used to instruct in Stowe's seasonal program. One day it was ungodly cold, I want to say it was -30F, honestly it may have been colder than that. Well sure enough parents brought their kids and we took them out. Another instructor Kate and myself had 12 kids between us and teamed up. We went up the gondola and immediately went in the gift shop at the top to warm up. We came out and started skiing down Perry Merrill. We stopped at an intersection about 1/3 of the way down, a spot where we always stop and regroup. Well, we were one child short. So I told Kate to take everyone else down and I started hiking back up the barren frozen slope. As I came over a rise I saw Michael the smallest kid, a little Jewish kid from Montreal standing in the middle of the trail with his skis on. I walked right up to him and said Michael, "what are you doing?". He replied "I am talking to God". I was like "How about toy wrap it up and we get inside". When we got to the bottom, I called his parents and told them I thought it might be a bit too cold for Michael today.

 

[4ster]

Minus 25F was one cold day that I knew the actual temperature. I think I’ve probably experienced some colder ones.
Of course anyone who has experienced being frigidly cold, frostbit or hypothermic knows that there are more factors involved than just temperature.

The older I get, the less willing I am to deal super cold temperatures.

 

[DanoT]

Last Jan 5th temps dropped during the day as the storm attacked the mountain with snow. Lifts opened a half hour late and closed a hour early as temps dropped to somewhere south of minus 20. Wind loaded drift carving fun paired with our gondolas made for a great day. No people, first real bottomless turns of the year, Mr. Moose free skiing for day due to lack of students. Never really got cold myself just smeared on some Vaseline, turned on the boot heaters and had a ball. Killington lifts stayed closed the next day due cold for the first time that anyone can remember. Often skiing the storm days stay burned in the memory banks.

Yabut, Guy in Shorts, did you ski it in shorts?

 

[Erik Timmerman]

For sure 4ster, I've had sunny calm -20F days that felt luxuriously warm compared to the windy cloudy 0 degree day before.

 

[MarkP]

The coldest feeling was -14F with high winds at Stowe. The coldest actual was -24F the next morning at Jay Peak, but with calm winds and some sunshine it didn't feel nearly as raw.

 

[SkiNurse]

-15F a few times.

The skiing can be pretty good if there is no wind and the skies are blue. What makes it absolutely miserable, for me, is the lifts.

That being said, I have to go in every other one to warm up in those conditions and don't ski the whole day.

 

[mister moose]

30 below F. The snow was so sticky, you had to pick your feet up to move in the lift corral.

BTW -40 is the same F and C. I lived in a very cold place as a kid and it would get there regularly. That's when you don't expose your ears or fingers for even a few minutes.

That fun fact doesn't make you feel any better when it's -40!

0F, -17C: Good skiing
-10F, -23C: Brisk. Dry. No tourists.
-20F, -29C: Stings cheeks. Snow squeaks. No uncovered skin.
-25F, -32C: Inhaling the air has a bite.
-30F, -34C: Grease in wheel bearings locks up. Snow noticeably slower.
-35F, -37C: Tires hold the flat spot from being parked all night, and do not roll smooth. Exposure is dangerous.
-40F, -40C: Carrots left outside will shatter like glass. Inhaling burns a little. Skiing is off the list.

That's all just temp, not wind chill. Wind chill just accelerates cooling, it does not change the physical properties like temperature does.

The two recent times I was skiing in severe cold was once on an exposed peak with temps at -18F and winds steady in the 40s. Every stitch in every article of clothing was venting air at a rapid rate. While -18F wasn't normally so bad, with heavy wind it was brutal, and no one in the group was adequately dressed for continual exposure to it. Someone's goggles iced up, (they placed goggles over the facemask) and couldn't see, had to lead them down by hand. Knowing your equipment is important in real cold. The other time was in the mid 20's below F, with winds gusting into the 30's. Skiing was decent, and we were dressed for it, but still there were issues to deal with (toes, fingers, breath ice) The mountain closed early for exposure. It's one thing to ski in it, it's entirely another to contemplate getting stranded on a broken chairlift for an hour in it.

On one of the colder days this year at Killington, temps were at least in the negative teens, and the gondola doors started to fail at a rapid rate, each time shutting the lift down. Each time, they would disable the doors and flag that cabin. Perhaps not a coincidence we're getting all new gondola cabins on K1 this year.

