Snowboarding Pants
By Jakob Jelling, Thu Dec 8th
Baggie pants can be more than just fashionable.
Do you remember the days of having to put a snowsuit on in orderto go out sledding or skiing? No matter what you did thesnowsuit would always climb, let snow in, get wet and usuallywas uncomfortable because your pants where bunched up inside.Fortunately for those of us who can remember that, those daysare long gone.
Modern pants, and even regular snow pants, havevastly improved over what we might remember. pantsare now worn like regular pants, thinner, lighter, tougher andwarmer than ever before. Of course this is only possible thanksto demand and technological advances.
When thinking about pants it helps to understandhow they work. Generally pants use a three-layersystem. Some may only have two layers and are either inteendedfor very mild climates or to be worn over some type ofunderpants.
The first layer is the base layer and it is in direct contactwith your skin. When riding outside you will heat up veryquickly and then cool down while on the lift before repeatingthe process. The purpose of the base layer is to ensure thatthis can be done without you getting cold. The main reason youget too cold is because your sweat gets caught in the base layeragainst your skin and begins to freeze. A modern base materialwill prevent this by wicking the moisture away while providingsome temperature balancing benefits.
The next layer is the insulation layer. The purpose of theinsulation layer is to retain your body heat and the best way todo so is by trapping a layer of air around your body. This airwill greatly decrease the heat exchange between your body andthe outside world.
Generally the insulation
