The Arctic Blast is upon us! 1. Plans and communication regarding your club: Please be sure to look for an email from your club leaders about plans for this weekend. Clubs make this decision independently. If you don't see anything by Friday, please check your spam/promotions folder. You can also click on your club name to get to your Club Web Page to find updates and your club leader contact email. This is not an easy choice for any Club Leadership Team, so we ask for your understanding as we take many factors into consideration. As you know, we have no indoor facilities to use for warming up, so this complicates the decision even further! Some clubs are canceling (and rescheduling when they can) and some clubs are having very short meetings. 2. Winning at Winter: Does your skier have the right clothing? "There is no bad weather, only bad clothing" -Swedish Proverb SkiSparks Levels 1-2 should dress like they are going sledding. SkiSparks Levels 3-6 should dress in layers. Cotton is rotten; the best choices are wool and synthetics. Base layer, fleece, and then a wind resistant ski jacket and pants (something that snow won't stick to). Skiers need to move freely in their clothing and adjust layers as they sweat. All Skiers should wear dry wool socks (completely necessary). A hat, mittens or lobster (two finger) mitts (not gloves) and a muff (to cover ears and neck). Pro Tips for when its really cold - under 10 degrees and/or windy (like this week!)
- Add a fleece layer in addition to your usual layers (top and bottom)
- For Level 3-6 and Coaches (Level 1-2 should always dress like this): consider going "full puffy", that is, wearing your big winter jacket. Skiers can take it off if they get too warm.
- Make sure socks are fresh and dry before you put your boots on
- Everything needs to be completely dry when you start out. Hat, boots, and mittens!
- Use Vaseline or other balm on exposed skin (face)
- If skier is usually cold, activate some hand-warmers (let them get going for 10 minutes) and put them in their pockets. Hand warmers can be tricky to fit into gloves/mittens, but it helps to have them in pockets and hot.
- More important than you would think: Mind the gaps! Tuck in shirts, Synch up jackets. If a jacket it too big, consider wearing a bottle belt to close the gap.
- Coaches: Remember to dress like a "coach", not like you are going skiing. You will be standing around more than you think. So dress appropriately with an additional layer. And please carry some extra hand warmers in case skiers might need them!
Click the button below for a few more stay-warm tips! 3. This week's skills videos Keep an eye out for this week's videos for Week #6 for all Skill Levels on our YouTube Channel by our Junior Coaches! Thank you and Stay Warm! |
