4 Weather Beaters For The Cold
It’s frigid out there, but don’t let cold weather keep you indoors. Here’s the gear you need to beat winter.
Run a marathon. Lose 10 lbs. Exercise outdoors every day. Those are all great resolutions to make in early January. But come February when the mercury drops below 10 degrees and ice builds on the trails, those resolutions get harder to keep—unless you’re outfitted. Here are four products that can help you beat winter.
GRIPPY SHOES
If you like running on dirt roads, but hate negotiating ice, you are going to love Arctictalon 275 ($130) from Inov-8. These shoes do for running what studded tires do for snow biking: give you incredible grip and control, not to mention the peace of mind of knowing you’re not going to slide down that icy incline on your butt. This is a shoe local athletes swear by and one of the best studded running shoes we’ve seen. The sole has tiny tungsten carbide spikes
embedded in 7 mm lugs that provide traction on the most uneven surfaces. The Protec Shank is aligned with the spikes, protecting the center of your foot yet letting the shoe ex. Best, there are small gaiter hooks. With all these features the shoe still weighs in at a mere 275g / 9.625oz.
FACE SAVERS
(pictured above) Sunscreen protects you from the sun but what do you do to protect your face against frostbite? Studies show that putting petroleum jelly or other products on your face is not only ineffective but can make the situation worse by providing a false sense of security. Anti-Freeze Face Tape ($4.95) won’t warm your face, but it does protect against the wind that whisks heat from your face and can lead to frostbite. Each packet comes with three patches pre-cut to your nose and cheeks, plus a fourth you can modify on your own. More and more Nordic skiers and runners are starting to use face tape so if you see someone running with patches of blue (or pink or tan), don’t think it’s Halloween. Another way to warm up your nose? Run or ski harder: a 2006 study showed that nose skin temperature rose from 49 degrees F at rest to 65 degrees F during exercise.
RESPONSIVE GLASSES
One of the challenges of running or Nordic skiing in Vermont is that you are often coming in and out of the woods into snowfields so bright your eyes hurt. Julbo has solved the dilemma of what glasses to wear with the Zebra Light lenses. Activated by UV rays, the lenses transition from light (basically clear) to dark (the category 3 tint that’s common for sunglasses) in about 25 seconds, regardless of temperature. We tested them (see vtsports. com for our short video) and they work. They also have an anti-fog coating, are shatter- proof and highly scratch-resistant. The lenses are used in several models. We like the 32-
gram Aero Lite frames ($190 with the Zebra Light lenses, $130 with regular polycarbonate lenses) for its snug, aero t (designed for smaller faces) and huge eld of vision. People with larger heads may prefer the slightly wider Ventura RX 470 model with beefier frames.
SOLAR-CHARGED GLOVES
Seirus has a new glove that uses the energy of the sun to increase warmth by 10 percent. The Seirus SolarSphere Brink Glove ($49.99) is made from synthetic insulation and a fabric that absorbs the sun’s IR rays. Waterproof and remarkably affordable, the gloves have the added bene t of being super light and have a touchscreen compatible thumb and forefinger.
