Autumn mountain descents - clothing?

livb

Hi,

Heading to the mountains at the end of the month. I'm pretty prone to getting cold quickly and just wondered what people do for layering this time of year? I'd take my super winter jacket for the descents but not sure what to do with it while climbing? And pretty sure I'll freeze to death in just an extra thin back pocket wind proof jacket.

Thanks

Anonymous

maybe some l/s gloves and a buff as well.

sloppyschleckonds

What country?

homers_double

Do you not have a good gillet to keep the wind off your chest? That coupled with arm warmers should be sufficient shouldn't it?

whoof

coriordan wrote:

maybe some l/s gloves and a buff as well.

I would second gloves and buff. I've descended off the Tourmalet in late June and my hands have been so cold I could hardly brake.

But as above it depends on which mountains you are talking about.

marcusjb

I suffer badly with the cold, so will always carry more than these lucky ones who can get away with a gilet!

I've done stuff like Tourmalet in Mid-September and it can be pretty damned cold.

Long fingered gloves
Arm warmers
Leg warmers (maybe knee warmers if you're a bit hardier than me)
Buff
Rain jacket

That should keep you okay in most circumstances. Clearly being wet adds another level of complication and you really do not have to be very high before stuff can get a bit grim descending for half an hour or more off a mountain.

livb

Thanks it's for near Denver in the lower Rockies, I've been told it can be pretty variable weather wise. That sounds like quite a good list - do you normally fit all of that in your jersey pockets? I went to Majorca in April and was already painfully cold and blue with arm warmers and a light packable jacket on descents.

phreak

Is there a refugio at the top where you can get a newspaper to stick down your top?

livb

I was thinking that but it doesn't look like there is

fenix

Buff and gloves and lightweight jacket take up no space at all really. You could take a black bin bag too - punch a hole and arms in it and wear it under your wind jacket if needs be - or if its not too cold use it as a block down the front of your jersey. Versatile, cheap and takes up no space.

briantrumpet

I was thinking about this too, with the thought that you need to be prepared for a tempersture range of something like 20-25C. Lots of layers, if the cold affects you badly, and check weather forecasts assiduously. You can always stuff a couple of unneeded layers down the bib shorts, though you might get some odd looks...

Better to take too much and not use it than the alternative.

That said, I was at 1400m in February in the Alps, with just thick base layer, jersey, and windproof top for the top half. It all depends...

tgotb

I can't speak for Denver in September, but in the Alps you could get pretty much anything. Last time I was there in September I had everything from descents where it was warm enough for just shorts and jersey, through to one climb in base layer, jersey, thermal jacket and waterproof jacket, with leg warmers, overshoes and full-length gloves. Mind you, it was snowing.

As a rule, you can generally get away with adding a proper windproof/waterproof layer (and sometimes full length gloves) to whatever you were wearing on the climb, so long as you were warm when you got to the top and the weather hasn't changed.