Masks for skiing

[marzNC]

I sort of doubt we'll be required to mask here this season. I'll probably use a good mask in the Lodge, but less of a mask outdoors. I need to figure out how I'll incorporate an FFP2 mask into things for my trip to Austria. I'll have to wear it on most lifts and probably will be taking it on and off a lot, which is not going to be fun seeing as I wear a balaclava under my helmet. I'm thinking maybe my old one with just fabric over my face being used to just hold the FFP2 against my face without the ear loops.

I ended up using the Seirius Arc Dynamax Dana together with a cloth mask with a homemade neck strap for skiing last season. When I went indoors, I used the cloth mask. Since the Dana has a velcro closure at the back, it was easy to pull down or off, depending on whether I was in the process of taking off my helmet at the time I made the switch. YMMV

What I liked about the Dana when masking was required outdoors was that it worked for me in cold temps or on warm days (Virginia, late season). I had could pull up my neck gaiter over it if it was really cold or it was snowing. Most of the time that wasn't necessary.

 

[santacruz skier]

I ended up using the Seirius Arc Dynamax Dana together with a cloth mask with a homemade neck strap for skiing last season. When I went indoors, I used the cloth mask. Since the Dana has a velcro closure at the back, it was easy to pull down or off, depending on whether I was in the process of taking off my helmet at the time I made the switch. YMMV

What I liked about the Dana when masking was required outdoors was that it worked for me in cold temps or on warm days (Virginia, late season). I had could pull up my neck gaiter over it if it was really cold or it was snowing. Most of the time that wasn't necessary.

I used one as well.

 

[Olesya Chornoguz]

I ended up using the Seirius Arc Dynamax Dana together with a cloth mask with a homemade neck strap for skiing last season. When I went indoors, I used the cloth mask. Since the Dana has a velcro closure at the back, it was easy to pull down or off, depending on whether I was in the process of taking off my helmet at the time I made the switch. YMMV

What I liked about the Dana when masking was required outdoors was that it worked for me in cold temps or on warm days (Virginia, late season). I had could pull up my neck gaiter over it if it was really cold or it was snowing. Most of the time that wasn't necessary.

I liked that Dana didn't freeze and become an icicle on your face when it was below freezing and the shape that kept it away from the face.

I checked the resorts I will be skiing at this winter, none of them require masks outdoors. So when outdoors I will only mask when I am in a long lift line, will have a mask with me in a pocket.

I have skied a full ski season in 2021. The only time I had mask on skiing when in the lift line and sometimes on the lift if riding the chairlift with someone I don't know, tested negative after every ski trip, so whatever I was doing worked for me. So I will continue with masking only in the lift line outdoors. I will definitely mask indoors and still will avoid indoor dining unless the restaurant is fairly empty. I am vaccinated, but the particular vaccine I got does not prevent infection or transmission, they do make infection less severe. Given that information I will still be taking similar precautions as last winter.

 

[newboots]

Mine didn't mingle well with my goggles for some reason. My goggles are a little big and they had to lap over the top edge of the mask and that directed air in because of the edge. I found I needed a much flatter edge so the seal of the overlap was snugger.

I sort of doubt we'll be required to mask here this season. I'll probably use a good mask in the Lodge, but less of a mask outdoors. I need to figure out how I'll incorporate an FFP2 mask into things for my trip to Austria. I'll have to wear it on most lifts and probably will be taking it on and off a lot, which is not going to be fun seeing as I wear a balaclava under my helmet. I'm thinking maybe my old one with just fabric over my face being used to just hold the FFP2 against my face without the ear loops.

I really hoped we'd be past this point by now. But I'm surrounded by anti-maskers and anti-vaxxers.

You know about the trick of putting command hooks on your helmet and using them instead of your ears, for easy on-easy off? That's on my list for next year.

