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don't ignore your helmet compatible hood

Core2

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For many seasons I always just took the hood off or ignored it. Finally used it on a powder day and it was incredible. Really kept the elements from getting down my neck and also afforded some face protection. So, don't be like me and ignore your hood.
 

Ken_R

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Helps when it gets really cold as well:

0ºF + 30mph wind...
 

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Tony S

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What's "a powder day"?

Anyway, yes, but. I find that while actually skiing I can't tolerate the deafening rustle of the general sense of claustrophobia. So I end up donning the hood on the lift and whipping it off in exasperation partway down the run.
 

neonorchid

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...and when shopping for the next one (assumed shell or any other intended outer layer), don't forget to try it on over a mid-layer and or base-layer(s) if insulated, hood up over your ski helmet with the outer layer (shell) collar fully zipped up. Determine the amount of protection from elements. Be sure the thing doesn't strangulate you. Move around mimicking skiing positions, get into a tuck, etc., figure out if the thing is comfortable or if it wants to dislocate your jaw.
OCD but will save the aggravation of finding out things aren't working on the mountain when the hood is needed.
 

Coach13

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Agreed. It’s invaluable on a snowy, cold and/or windy day. I use mine often during those conditions and when I buy a new shell jacket, it’s a must to have a helmet compatible hood.
 

Scrundy

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I wear my hood up all the time, like said above even on warmer days. I just shed my base layers and open helmet vents for air flow, never get over heated. On cold nights no other way to go, bibs go a long way too.
 

Tricia

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For many seasons I always just took the hood off or ignored it. Finally used it on a powder day and it was incredible. Really kept the elements from getting down my neck and also afforded some face protection. So, don't be like me and ignore your hood.
@Philpug almost always wears his hood over his helmet on a powder day, but I rarely put mine up.
Maybe (for me) its because I've had so many helmet compatible hoods that weren't quite compatible enough. I shall take heed and try again.
Bring on the powder!
 

luliski

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The last three days I skied at Squaw Valley were quite cold, windy and overcast. I wore two hoods over my helmet: my mid layer hood and my shell hood. I was comfy. I really love my new mid layer (ArcTeryx Atom LT). It just feels so soft, even zipped up all the way, it's just like a soft neck gaiter. My shell, which is a Fly Low, also zips up all the way without strangling me. I've had jackets that weren't comfortable when zipped up with hood up, so I'm very pleased with my set up these days.
 

Eric267

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The last three days I skied at Squaw Valley were quite cold, windy and overcast. I wore two hoods over my helmet: my mid layer hood and my shell hood. I was comfy. I really love my new mid layer (ArcTeryx Atom LT). It just feels so soft, even zipped up all the way, it's just like a soft neck gaiter. My shell, which is a Fly Low, also zips up all the way without strangling me. I've had jackets that weren't comfortable when zipped up with hood up, so I'm very pleased with my set up these days.

base layer hood with jacket hood over top is definitely the way to go! Totally gives the shell hood something to bond onto to keep it from moving around at all. Something about the buffer of the base hood keeps it way quieter and without that loud flapping you get when it’s directly on the helmet.

I’ve got 2 NHL branded hoodies that are basicly the same light mesh fabric as a hockey jersey but form fitting. Fit perfectly over my helmet and have become a storm/windy day necessity.
 

Tony S

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base layer hood with jacket hood over top is definitely the way to go! Totally gives the shell hood something to bond onto to keep it from moving around at all. Something about the buffer of the base hood keeps it way quieter and without that loud flapping you get when it’s directly on the helmet.

Never thought of this. Good tip!
 

François Pugh

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I don't wear hoods when skiing; they block my peripheral vision. If it's really cold, I'll wear them on a lift, then take them off when I get to the top. However, it's a pain because I typically have to unzip the jacket to get the hood over the helmet and back down. On a snow day, the hood fills up with snow when I'm not wearing it, and I don't put the hood up because unless I do a good job emptying it, that snow ends up down my back. Fortunately cold snowy days are rare.
 

Jim Kenney

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Hood came in handy during a recent night-ski session when snowguns were blasting away on every run.
 

MissySki

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I wear a size small helmet and yet I swear none of my supposedly compatible hoods fit all that well over it! So they usually work their way down, but it is warmer while it lasts.. I usually give up on it after a few runs though as I get sick of playing with it.
 

Sibhusky

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I have a very slippery helmet that generally stays under the hood just fine and because the helmet is so slick, my head moves under the hood just fine. I actually put Velcro on the helmet because my goggles come off so easily. That reminds me, I have to go sheer the strap a bit, it's getting too fuzzy for the hooks to hold.
 

Aimée

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I put my hood up when wet heavy snow is really coming down. It does act like a bit of a sail and slows me down as I ski though! I can feel the wind resistance in my hood.
 

Slim

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I don't wear hoods when skiing; they block my peripheral vision. If it's really cold, I'll wear them on a lift, then take them off when I get to the top. However, it's a pain because I typically have to unzip the jacket to get the hood over the helmet and back down. On a snow day, the hood fills up with snow when I'm not wearing it, and I don't put the hood up because unless I do a good job emptying it, that snow ends up down my back.
Exactly the same for me. I just got new pair of goggles to get more peripheral vision, I don’t like how the hood restricts that, along with muting sound. I want to be able to see and hear as much as possible, behind and to the sides, for safety’s sake.

The other reason I put it up on the lift and down while skiing is temperature regulation:
Skiing heats you up, sitting on a lift makes you cold. Sometimes I will go as far as adding a layer on the lift, but usually I try and get by with opening pitzips and putting down the hood to ski.

Luckily for me, the Nikwax Analogy fabric of my jacket is so supple, the hood (almost) never fills with snow.
 

Rudi Riet

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As a racing coach, my hood gets used a lot. Coaches stand around a great deal, and often in weather that isn't postcard. This past weekend my hood was used both in freezing rain (Saturday) and driving sub-freezing wind (Sunday) to great effect. It fits over both helmets I own (a Giro 9 and a Briko Vulcano), allowing my head to move fairly freely and keeping me warm and dry. Jack is by Helly Hansen in service of full disclosure.
 

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