Layering for winter: stay warm without sweating

In Lapland in February it can be minus 25°C at breakfast. Our guests often arrive with one enormous jacket and are surprised when I ask them to take it off after ten minutes of snowshoeing. Moving in the cold makes a lot of heat, and sweat is the real enemy, because damp clothes chill you the moment you stop.

The three layers

• Base layer: merino wool or synthetic, close fitting, never cotton. It moves moisture away from your skin.
• Mid layer: a fleece or light insulated jacket that traps warm air and breathes.
• Outer layer: a windproof shell that stops the wind and snow.

Be bold, start cold

Set off feeling slightly cool. Within fifteen minutes you will be warm, and you will not need to stop to strip off. If you start out warm, you will be sweating within the hour.

The stop jacket

Keep a big, warm insulated jacket at the top of your pack and put it on over everything the moment you stop, before you feel cold. Take it off again just before you set off.

Hands, feet and head

Bring two pairs of gloves: thin ones for moving and warm mittens for stops. Change into dry socks at lunch on long days, and wear a hat or buff that you can pull over your ears in the wind. Small changes, made early, keep the whole day comfortable.