Masks for skiing

[lucy]

(I haven't skimmed the past 24 pages, so I apologize if I'm talking about something that's already been mentioned. )

I have dry eyes, so moisture is important to me, but the mask plus ski goggles provides a little too much moisture. When I wear my goggles without overlapping the mask, it's very damp inside the goggles. When I overlap the mask (bottom of goggles on top of mask), it's less damp but still foggy.

To solve the foggy goggle scenario, I'm running the Haber Baccarat with the Eliminator fan to pull out enough moisture from the goggle to allow vision (yay!) and I'm carrying a spare lens to swap out with the wet lens (as in water drops sliding down on the inside) that seems to happen when I've been standing in the tram line for a while and the goggles are perched on top of the helmet.

To my great relief, the fan does not create a vortex of air, which would be less helpful with the dry eye thing. It does create a little coil whine, nothing some good tunes or a conversation won't cover up. It's not a perfect solution, but DH and I both agree it's better than the foggy situation caused by a mask plus goggles alone.

 

[marzNC]

I used the Seirus EVO Arc Dana on the mountain today and came away very pleased with it. Make sure to just cover the very top of the mask with your goggles; after that I didn't have any issues with fogging (Smith I/O Mag).

Re: questions about wetness of the mask. Yes, your breath does form condensate on the interior. However, the wire at the front of the mask keeps the fabric from actually touching your face, so it doesn't feel gross or cold. Sometimes it gets a bit stuffy, so I just lifted my goggles away from my face for five or six seconds on the lift and it was fine.

Long story short, I definitely recommend the mask.

Matches my experience exactly. I have the Smith I/OS and put it over the Seirus Evo Arc Dana. Wear contacts when skiing so don't have to deal with glasses.

What was helpful when it was cold and snowing was to have a thin buff underneath so that when the Dana material over the neck got damp, my neck didn't feel cold. I like that the mask section dries out pretty quickly.

One day I forgot the Dana. Used a cloth mask under a thin buff, which worked okay. Had a second cloth mask for the afternoon. Have rigged up hair ties between the ear loops as a way to be able to hang it around my neck when not wearing it. Actually just leave it on when using the Dana. So when I go indoors then I can switch quickly if I want.

Found that it pays to be careful when setting up the velcro. Otherwise a corner would poke my neck. I put the Dana on under my helmet, with the velcro section relatively high on my head, then put the helmet on from back to front. Did the same when using the Face Saver in recent years.

 

[marzNC]

Are most people planning to not ski with masks up? I was planning to just put it on and leave it on. But I also work in a grocery store with a mask on for hours so masks don't faze me at this point.

I left the mask up over my nose and under my goggles when skiing. Where I was skiing, going inside for a restroom or even to eat a quick lunch was reasonable. So I would switch to a cloth mask with ear loops that was already around my neck. Given that I skied 8 days in assorted conditions, mostly when it was quite cold (low 20s) I expect I'll usually just leave the Evo Dana in place when skiing for 45-90 minutes between breaks.

 

[marzNC]

Also (and my apologies if I missed this in discussion) for the seirus evo Dana what size are we liking??

I'm petite and went with size Small. Fits well, especially since I have a very small nose.

 

[newboots]

Thanks, Lucy! I wasn't aware of this fan. I have a goggle fan that's no longer being made (Scott) and it helps. I have glasses as well as goggles so it's an uphill climb no matter what.

The Eliminator fan can be purchased separately and is on sale for $45 and change. https://www.habervision.com/Haber-Eliminator-Click-for-more-info_p_26.html

 

[kiki]

Has anyone in Canada managed to get a seirus evo Dana mask? If so where? Having trouble finding anyone who will ship here

 

[Jilly]

I couldn't get into any of the stores at Tremblant on the weekend. They have limits of people in the store. Just didn't seem worth it.

I'm loving my "Civil" mask that I got from the CSIA. Saw lots of paper masks on the weekend. I really don't think that's a good idea.

 

[marzNC]

I'm loving my "Civil" mask that I got from the CSIA. Saw lots of paper masks on the weekend. I really don't think that's a good idea.

I have a Civil mask that came from SAM. I like that it dries out quickly. Used it under a thin buff for the morning on the day I forgot the Evo Dana.

My ski buddy this trip is a physician, now semi-retired. Has been pulled into help with COVID-19 patients. (Jason had a negative test shortly before joining me and a couple Divas for the ski trip.) He used a surgical mask a few times as an experiment. He had an N95 that worked better, but his goggles were fogging up. He mostly used a cloth mask.

 

[Jilly]

The Civil mask does have a slight unpleasant smell to it. But since lose of smell is a symptom, not a bad problem...

I have 4 since according to the instruction sheet they are good for only 20 washings...

 

[ski diva]

First time using the Under Armour Sportmask fleece gaiter today, and I really, really liked it. It's a bit pricey ($40), but I think well worth the money. I'd been using the Community Wear Facemask Gaiter, which is actually pretty good. But that one is pretty thin, and I wanted something for colder days. The UA mask is made of a thicker, stretchy fleece, so yes, much warmer. And it's nice and soft, so it's quite comfortable, too. I like that sits off from your face so you don't get that wet, drippy feeling you get with other masks. There's a nose wire so you can pinch it tight for a snugger fit. And there's an adjustable cord in the back, so you can pull it tight around your head. I had no fogging problems, either, so thumbs up to that! Anyway, a good mask that I heartily recommend.