 

[Novaloafah]

Val D' Irene QC March 2017. Driving up through Matapedia, car dash showed -38C (not super accurate I know) with a fair bit of wind. Got first run off of chair in and immediately went in to pay for my underestimation of what that kind of cold means and get the right clothing on. Next day was in the -20's with less wind and absolutely a joy to ski in (2 runs, warm up, wash rinse repeat) Blue skies, lots of snow, low crowds.

 

[Primoz]

For me coldest was when I was still in xc ski racing, and we were up in North Sweden for training camp before season start (November and December) and it was about 3 weeks of -25c to -35c. It was actually not that bad as it sounds, except for those few kilometers when track went nearby and over frozen lake and humidity was high. Everywhere else it was quite comfortable to ski.
If counting just this season then some 7h ski touring and chasing perfect powder in middle of nowhere on bluebird day, but unfortunately in north face so not much of sun there, at -20c and quite strong wind. And another day at -17c or -18c in pretty bad snowstorm for some lift assisted powder skiing. This last one was pretty much worse of all these I mentioned... but skiing was awesome

 

[mister moose]

Yabut, Guy in Shorts, did you ski it in shorts?

No. We were in something resembling Michelin man suits and full face masks. However GIS gets the manly award for de-gloving to snap a photo.

 

[cantunamunch]

No. We were in something resembling Michelin man suits and full face masks. However GIS gets the manly award for de-gloving to snap a photo.

Are we sure he didn't just grab a GoPro still

It was actually not that bad as it sounds, except for those few kilometers when track went nearby and over frozen lake and humidity was high.

Around here people think I'm nuts when I tell them the snow next to a stream is more humid than elsewhere.

 

[Tricia]

-28º when I lived in Michigan. I remember standing on top of South Peak feeling like pins and needles on my face. That was a short ski day.

 

[MikeS]

I've had many bone chilling days. The downside to being an instructor; if they show up, you have to go. When mom and dad come to pick up little Jimmy after a day of eyeball freezing cold in sweaters and jeans, talking about their day at the spa, I frankly want to rip their throats out. But I don't, cuz I'm a perfeshunnul.

Coldest ever? Somewhere in the ballpark of -30F. Coldest windchill, I don't even know. I've heard people on the mountain talking about windchills in excess of -70, but skiers like to talk out their asses.

One thing that definitely has happened to me multiple times is after a few weeks of deathly cold, I'll start "Wow, the cold snap finally broke! It's getting warm out!" Only to pass a lift station and see the thermometer read -5F. When five below feels warm, you know it's been cold.

 

[cantunamunch]

Coldest ever? Somewhere in the ballpark of -30F. Coldest windchill, I don't even know. I've heard people on the mountain talking about windchills in excess of -70, but skiers like to talk out their asses..

Heh, the only time I was actually dressed for those sort of temps and noticed wind chill was when I wore XC pants to go Alpine. 20 mph on a groomer was -ahem- penetrating

 

[LegacyGT]

Skied many days in the minus teens. Only good for a couple of runs at a time under those conditions but can still have some fun if wind isn't a factor. And I'd take those temperatures over the far-more-common-in-VT weather of 33° and raining.

 

[surfsnowgirl]

One of my best ski days was a single digit day with the sun out. No wind and didn't feel as cold as it was. This past late decenter through mid January made those single digit temps seem warm. I'll happily ski when it's very cold if it keeps the crowds down. Variables that make a huge difference are sunshine and minimal wind. If I have to work and there aren't any lessons I get stoked cause I get to free ski for longer stretches. I also only get to ski weekends so I go out regardless in just about any condition. When it's very cold though it's a rarity I'll take my hands out of the gloves to take pictures. if I have my go pro with me I'll use that.

 

[Uncle-A]

Years ago at Bolton Valley VT. about -20F at the top.

 

[Erik Timmerman]

Whenever I am cold at Stowe, I can always think "at least I'm not at Smuggs". No sun and slow lifts. F that noise!

 

[tinymoose]

Not sure what it was with the wind chill, but a few degrees below 0 F. Only day I've not skied b/c of the temps was one day at Stowe where, with wind chill, it was -20 something at the summit. No thanks.