Winter sports guide: Dressing for movement as well as warmth

Typically, winter sports guides begin with temperature charts and equipment lists. Designed to be helpful these charts and lists lack the facts required to ensure that you’ll remain comfortable on winter sports outings, rather than end your day feeling cold, damp, and depleted. So, instead of heading straight to the packing lists, begin by exploring how your body moves in each winter sport and the expected winter conditions.

Through decades of designing and wearing cold-weather winter sports clothing in Iceland, Icewear has found that one truth is crystal clear: warmth alone is not enough. The difference between comfort and discontent is how your clothing performs across changing output levels, including:

• When you generate heat consistently

• When you stop moving and lose that heat

• When wind cuts through layers

• And when moisture from sweat works against you

This winter sports guide is organised with focus on the movement and the characteristic environments of your favourite winter sports. The goal is to help you understand how winter weather works on the body, meaning you can stay warm and well, and doing so without sacrificing ease of movement.

Winter sports with continuous, high-output movement#

In winter sports where heat is generated consistently, the greatest risk of cold and discomfort is from getting too wet through sweating. This can happen from choosing the wrong materials or over-layering which disrupt required evaporation.

High-output movement (HOM) winter sports are for enthusiasts who know what it feels like to start cold and warm up fast. You’re part of the HOM club if you accept the first ten minutes of sport being cold as the price to pay for comfort later.

These sports demand clothing that can move heat and moisture away from the body, resist wind without trapping excess warmth, and allow full and repetitive motion over long durations or when travelling fast over distance.

Cross-country skiing#

Cross-country skiing includes track skiing and backcountry touring across open plateaus. It’s aerobic and sustained offering few true breaks once movement begins. Unlike downhill skiing, the skier is responsible for nearly all heat generation. Wind exposure can change fast based on terrain and increasing convection which is the loss of heat from your body to the air around you.

Cross-country skiing is a popular sport in Iceland and in many areas of the country, a practical winter travel skill too. The large, open landscapes leave skiers exposed to wind for extended periods and exposed to frequent rapid weather shifts. Icewear designs its outdoor gear accordingly to ensure you have all the options you need. Icewear designs its ski gear accordingly to give you all the options you need.

Cross-country skiing takes place in open terrain, forests, plateaus, and rolling hills.

Icewear insight: Overdressing leads to rapid chilling once sweat builds; breathability is critical.

Speed skating#

Outdoor speed skaters enjoy skating on frozen lakes, natural ice tracks, and large outdoor rinks. In these environments, a defining factor of the experience is the wind-chill factor. Speed skaters’ movement is powerful and continuous, which generates a lot of heat through conduction. Remember, even brief wind exposure can dramatically affect temperatures perception.

Speed skating takes place on frozen lakes, outdoor rinks, and on open ice.

Icewear insight: Wind resistance matters more than insulation weight at high speeds.

Snowshoeing#

Snowshoeing isn’t a popular activity everywhere (eg, you’re unlikely to see it in Iceland), but in the locations where it’s popular, snowshoeing is a practical skill as well as a recreational pastime. At higher intensities, snowshoeing becomes a steady and full-body effort that generates major heat levels, especially on inclines. Because contact with snow is frequent, people experience additional heat loss from conduction, although it’s rare to remain still for long.

When snowshoeing does occur in Iceland, it occasionally replaces winter hiking, especially in volcanic or mixed terrain where the trails are less defined. The emphasis for appropriate clothing for snowshoeing is on proper evaporation and adaptability, to ensure you can move freely and stay on the move instead of stopping to constantly adjust layers.

Snowshoeing takes place on snow-covered trails, rolling hills, and on volcanic terrain.

Icewear insight: Flexible layering matters more than maximum warmth.

Winter sports with variable and “stop-start” movement#

These are the winter sports defined by sharp contrasts in movement, from bursts of effort to total stillness, elevation changes, waiting for your turn, or sitting down. Variable stop-start winter sports situations are where winter sports become deceptively challenging from a clothing perspective. Heat builds quickly during exertion, but then it disappears when movement stops due to increased radiation and convection. Your body never settles into a steady thermal state, and clothing must perform across extremes.

For these sports, consider dressing for the transitional periods instead of the coldest moments or the most intense efforts.

Downhill skiing#

Downhill skiing takes place on demanding off-piste terrain, backcountry-assisted descents, and fast resort laps. The activity of the runs are broken up by long chairlifts and periods of standing still, accelerating heat loss.

Skiers quickly discover that overdressing for downhill runs leads to discomfort on lifts. The recommended approach is lighter insulation paired with strong windchill protection that enables you to remain warm during rest without overheating during descents.

Downhill skiing takes place on mountains, ski areas, and exposed slopes.

Icewear insight: Shells and adaptable layers outperform heavy insulation.

Snowboarding#

Snowboarding involves short and powerful runs punctuated by frequent stops. Upper-body movement is constant, and direct snow contact is unavoidable.

