going skiing!!! what to wear?

[JonasCarminis]

im just not sure what to wear....  i dont want to come off as a scary dyke, and i dont want to look like farmer joe in a carhartt jumpsuit either... i want to actually be able to (attempt) pick people up or get hit on.  i dont want to look like a girl ofcourse, but feminine/gay male i perfectly ok.

i live in kansas... like 50% of people actually do wear carhartts for skiing.  theyre warm and they have them for the farm anyways.... why not wear em.

Posted on: October 18, 2008, 01:16:58 amfor shiz?  no one ha any ideas?

[Nero]

well i don't really know anything about the gay look. think the carrharts sound sexy actually.

[JonasCarminis]

lol carhartts.. hahaha  youre strange.

[Ender]

Downhill or cross country?  I'm gonna guess downhill, because a mountain is probably the only place snow is going to show up in Kansas at this time of year (I'm far up north and eagerly awaiting snowfall so I can cross country myself).

I do mostly cross country, and therefore dress in layers 'cuz it gets hot... a heckuva workout, especially up hills.  Layers would prolly be OK for downhill, too.  Don't wear a cotton shirt right next to your skin 'cuz they tend to just absorb moisture and keep it there; really uncomfortable.  Polyester is the way to go; it wicks the moisture away from your skin.  Some long underwear is made of polyester rather than cotton... Not that long underwear is particularly sexy, but definitely practical.

Middle layer, I usually just throw on a hoodie.  Outer layer is a water resistant jacket (ie, Columbia, Mountain Hard Wear); I take out the fleece or down lining and just put on the outer water-resistant shell.  I don't think I'd ever consider wearing my Carhartt for skiing.  Yeah, it's warm, but the exterior of most Carhartts is not water-resistant and can get soaked if you wipe out enough.  Plus the danged thing would get hot (and couldn't be removed in layers) and is bulky to the point of impairing mobility (probably more of an important consideration for cross country skiing, though).

For pants, I wear loose cargo jeans, which is actually a rather bad idea if you fall down a lot; they'll get soaked.  For downhill skiing, a pair of snow pants (unlined, just the water-resistant part) would be good.  I avoid them for cross country because I haven't found a pair that don't retain heat & restrict mobility.

Uhm.. yeah, I kind of dress for pure practicality, I guess.  But you asked what looks good.  I don't know if you are planning on shopping for this or just want to throw something together from what you already have.  Just about anything made by Burton is awesome, but expensive.  Really, from a distance it's hard to tell whether someone is male or female when they're in skiing gear... about the only thing that tips me off that someone *may* be female is if they're very small (but clearly not a child) or are wearing pastels, something really furry, or a winter jacket that somehow still manages to show off their boobs/shape.  Judging from the glasses in your avatar, you may also be interested in a pair of goggles--but again, usually the cool looking ones are expensive.  On a limited budget, I'd say your best bet is wear something practical (keeps you warm & dry without being overly bulky) and, for a put-together (not thrown-together) look, coordinate the colors of your outer jacket, pants, hat & gloves.

Sorry if my style advice is lacking...  I don't really consider style when I dress to ski because, well, I just like being comfortable and the trees don't care if I'm wearing army green pants, a blue & black jacket, red skis, silver boots, a black hat, and orange gloves... and dang, if I ever wipe out in a snow bank, it'll at least be easy for people to see my multi-colored arse >.<

[tekla]

I dress like a classic ski bunny, but I'm up in Tahoe, where the ski bunnies breed.

[JonasCarminis]

haha there arent mountains in kansas.  its more like small hills and prairies.... the place im going is called snow creek.  they have snow blowers (har har) that make the snow on the slope with sand underneath.

i dont wipe out much any more, so im not too concerned about the getting soaked portion.  hmm...  how about a hat like this a jacket like this, and a scarf...?

[tekla]

I know, I've skied La Cross Wisconsin, Bimiji Minn. and other flat places, but hey, Kansas is only a day trip from Colorado.

[Jay]

haha there arent mountains in kansas.  its more like small hills and prairies.... the place im going is called snow creek.  they have snow blowers (har har) that make the snow on the slope with sand underneath.

i dont wipe out much any more, so im not too concerned about the getting soaked portion.  hmm...  how about a hat like this a jacket like this, and a scarf...?

I like very much. I want that hat!!!!

[Alyssa M.]

It helps everyone when the gapers dress in uniform:

- Bogner one-piece. Preferably in day-glo colors. Think lime green and pink.
- Rear-entry boots, old Nordica bindings set to DIN 5, and skinny 205cm Rossis
- Knit hat with a big pompom.
- And make sure you ski at Vail, Keystone, or Breck. Forget about WP, A-Basin, the Boat, the Butte, or Silverton (haha). You can go to Aaaahhhspen if you want, and you're loaded.



