HELP, going to DENVER/Winter Park CO never been in cold!!

[Let It Fall]

Im going on vacation to winterpark CO. I chose colorado cause I always wanted to live in colorado but its hard to say you want to live somewhere without having been. Im sick of this louisiana weather. 80* in fricken november!!

So I may have a total mind change once im face to face with cold. I don't think I have ever been in anything under 35*, but I was inside of course.

I plan to try skiing and spending alot of time outdoors but I dont know how to dress!! I mean in below 15* - 0* weather how do you dress?

Am I going to freeze my nuts off?

Also.. Am I going to be driving in snow? I dont understand how this whole snow thing works, like is it mostly just on the moutain tops with occasional snow or on my way west of denver am I going to have to drive through it? I have only driven through snow once.. But not really.. more like 1/2 of snow and it was in a 4wd truck. I wish i could bring my discovery, but it would take a day to get there so im flying inand getting a rental. If so, I don't recommend any of you guys getting on the road that day..

And one last thing, im not into the whole burbon street scene, but I do enjoy the occasional live music. Any good places to go near denver to check out some live bands?

By the way trip is Dec 10

[blendermassacre]

don't forget: hat and gloves and boots. nothing's worse than cold extremities

[iamlowsound]

Long underwear, you will thank me later.

lowsound

[Let It Fall]

Originally Posted by iamlowsound

Long underwear, you will thank me later.

lowsound

plan on it!

[TechJunky]

Best advice I can give: Stay inside! Cold weather blows!!!

But if you absolutely must go out, wear long underwear (if it's really frigid), and dress in layers. Long sleeve undershirt, another shirt on top (flannel may not look cool, but it is warm), and I typically wear a hoodie then a coat on top of that. It's easier to remove layers than add layers you don't have with you! Get a nice, warm hat that covers your ears too.

As for driving in snow....most important thing is take it slooowwww. And always remember that getting started is only half the battle...you have to stop too! So leave plenty of room between cars and start braking early, well before you would think you would need too. If you start to spin, counter-steer. Do not turn into the skid, otherwise you'll just keep spinning faster. There's a thousand other things that can be said, and it is very different than driving in dry weather or even wet/rain, so I would recommend keeping driving to a minimum.

[GregC]

Originally Posted by blendermassacre

don't forget: hat and gloves and boots. nothing's worse than cold extremities

Originally Posted by iamlowsound

Long underwear, you will thank me later.

lowsound

+1 on both. Properly dressed, you should be fine--especially in Colorado. I've been to Denver probably 20 times, it's usually very dry there. Dry air really does make temperature extremes seem not as bad (as a Florida native, I know this ). It's typically very sunny as well, so don't be surprised if you're opening up your jacket or taking off the gloves and hat sometimes to cool off.

Now if you're going up in the mountains, you really better be prepared because it gets colder and a LOT windier.

BTW, because of the dry air, expect to drink a lot of fluids. Also, extended time at higher elevations tends to make me need more sleep.

[MJ5150]

Get a balaclava. I have the one from Psolar, and it is most excellent.

-Mike

[i_got_a_mohawk]

Shorts, Shirt & MTFU

Decent jacket, gloves, hat, boots & socks at least.

[Demon_Hunter]

The cold is only half your worry....the altitude will affect you too

[blendermassacre]

Originally Posted by Demon_Hunter

The cold is only half your worry....the altitude will affect you too

at least hopefully it will be cold enough to keep them from running around, and instantaneously sucking wind

[Pilgrim]

I moved from TX to CO a few years ago...but grew up in the Pacific NW with plenty of cold weather.

The good news is that if you move from 80 to 40 degrees, you stay cold for weeks. If you move to 10 or 20 degrees, it's enough change that your body adapts pretty quickly.

Layers are the key.

For the lower body, polypropylene longies and jeans. Hiking boots are a heckuva lot better than tennies. Socks - wool or poly blend ski socks. For the upper body, dress in layers. Start with a long sleeved poly layer, over that with a stout sweater or fleece layer, then a ski jacket or similar coat over that. For the head, a knit or fleece ski cap. Gloves are needed - fleece ones with a wind-stop layer are really nice, but there are plenty of nylon outer layer ones that will work for skiing too.

You may have a favorite sweatshirt - take it. You don't always need to be armored, and you're not going to be outside all the time. You'll do fine with a sweatshirt on indoors.

Driving in snow has these rules:

1) Don't make ANY sudden moves: braking, acceleration, lane changes. Low traction requires smoothness, not sudden moves.

2) Don't try to speed up fast or slow down fast. See rule 1.

3) Follow other cars at least twice as far back as you normally would - three times is better. Anyone in an SUV is probably going to tailgate - but they're idiots who think that because they can get going gast, they can stop fast. They're wrong. Disregard them and let them cut in front of you.

4) Clear and scrape snow and ice off ALL your windows, EVERY time. Only idiots fail to do this. You will see plenty of them.

5) Limit your speed to what you feel is safe. Don't get sucked into going 5-10 over the limit on snowy roads like most of the Colorado traffic.

That will keep you reasonably safe.

For extra credit: as soon after you get your rental car as possible, find a snowy parking lot with no other cars around and slide your car around a bit to get the feel. Sliding around is nothing to worry about - so learn how it feels when you won't be tempted to panic. It's kind of fun.

