What to Wear for the American Birkebeiner
The key to a successful race is to make sure you don’t overheat
Most skiers are sitting around worrying about what kind of wax to use. However, your clothing choices are arguably more critical to your comfort and overall chance of success.
A few years back, I was getting ready with a friend of mine who had aspirations on making the elite wave.
“I went with a thermal top and bottom,” he said.
“Lose the thermal bottoms, go with just the ski suit,” I said.
“Are you sure?”
“It’s 30 degrees. If you overheat and sweat that’s going to cost you the elite wave.”
He look skeptical, but he followed my advice. If I remember right, I think his finishing place was #200 right on the dot. He did his first Birkie in the elite wave the next year.
Yes, I’m taking 100% of the credit for that achievement.
Back in the days when I was a first wave skier, I always had my best races when I went with just the ski suit. When you’re skiing at that level, overheating is a bigger problem than getting cold. Your clothing is a whole different consideration when you’re planning on doing the Birkie in less than 3 hours.
These days it’s a little bit harder to pick the outfit. If things go perfectly, there’s an outside chance I’ll slip in under 4 hours. However, it’s more likely I’ll be in the 4:30 range. The tricky part is that if it snows or if any of a number of things happen, I could be out there for 6, 8, or even 10 hours (I hope not).
Bearing all that in mind, here’s my advice on how to pick the best outfit for the day.
Try to minimize the amount you sweat
It’s possible to hit a clothing sweet spot where you are comfortable without overheating. When that happens, you can ski all day and never worry about getting cold.
What you don’t want to have happen at the Birkie is to find yourself sweating like crazy in the first 10 kilometers. This is extra difficult because the first 10 kilometers are all uphill (with a couple bonus kilometers that are also all hills).
When you sweat too much you get dehydrated, you start to cramp, and you start to get cold. It’s not fun.
Dressing is difficult because it always feels cold at the start. Doing a little warm-up ski helps before you line up in the pens, but you really need to dress so that you’re shivering right as the gun goes off.
As I write this, the forecast is saying around 25 with an overnight low of 3. The overnight low is really what should get your attention. It’s going to be chilly in the morning.
There are a couple things to remember about the Birkie. First of all, the start times range from 8:15AM to 10AM. The temperature is going to be much different at 10AM.
Also, I always used to consider the Birkie bib as another layer when compared to what I might have worn at other races. The modern Lycra top isn’t as much of a wind barrier as the old bibs, but it still makes a difference.
Here’s what I’m wearing (probably)
Mainly you’re looking for stuff made from wool or Polyester (no cotton). Let me just itemize my selections for you:
- Wind brief
- Lightweight thermal bottoms
- Lightweight+ thermal top
- Dimpled ski suit
- Buff, Hat, Gloves
- Wool socks
Wind brief
Honestly, I don’t care if it’s 100 degrees, I’m wearing the wind brief. I’m willing to overheat there. I’ve experienced the alternative.
Lightweight thermal bottoms
I have no aspirations for making the elite wave, so I’m going to use my lightweight thermal tights. I’ve been using the Under Armour Base 2.0 for the last few years. They’re light with good moisture wicking properties and even have a bit of a compression effect (I’d avoid really tight compression).
Smartwool thermal bottoms are also a nice choice.
Lightweight+ thermal top
I said lightweight+ when I really mean midweight because I want you to think about it. I’m going with a merino wool top, but the weights are all different depending on the brand. I might do this one, but it looks a little too thick in the picture.
I think you’re going to want something that is a little thicker than a T-shirt, but not much. The great thing about wool is that it will continue to keep you warm even when it gets wet. The heavy weight stuff is almost always too heavy for any form of skiing competition (unless you’re looking at an 8hr day and it’s super cold).
Dimpled ski suit
About ten years ago (that long?) I invested in a dimpled ski suit. The theory was that the dimples trap air and help keep you a little warmer. It seems to work, although I wouldn’t hesitate to use a straight Lycra ski suit.
I’ve skied the Birkie in a pair of Khaki pants. The ski suit makes you a lot more comfortable.
Buff, Hat, Gloves
What usually happens is I start off with a buff and a hat, but then I overheat. So, I stuff the hat into my ski suit and pull the buff up over my ears. It’s nice to be able to strip down layers. It’s also nice to keep your hat so you can put it back on if you get cold towards the end (rare, but it has happened).
I’m going with gloves instead of mittens. The pair I’m planning on using looks about like this. A couple years back I overheated and took off my gloves at about 20KM. I don’t expect that will happen this year.
Wool socks
I discovered the company Merino33 a few years back and I like their products. Here’s my likely sock choice. These are the pick mainly because of the way my boots fit. These socks just seem to be the most comfortable.
Don’t try anything new
The Birkie is only a few days away, so as far as I’m concerned my training is done. However, I don’t recommend that you sit around not doing anything all week.
I’ve been going out skiing just to make sure that my clothing and equipment picks aren’t going to surprise me. I feel good about my clothing selection now. You have enough to worry about on Birkie morning without fretting about what to wear.
You don’t want to show up at the start line and discover that the pair of socks you’ve never tried creates a hot spot that makes your foot cramp. You don’t have to ski 50KM in all your clothing choices, but try and get an hour in before you show up at the start (and stuff an extra pair of socks gloves into your gear bag just in case).
Wear clothing you can adjust
It’s important to remember that you’re allowed to stop and make adjustments while you’re out skiing. If you’re sweating in the first 5KM, you HAVE to pull over and take off your hat. Don’t throw it away, stuff it into your jersey or tights.
Don’t get swept up by the crowd. The SECOND you start sweating you have to do something to cool off. I can’t emphasize this enough.
I like wearing a top I can unzip, and that goes for the thermal shirt as well. Also, roll up your sleeves. If you can expose your wrists, it goes a long way towards regulating body temperature. Just stop the sweating. Believe me, you’ll thank me.
Focus on having fun
There’s nothing better than when the sun peeks through the clouds during the last 15KM of the Birkie and you can really enjoy the finish.
Remember that the late February sun is a completely different animal than what we can expect in December or January.
As of now, the forecast looks pretty good. It doesn’t look perfect, but you can’t hope for perfect, all you can hope for is pretty good.
There’s still plenty of time to try out your clothing choices. I always like to throw in a couple of adhesive toe warmers to have with me during the race. That way if I get cold, I can put them on my thighs or belly to warm up.
Don’t overdress. The Birkie is all uphill. Smart clothing choices are the key to staying hydrated and comfortable. Good luck out there!
Final note: Always remember to wash your wool products with cold water and let them hang dry, they’ll last longer.
Pick up a copy of Beyond Birkie Fever. Put it under your pillow. Memorize it.
Subscribe to my emails here. Sign up to Medium via my referral link here, and THANK YOU!