Ski Touring Layering Guide

Ski Touring

Ski touring puts maximum strain on your body's temperature regulation: you sweat on the ascent and cool down on the descent. Skinfit layering for ski touring keeps you dry and warm from the first step all the way to the valley floor.

Start with the skin.

Baselayer

The Baselayer sits directly against your skin and determines how you feel on the ascent. It immediately absorbs sweat and wicks it away to the outside, so you're not standing in wet clothes when you change at the summit. It's the foundation of every ski tour: no other layer works without it.

Ladies

Men

Warmth that moves with you.

Midlayer

The Midlayer keeps you warm on the ascent without overheating. It wicks moisture away from the Baselayer and gives your shoulders and arms the freedom of movement you need when using poles and making kick turns.

Ladies

Men

Your warmth in reserve.

Insulationlayer

The insulation is your reserve for everything that isn't part of the ascent: changing clothes at the summit, removing skins, eating a snack in the wind. It stores heat when your body is no longer producing it, and then disappears back into your backpack, packed down small.

Ladies

Men

Built for the way down.

Toplayer

The Toplayer is your outer shell against wind, snow, and moisture. On a ski tour, you need it where it gets uncomfortable: on exposed ridges, in snowfall, and on the descent when speed turns into cold.

Ladies

Men

Breathes up, seals down.

Pants

For your legs, you don't work with multiple layers, but with a single pair of pants that has to do both. On the ascent, it wicks away moisture and can be regulated via ventilation; on the descent, it keeps out wind and snow. It also needs to be robust in areas where edges and crampons rub against it.