Oh, yes - as noted above, it's dry in the mountains. Use lots of hand lotion and bring Chapstick...you'll need them. Drink lots of water, because you're going to be at high elevation. Many people get bad headaches from getting even moderately dehydrated at 9000+ feet. Hopefully this will not be a problem for you.

Enjoy - this is a beautiful state and I really enjoy it. Cold weather is no big deal as long as you dress for it.

[anyonefortennis]

LAYERS!

Seriously, best remedy against cold is layers. If you are going to be out doing winter sports, the rule is no cotton touching your skin. Cotton fabric will absorb your body moisture and then you will get really cold.

Base layer - long underwear and long sleeve thermal - capilene 2 or 3 depending on how cold
Next layer - warmth - wool and/or fleece or some kind of down for extreme cold
Top layer - hard shell to keep you from the elements - keep moisture and wind out.

Mittens > Gloves

Wool socks rock

Gortex footwear (Keen rocks)

Trust me - I have a lift at Keystone named after me

[rr5025]

As someone who has dealt with cold weather all their life this thread is a little funny to me (don't take that wrong though I am absolutely miserable in 80+ degree weather and not good at dealing with it!)

Lots of good advice here, as has been said layers are your friend. It's so easy to take layers off to cool off but a lot harder to add layers you don't have to get warm. Snow is fun the first couple of times you see it, after enough time though you get pretty damn sick of it!

[Munjibunga]

Originally Posted by MJ5150

Get a balaclava. I have the one from Psolar, and it is most excellent.

-Mike

I love that stuff, but fail to see how it would keep you warm.

[i_got_a_mohawk]

Originally Posted by rr5025

As someone who has dealt with cold weather all their life this thread is a little funny to me (don't take that wrong though I am absolutely miserable in 80+ degree weather and not good at dealing with it!)

Lots of good advice here, as has been said layers are your friend. It's so easy to take layers off to cool off but a lot harder to add layers you don't have to get warm. Snow is fun the first couple of times you see it, after enough time though you get pretty damn sick of it!

I hear that.

We've got snow on the way (already snowing in northern regions) and it could be dropping to as low as -10*C (~14*F) by the end of the week. I remember camping in weather like that when I was about 8, good times . . . hah!

[IotaNet]

As a Chicago native living in Minneapolis (who also lived in Louisiana for a couple of years), I give a total +1 to everything written below. Nice post, Pilgrim!

Originally Posted by Pilgrim

I moved from TX to CO a few years ago...but grew up in the Pacific NW with plenty of cold weather.

The good news is that if you move from 80 to 40 degrees, you stay cold for weeks. If you move to 10 or 20 degrees, it's enough change that your body adapts pretty quickly.

Layers are the key.

For the lower body, polypropylene longies and jeans. Hiking boots are a heckuva lot better than tennies. Socks - wool or poly blend ski socks. For the upper body, dress in layers. Start with a long sleeved poly layer, over that with a stout sweater or fleece layer, then a ski jacket or similar coat over that. For the head, a knit or fleece ski cap. Gloves are needed - fleece ones with a wind-stop layer are really nice, but there are plenty of nylon outer layer ones that will work for skiing too.

You may have a favorite sweatshirt - take it. You don't always need to be armored, and you're not going to be outside all the time. You'll do fine with a sweatshirt on indoors.

Driving in snow has these rules:

1) Don't make ANY sudden moves: braking, acceleration, lane changes. Low traction requires smoothness, not sudden moves.

2) Don't try to speed up fast or slow down fast. See rule 1.

3) Follow other cars at least twice as far back as you normally would - three times is better. Anyone in an SUV is probably going to tailgate - but they're idiots who think that because they can get going gast, they can stop fast. They're wrong. Disregard them and let them cut in front of you.

4) Clear and scrape snow and ice off ALL your windows, EVERY time. Only idiots fail to do this. You will see plenty of them.

5) Limit your speed to what you feel is safe. Don't get sucked into going 5-10 over the limit on snowy roads like most of the Colorado traffic.

That will keep you reasonably safe.

For extra credit: as soon after you get your rental car as possible, find a snowy parking lot with no other cars around and slide your car around a bit to get the feel. Sliding around is nothing to worry about - so learn how it feels when you won't be tempted to panic. It's kind of fun.

Oh, yes - as noted above, it's dry in the mountains. Use lots of hand lotion and bring Chapstick...you'll need them. Drink lots of water, because you're going to be at high elevation. Many people get bad headaches from getting even moderately dehydrated at 9000+ feet. Hopefully this will not be a problem for you.

Enjoy - this is a beautiful state and I really enjoy it. Cold weather is no big deal as long as you dress for it.

[Phalex]

Originally Posted by anyonefortennis

LAYERS!

^^ This

Make sure your head wear covers your ears. I can spend hours in the snow with cold hands, and to a lesser extent feet, but if my ears are freezing, I'm done after about 20 minutes.

[Joe Gress]

Hehe, don't forget to bring a towel!

[macaroni tony]

Hey, great thread; I'll be going to Tahoe next week; first time in the snow, as well. Only I was too proud to take to TB for suggestions

[Phalex]

Originally Posted by macaroni tony

Hey, great thread; I'll be going to Tahoe next week; first time in the snow, as well. Only I was too proud to take to TB for suggestions

Bring an O2 tank brah. Seriously, I can't freaking breathe up there.

Have fun!