Masks for skiing

[Olesya Chornoguz]

Ouch -- that's not good! In the articles I've read about the various types of mask materials, fleece was listed as having negative protection; i.e., instead of blocking the virus, the viral particles appear to become caught in the fleece fibers and pass thru easily. Fleece alone is a big no-no.

Could you share that article if you still have the link? I am curious about it. There were some studies on buffs and different gaiters that got debunked and I am wondering if there are new studies that I missed on the subject.

 

[TNtoTaos]

Could you share that article if you still have the link? I am curious about it. There were some studies on buffs and different gaiters that got debunked and I am wondering if there are new studies that I missed on the subject.

I will search, don't know if I saved it.

 

[santacruz skier]

Could you share that article if you still have the link? I am curious about it. There were some studies on buffs and different gaiters that got debunked and I am wondering if there are new studies that I missed on the subject.

Was that Duke University ?

 

[TNtoTaos]

Thanks, @Olesya Chornoguz , I’m glad you mentioned that.

OK, so I think I was remembering the various articles written after the Duke U. study, which was small, and got a lot of push-back. Apparently the fleece they tested in that study was only one thin, see-thru layer.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news...tter-than-others-against-covid-19/3387740001/
Quoting this Duke study:
Low-cost measurement of face mask efficacy for filtering expelled droplets during speech
which stated
"We noticed that speaking through some masks (particularly the neck gaiter) seemed to disperse the largest droplets into a multitude of smaller droplets (see fig. S5), which explains the apparent increase in droplet count relative to no mask in that case. Considering that smaller particles are airborne longer than large droplets (larger droplets sink faster), the use of such a mask might be counterproductive.”

The later studies seemed to support the theory that it’s the multiple layers that make a difference, but still state that the best protection is offered by multiple layers (3 is best), and cloth that is more tightly-woven, and lets the least amount of light through is better.

Save the Gaiters! (This is a NYTimes article, so may be behind a paywall)

So a thicker fleece is better than thinner, and preferably two layers are used, even if the fleece is folded into two layers. So nothing inherently wrong with “neck gaiters”, but single-layer fleece (or anything else), while better than nothing, is still not offering a lot of protection.

 

[Olesya Chornoguz]

Thank you for researching it @TNtoTaos , yes that is what I was thinking about. That is exactly right, it seems like the number of layers is what maters most. Here is an article I found, it's a pre-print so not peer-reviewed (vetted by other scientists) but it is pretty much saying that almost any cloth face covering provides some protection, more layers is better and N95 is the best. Face shields alone provides pretty much no protection. I always think of face shield as to be worn in addition to mask, not instead of it.
Efficacy of face masks, neck gaiters and face shields for reducing the expulsion of simulated cough-generated aerosols | medRxiv

 

[Getting Ready]

I am thinking of double layer gaiters (Merino or fleece) for outside time and masks in pockets for when someone needs to dip into the bathroom.

 

[newboots]

Thank goodness our passion-sport is outdoors! I was just talking with two friends (zoom) who are living alone, in their mid-60s, and can't visit with their grandchildren this Christmas. They really need to ski!

 

[SallyCat]

I've become accustomed to the regular surgical masks and am reluctant to spend money on fancier kinds, since my small face/glasses combo means I strike out a lot on fit. So I just made this simple lanyard for the surgical mask. It lets me hang it from my neck or tuck it under my jacket or a buff when not in use without losing it. Hanging it loose outside my clothing or even under the jacket also allows it to dry.

 

[santacruz skier]

I've become accustomed to the regular surgical masks and am reluctant to spend money on fancier kinds, since my small face/glasses combo means I strike out a lot on fit. So I just made this simple lanyard for the surgical mask. It lets me hang it from my neck or tuck it under my jacket or a buff when not in use without losing it. Hanging it loose outside my clothing or even under the jacket also allows it to dry.

View attachment 14283

Looks like croakies for sunglasses. I use something similar.

 

[COcanuck]

I have mostly taught adults, but today's 13 year old had a simple fleece neck gaiter he pulled up 9ver his nose for lifts and lift lines.

Most of the kids I see in lessons have fleeces or buffs on their faces.

my kiddos are in the Aspen Valley Ski Club and we got an email stating that buffs and fleece gaiters would not be accepted as face coverings...my kids have been wearing masks without much issue as of yet. They hated those Buff ones when we tried them out last week, the filters kept bunching up. I packed 2 masks for them for yesterday so they could switch them out when they got wet. AVSC did decrease the lesson times from only 9-12, no lunch for early season. I think they're just trying to figure out protocols for the full on lessons when they start in January.

 

[BackCountryGirl]

Teachers, what are your students, esp kids, wearing?

Mine are wearing everything from the Serius mask, to multi-layer cotton masks with buffs over them. They all did a great job keeping them on when skiing and lift riding. For them, I think fit is important. Do they stay up? Do they hurt their ears? Can they tolerate the wetness? All masks get wet, regardless of material. Most kids are used to that clammy mask feeling.

 

[NewEnglandSkier]

originally I was going to use a buff type covering and pull it up and down for skiing vs lift lines etc, but now I think I've decided to use a KN95 mask and just leave it on. I don't know for sure if I'll get fogging (probably will), but I did a test outside today while wearing the mask, helmet and goggles and it didn't fog during the test and for me fogging usually occurs pretty quickly if it happens so I guess I'll have to test it out skiing to know for sure.

 

[Jilly]

 

[santacruz skier]

View attachment 14292

Nice mask. What is that one?

 

[gingerjess]

I wore the Buff filter tube on a walk/hike today and didn't find it very pleasant. Like others have said, the filter bunches up. I'm disappointed; will hang onto the tubes/filters I got, but probably won't restock filters when I run out.

 

[newboots]

You look gorgeous, @Jilly

 

[Jilly]

Thank you!!

 

[Kiragirl]

I'm sitting here watching the WC men's giant slalom on TV. The skier sitting in the leaders box was fumbling around, trying to get his mask on, and it was a surgical mask, and it was snowing, so won't it get wet? Anyway, thought it was interesting the pros are still figuring it out too.

that's interesting, I saw the races on TV also and was trying to figure out if it was live. got close to the TV to try and see if people had masks on, wasn't sure. Beaver Creek, right?

 

[Jilly]

I thought all racing was being done in Europe.

 

[Kiragirl]

I thought all racing was being done in Europe.

It was confusing.