It’s only August and I’ve been dreaming of the slopes since the season ended last April. I hear a song come on and I think back to flying down the mountain, listening to my skiing playlist, and I get excited all over again. My fingers are crossed for a serious snowstorm in November so I can zip over to our local spot, Wachusett Mountain and start my winter of fun!
Winter wasn’t always an exciting time for me. I have never enjoyed the cold, growing up in a desert and all. My fingers and toes always felt like they were going to fall off from frostbite, the cold air killed my lungs, the long nights were so sad and dark, and there was never anything to do outdoors to keep me busy! Why oh why couldn’t New England be like Southern California, or Southern Florida, or anywhere warm in the winter!?! Then I fell in love with skiing…
Hubby and I were at our local mountain during one of their many festivals when we started talking about getting a season pass. Why not? We have the equipment for the one or two times a year we would go. Of course the cost is sometimes hard to swallow and that was definitely the main topic of discussion. Would it be worth the price? Would we actually use the pass so the price makes sense? No, seriously Sarah, are you going to use the pass?? I was hesitant because of how I felt about winter and my ski level was, and has been, at beginner since I learned when I was 12. I never went often enough to really hone in on my skills. I couldn’t even justify taking lessons because I was rarely at the mountain to ski! But… we took the plunge and bought two season passes for the 2017-2018 season and it was the best decision we ever made (other than marriage and children, of course). By the end of the year I was skiing faster and with more confidence, heading down the black diamond trails at Wachusett, attempting moguls, and genuinely having the time of my life! I was there almost every week from December to April with a giant smile on my face.
So, what happened with my issues with the cold weather you ask?? Choosing the right cold-weather clothing/equipment. For one, I decided to spring for some cold weather mittens. With my fingers getting so, so cold I figured having them together in an enclosed mitten would do the trick. The mittens, coupled with some handwarmers, definitely helped with keeping my hands nice and toasty while I rode the chairlift up the mountain. WOO HOO!
Another thing that made the cold more tolerable was a face mask. The face mask has protected my lips from getting chapped, cheeks from getting cold and chapped, my nose from being extra drippy (gross), and they look awesome! Nowadays you can have all sorts of great patterns and colors so you can coordinate your outfit for the slopes, have them clash, or just make yourself look like a badass on the mountain.
Ooooh! Socks have helped a lot, too. Well, combination socks plus footwarmers have saved my cold toes from being uncomfortably cold (especially when riding the lift). I was able to keep my feet so warm and comfy with my warm and comfy socks. I almost never had to take my ski boots off to warm them up. If I did it was because I didn’t use a footwarmer on those extra cold days. Ooopsy.
Lastly, layering was really important. Now with the invention of fun clothing like LuLaRoe, and even patterned base layers, there are so many great options to throw on under your jackets and snow pants. So, when you go into the lodge for that beer you deserve after a day skiing/snowboarding, you can look pretty good after shedding your outer layers.
Who else is ready to zip on over to their local mountain to hit the trails? What sorts of things do you do to keep warm? We would love to hear about the mountain(s) you like to head to and how you all stay warm during those cold days. Now, I’m going to count down the days until I start throwing my skis into the back of my car and drive over to Princeton, MA for a day on the slopes. :)
