Outerwear for Alpine Touring (splitboarding)

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kbueter
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Outerwear for Alpine Touring (splitboarding)

Post by kbueter »

Hey all,

I've been snowboarding for many years and never thought I'd want to make the switch to splitboarding... but here I am. The peak obsession continues to grow...

Anyways, my question is specific to outerwear. I've done quite a bit of backcountry hiking with my board before. It gets hot... however, i'm a very cold person and I lose circulation to my extremities in the cold & altitude (Raynauds). My question is, will an insulated gortex jacket be too warm for alpine touring?

If your recommendation is a shell, can you give me some insight on how you feel towards the summit/getting on gear/skiing or riding down?
I typically get cold at the top and always end up throwing on my puffy. I don't think this is feasible in the winter, and in fact, I probably won't be able to if i need to keep my hands warm. Once my hands go in the mittens they aren't coming out until I reach the car.
Do you get cold or do you move fast enough to not get cold? What's your process for layering up?
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The Android
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Re: Outerwear for Alpine Touring (splitboarding)

Post by The Android »

This sounds a little tricky to answer, since you already mentioned you get cold easily. I think your biggest concern should be if you start sweating too much with that gore-tex as you will get wet, and then the downhill will make you even more cold.

For me, during the up I usually wear:
a long sleeve top
a very slim fitting Windstopper softshell

At the top of the line I add:
A synthetic insulator/puffy that goes over the softshell

I almost never stop moving on the up and I add or subtract layers as needed. Except for the coldest days (below 15 deg F) I can rarely stand to have the softshell on for an entire ascent. I mostly tour in the Wasatch, but have used this set up a few times in N. Colorado.
Last edited by The Android on Fri Sep 15, 2017 2:20 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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nomad
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Re: Outerwear for Alpine Touring (splitboarding)

Post by nomad »

Splitboarding is the best!!
I wear an 14ers.com long sleeve tech shirt, soft shell pants with side zips and carry a goretex shell for the ride down. I also carry a down vest for the colder days and that still gives agility and warmth. Glad to hear you made the switch!
:-D
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Re: Outerwear for Alpine Touring (splitboarding)

Post by Wildernessjane »

In my opinion, an insulated goretex jacket would definitely be overkill. My waterproof shell pants and jacket that I use for backcountry skiing are very lightweight and ventilate really well. I only ever use my insulated outer layers at the resort. All my cold weather layers vent really well and complement each other. Like you, I tend to run cold and have poor circulation in my hands and feet (though I don't have Reynouds). However, you can really work up a lot of heat on the way up. People will say to keep your core warm and your hands and feet will be fine, right? Not true for me. I have found the key is to have warm enough gloves and insulated overmitts that are readily available. Make sure you are not overheating on the way up, pull a puffy jacket on when you get to the summit even if you don't feel cold, and don't take very long breaks if you are concerned about the temperature. This is coming from someone who always has three times as many layers on as everyone else in the group.
Last edited by Wildernessjane on Fri Sep 15, 2017 4:33 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Outerwear for Alpine Touring (splitboarding)

Post by bergsteigen »

The problem with touring is that on the way up, you get hot, and on the way down you get cold. Rinse. Repeat. The key is to layer up and down as needed. Vent heat on the ascent, zipper up on the way down. My layers vary with the season, but I typically wear 1 more layer than everyone else.

Bottom: wool base, fleece mid, Arc'Teryx Alpha SV bib. The bibs have full side zips, so I can vent them as needed. Great against wind

Top: wool base, Patagonia R1 hoody, hooded puffy and then the outer shell. I have been using the Patagonia hybrid shell (half gortex, half soft shell), but I've been thinking of just getting a hard shell for the wind/snow in winter. The puffy goes on at the top, while transitioning if cold, and then can stay on till the transition at the base.

I wear insulated mittens for my hands, and usually take them off for the ascent. Thin liner gloves can also work well for the uphill.

It will take some time to figure out the perfect system for you, as everyone is different. But layering is quite important, that I don't think having an insulated shell will give you enough options.
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Re: Outerwear for Alpine Touring (splitboarding)

Post by sarahhaubert »

I run cold, but I've never managed to keep a shell on when skinning; I ski in the Sawatch, generally not below -20.

Long sleeve wicking baselayer+
Depending on weather: Salomon technical wind protected mid, or smartwool mid, or sometimes Patagonia fleece jacket. When it's super cold, I'll start with puffy and mitts on, but those come off in less than 10min. Liner gloves, if you really use your poles, hands will keep toasty warm.
I wear BD Zone pants, which are insulated and overkill for most people. Vents open on the up.

When you get to the top, before you even start switching your board over, you put on all of your downhill things: puffies, bala, shell. Zip up your vents. It's hard to manage skins and bindings with mitts, but it's better to learn than freeze your hands I think.

The absolute game changer for me for skinning is a 40oz hydro flask full of hot water mixed with emergenc, skratch, or tea. No equipment/clothing can compare to the full body warm and satisfaction of a hot bevy rt before you go down.
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Re: Outerwear for Alpine Touring (splitboarding)

Post by SchralpTheGnar »

i carry or wear 5 pieces of clothing for my upper layer.

short sleeve t-shirt - always stays on
Long sleeve underwear - comes off on the hottest days
soft shell - most common combination is this plus the above 2
hard shell with hood - used on stormy/windy days either with or without the soft shell, depending on temps
puffy coat - used almost exclusively when taking breaks, only on the coldest days will i wear this under a shell, -20 and less.
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Re: Outerwear for Alpine Touring (splitboarding)

Post by Oman »

Listen to Bergsteigen. She is right about everything except skiing moguls.

I also like an aluminum thermos with hot chocolate or tomato soup. Bring a small cheap closed-cell foam pad to sit on. On really cold and windy days a thin merino skullcap helps beneath the R1 hoodie. And $5 polypro glove liners are great to wear alone on the skin up or with gloves / mittens for the ride down.
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