Just teasing -- locals have an obligation to give tourists a little hell, you know!

The outfit you posted is a bit preppy, but normal for what I see around the ski hill.
Especially Breck.

Have fun on the hill!

~Alyssa

[tekla]

Hey my Rossignol Vipers are the best skis I've had since my old (circa 1971) K2s.  And I'd never ski in anything except Marker bindings.

And A-Basin rules.  (though I like Loveland and Crested Butte also, and Purgatory is awesome) still, I like Heavenly Valley and Squaw Valley a whole lot even if the snow sucks.

[Dennis]

I wear boarder overalls and a boarder jacket. Comfortable, roomy, and lots of pockets. And my Atomics rock for moguls and powder

I remember my old 1970's K2's though. They were awesome. The tricolour ones.

Dennis

[tekla]

The tricolour ones
Oh yeah.  God I loved those skis.  I used them for 20+ years until they came out with the parabolic curve ones, by which time I was a bit older, and a bit slower and needed that side cut.  My 23 year old has them now, thinks they are cool because they are so 'retro' - sigh.  They still ski just as good as the first day I used them though I've had to change the binding out every 7 years or so.  And they are better for young kids then old ladies.

[Dennis]

Yep, I used mine for more than 20 years till I finally succumbed to the shape ski phenomenon. The delay on my part was because the first pair I tried were for beginners and they were like skiing on cooked lasagne noodles. I didn't realize at the time that there were differences between expert skis and beginner skis and that they were so severe for the shape skis.

Then I tried my Atomics and wow. The K2 bindings would've needed replacing at the time, so I just junked them. Kind of sad really. I loved those skis.

Dennis

[Just Mandy]

I still have (and ski) my old school Rossignol/Markers, there beat up but still cruise and carve just fine. People
have tried to talk me into new ski's (or worse a snowboard) but it's not ever going to happen. I do notice that
skiers on skinny skis are getting rarer and rarer... must be something to the new ones.

I've always been partial to the tight black ski pants and a nice sweater... and a GOOD pair of gloves.

Have fun!

Amanda

[joannatsf]

Pick up a copy of SKI magazine.  Pick a look and get out your credit card.  Next, get a bus ticket to Telluride or even Durango. 

[tekla]

I was never going to get out of those K2s, except kinda by accident back in like 2000 I had a day to ski, and no equipment, so I rented some.  I talked with the guy in the shop, and talked to him about how I liked to ski, how I used to like to ski, and were I like to ski and he handed me a pair of the Rossi Vipers and said: "You're going to hate giving these back to me at the end of the day."  Turns out I was hating the idea of not skiing in them forever and ever after the first run.

Since it was late spring, all the big ski stores in Colorado were clearing out and I bought a pair the next day.

Honey, you will feel like you are a thousand percent better and smoother skier on those parabolics. 

And since they are both lighter and shorter - my K2s curled over the top of my head, as was the fashion of the time, my Vipers come up to my nose.  I feel a lot less tired and sore at the end of the day, they are that much easier to use.

They are a bit slower.  The K2s were hot rails to hell, stiff as all get-out, and able to really hold at high speeds.  But I'm not all that fast anymore, really.  So, I can live with that.

Really, give 'em a demo, I hear the Atomic's are very nice, and Dynastar is making a killer one too, as well as all the other companies. 

[Just Mandy]

And since they are both lighter and shorter - my K2s curled over the top of my head, as was the fashion of the time, my Vipers come up to my nose.  I feel a lot less tired and sore at the end of the day, they are that much easier to use.

My Fichers were 210's if I remeber right... the hot ticket in the day, and I loved them till I broke one. My Rossi's are
just 200's. I know the parabolics must be a lot nicer since so many die hards have converted. All this talk of skis makes
me wanna go Maybe I'll give in and try some new demos this year.

Amanda

[Dennis]

yeah I was a hanger on to the old school for a long time. Ask a demo person for a pair of expert shape skis and take their advice on length - short is better with them. I ski on 160's and they work fine for me. I tried 180's and they were too long.

once you ski parabolics, you really won't go back.

Dennis

[Alyssa M.]

Sheesh, parabolic?!! Soooo 2003. 

If you want to be seriously trendy, you've got to get yourself a pair of 'Toons. Rock the rocker, dude!



Or, if you're seriously uber and like to shred the bc gnar, go for the Dynafit Manaslu (187cm x 124-95-109), mounted with TLT Vertical FT 12 (w/ 100mm brake) and a pair of ZZero 4 C-TF AT ski boots. Then go slay some hudge lines bro!

[Just Mandy]

Jeez... I'm out of date at being out of date LOL.

Amanda