In Iceland and elsewhere, snowboarders prioritise keeping warm while inactive. Sitting down on snow or taking breaks in biting wind quickly exposes any weaknesses in clothing insulation or materials. Moisture resistance and warmth retention are the redeeming essential features of all clothing for this sport.

Snowboarding takes place on mountains, terrain parks, and open slopes.

Icewear insight: Staying warm while stationary is as important as range of movement and wind-protection performance while riding.

Outdoor ice hockey#

Outdoor ice hockey is simultaneously explosive and intermittent.  Players sweat heavily even in cold air.  Moisture becomes a liability whenever play stops.

Hockey gear and clothing for outdoor hockey are the “proof of concept” for players learning moisture and evaporation management. Players discover quickly that staying dry matters more than heavy insulation.

Outdoor ice hockey takes place at outdoor rinks and on frozen lakes.

Icewear insight: Fast-drying, temperature-regulating layers are essential between shifts.

Terrain-driven winter sports with technical movement#

The winter sports section is where terrain and technical movement matter most.

Technical sports take place everywhere from glacier tops to volcanic trails. Movement is deliberate and usually slow, as you make frequent pauses to assess footing and route. Your winter clothing must allow for a full range of motion while maintaining comfortable temperatures on the move and during stops.

In Iceland, terrain-driven winter sports are treated with awe and humility. Winter weather conditions change quickly. Clothing systems are chosen for their ability to adapt without compromise. You don’t want clothing that’ll require more or longer stops.

Winter hiking#

Winter hiking includes packed snow trails, volcanic terrain, and multi-day adventures. Your effort fluctuates with the topography, and weather exposure changes fast.

When you pack for winter hiking, it’s essential that your layers will stretch, breathe, and protect you against sudden wind or precipitation without restricting movement. Icewear’s clothing for hiking is designed to meet all these needs.

Winter hiking takes place on icy trails, volcanic terrain, and with elevation changes.

Icewear insight: Dressing for terrain matters more than dressing for temperature alone.

Mountaineering and glacier travel#

Mountaineering and glacier travel are slow and technical, highly exposed to the elements. You’ll have long periods of low-intensity movement.  Even this steady progress will be interrupted by stops for navigation or safety.  Moisture is a constant factor, but not from sweat as much as from changing precipitation.

Glacier guides in Iceland rely on layering systems that have been refined through centuries of experience. Clothing is chosen for stability over time so you can maintain warmth without sacrificing movement or safety.

Mountaineering and glacier travel take place on glaciers in high-altitude zones.

Icewear insight: Thermal stability and adaptability are critical for safety.

Everyday winter sports#

Finally, these are the winter activities that many readers will know and love best. For each, the focus is comfort and warmth, while clothing performance takes the passenger seat whilst still being an important factor.

Everyday winter sports are often underestimated, they shouldn’t be. They do present real challenges. Examples include regular stops, sitting in snow, and uneven activity levels between participants mean that planning has to be multi-faceted. Clothing needs to be adaptable for a wide range of needs, movements, and people.

Sledding and tobogganing#

Sledding includes short bursts of movement that cut against the wind, followed by a second burst running up a hill, followed by periods of waiting or sitting on snow and ice. Heat is lost quickly between runs, especially for children.

Sledding is a rite of passage in childhood, and parents learn early that staying warm during inactivity is what keeps the experience enjoyable.

Sledding takes place on hills in parks and residential areas.

Icewear insight: Warmth during rest is what determines how long play lasts.

Casual ice skating#

Casual skating is a social and relaxed activity. You’ll make pauses to talk, rest, and watch others. Standing still on the ice will expose your body to rapid heat loss, so you’ll have to think ahead about how to dress.

Casual ice skating takes place on outdoor rinks and frozen ponds.

Icewear insight: Dressing for the breaks in movement keeps the experience enjoyable.

How to experience your favourite winter sports#

Being prepared for winter sports is essential and the reward for preparation is crucial in ways that don’t apply to the other seasons. When you dress for how your body actually moves, you unlock confidence as well as comfort. That’s the difference between enduring winter and experiencing it.

This winter sports guide is meant to help you recognise yourself in the right movement patterns and places. Once you understand the relationship between movement, environment, and your sport of choice, choosing how to dress is simplified and becomes intuitive.

Materials and layers#

At its core, dressing for your favourite winter sport is about controlling how heat moves between your body and the environment. Comfort is governed by the same four forces: conduction, convection, radiation, and evaporation. The role of your clothing is to manage those forces, and that requires knowing which materials react in what way to heat.

A proper cold-weather system requires knowing how to layer correctly, too. The key is adaptability. Layers should be easy to add or remove, and they must be breathable enough to prevent build-up of sweat. For winter sports, layers also need to be flexible enough to support natural movement.

Find your favourite winter sport then dress for the reality of it.