In fashion wear accessories are the final decorative pieces but in winter wear they are the final performance pieces. They add warmth and can help to cover up any fit issues that may have come up in the previous categories. Accessories are hats, headbands, scarves, neck gaiters, glove liners, goggles and sunglasses.
Lets talk first about hats, headbands and scarves – first let me say they have no place on the hill for a child. Hats, love ‘em. Wouldn’t go out without one – for kids, however, they should be saved for the walk from the car to the lodge, headbands too. Kids should be in helmets on the hill. Safety is the first and best reason for kids to wear them. As my 6 year old went sailing into the trees today and came out with only a small brush burn under her goggles I thanked the helmet no less than 100 times. I really don’t think I need to go on and on about helmets for kids on the hill. You either get it or you don’t – if you don’t, e-mail me and I’ll provide you with some of the statistics on what a head injury could mean to your child’s future. But hey, it isn’t that skiing is so dangerous. Not any worse than just being a kid! It is just that on the hill you can do something about it. Anyway if the safety part of it isn’t enough for you keep in mind that helmets are far warmer than hats. But for when you are done on the hill, playing outside or just walking around town a hat is a good idea – luckily it is also in fashion!
For a kid it is easy to get a poorly fitting hat and frankly it doesn’t matter. If the kid likes it and is willing to wear it – it is fine. If you want one that fits though, that is easy too. Keep in mind that kid’s heads don’t grow that much, by the time they are 10 they are in an adult size hat. For little kids they will want a toddler sized hat for the depth of the hat and how big around it is, that way it won’t come down over their eyes. As they get bigger a hat that is too small will not cover their ears but can also be too tight around the head. This is not only uncomfortable but it can lead to headaches over time.
Headbands are basically the same. Too big and it will slip down or be too wide for them and too small may lead to headaches and simply won’t cover their ears. Keep in mind headbands are not a great idea for kids because over 20% of your body heat is lost through your head and while a headband will keep their ears comfortable it will not keep their body heat up.
Scarves are another thing to keep off the mountain. Sure they look cute but they can be bulky and dangerous. Scarves can get caught in chair lifts and rope tows with ugly results. Plus most scarves are not made out of performance fabrics so they get wet and do little protect the neck and face or to retain heat in the jacket like a neck gaiter will.
I think neck gaiters are the greatest invention. They take up the space around the collar of the jacket trapping warm air next to the body and not allowing it to escape. They also protect the neck and chin from the hardware of the jacket and the environment. They should only be purchased in performance fabrics that keep warm and dry because moisture from breathing can build up and if it is not dissipated can do just as much harm as being exposed to the elements. They do come in two sizes but the smaller kids sizes are really only for very little kids. They are narrower so they will stay closer to the neck and short so as to not bulk up under the collar of the jacket when it is zipped up all the way. The larger adult sized neck gaiters can be used for any child as long as it lays fairly close to the neck and dose not bulk up under the chin.
Glove liners should fit the child’s hand snuggly with not a lot of extra material at the end of the fingers. Some liners have nice little pockets to hold chemical heat packs and I highly suggest them. They will keep the heat pack away from being directly on the child’s skin and in a place where they won’t come out easily if the child has a Yard Sale fall where everything but their boots come off!
Goggles should always be fit with the helmet. The strap should fit easily around the entire helmet and the frame should fit directly onto the face inside the rim of the helmet. The foam of the goggle should press gently on the child’s face leaving no gaps around the edges. Gaps will let air in and may make the child’s eyes tear up making it hard to see and tears may freeze up inside the goggle or on the child’s face.
