Outdoor Mom: Don't Be Afraid of the Cold!

New England has been on the chilly side the past week or two, and we even had one morning when school was delayed for two hours because of the cold. But do we have to be confined to the indoors when it gets really cold? I don't think so. With the right gear and some common sense, there's no reason you can't have a fun day on the slopes even when the thermometer struggles to reach positive digits.

Being the Outdoor Mom, I'm obviously an advocate for getting outside whenever possible. The kids get restless indoors, and although I'd love to think we will be reading books and playing board games all afternoon, odds are the kids are going to ask to watch TV, which doesn't even enter their minds when we are out playing in the snow.

The good news is that those super-cold days are often the bluebird ones without a cloud in the sky. There have been days when the views of the Presidential Range have been so crystal-clear against the stunning blue sky that I've felt like I could almost reach out and touch the top of Mt. Washington from my skiing vantage point atop Bretton Woods.

The first step in getting outside on a cold day is making sure you've got the right gear. It doesn't have to be expensive, but investing in the best quality snow jacket, pants and mittens you can afford is a good idea. TreeTop Sports in Bretton Woods has a great selection of kid and adult apparel. Online outdoor gear sites like Sierra Trading Post and Backcountry often have great deals on last season's snow wear.

We take a lot of breaks with the kids. Kids don't have the same kind of fat layers that adults have, so they might not be able to stay out as long as adults. With all the fun going on outside, they might not want to come in, but a hot chocolate or hot apple cider break is an enticing way to take a break and fights off dehydration. Fueling up with heathy choices like a granola bar or nuts will help their bodies stay warm. We often incorporate fun destinations on the mountain into our breaks, like the Stickney Cabin, Chutters on the Mountain, or the Yurt when we are cross-country skiing.

We also keep an eye on each other for frostbite. At the top of the lift and at the bottom of a run, look for noses and cheeks that are starting to turn from that rosy-red you get from normal outside play to white or chalky yellow. In that case, be sure to cover up the exposed area with a gaiter or mitten, and get inside to warm up quickly.

Here are a few tips on clothing and gear choices that will make being outside fun this winter:

Layers: I'm sure you've heard the often-touted rule that layers are the best bet for outdoor play. My kids usually start with a polypro base layer, such as Hot Chillys or Patagonia. they key here is to make sure that it's a synthetic material, like polypropylene, or wool, like products from SmartWool or Icebreaker. Polypro and wool allow sweat to "breathe," or evaporate through the fabric, so that your clothing doesn't end up wet. Even on a cold day you are sweating, and wet clothes will steal your body heat. Over that polypro layer, the kids wear fleece pants and tops, often a mid-weight fleece as well as a heavy weight one over that.

Socks should also not be cotton. We are big fans of SmartWool socks, but there are many ski-specific socks out there to choose from. Again, if your feet sweat and your socks get wet, it is a lot to harder for your body to keep them warm. If you have a long drive to the ski area with snow boots on, my advice is to wear a different pair of socks on the way and change into your socks when you put your ski or snowboard boots on at the mountain. Then you have dry socks to start your runs and can change back into a dry pair at the end of the day.

Make sure your boots aren't too tight. You need to have air circulating around your toes that your body heat will warm up. It can be hard to know if you are tightening your kids boots too much - the really little ones often don't have the vocabulary to tell you how the boot is fitting. Ask them if they can wiggle their toes around. Although you don't want the boot falling off their foot while they are on the lift (this has happened to my son!), in general you should err on the side of looser boots. Until they are older and perhaps looking into racing or more aggressive skiing, they need to be able to flex the boot anyways and don't need it to be super-tight.

Wearing a helmet is commonplace nowadays for safety reasons, but they are also warmer than a hat, with full coverage over your ears. We love our Bern helmets. Make sure to pair your helmet with goggles that fit snugly against the helmet, so there's no gap in between the top of the goggle and the helmet and your forehead isn't exposed to the cold.

Mittens tend to be warmer than gloves because the fingers generate heat and warm up the entire space in the mitt.

Toe and Hand Warmers are great to offset that cold as well. You can pick them up at TreeTop Sports or buy a box of them ahead of time at many big box stores. For the kids, I always make sure to stick the toe warmers on the top of their feet rather than the bottom - I think having that under your foot would be uncomfortable.

A Neck Gaiter or Balaclava is great to protect exposed skin on your neck and face. The kids love the Turtle Fur Shellaclava, a combo fleece neck gaiter and breathable hood that keeps snow out and is easy to pull up over their chins to keep out the wind. Disclaimer on neck gaiters: I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with them - I love being able to pull that fabric up over my lower face in the cold, but breathe through it for too long and it gets wet and could freeze. I usually pull it up over my chin on the lift, but leave it down when I'm breathing a bit harder going downhill.