How to dress in the mountains? (Edwards, Vail: to buy, living, shops)

[BlueGreen85]

This may be a silly question to some, but I'm moving to Vail after living the majority of my adult life in very warm climates (Savannah, Las Vegas).

I'm really just wondering what are the first things I'm going to need as the season starts to progress. I move in one week and I know it's somewhat "warm" there still. I've never lived in a place where the whether gets below 30-40 degrees at night so any help would be appreciated.

Thanks!

[BlueGreen85]

This may be a silly question to some, but I'm moving to Vail after living the majority of my adult life in very warm climates (Savannah, Las Vegas, Los Angeles).

I'm really just wondering what are the first things I'm going to need as the season starts to progress. I move in one week and I know it's somewhat "warm" there still. I've never lived in a place where the whether gets below 30-40 degrees at night so any help would be appreciated.

Thanks!

[jazzlover]

Dress in layers. Go for functionality, not style. Ski geeks love to spend tons of money on winter attire that is mostly about looking cool. Go to the farm and ranch store and see what the guys (and gals) wear to stay warm when they are out in the elements all day, every day. I've lived and worked in some of the coldest places in Colorado and in the Rocky Mountain West (as in winter ambient temperature down to the 30 to 50 below zero range, with wind chills below 60 below zero). I've never owned a piece of winter ski attire.

[Dogmama50]

The key to living up here is layers. Right now it's warm, you might be in jeans, t-shirt and a fleece in the morning and evening, locals are still in shorts and flip flops. As the weather gets cooler you'll want a warmer coat, some good boots, gloves and a hat. If you are working on the mountain or outside you'll really want to layer well and invest in good wool socks, if you have a job that keeps you in more of an office environment it won't be as much of an issue.

Sierra Trading Post has some great deals on stuff especially compared to shopping in the valley. We have some amazing resale and thrift shops here, the Thrifty Shoppe in Edwards should be getting in their winter coats in the next month or so, it's a great place to get a good coat without spending $300. There's also a Costco in Gypsum, best place in the valley to buy alcohol, they have some good wool socks, gloves and inexpensive down coats and vests.

[Droppin By]

Layers, layers, layers! I live in Crested Butte and recent days have been as high as low-70s and nights in the low-40s. When the sun goes down, it gets cold very quickly! Obviously as we get into winter day and night temps will drop. Last winter we had a few stretches where daytime temps never got above freezing.

I ski every day in the winter and typically wear a baselayer (not cotton) long sleeve and pants, ski socks (think Smartwool & similar), insulated ski pants, insulated jacket and on colder days a shell over my insulated jacket. Jackets and pants all have zipper vents. Done skiing or taking an afternoon to walk around town? Head out with baselayer, jeans, synthetic or down insulated jacket. I wear a beanie/stocking cap pretty much all the time in the winter.

It's functional and stylish, but as a friend told me when I moved here: "Above 7000 feet, nobody cares what you wear."

[wanneroo]

I found compared to other ski towns like Breckenridge and Steamboat that Vail was relatively temperate. In the dead of winter you are probably looking at anywhere from -10F to 20F at night. I remember it was uncommon for it to go below -10, but it does do that sometimes, especially after a big snowfall where the skies clear out at night and all the snow on everything is like a big freezer.

A lot of what you wear goes with what you expect to do. Are you working indoors or outdoors? Skiing a lot or not?

I was in a vehicle a lot, so my work uniform was a turtleneck sweater, a fleece overall and corduroy pants. I also had a ski jacket as well for over that if need be. I made due with that most of the time. If I had to do it all over again, I'd wear Lycra type long johns for cold days and have better shoes like Teva's and better socks. A lot of times I ended up with cold and wet feet due to poor shoe choice or cold legs because I often did not wear long johns.

I'd say if I have to pick, good gloves are essential. If you have to touch or work on anything in the cold, they are a must have.

One thing to have is boot/shoe dryers. It is inevitable that shoes will get wet and these help dry things shoes out and circulate warm air in them.

[BlueGreen85]

I'm working indoors, but I do plan on doing some skiing. I have poor circulation in my hands and feet so I'm particularly concerned about that. This is all great advice though, thank you!

[BlueGreen85]

Wonderful advice! Thanks so much!

[Teckeeee]

Yes dress in layers as mentioned. I get hot and cold so I would wear a "underarmor" performance shirt with gortex shell if it's going to be raining.

[Colorado Rambler]

When temps fall below 30 degrees or so, you can't go wrong with wool long underware made in Switzerland. The Swiss know more about staying warm in the mountains than even we do since they had like a 2,000 year head start. Then I put on layers of clothing that I've picked up at Big R - the local feed and ranch outfit. The number of layers depend on what elevation I'm headed for as well as the temps at what elevation I'm currently at. When in doubt, in the winter go for an extra layer rather than without one. It's easier to take off a jacket because you're too warm than it is to shiver all day long because you didn't bring enough outerware.

Mid September is still fairly mild here, so it's not like you'll be stepping off the plane into a deep freeze. Just gradually add extra layers or switch from cotton to wool as the season progresses.