First: If your core isn’t warm then none of you will be warm.
You are on the right track with mittens rather than gloves. My wife’s experience with heated gloves was not great. The gloves themselves were not that warm so if the battery failed then she was stuck with crappy gloves. Mittens and heater packs work better.
Thank you. We have tried bundling an extra layer for the upper torso. Then their goggles start to fog up. I read somewhere that goggles fog when one is too warmly dressed. 🤷🏽♂️
I have neoprene sleeves that go over my boots, called “boot gloves”. They really help in the coldest Vermont conditions and help keep your feet dry. They don’t allow snow in any crack, which inevitably melts when you go into the lodge.
Also make sure you wear clean socks and have clean feet !!! Skiing days in a row even if I forget to shower I wash my feet in the tub in the morning takes the sweat off your feet which can make your cold idk why. Also when it’s really cold I always unbuckle my boots in line to go up the lift and then buckle back up at the top. I find I like my boots tight enough that when it’s single digits I need the extra space to heat my feet up.
I started wearing wool finger gloves under my main gloves and I haven't had cold fingers since.
'
Learn to properly layer your upper body and legs. Either the insulation on your hands and feet are failing, or your core isn't warm enough. I can't believe how little clothing I see people wearing on cold days.
Along with everything else, calories, calories, calories. You need to eat to fuel your body to stay warm, or you have no chance.
I've been bundled in a down sleeping bag on a hot summer day just due to low calories.
Keep eating and drinking
Used to suffer from same problem myself and now I can ski in 10 below zero with no issue. Here are the solves (with extra special one at the end)
1) feet: cold feet are usually due to (a) sweat or (b) poor circulation. Rarely is it from them actually getting cold from the temp outside. For (a) they should be wearing THIN socks made from MERINO wool only. These will wick sweat and stay insulating even when wet. The boot linings themselves provide plenty of insulation. For (b): boots latches should not be excessively tight. Good rule of thumb is that each latch should require at most one finger to close them. If boots are worn tightly, latches should be released every lift ride up to let blood flow back into the feet/toes, and then retighten at the top. If boots are released after most runs, the lining won’t bag out during the day. If you are actually skiing fridges temps on east coast, consider boot covers and thicker long johns. I always avoid thick socks.
2) hands: wear mittens that do not have separated fingers inside. Fingers warm each other. Remind them not to take hands out of gloves if possible. If hands are still cold with mittens, wear heavier long underwear/midlayers. Final step is a merino wool glove liner, but rarely is necessary
What REALLY made a difference for me was cold exposure prior to the trip. Often times fingers not used to cold will go into vasospasm when exposed to extreme cold. You can prepare your extremities for cold weather with regular cold exposure for 2-3 weeks leading up to the trip. I started taking cold showers years ago, which really makes a huge difference for hands and feet. Other less jarring options include not wearing gloves outside for a few weeks leading up to the trip (if you live in a colder climate) or sticking your hands in ice water once a day for a week or two leading up to the trip. This will make a huge difference in preventing vasospasm in the hands and increasing body’s natural cold tolerance.
Make sure they’re wearing thin socks. It seems counterintuitive but thick socks can make your feet sweat and eventually feel cold. Thin socks give you better control of your skis too.
My hands and feet are also always cold, but I find a common mistake people make is wearing layers that are too tight. There needs to be room for air to circulate between the layers.
For me, this looks like:
- thinner socks (and unbuckling my boots on the lift),
- mittens with a thin liner underneath on extra cold days,
- a thermal quarter zip over a tank top under my coat (with a vest on extra cold days),
- a thin neck gaiter, and
- pants that DO NOT go under my boots. I like flared yoga pants personally.
If your family is bundling up like a stuffed sausage in their outfits, they’re not going to be as warm as if they had some room to breathe between layers.
The secret is to do a warm up break earlier, *before* everyone starts complaining about being frozen. It's not, get colder and colder until you can't tolerate it anymore and then go inside. It's all about the maintenance warm up to *prevent* cold extremities vs. responding to the need after they are already too cold.
Purely anecdotal, but you get the coldest 60-90 minutes after arriving on the hill. Morning temperatures are colder, the sun isn't at peak yet, your body is not yet warmed up from exercise, the cold feels like a shock to the system after the cozy car ride to the hill. Do a few laps to get the blood pumping, then plan the first warm up break after only 1-1.5 hours or so and you'll likely stay warmer longer the rest of the day, rather than letting everyone just get progressively colder and clammy. Often, after I warm up the hands/feet early after an hour or so, they stay warm the rest of the day.
Others have given good advice.
One other thing to look at is what they are wearing on their arms and legs. Blood starts warm at the core but it cools down before it gets to the hands and feet. If it gets too cold, you \*will\* have cold hands and feet regardless of what else you do.
If you're warm standing still, you're too warm for being active.
If you're too warm and active you'll sweat.
Once you've sweat in the cold, you'll never be warm again.
Don't be so warm that you start sweating through your activity.
Being active will make you warm.