Lets talk first about hats, headbands and scarves – first let me say they have no place on the hill for a child. Hats, love ‘em. Wouldn’t go out without one – for kids, however, they should be saved for the walk from the car to the lodge, headbands too. Kids should be in helmets on the hill. Safety is the first and best reason for kids to wear them. As my 6 year old went sailing into the trees today and came out with only a small brush burn under her goggles I thanked the helmet no less than 100 times. I really don’t think I need to go on and on about helmets for kids on the hill. You either get it or you don’t – if you don’t, e-mail me and I’ll provide you with some of the statistics on what a head injury could mean to your child’s future. But hey, it isn’t that skiing is so dangerous. Not any worse than just being a kid! It is just that on the hill you can do something about it. Anyway if the safety part of it isn’t enough for you keep in mind that helmets are far warmer than hats. But for when you are done on the hill, playing outside or just walking around town a hat is a good idea – luckily it is also in fashion!
For a kid it is easy to get a poorly fitting hat and frankly it doesn’t matter. If the kid likes it and is willing to wear it – it is fine. If you want one that fits though, that is easy too. Keep in mind that kid’s heads don’t grow that much, by the time they are 10 they are in an adult size hat. For little kids they will want a toddler sized hat for the depth of the hat and how big around it is, that way it won’t come down over their eyes. As they get bigger a hat that is too small will not cover their ears but can also be too tight around the head. This is not only uncomfortable but it can lead to headaches over time.
Headbands are basically the same. Too big and it will slip down or be too wide for them and too small may lead to headaches and simply won’t cover their ears. Keep in mind headbands are not a great idea for kids because over 20% of your body heat is lost through your head and while a headband will keep their ears comfortable it will not keep their body heat up.
Scarves are another thing to keep off the mountain. Sure they look cute but they can be bulky and dangerous. Scarves can get caught in chair lifts and rope tows with ugly results. Plus most scarves are not made out of performance fabrics so they get wet and do little protect the neck and face or to retain heat in the jacket like a neck gaiter will.
I think neck gaiters are the greatest invention. They take up the space around the collar of the jacket trapping warm air next to the body and not allowing it to escape. They also protect the neck and chin from the hardware of the jacket and the environment. They should only be purchased in performance fabrics that keep warm and dry because moisture from breathing can build up and if it is not dissipated can do just as much harm as being exposed to the elements. They do come in two sizes but the smaller kids sizes are really only for very little kids. They are narrower so they will stay closer to the neck and short so as to not bulk up under the collar of the jacket when it is zipped up all the way. The larger adult sized neck gaiters can be used for any child as long as it lays fairly close to the neck and dose not bulk up under the chin.
Glove liners should fit the child’s hand snuggly with not a lot of extra material at the end of the fingers. Some liners have nice little pockets to hold chemical heat packs and I highly suggest them. They will keep the heat pack away from being directly on the child’s skin and in a place where they won’t come out easily if the child has a Yard Sale fall where everything but their boots come off!
Goggles should always be fit with the helmet. The strap should fit easily around the entire helmet and the frame should fit directly onto the face inside the rim of the helmet. The foam of the goggle should press gently on the child’s face leaving no gaps around the edges. Gaps will let air in and may make the child’s eyes tear up making it hard to see and tears may freeze up inside the goggle or on the child’s face.
It is my feeling that children should wear goggles rather than sunglasses but either way they should have some sort of eye protection. My biggest issue with children’s sunglasses is that rarely are parents willing to shell out the money for a decent lens. Poor lenses rarely have adequate protection from UV A, B and C rays, lack impact resistance and cause so much distortion that the kids end up with eye strain. Having been a sunglass buyer for years this is an area near and dear to my heart so I should probably allow myself a full rant on the subject another time but if you are going to put sunglasses on your kids on the hill make sure they fit properly. Sunglasses should be narrow enough for their face, cover the eye entirely and fit snuggly at the temples but not tight. I would also suggest some sort of a strap to keep them on – again for the potential Yard Sale but also so when they go into the lodge they can just slip them down around their neck and not have to worry about them – especially if you are one of the rare parents who will shell out for a good pair.
Accessories play and important roll and should not be over looked. Both on and off the slopes accessories keep the snow from getting in and heat from getting out. As a rule of thumb always check to make sure that they fit properly with the rest of their gear and they should fit close but not tight.
Hope that helps! See ya on the slopes!
Kjerstin
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