Tips for skiing on a rainy day?

[Fluffy Kitty]

Found one neoprene glove... it's a bit stiff, but could work as a backup. Man, the kind of weather I used to bike in before the kids were born...

I also found some "Sidetrak" neoprene shoe covers from the same era. Can't fit over the ski boots, though. Ah, well.

https://www.treefortbikes.com/product/333222350081/348/Sidetrak-Ignite-Bootie.html

 

[santacruz skier]

Hmmm... I used to have water-proof neoprene biking gloves... Where could they be?

My gore-Tex gloves were soaking wet in the heavy wet snow blizzard today.. Still by the fire drying..

 

[Obrules15]

LOVE my Hot Buns!! Totally NOT a fashion statement. Since the only part of my lower body that gets cold is my butt, the Hot Buns allows me to keep that part of me toasty and dry, without having to try to squeeze extra layers in under my ski pants. They're especially good when it's raining or snowing to keep water from soaking through your pants.

Gore-Tex is a must-have in the rain, along with extra gloves/mittens, helmet with a visor (Giro G10MX), low-light goggle lens, and a coat with a hood that fits over your helmet.

Usually, once my mittens soak through, I've had enough for the day.

Hmmm, I wonder what it means that my butt is the only part of me that doesn't get cold. I guess my natural *padding* is useful for something!

 

[Obrules15]

Found one neoprene glove... it's a bit stiff, but could work as a backup. Man, the kind of weather I used to bike in before the kids were born...

I also found some "Sidetrak" neoprene shoe covers from the same era. Can't fit over the ski boots, though. Ah, well.

https://www.treefortbikes.com/product/333222350081/348/Sidetrak-Ignite-Bootie.html

Boot Gloves are neoprene.

 

[NewEnglandSkier]

as mentioned above, foul weather gear used for sailing works well. Also, after one particularly wet day skiing in the rain, I bought rubber snowblower gloves, as my normal gloves soaked through in no time. The gloves are rubber or rubber-like material and have a soft lining.

 

[Fluffy Kitty]

So much for my studly credentials... the mountain is closed :shocked!: for 40ºF weather with torrential rain and winds up to 60 mph. I could go to another hill, but that takes more than an hour off actual skiing time on tamer slopes, so not quite worth it.

I will look into boot gloves; I've had a few days of cold feet and could have used them. Has anyone had any luck with tucking the elastic bands toward the back so they don't wear out so quickly?

 

[geargrrl]

I'm still not sure why anyone would choose to go in the rain; been there done that. Soft mucky snow can be downright dangerous.

Here's my hub's report for today. He unfortunately has ski patrol duty. I think he took a book for the bump shack today.

"
Wow. Exceptionally horrible skiing today. Anything not covered in rubber is soaked after one run down chair three. Foggy. Pouring rain. Windy. Big holes from the groomer. And it's supposed to get worse."

 

[Obrules15]

I'm still not sure why anyone would choose to go in the rain; been there done that. Soft mucky snow can be downright dangerous.

Here's my hub's report for today. He unfortunately has ski patrol duty. I think he took a book for the bump shack today.

"
Wow. Exceptionally horrible skiing today. Anything not covered in rubber is soaked after one run down chair three. Foggy. Pouring rain. Windy. Big holes from the groomer. And it's supposed to get worse."

Some of us on the East Coast have to take what we can get sometimes. Last season if I didn't ski when it was raining, I wouldn't have skied at all!

 

[santacruz skier]

I'm still not sure why anyone would choose to go in the rain; been there done that. Soft mucky snow can be downright dangerous.

Here's my hub's report for today. He unfortunately has ski patrol duty. I think he took a book for the bump shack today.

"
Wow. Exceptionally horrible skiing today. Anything not covered in rubber is soaked after one run down chair three. Foggy. Pouring rain. Windy. Big holes from the groomer. And it's supposed to get worse."

That says it all!