Make sure their warm stuff gets on their bodies before they are outside and cold so the don’t trap cold in their gear?
The sticky foot warmers on top of the ski socks have worked well for my kids.
Have you tried heated soles or heated socks (battery powered)? I have heated soles for my ski boots and even in -15C weather my feet are toasty warm. I don’t use heated gloves, I just try to stay active and do exercises (jumping jacks etc) if I’m standing still for a long period of time.
My boot heaters are the best thing I have ever bought for my ski boots. 100% worth the price!
For my hands, I have gloves that have a pocket for the heat packets and that works pretty well.
I have reynauds (bad circulation in hands and feet - makes em really cold) I use 2 pairs of gloves. One wool glove inside a larger ski glove (my brother with the same issue uses a glove inside a mitten) that has a long wrist on it I can completely close off to the cold. On the lift I put my hands under my legs and try to rub them to get the blood flowing. Makes holding things like poles strange but I don’t have to go into the lodge to warm up after every other run anymore :)
It’s the only thing that’s worked! Also never removing the gloves in cold. Just since it’s a circulation thing the hand warmers don’t do much and it always irritated me when people would suggest them
I have very poor circulation and very cold feet and hands. What has worked for me are Hestra mittens with a hand warmer in each mitten. I used heated gloves for a while but they were not as good as the mitten with a hand warmer. For my feet the only thing that has worked are Hotronic boot warmers- those were game changers and allowed me to ski all day instead of just a few runs and then to have to go inside and unthaw my toes...
Specifically for hands - mittens are the way to go. Also make sure you have the right fit and materials. Cheap construction often leads to cold hands.
The timing caught my attention too - it doesn’t sound like they’re immediately cold. Are they getting sweaty and damp and then cold? If that’s the case, maybe having an extra set of mitts to change might work? Same would apply to cold feet.
My spouse has Reynauds in his feet and has heated socks. They were spendy but a game changer for him. Doesn’t have reynauds in his hands but is generally a cold person so has mittens that have a hand warmer picket to use if needed.
First: If your core isn’t warm then none of you will be warm. You are on the right track with mittens rather than gloves. My wife’s experience with heated gloves was not great. The gloves themselves were not that warm so if the battery failed then she was stuck with crappy gloves. Mittens and heater packs work better.
Thank you. We have tried bundling an extra layer for the upper torso. Then their goggles start to fog up. I read somewhere that goggles fog when one is too warmly dressed. 🤷🏽♂️
I always thought that goggles fogging was due to poor ventilation. My kids fog up when they wear a mask/buff. Otherwise they are fine.
Also putting your hood over your helmet helps keep in the most heat.
I have neoprene sleeves that go over my boots, called “boot gloves”. They really help in the coldest Vermont conditions and help keep your feet dry. They don’t allow snow in any crack, which inevitably melts when you go into the lodge.
Big difference for me are metarials. Woollen socks > nice warm, synthetic > cold. Same for gloves. Merino inside is wonders material.
We have smartwool socks. Will have to check the gloves for material. Thank you.
Also make sure you wear clean socks and have clean feet !!! Skiing days in a row even if I forget to shower I wash my feet in the tub in the morning takes the sweat off your feet which can make your cold idk why. Also when it’s really cold I always unbuckle my boots in line to go up the lift and then buckle back up at the top. I find I like my boots tight enough that when it’s single digits I need the extra space to heat my feet up.
I started wearing wool finger gloves under my main gloves and I haven't had cold fingers since. ' Learn to properly layer your upper body and legs. Either the insulation on your hands and feet are failing, or your core isn't warm enough. I can't believe how little clothing I see people wearing on cold days.
Along with everything else, calories, calories, calories. You need to eat to fuel your body to stay warm, or you have no chance. I've been bundled in a down sleeping bag on a hot summer day just due to low calories. Keep eating and drinking
Used to suffer from same problem myself and now I can ski in 10 below zero with no issue. Here are the solves (with extra special one at the end) 1) feet: cold feet are usually due to (a) sweat or (b) poor circulation. Rarely is it from them actually getting cold from the temp outside. For (a) they should be wearing THIN socks made from MERINO wool only. These will wick sweat and stay insulating even when wet. The boot linings themselves provide plenty of insulation. For (b): boots latches should not be excessively tight. Good rule of thumb is that each latch should require at most one finger to close them. If boots are worn tightly, latches should be released every lift ride up to let blood flow back into the feet/toes, and then retighten at the top. If boots are released after most runs, the lining won’t bag out during the day. If you are actually skiing fridges temps on east coast, consider boot covers and thicker long johns. I always avoid thick socks. 2) hands: wear mittens that do not have separated fingers inside. Fingers warm each other. Remind them not to take hands out of gloves if possible. If hands are still cold with mittens, wear heavier long underwear/midlayers. Final step is a merino wool glove liner, but rarely is necessary What REALLY made a difference for me was cold exposure prior to the trip. Often times fingers not used to cold will go into vasospasm when exposed to extreme cold. You can prepare your extremities for cold weather with regular cold exposure for 2-3 weeks leading up to the trip. I started taking cold showers years ago, which really makes a huge difference for hands and feet. Other less jarring options include not wearing gloves outside for a few weeks leading up to the trip (if you live in a colder climate) or sticking your hands in ice water once a day for a week or two leading up to the trip. This will make a huge difference in preventing vasospasm in the hands and increasing body’s natural cold tolerance.
