IR Thick Skin- Not Just For Kayaking Folks!

We got a phone call from Drew Eastman the other day about joining some other paddling buddies on a little XC Ski tour of Mt. Hood for an afternoon of fresh tracks and beautiful scenery…..of course, we said “we’ll see ya up there”.  Layering for XC skiing when its brisk out has always been a bit of a challenge.  I try to look at it the same way I look at cold weather mountain biking….start cold, and warm up from the ride.  That is usually the rule of thumb to keep sweating to a minimum, which, in the long run, if you are out there for a while, can be your down fall.  Well, XC skiing is a little tougher when its cold and snowing on you.  You have the damp factor to take into consideration.  Thats where a good shell comes into play, but what to wear under that shell?!  Some sort of moisture wick base layer is always a good idea- mine happend to be a medium weight, long sleeve $8 Sierra Trading Post score. Which didn’t quite get the job done on its own.  You want to start out a little on the cool side, not freezing your tush off!  But, another similar layer would have been too much.

I grabbed my Short Sleeve Thick Skin on the way out the door that morning, just to stuff in my pack, if things ended up getting really wet and cold.  THAT move, was the crux of the day!  The S/S Thick Skin, combined with the thin thermo base layer and a good shell, was the perfect set up!  It breathed well, kept me warm, even after perspiration gave a slight hint, but never really showed.  Going with the short sleeve, kept my primary core warm, but let my arms breathe, with un-restricted movement.  It was awesome!

Drew, showed up in his IR Thick Skin Unionsuit- warn with a outer shell jacket, and pants, worked really well for him.  Below are a few shots from the day.

~ Jesse- IR