Mark's XC (Cross-Country) Ski Clothing Page!

Explaining Ski Clothing Fundamentals...
Specialist in Human Powered Travel	Mark Zen P. O. BOX 474 Ft. Lupton, Colorado 80621-0474

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Clothes are Pretty Simple
Sub Index of This Page

Underwear
Insulation
Protection

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You should wear [depending on temperature]:

Underwear
Underwear is pretty important. This is the layer that should wick sweat away from your body. It should be wool, polypro, silk or some other great wicking material. The layer next to you should remain relatively dry. Cotton long underwear may be great for sitting at a football game, but it has no place next to your skin in the winter, as it does not dry quickly.

Insulation
Insulation should be wool, capaline pile, or something similar. With a good pair of long underwear underneath, on warm days, a pair of cotton jeans might work, but you can get wool pants pretty cheap at an Army Surplus. For cold days, the thicker the pants, the better.

Protection
The protection layer is very important. This layer may be omitted on very warm days, but it should not be forgotten. Nylon or Gortex© materials are preferred, to block the wind, rain or snow. Hypothermia can be caused by wind blowing through your wool clothes--- this can cause evaporative cooling. With a good wind block, the thickness of the insulating layer may be reduced.

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