 

[santacruz skier]

Masks were required in lift lines at resorts I skied in 2021. I usually left it on while skiing downhill to avoid fogging. No indoor dining was allowed so that was tricky. I tested for Covid before and after every ski trip. Not a fan (ever) of booting up in the car but won't have to do that at Tahoe resorts or Taos ! Getting my booster in two weeks. Trying to decide whether to mix and match or stick with Moderna at half dose. I do not want any Covid exposures ! And I know there are no guarantees and that's why I'll be wearing a mask !

 

[Olesya Chornoguz]

Masks were required in lift lines at resorts I skied in 2021. I usually left it on while skiing downhill to avoid fogging. No indoor dining was allowed so that was tricky. I tested for Covid before and after every ski trip. Not a fan (ever) of booting up in the car but won't have to do that at Tahoe resorts or Taos ! Getting my booster in two weeks. Trying to decide whether to mix and match or stick with Moderna at half dose. I do not want any Covid exposures ! And I know there are no guarantees and that's why I'll be wearing a mask !

Yes, masks were required in the lift line everywhere last season. Not required this year, at least as far as I have seen.

Honestly outdoors is low risk, I have posted about that in the past extensively, thus the mask requirement outdoors is no longer applied at ski resorts this year. I wanted to be extra careful and mask if it's a crowded lift line, but I will not be skiing in a mask - dislike skiing with a mask on. My goggles fog up a lot more if left it on. I bough Abom goggles that have defogging feature, but even with them the battery lasts for so long (less then 4 hours I would say). There is really no point in skiing in mask in my opinion. My view that is there is someone closer then 6 feet while I am skiing we got a more serious problem then a potential COVID exposure in a low risk outdoor environment.

I flew a fair amount last winter, so that's different then the driving trips. I didn't post about it because traveling/flying was frowned upon.

I booted up in the car last year a lot, it's not that terrible once I got my routine down. I probably will continue to do it this year, I am used to it now. I will not need to do it at Taos and some other trips because of slopeside lodging, but on some other trips I will.

 

[santacruz skier]

My new Dalbello Asolo GW boots are so hard to get into ! I have a boot horn and when I stay at friends in Tahoe City we do drive to Northstar . Otherwise i am in N* village at BF's family house or my timeshare at Heavenly so a little spoiled. Looking forward to skiing with you @Olesya Chornoguz !

 

[Olesya Chornoguz]

My new Dalbello Asolo GW boots are so hard to get into ! I have a boot horn and when I stay at friends in Tahoe City we do drive to Northstar . Otherwise i am in N* village at BF's family house or my timeshare at Heavenly so a little spoiled. Looking forward to skiing with you @Olesya Chornoguz !

I skied in Atomic race boots last season - those are hard to put on, but I turned the car floor vents heat on max and shimmied them on lol. I am not skiing in race boots anymore, those were so wrong for my feet I hurt my feet! I look forward to skiing with you too!

 

[newboots]

@Olesya Chornoguz , you did post about flying last year, and it was reassuring. Not that I flew anywhere, but it was good to know that careful attention to safe use of PPE could keep us safe.

 

[ski now work later]

I found skiing with masks to be difficult last year but my neck gaitors didn't cover my nose so it was challenging. I didn't ski enough to get the system down because I only skied locally and when the crowds arrived by 10:30 am we got off the mountain for COVID safety. This year I will be doing something with a mask on gondolas and enclosed chair lifts. I will be skiing at two Vail resorts with gondies (Stowe and Beaver Creek) and one with a bubble lift (Okemo) and Vail is not requring masks on these so I'll want protection. All of my days at Vail resorts are weekdays (earlier in the week) which will help with crowds but still. Having a husband who is both a front line health care provider (he's a hospitalist) and a hospital administrator for our local health care system, I know that breakthrough infections are quite high and that there is evidence that a significant percentage of those who get COVID (even those who aren't very sick) have post viral symptoms, many of them neurological, I take this stuff seriously.

