Masks for skiing

[Abbi]

OMG those hooks are brilliant! What sort of hooks are those? And how did you attach them to your helmet?

There are various brands and lots of different sizes shapes and strength. This brand tends to be everywhere at this time of year for putting up Christmas decorations. There are various brands and lots of different sizes shapes and strength. https://www.command.com/3M/en_US/command/

If those stay stuck on that would be incredible! I would rather not drill into my helmet if I don’t have to. Although I probably have a couple of older ones around and might sacrifice those.

 

[Abbi]

Now I'm wondering why i ordered a small. Hope it fits....

I ordered a small as well. I have a small head and a very small face. For example finding goggles to go with a helmet is always a battle for me. My mask is somewhere at UPS! The delivery date keeps getting changed! I guess we will both find out when they arrive!

 

[contesstant]

I may have found my personal solutions to 7 hour days of masked teaching. A looser buff with earloops for skiing and most teaching, which is thankfully distanced and outdoors. A modified elastic band on my n95 and stick on hooks on the helmet for rapid protection change overs when in an emclosed lift, bathrooms, and non distanced teaching. View attachment 14217View attachment 14218

This is my plan, too! I just put some stick-on velcro strips on for now to accomplish the same thing. I'm also interested in having the ability to easily attach a mask outside the helmet.

 

[santacruz skier]

I ordered a small as well. I have a small head and a very small face. For example finding goggles to go with a helmet is always a battle for me. My mask is somewhere at UPS! The delivery date keeps getting changed! I guess we will both find out when they arrive!

Think small will be fine as Seirus sent me a size chart and small is 54-56 cm or 21 1/4-22 inches.

 

[Abbi]

Think small will be fine as Seirus sent me a size chart and small is 54-56 cm or 21 1/4-22 inches.

Mine arrived today. The small felt fine. It’s not quite as fuzzy on the neck part as they describe but that’s OK. I haven’t tried it on with a helmet and goggles but it did not fog my glasses just wearing it. Time will tell!

 

[BackCountryGirl]

So here is my take on masks, after 2 days of teaching.
1. Have a few in your pocket. Whatever the material, they get wet. So during a 4 hour block, I wore 2 different ones and had a third for free-skiing.
2. We are not required to wear them while skiing, but the off and on would be ridiculous, so I just kept it on.
3. To be honest, I didn't love the Skida mask for skiing. While pretty, the shoelace ties are annoying and I didn't like the dangling strings. It's a great "go to the grocery store in Portland" mask.
4. The elastic on my ears in my helmet really hurt after two days.
5. I will not get a goggle tan this season, assuming we have a season that lasts beyond the next few weeks. I am not convinced
6. A colleague who also is a tennis pro raved about his Mission mask, which he has worn for tennis, running, and, now, skiing. It has a low adjustable strap that fits outside his helmet band. I have a few Mission towels and the material is super wicking, so I've ordered a few to test out.
7. Coaching with a mask is going to kill my voice. I have "Christmas Break" Anne Bancroft voice already.
8. Kids are great at this. The are so compliant, even when moms and dads and coaches aren't (obviously) looking. We can take lessons on this from them.

Compliance seemed good, in general. Patrol staff walked up and down lifelines to police the mask-wearing. That means me feel good.

 

[contesstant]

So here is my take on masks, after 2 days of teaching.
1. Have a few in your pocket. Whatever the material, they get wet. So during a 4 hour block, I wore 2 different ones and had a third for free-skiing.
2. We are not required to wear them while skiing, but the off and on would be ridiculous, so I just kept it on.
3. To be honest, I didn't love the Skida mask for skiing. While pretty, the shoelace ties are annoying and I didn't like the dangling strings. It's a great "go to the grocery store in Portland" mask.
4. The elastic on my ears in my helmet really hurt after two days.
5. I will not get a goggle tan this season, assuming we have a season that lasts beyond the next few weeks. I am not convinced
6. A colleague who also is a tennis pro raved about his Mission mask, which he has worn for tennis, running, and, now, skiing. It has a low adjustable strap that fits outside his helmet band. I have a few Mission towels and the material is super wicking, so I've ordered a few to test out.
7. Coaching with a mask is going to kill my voice. I have "Christmas Break" Anne Bancroft voice already.
8. Kids are great at this. The are so compliant, even when moms and dads and coaches aren't (obviously) looking. We can take lessons on this from them.

Compliance seemed good, in general. Patrol staff walked up and down lifelines to police the mask-wearing. That means me feel good.

My husband's first days teaching will be this weekend. He's already practically deaf with a helmet on, so this could get interesting for sure LOL! He ordered the Under Armour mask that SEEMS like it will be something he can wear all day, but I'll have to take a look at the Mission mask you mentioned. Good thought to have a couple extras in the pocket (the price of the Under Armour mask makes that kind of a prohibitive idea, at $30 a pop.)
And yes, kids will do whatever we show them is possible! Excellent feedback. Thanks for sharing!