 

[sibhusky]

After playing with this Seirus EVO Arc Thick and Thin Headliner, I believe I'm going to use it under my helmet, but also use the Primal mask (it also has a frame) OVER it, but installed under my helmet as well. The combo seems pretty breathable (which tells you something, as that will be three layers of fabric and a filter) and the exterior of the Arc mask section is pretty slippery, so you can easily slide the outer Primal mask down if you are having breathing issues while you're skiing and just slide it up again as you approach the lift. I had my helmet and goggles on while I was testing. Thank goodness for the Abom goggles. My dog did not like the look one bit, though.

This did not prove to be a success. I think the nose wire on the Primal Wear mask was interfering with the seal of the goggles holding the masks tight on my face, which generated enough fog that the goggles couldn't keep up. So I'm substituting a two layer plus filter mask without a nose wire (they have a complicated sewn nose formation instead) that I got from Amazon which I will still attempt to wear over the headliner. Plan C is using a silicone basket plus filter under the headliner.

 

[just jane]

Based on the positive info here, I bought a 3-pack of the bioskin masks. I am skeptical but we’re going up tomorrow and we’ll see how it goes. I didn’t see any behind the head options? Only earloops which usually are too big for me; this seems true so far for the bioskin. It gaps at the sides. But maybe with a buff and helmet it will work okay.

 

[newboots]

Based on the positive info here, I bought a 3-pack of the bioskin masks. I am skeptical but we’re going up tomorrow and we’ll see how it goes. I didn’t see any behind the head options? Only earloops which usually are too big for me; this seems true so far for the bioskin. It gaps at the sides. But maybe with a buff and helmet it will work okay.

Try tugging the ear loops this way and that. It fits better as you get accustomed to it, at least it did for me.

The tie-behind ones are at the bottom of the page on their website.

 

[Jenny]

Yeah, you can kind of scrunch the bioskins together so the fit better at the sides of your face. I wore it under a gaiter, too, so that took care of any remaining gaps there might have been.

 

[alr]

Last weekend our family of 3 wore the tommy copper community wear gaiters and give them 6 thumbs up. 8 year old wore it over face like a champ all day, as did the adults. I did not find it to be that cold or clammy over my face. Also my goggle did not fog. I just ordered some more for us so that each of us has a backup. I only pulled the mask down to eat and drink. My husband tried out the buff neck tube with filter and did not enjoy it. I can't even bring myself to wear the buff neck tube I bought for myself.

 

[Abbi]

Last weekend our family of 3 wore the tommy copper community wear gaiters and give them 6 thumbs up. 8 year old wore it over face like a champ all day, as did the adults. I did not find it to be that cold or clammy over my face. Also my goggle did not fog. I just ordered some more for us so that each of us has a backup. I only pulled the mask down to eat and drink. My husband tried out the buff neck tube with filter and did not enjoy it. I can't even bring myself to wear the buff neck tube I bought for myself.

I had high hopes for the Buff with filter but I really do not like it! I could stand it as a base layer if the filter didn’t mush all up! But it makes it all clumpy over your nose and mouth which makes me wonder if it’s really doing any good!

 

[gingerjess]

My husband tried out the buff neck tube with filter and did not enjoy it. I can't even bring myself to wear the buff neck tube I bought for myself.

I had high hopes for the Buff with filter but I really do not like it! I could stand it as a base layer if the filter didn’t mush all up! But it makes it all clumpy over your nose and mouth which makes me wonder if it’s really doing any good!

Agreed. The Buff filter tube wins my award for "most disappointing face mask concept".

 

[MrsPlow]

I had high hopes for the Buff with filter but I really do not like it! I could stand it as a base layer if the filter didn’t mush all up! But it makes it all clumpy over your nose and mouth which makes me wonder if it’s really doing any good!

I have real doubts about paper filters in the OR masks too - I've worn one when waiting in the lift line on a busy day or when shopping, but end up taking it out for skiing. It folds up and just gets in the way once it's at all damp.

Thinking of sewing in a 3rd layer as the mask itself is comfy and generally ok.

 

[contesstant]

A local friend asked for mask suggestions today. Someone shared this one: https://www.seirus.com/heatwave-neofleece-combo-scarf

I might have said something about how ineffective it is.

 

[Abbi]

A local friend asked for mask suggestions today. Someone shared this one: https://www.seirus.com/heatwave-neofleece-combo-scarf

I might have said something about how ineffective it is.

AUUUUGH! I was wandering through REI a few weeks ago and heard a woman on the phone while she was picking up facemasks. Obviously she was looking for one for someone. She hung up and I hesitated, turned back and said ‘those don’t qualify for a Covid safe face mask’ and pointed out all the holes. She looked happy that I had stopped and thanked me. But I was still shaking my head mentally going don’t you see the holes?! People scare me sometimes!