This winter’s European ski season will not go down as a vintage one, due to mild weather leaving some traditional Alpine and Pyrenean resorts with little or no snow. Clearly in such cases the après ski is off, since some resorts have had to close altogether.
It has not been like that everywhere, of course. Higher altitude resorts such as Saas-Fee and Val Thorens can still reliably hold enough snow, while higher latitudes have too. Indeed, in the latter case it is worth noting that Britons looking for somewhere to ski have had no trouble finding open resorts with snowy slopes in Scotland.
Since that means après ski in Aviemore or Glencoe instead of Albach or Grimntz, it may be rather appropriate to be wearing winter cashmere clothing made in Scotland.
Cashmere certainly is a great thing to be wearing for après ski. Fashion publication The Handbook recently wrote about the most stylish things to wear in such a setting and cashmere featured highly in its recommendations.
It noted that the season has been marked by the “must have” element of the balaclava, while “creamy neutrals” had become an in-vogue colour. But that, it stated, was just part of the picture, adding: “Bold colours and retro styles remain favourites, too. However, when wanting to keep warm and look stylish, quality is paramount.”
Given that cashmere is top of the tree (or in this case, piste) when it comes to style and quality, it may be of little surprise that some of the popular styles and ranges feature the Himalayan wool.
Giving a prime example, the article said: “Gigi Hadid’s latest collection for Guest In Residence focuses on cabin pants, t-shirts, and high altitude beanies all made from 100 per cent luxury cashmere.”
Of course, it does not require one to follow Bella Hadid’s fashion style to enjoy cashmere in winter, whether at an après ski occasion or any other time.
Indeed, all kinds of cashmere garments have been highlighted as great winter wear. Marie Clare recently stated that now is the very best time to “invest in a cosy cashmere scarf”, noting that high-quality scarves “are the kind of items that will keep you warm and cosy throughout the next few months, while simultaneously elevating any and every outfit”.
Of course, the desire to buy any warm clothing item will rise and fall with the mercury. The very cold snap in the middle of December and another in January will have done much to prompt people to find ways of wrapping up warmer when out in the streets, even in cities where temperatures are a bit higher than the countryside.
Ski resorts are colder, of course - at least when winter actually turns up with some snow to get the whole show on the slopes, as are their surrounding villages.
For example, anyone enjoying some après ski in Braemar after being on the slopes at nearby Glen Shee on January 10th 1982 would have experienced a temperature of -27.2 C, the third time this joint record coldest temperature on Britain had been measured.
In anything approaching such conditions, it might be an idea to put on more than one layer of cashmere.