 

[BackCountryGirl]

My husband's first days teaching will be this weekend.

Wish him luck. It was a challenge, for sure. Spacing the kids out on the side of the trail was difficult, but maybe it means we all will talk less! The lift riding also was a challenge. My program is a race program so we trade early season access on the hill for a special lift line. With reduced capacity, I feared shenanigans at the top while the early ones up waited for the rest. We are super well-staffed this season with former racers now old enough to work, so group sizes should be small. Mask-wearing added a "distance" between me and the kids, but we all can learn to smile with our eyes!

 

[snoWYmonkey]

If those stay stuck on that would be incredible! I would rather not drill into my helmet if I don’t have to. Although I probably have a couple of older ones around and might sacrifice those.

Thank you, yes, command hook is the name of the type of product. I did have to use two stickers from the package and they made it through multiple on and offs on day one which was a negative degrees into the high teens type of weather day, 8 plus hours outside! So far so good. Though I am bringing extra hooks and stickers in case it pops off on the hill.

@BackCountryGirl I decided not to teach any small kids, especially beginners, in my privates this year. I was asked to teach 7-14 year olds instead, as private instructors are now teaching kids as well. I am telling them sadly no, as I am not comfortable indoors with people without masks on during lunch. Hell no!

I completely lost my voice by day 3 (7 hour days) to the point where husband and phone friends were concerned. By day 4 my throat hurt. By day five (#4 was a rest day) voice was back, now after day 5 I am loosing it again. I think that my talking muscles were unusually weak too with 6 months of isolation. Note to self, train legs and voice!

 

[MilkyWookiee]

Ladies, I think I have found my goldilocks mask for this ski season!

https://www.tommiecopper.com/2-in-1-community-wear-face-mask-gaiter/

This is a gaiter style mask with an extra layer of fabric over the mouth and nose. It has a nose wire, and an elastic band which can either be worn as ear loops, or tightened in the back to prevent slipping. I've skied 3 (warm) days in it so far, and love it! I picked mine up at home depot.

I have a large nose, so traditional buffs and gaiters either smush my nose or slide down, but this was comfortable on my nose, stayed in place, and I didn't have any major fog issues, even when wearing it under my goggles. The elastic ear loops were not the most comfortable after a few hours, but they are the best way to prevent slipping for me. I just removed them on solo lift rides to give my ears a break.

I've also skied in a disposable surgical mask, which I did indoors at Big Snow in NJ. After about an hour, the condensation inside the mask was dripping onto my chin. These are by far the easiest to breathe in, but they don't offer much warmth, and would realistically need to be changed out throughout the day.

Please share what else is working for you. This will absolutely be an interesting season, but for now I'm choosing to see this as an opportunity to buy more gear!

 

[MissySki]

Ladies, I think I have found my goldilocks mask for this ski season!

https://www.tommiecopper.com/2-in-1-community-wear-face-mask-gaiter/

This is a gaiter style mask with an extra layer of fabric over the mouth and nose. It has a nose wire, and an elastic band which can either be worn as ear loops, or tightened in the back to prevent slipping. I've skied 3 (warm) days in it so far, and love it! I picked mine up at home depot.

I have a large nose, so traditional buffs and gaiters either smush my nose or slide down, but this was comfortable on my nose, stayed in place, and I didn't have any major fog issues, even when wearing it under my goggles. The elastic ear loops were not the most comfortable after a few hours, but they are the best way to prevent slipping for me. I just removed them on solo lift rides to give my ears a break.

I've also skied in a disposable surgical mask, which I did indoors at Big Snow in NJ. After about an hour, the condensation inside the mask was dripping onto my chin. These are by far the easiest to breathe in, but they don't offer much warmth, and would realistically need to be changed out throughout the day.

Please share what else is working for you. This will absolutely be an interesting season, but for now I'm choosing to see this as an opportunity to buy more gear!

Interesting! I have this brand of masks and really like the fit, but find the interior layer got really damp when I skied with it indoors in September. So curious if it it the same material. Perhaps it would be better since it’s not fitted tightly under the chin like the mask is and might allow more airflow inside that way. It’s one of my favorite masks for everyday use, so I’ll definitely have to give this a try, thanks for posting!

 

[MissySki]

Wish him luck. It was a challenge, for sure. Spacing the kids out on the side of the trail was difficult, but maybe it means we all will talk less! The lift riding also was a challenge. My program is a race program so we trade early season access on the hill for a special lift line. With reduced capacity, I feared shenanigans at the top while the early ones up waited for the rest. We are super well-staffed this season with former racers now old enough to work, so group sizes should be small. Mask-wearing added a "distance" between me and the kids, but we all can learn to smile with our eyes!

For lift rides did you just do 2 on each end of a chair or? And if so is it different for riding a triple versus a quad for you guys? I’ve been wondering what the Peak Performance group will do for this, but assume it will go something like that when we start in mid-December.

It would kind of make me feel better if everyone (students and staff) had to show a negative test each week etc. if they are part of a group that will meet weekly regardless of where they are from.