 

[sibhusky]

I ended up using the Seirius Arc Dynamax Dana together with a cloth mask with a homemade neck strap for skiing last season. When I went indoors, I used the cloth mask. Since the Dana has a velcro closure at the back, it was easy to pull down or off, depending on whether I was in the process of taking off my helmet at the time I made the switch. YMMV

What I liked about the Dana when masking was required outdoors was that it worked for me in cold temps or on warm days (Virginia, late season). I had could pull up my neck gaiter over it if it was really cold or it was snowing. Most of the time that wasn't necessary.

Well, I used a Serius EVO Arc all season but CANNOT use that in Austria. It must be an FFP2. Frankly, the EVO ARC has negligible value as a filter, you can see light through it easily. I used it to ski in and had another decent mask I pulled over it for chair rides last season. But fabric masks are not acceptable in Austria and I plan to figure out how to deal with this darn paper thing BEFORE I get there.

 

[sibhusky]

You know about the trick of putting command hooks on your helmet and using them instead of your ears, for easy on-easy off? That's on my list for next year.

I've look into the hooks and will try this, but I have a full helmet and I think the mask will be prevented from staying close to my face unless the ear loops are unusually long and can be angled down and around the ear portion and chin strap.

 

[newboots]

I've look into the hooks and will try this, but I have a full helmet and I think the mask will be prevented from staying close to my face unless the ear loops are unusually long and can be angled down and around the ear portion and chin strap.

Good luck! It's a project, that's for sure.

 

[VickiK]

I haven't thought about this yet.

 

[WaterGirl]

I use these on the straps on the side of the helmet if you don't want to attach something permanent.

KeyRack Locker® S-Biner® Plastic

This stainless steel carabiner clip body is paired with six colorful plastic S-Biner MicroLocks to easily attach, remove, secure, and identify keys. Clip individual keys to the locking S-Biner MicroLocks for ultimate security, and then connect the whole KeyRack to your belt loop or purse strap...

www.niteize.com

The "key set" was cheaper then buying the S binders individually.

 

[snowski/swimmouse]

I'm definitely to the point where I have a mask "wardrobe" for the seasons....

 

[newboots]

I use these on the straps on the side of the helmet if you don't want to attach something permanent.

KeyRack Locker® S-Biner® Plastic

This stainless steel carabiner clip body is paired with six colorful plastic S-Biner MicroLocks to easily attach, remove, secure, and identify keys. Clip individual keys to the locking S-Biner MicroLocks for ultimate security, and then connect the whole KeyRack to your belt loop or purse strap...

www.niteize.com

The "key set" was cheaper then buying the S binders individually.

Do you attach the mask with the S-biners to some sort of strap around the back? I'm confused.

 

[WaterGirl]

On the Giro helmets we attach to the straps (red circle area) - this worked with cloth masks or surgical.
This was more for the "mask mandate" while in lift lines. For any pit stops in the lodge or while riding the local shuttle we switched to KN95 attached normally to ensure a secure fit.

This year will be no different for us - I do not believe that being outdoors with physical distancing is risky. Having a mask attached to the helmet is fine for skiing and lift lines. However, as we did last year we will use KN95 for indoors. I am on the fence about the gondola. Did not ride it last year, and would use KN95. Lots of hand sanitizer between mask switching...... and FWIW I don't believe that "proof of vaccines" to enter certain indoor establishments creates a safer environment unless the proof is directly from the government. I know of too many people who have fake vaccine cards......so I'm assuming everyone is potentially a threat even in "vaccinated only" spaces.

 

[newboots]

@WaterGirl - Thanks for clarifying. Appreciated!

 

[Iwannaski]

You know about the trick of putting command hooks on your helmet and using them instead of your ears, for easy on-easy off? That's on my list for next year.

I was a skeptic at first, but I actually found the little command decor hooks (clear, small, plastic) were fantastic. Easy to pull the mask up and down for the lift/line. Easy to switch mask if it got wet from condensed breath…. Which it was less likely to do because easy to pull up and down!