Layered Clothing

 This is what you are getting dressed for when visiting Sweden in February...

 Cross-country skiing far away from the tracks!

A bare fell mountain, a typical view of the Fennoscandian mountain range.

A few words on layered clothing, and how to stay warm during Swedish winters.

Clothing in the cold: Basically, you need to plan getting dressed in three layers:

Layer 1 – Base layer; to keep your body dry and warm, and transport moisture from your body to the outer layers. This garment should be made of wool or synthetic fibers with high warming effect. (Good wool underwear does not itch!) Absolutely no cotton! You will need both a top (long sleeved) and a bottom (long legged). Plus thick wool socks… No cotton!

Suggested garments; Layer 1: Merino wool crew body and Merino wool leggings.

Layer 2 – Insulation layer; this layer makes it possible to retain body heat and provides insulation and warmth while transporting moisture away from your body. This could be either a wool pullover, or a synthetic fleece jacket – both materials are great. Absolutely no cotton sweater! (You should also add a thick scarf to this layer so as to not expose your neck to the wind chill.)

Suggested garments; Layer 2: Fleece lined wool sweater.

Layer 3 – Protection layer; to shield against wind, snow and cold while releasing surplus heat from the layers below. Shell jackets and pants have great breathing ability and are also waterproof. A down parka or something similar with thick insulation is also very warm and protective. 70 percent of your body heat leaves from your head (your body is like a thermos). So you should always have a warm hat on – either wool or synthetic. No cotton!

Suggested garments; Layer 3: Ultralight down jacket or Parka jacket.

Of course, for an outer layer - some warm, insulated snow boots are also important.

This is how we dressed during our most recent winters.

And as for skiing technique - here is a great introduction to the basics of the diagonal stride in x-country skiing.