 

[MilkyWookiee]

Interesting! I have this brand of masks and really like the fit, but find the interior layer got really damp when I skied with it indoors in September. So curious if it it the same material. Perhaps it would be better since it’s not fitted tightly under the chin like the mask is and might allow more airflow inside that way. It’s one of my favorite masks for everyday use, so I’ll definitely have to give this a try, thanks for posting!

I have their regular masks too, and I cut out the third layer because it was suctioning to my face. Without the third layer, the mouth part is nearly identical. It did get damp while skiing, but not nearly as bad as the surgical mask. I think this might be unavoidable, considering we exhale a significant amount of water vapor, and the temperature and humidity required for snow is prime for condensation. But I am now wondering if big snows climate control is even worse with condensation, considering my experience with the surgical mask there

 

[MissySki]

I have their regular masks too, and I cut out the third layer because it was suctioning to my face. Without the third layer, the mouth part is nearly identical. It did get damp while skiing, but not nearly as bad as the surgical mask. I think this might be unavoidable, considering we exhale a significant amount of water vapor, and the temperature and humidity required for snow is prime for condensation. But I am now wondering if big snows climate control is even worse with condensation, considering my experience with the surgical mask there

Yeah I am wondering the same about the inside environment there. I did buy a Ski The East mask and one from Sunday River as well that fit very much like these masks but has a different perforated material on the innermost layer. Huge difference! Very breathable and doesn’t get sucked in with exertion.

 

[BackCountryGirl]

For lift rides did you just do 2 on each end of a chair or? And if so is it different for riding a triple versus a quad for you guys? I’ve been wondering what the Peak Performance group will do for this, but assume it will go something like that when we start in mid-December.

It would kind of make me feel better if everyone (students and staff) had to show a negative test each week etc. if they are part of a group that will meet weekly regardless of where they are from.

We were 2 on a quad, 2 on a triple, no general public with us or with them. We are not supposed to ride with our kids, but 2 of my U8s don't turn 7 (and able to ride without adults) until later this month so I rode with 1 of the kids and the coach of the other group rode with the other kid. The parents of my kid coach with me so there is no greater risk riding with her than being in the upstairs of our building booting up with her mom and dad. Both of the littles also live in Maine. My understanding is that non-Maine/NH staff do have to show test results, but I could be wrong. So far, our only Mass. staff members are all below 18 and don't have to test if they travel with parents. Can't see an employer asking employees' parents for proof of testing.

@snoWYmonkey, the inside thing is going to be interesting. This weekend was so warm that we went straight through. We are allowed to let kids go into our competition building for bio breaks, 2 at a time, after calling in to check on capacity. We have eliminated the lunch break and go 4 hours straight. We supposedly will have a dedicated meeting room in the hotel for warming up once we can access the terrain near there.

 

[MilkyWookiee]

Yeah I am wondering the same about the inside environment there. I did buy a Ski The East mask and one from Sunday River as well that fit very much like these masks but has a different perforated material on the innermost layer. Huge difference! Very breathable and doesn’t get sucked in with exertion.

Glad to hear you like the ski the east mask! I just bought one purely for the design (the powder jumper one) but comfort would be a huge plus!

 

[contesstant]

Super interesting hearing from you instructors. My husband is also an L3 but took a 2 year hiatus so can't quit pull off the "I am not going to teach groups of kids" card. It's not his strength anyway, so hopefully he won't get stuck with too many (there are some instructors who LOVE teaching groups of kids.) I do feel for all of you having to shout and not being able to have facial expressions show. We have the added complication of two gondolas here, and it sounds like on opening weekend this past weekend, despite the supposed option to not have anyone from another group in your gondola car, people were ignoring that and piling into cars with groups who wanted to ride alone.

Anyway, he put on his mask, goggles and helmet last night and egads, people are going to feel like they're skiing with a robot or criminal.

 

[Jenny]

My husband's first days teaching will be this weekend. He's already practically deaf with a helmet on, so this could get interesting for sure LOL! He ordered the Under Armour mask that SEEMS like it will be something he can wear all day, but I'll have to take a look at the Mission mask you mentioned. Good thought to have a couple extras in the pocket (the price of the Under Armour mask makes that kind of a prohibitive idea, at $30 a pop.)
And yes, kids will do whatever we show them is possible! Excellent feedback. Thanks for sharing!

I'll be interested in knowing what he thinks of the Under Armour mask. I went to the outlet here to look at them, but they're all packaged up, of course, so best I could do was study it on the bouncer's face and ask him questions about it when he wasn't busy directing traffic.

 

[Jenny]

Instructors might need to get bullhorns this year . . .

 

[contesstant]

I'll be interested in knowing what he thinks of the Under Armour mask. I went to the outlet here to look at them, but they're all packaged up, of course, so best I could do was study it on the bouncer's face and ask him questions about it when he wasn't busy directing traffic.

Will do. I put it on to see how well I could breathe through it, and was pleased. I might order one for myself. They are not cheap, however.