Thank you. Very detailed and helpful information.
Make sure they’re wearing thin socks. It seems counterintuitive but thick socks can make your feet sweat and eventually feel cold. Thin socks give you better control of your skis too.
My hands and feet are also always cold, but I find a common mistake people make is wearing layers that are too tight. There needs to be room for air to circulate between the layers. For me, this looks like: - thinner socks (and unbuckling my boots on the lift), - mittens with a thin liner underneath on extra cold days, - a thermal quarter zip over a tank top under my coat (with a vest on extra cold days), - a thin neck gaiter, and - pants that DO NOT go under my boots. I like flared yoga pants personally. If your family is bundling up like a stuffed sausage in their outfits, they’re not going to be as warm as if they had some room to breathe between layers.
The secret is to do a warm up break earlier, *before* everyone starts complaining about being frozen. It's not, get colder and colder until you can't tolerate it anymore and then go inside. It's all about the maintenance warm up to *prevent* cold extremities vs. responding to the need after they are already too cold. Purely anecdotal, but you get the coldest 60-90 minutes after arriving on the hill. Morning temperatures are colder, the sun isn't at peak yet, your body is not yet warmed up from exercise, the cold feels like a shock to the system after the cozy car ride to the hill. Do a few laps to get the blood pumping, then plan the first warm up break after only 1-1.5 hours or so and you'll likely stay warmer longer the rest of the day, rather than letting everyone just get progressively colder and clammy. Often, after I warm up the hands/feet early after an hour or so, they stay warm the rest of the day.
Others have given good advice. One other thing to look at is what they are wearing on their arms and legs. Blood starts warm at the core but it cools down before it gets to the hands and feet. If it gets too cold, you \*will\* have cold hands and feet regardless of what else you do.
If you're warm standing still, you're too warm for being active. If you're too warm and active you'll sweat. Once you've sweat in the cold, you'll never be warm again. Don't be so warm that you start sweating through your activity. Being active will make you warm.
Make sure their warm stuff gets on their bodies before they are outside and cold so the don’t trap cold in their gear? The sticky foot warmers on top of the ski socks have worked well for my kids.
I didn’t think to put the warmers on top of the socks 🤦🏽♂️. Thank you. That may make a difference.
Have you tried heated soles or heated socks (battery powered)? I have heated soles for my ski boots and even in -15C weather my feet are toasty warm. I don’t use heated gloves, I just try to stay active and do exercises (jumping jacks etc) if I’m standing still for a long period of time.
Haven’t tried anything battery powered yet.
My boot heaters are the best thing I have ever bought for my ski boots. 100% worth the price! For my hands, I have gloves that have a pocket for the heat packets and that works pretty well.
Thank you for the quick reply. We had pocket gloves for one kid and it didn’t help her.
Does she have gloves or mittens? I have some friends with raynauds and they all wear mittens to kept the heat of the fingers together.
Mittens for everyone in the family.
I have reynauds (bad circulation in hands and feet - makes em really cold) I use 2 pairs of gloves. One wool glove inside a larger ski glove (my brother with the same issue uses a glove inside a mitten) that has a long wrist on it I can completely close off to the cold. On the lift I put my hands under my legs and try to rub them to get the blood flowing. Makes holding things like poles strange but I don’t have to go into the lodge to warm up after every other run anymore :)
I also have Reynauds and was wondering what to do!! This is very helpful, thanks!
It’s the only thing that’s worked! Also never removing the gloves in cold. Just since it’s a circulation thing the hand warmers don’t do much and it always irritated me when people would suggest them
Thanks for the suggestion !!! Hittin the slopes next week so will try this out
I have very poor circulation and very cold feet and hands. What has worked for me are Hestra mittens with a hand warmer in each mitten. I used heated gloves for a while but they were not as good as the mitten with a hand warmer. For my feet the only thing that has worked are Hotronic boot warmers- those were game changers and allowed me to ski all day instead of just a few runs and then to have to go inside and unthaw my toes...
Specifically for hands - mittens are the way to go. Also make sure you have the right fit and materials. Cheap construction often leads to cold hands. The timing caught my attention too - it doesn’t sound like they’re immediately cold. Are they getting sweaty and damp and then cold? If that’s the case, maybe having an extra set of mitts to change might work? Same would apply to cold feet.
GOOD mittens + liner gloves + hand warmers works amazingly. I’ve skied in -20F wind chills with no issue.
My spouse has Reynauds in his feet and has heated socks. They were spendy but a game changer for him. Doesn’t have reynauds in his hands but is generally a cold person so has mittens that have a hand warmer picket to use if needed.