 

[volklgirl]

We skied in the snow-turned-to rain today and had a GREAT time! What started as 1" of heavy, wet, sticky powder and scraped-off groomers turned into fast, perfectly soft hero snow. I spent an inordinate time doing the Schlopy drill and making screaming railroad tracks on our wide open green run.

 

[W8N2SKI]

Hot Buns are great for cold rain/snow. For warmer temps I use an "apron" that I bought in Taos. Keeps the butt dry on the chair (i.e., no "swamp ass"). I skied in so much rain last year that I broke down and bought a Goretex shell this year. I hate to say it, but it has come in very handy. As someone else noted, if we aren't willing to ski in the rain here in the mid-Atlantic, we might not ski much at all. Honestly, though, I think skiing in the truly crappy conditions has helped make me a better skier.

 

[newboots]

I skied slush one day at Okemo, and after it started to rain we took one run and called it a day. Droplets on the goggles, fog inside, and fog on the glasses. Of course, I was barely a skier, but I couldn't make it work in the slush at that time. Red wine and chocolate in the jacuzzi at the inn - my daughter's idea ("It's vaCAtion, Mom!"). She has good ideas.

 

[Tvan]

I spent an inordinate time doing the Schlopy drill...

What is the Schlopy drill?

 

[Fluffy Kitty]

A.k.a. teapot drill. Note that it's the inside-side arm forward, which is the reverse of pole-planting.

 

[Fluffy Kitty]

So, I went today in the rain. Thumbs up on Swix HF10BW overlayed with NotWax. Thumbs up on tape on boots. The helmet was mostly dry, amazingly. My regular GoreTex/insulated gloves worked better than the thinner pipe gloves.

The biggest challenge was visibility. The water droplets form fast and furious on the goggles, and my eyes kept trying to focus on them instead of the terrain.

Otherwise, it was actually a pretty awesome day. They groomed a couple of the blacks, which is like my favorite.

And,

I'm not sure about less insulation - depends how cold the rain is. If you have wool thermal underwear, that should stay warm even when wet.

Definitely could have used another midlayer. It was in the 40s (ºF), but it felt like the 20s!

Another tip: Avoid ungroomed snow...

 

[SkiBilly]

You are keen to go out in the rain. I have only skied twice in the rain. The first time I was a novice skier and I had a lesson booked at Falls Creek in Australia so I had to go...it was an awfully miserable experience! Our Swiss instructor was wearing bright yellow dishwashing gloves over his regular ski ones, haha.

The other time I was in Whistler and had the same issues with my goggles...I was constantly wiping away the droplets - very frustrating. And when I came inside my jacket weighed a ton with all the water it held...took ages to dry in front of the fire.

 

[Peaheartsmama]

Last year I picked up a pro tip while attending the Womens Alpine adventures at Okemo.... there was a light rain forecasted and our instructor brought out a whole pile of baseball caps -- wear it under your helmet -- works like a CHARM! no more droplets on the goggles, less rain on your face. Amazing. Just that little bit of extra brim helped so much.

 

[Fluffy Kitty]

baseball caps -- wear it under your helmet -- works like a CHARM!

Ah... They actually sell them at the lodge. Perhaps I will try it. My helmet might have come with a visor, too... Hmmm...

Our Swiss instructor was wearing bright yellow dishwashing gloves over his regular ski ones, haha.

Oh! That's a good idea. I have a huge pile of disposable rubber gloves I use for gardening, waxing, cleaning up after the puppy, etc.

I forgot to mention that I just wore my regular Gore-Tex-ish jacket with rubberized pants. The jacket stayed mostly dry inside; the outer layer was soaked, as were the inside of pockets, for some reason. The pants were great! Except they stick to the lift chair, and are quite a bit too big for me, giving me overall an awkward appearance as I got off the lift and hitched them up.

 

[volklgirl]

A.k.a. teapot drill. Note that it's the inside-side arm forward, which is the reverse of pole-planting.

The part they don't often talk about is the outside hand should be pushing the outside hip forward HARD, and the inside hand needs to be forcefully "pushing the wall" forward (not just putting the hand/arm up) for the drill to really work.