Surviving and Thriving in the Cold: A Guide to Dressing for -45 Degree Weather

Okay, Robert Munsch’s “I Have to Go!” has just gotten a whole lot more relevant. Here I am, just like Andrew, bundled up in my snowsuit, and wouldn’t you know it, as I zip the last zip, fold the last flap, pull up the last cuff, I realize I have to go!

Welcome to life in -45 degrees.

It used to take me ages to decide what to wear, minutes to actually get dressed. Now the choice of attire is a no-brainer but the dressing takes forever. It’s a full ten minutes before I have on all my layers. So many that I feel like I might not fit through the door. So many that I have to sit down to pull on my boots. This is something I’m having to get used to. This is winter life in Beaver Creek. 

When people think of the Yukon, they might picture snow and mountains. They’re not wrong. Just to the south, the Saint Elias Mountain Range is home to seven of Canada’s ten highest mountains, including the record-holder, Mt. Logan. Or, they might think of the northern lights, and again they’re not wrong. The northern lights, or Aurora Borealis, can be seen shimmering on the northern horizon, or across the half the sky on a particularly clear night, between August and April.

But it’s the cold I think about. At least so far. I’ve been here 22 days and the temperatures have ranged from -15 to -47. Thats -47. Without wind-chill. Picture the Vancouver girl in her heels and dress on a December evening complaining, “Oh my God, it’s so cold!”

Please.

I used to be that girl. But in the Yukon life carries right on when the temperature’s pushing -50. School’s not cancelled. People aren’t told to stay indoors. I realized pretty quickly that unless I wanted to become a hermit, I’d better figure out how to dress for this weather.

So, how does one dress for -45? Certainly, the fashion bloggers, Instagram influencers, and Vogue Magazine articles don’t offer any insight. Sure, I can think back to skiing at Whistler to get some sense of the “layering thing”, but that was -10.

Although it’s taken a few walks with frozen toes and a minor frostbite scare to find the perfect combination of layers, I think I finally have it figured out. So they are: the 5 steps to dressing for -45 degrees Celsius:

1.     Long Underwear:

Seems like a pretty obvious first step, but it wasn’t quite as obvious when I first arrived. I’m embarrassed to admit that on my first outing in Beaver Creek, I wore jeans with….wait for it…nylons. I’m not joking. My Christmas presents included Merino Wool long underwear, and you better believe I’ve been wearing those bad-boys every day since the rather unpleasant (nee: cold) nylon/jeans lesson.

The purpose of long underwear is to wick moisture from the skin to prevent one from getting cold, which is why Merino Wool is a great choice, and cotton is not. If I break a sweat while wearing a cotton base-layer, I’ll feel the cold pretty damn quickly if I slow down. Remember, water freezes at zero degrees. Proper long underwear is the key.

Lesson learned.

I now wear Merino Wool long underwear tops and bottoms before venturing out. Anywhere. They work a lot better under the good ole jeans than nylons.

(Budget tip: Costco sells Merino Wool long underwear sets for those of you looking to save a few dollars.)

2.     Mid-Layer:

This is the layer that’s caused me the most grief. (Yeah, hard to believe after the nylon story.) The mid-layer is meant to act as an insulator and should keep one warm. The upper half of my body is easy. I wear a fleece sweater. My favourites are my MEC Cordova Zip Fleece and my Arc’teryx Delta Zip. I practically live in these. The key is that moist air must pass through, but heat needs to stay trapped. Ideally this layer isn’t bulky which is why I love the Arc’teryx Delta Zip. It’s light, but oh-so-warm. 

 The bottom layer has proven more challenging. I didn’t buy fleece pants. (Perhaps because I already owned heaps of nylons? Or because they’re definitely a step down on the style ladder when compared to upper layer fleece? Or, truthfully, because they’re not quite, um, flattering?) So, I’ve had to improvise with thickish Lululemon pants.

Rest assured, my next trip to the big city (i.e. bigger than Whitehorse), I’ll be on the hunt for fleece pants, fleece tights, fleece jeans, fleece anything. Style be damned.

3.     Bonus-Layer:

Depending on the temperature outside, I wear my Patagonia Down Sweater Hoodie under my outer-layer. It’s cozy and warm and gives added protection against the bitter cold.

The bonus-layer doesn’t exist in pant form, but stay tuned as I might find something!

4.     Outer-layer:

This layer is a wee bit important in -45 weather! Not only does it keep one warm, it also serves as protection from wind, snow and ice. It’s important that the outer layer is breathable and doesn’t trap moisture. Although it doesn’t snow that often here, the snow that does fall, stays, and is cold beyond belief. I have to be prepared to trek through it. Deep cold heaps of it. 

Before I moved here, I was told that Canada Goose is the way to go for the outer-layer, but I wavered because of the price. Should I, shouldn’t I? In this case luck was with me. I was able to stay true to my newfound frugality (about which I will write in future blog posts), and purchase second-hand this wonderful, absolutely essential knee-length Canada Goose Shelburne Parka from a friend. I have definitely needed it. 

 They say GORE-TEX is the best outer layer for frequent snow, but that’ll have to go on my 2019 Christmas wish-list.

On the bottom, my outer layer is the Arc’teryx Shashka Pant. What can I say? Fantastic. The bib protects me from deep snow, and the pants offer the perfect shield from cold, wind, and precipitation. I love these.

5. The Extras:

I can’t forget the extras. These are critical: mitts, socks, toque, neck gaiter, and boots. My hands and feet are always cold. I remember hearing about a friend’s dad who had heated ski boots (I mean, amazing) and have since dreamed of those every time I go outside.

To keep my feet warm, I wear two layers of socks. The first layer it’s the Icebreaker Multisport Light Socks (have you guys heard of their lifetime warranty?). The second layer is the Wigwam 40 Below Socks. I pop my feet into a pair of Sorel Caribou Boots, and I am good to go. With this combination my feet stay warm and dry. Success.

I invested in Arc’teryx Fission Mittens, and boy-oh-boy, was that a good decision! Once in a while, ok more than once in a while. No, often, I take my mitts off to take a photo, selfie or other. The best thing about these mitts is that they warm my hands back up in about .001 second.

My go-to toque is a Merino Wool Icebreaker Skyline Slouch Beanie. I wasn’t joking about Merino Wool. it’s the best.

Lastly, my neck gaiter, a.k.a my face mask. I alternate between an Arc’teryx or an Iceberg Neck Gaiter. It just depends what sort of look I am going for— rugged city-turned-outdoors woman, or semi-rugged city-turned-outdoors woman.

And that’s that! Now you’re prepared to brave -45 degree weather in case you decide to visit.