How to choose the perfect thermal underwear.
BASE LAYERS
Picture this: you've scored first chair of the day and there's 45cm of blower pow on the ground. Your chair crests the ridgeline and you feel an icy cold blast of deep Antarctic wind. You tuck your chin a little deeper into your face mask; you know what storm skiing is all about and your base layer game is on point today. You skate a couple steps and ski toward the next chair as you steal a glance to your left; all those suckers inside, you know what they got wrong? Their thermals.
Getting your ski base layers wrong can be one of the most uncomfortable, and even most dangerous mistakes you can make in the mountains. If you're not prepared for what the weather will be doing, then you’re not prepared for anything. So with all manner of options on the market, what makes the perfect set of thermal underwear?
Le Bent are unique in this space as we offer a unique bamboo and merino blend that allows us to offer a silky soft hand feel that keeps our customers coming back for more.
What Material Is Best?
When deciding on the perfect set of men’s, women’s or kid’s base layers you have two options: synthetic or natural. Synthetic baselayers are generally spun with a variant of thermoplastic polymers that will work to keep you warm, but who wants to wrap themselves in plastic, right? And often they tend to stink before the day is out. Natural thermal fibres have traditionally been spun with merino wool. If it’s good enough to keep a sheep warm, then it’s good enough for humans. So, what’s the catch? Scratch. While merino wools are the perfect insulator, they’re not the perfect fabric to have pressed against your skin for twelve hours a day. So the question arises: what’s the perfect fibre? Honed over years of high-tech research and development, Le Benthad the bright idea to combine the benefits and sustainability of bamboo rayon fibre with the warmth and durability of merino. The result? The highest quality, comfort and performance you can expect from any other material.
As the thermal will be the closest to your skin, the advanced wicking properties of the bamboo and merino blend ensure that moisture is worked quickly through your layers, keeping you both warm and dry with no odour build up or stink. The bamboo ensures the fabric feels nice and soft on the skin with no irritation, no itch. And no matter which weight you choose, you’ll barely notice it’s there thanks to the semi performance fit that’s designed specifically for being active in the mountains, insulating you from the elements.
What Fabric Weight Do I Need?
The final consideration is weight. As you’ll be aware, varying conditions call for varying levels of insulation, and getting it right starts at the base. Lightweight to midweight, Le Bent offer two options: a 200gm or 260gm variant – 200 for milder conditions – think Australian winters, or spring skiing overseas – and 260 for when it’s really blowing from the Arctic – think mid-winter in the Rockies, Europe or Japan.
At Le Bent we call it our Platinum Blend and the quality of finish is immediately noticeable. It’s a unique combination of Mother Nature’s finest attributes – the growth, sustainability and softness of bamboo combined with merino, the finest natural insulator known to man kind. It’s not rocket science, it’s simply the result of years of research and design, innovation and a deep-rooted love of the mountains. No matter if you’re a skier, snowboarder, man woman or child, Le Bent has a perfect set of men’s women’s and kid’s base layers for you. Let us take care of comfort, so you can focus on having a good time.
Click here to see what ActiveJunky had to say about the base layers.
