When it's cold

The numbers don't really matter - It's how YOU feel.

 If your face is cold wear a balaclava etc... One of the most useful items I have is a Buff, in fact I carry 3. They're small and light so easy to cart arounf and they are far better at insulating than you'd expect.

Best use for it (for me) when cold is around the neck and tucked into your collar, another as a balaclava/ face mask depending.

 It's really down to what YOU'RE comfy with

Not sure how good they are but superfeet do a woolley version of their inner soles for winter use. I have no idea what they are like but am considering a pair for work and to transfer into my fell shoes for winter use. They might help me out with a similar cold feet issue. I wear sealskins and superfeet climber socks inside IIRC, the thickest socks they make for warmth and cushioning.

I have two buffs and a windproof buff as well. That last one is actually rather warm, it has to be very cold for me to use it. I was too warm in it a few weeks ago on Helly with the windchill at -13.2C (fell top assessor recorded conditions at the same sort of time I was on that hill - didn't see him though). IIRc the wind was something like gusts at 35mph and 20 or 25mph with temp about -3C but could be wrong as no doubt windchill tables will testify as the windchill temp is remembered from hill conditions on website.

Anyway they are expensive but very warm and the 25% of heat loss is actually from your head, neck and shoulders I believe so block heat loss from your neck and wear a hat or balaclava and you will save some heat.

you can throw kit at some parts but understanding why you can get cold(er) can help a lot too especially areas where blood is near the surface of the skin e.g. wrists.

long socks help to keep your feet warmer and wrist warmers help to keep your hands warmer. i find these are worth an extra pair of socks/gloves.

more blood at the surface is your neck and my current favourite is an aviator silk scarf which i find more versatile about the neck/face than a buff. i have a hat so don't need a buff to use as one. a balaclava can be the best bet though. the scarf also bungs up the chimney gap at the top of your jacket.

depending upon the wind (so i carry a woolly hat too) i use a brimmed hat (tilley winter hat) which is great for keeping some of the wind off your face. the earflaps can be not warm enough but some earbags solve that problem. if you need extra warmth about the ears then earbags are the very thing.

as an aside the polyester wind proof fleece lined trews from uniqlo performed extremely well over the weekend and are my best bargain for a few years (£19 new and £13 in the sale).

http://www.earbags.com/

brilliant things 

With a bit of origami you can make your buff a bit more practical in cold weather; have a peek at the various videos floating around. I'm using a chocolate fish tuara so I don't know if it is much longer than a normal buff, but that can be used pretty much like a balaclava to cover head, face, nose and ears. It served me well enough last winter whilst walking cycling or running in still air at -10 or so.

I've never been anywhere cold enough to cause cold feet through my usual boots and walking socks, so I can't comment on that. Might be worth thinking about how windproof your footwear is, though. My cycling shoes are very well ventilated, with the result that in really cold air I can feel the breeze through them when I'm on the move. Anything nominally waterproof is probably fine, but nice lightweight breathable non-waterproof thingies might not fare so well.

As for the face and nose, I generally find a Buff worn as a mask is plenty in most conditions, but if worn for long be ready for some slightly unpleasant dampness from your breathe/dribble! In extreme conditions (never yet in the UK, probably below -15c with a wind) I resort to one of these neoprene jobs...

Edit: Grrrr - why won't Om let me move the pic to the bottom of the post?!!

Matt C wrote (see)

 As for the face and nose, I generally find a Buff worn as a mask is plenty in most conditions, but if worn for long be ready for some slightly unpleasant dampness from your breathe/dribble!

Nice to see Darth Vader enjoying a wee holiday in the winter.

"It's psychosomatic. You need a lobotomy. I'll get a saw."

Buffs are great, but in prolonged cold using them as a face-covering balaclava ends up with a big chunk of ice where your breath condenses in the fabric and then freezes.  I've only had this happen to the extent of being a problem once, on a long day's ski tour into a gale, but it's worth noting that when things get really serious the next step (something like a dedicated Powershield face mask with breathing holes) is worth considering (a bit like the Neoprene one Matt is sporting).

 Edit: Grrrr - why won't Om let me move the pic to the bottom of the post?!!

Dunno.  I always cut and paste the text back to where I want it, it's never inserted a picture where I asked it to...

Pete.

Can't find the Ninjaclava on OR's webpage atm, but they have a thing called the Helmetclava which looks similar and has a Darth Vader-esque breathing thing

I'm getting worried Kate, all you need is that and an ice axe in the queue at the supermarket and you'll be the first one at the till .

I cant get my tower to download emails as it wont accept my password , I'm needing receipts .

edit  its ok with emails, all downloaded .

Scott  wrote (see)

Nice to see Darth Vader enjoying a wee holiday in the winter.