Ski Fashion Capital - Maine, maybe not!
Maine Sunday Telegram Column by Heather Burke Dec 27, 2009

So Maine isn’t exactly the fashion capital of the east. That is my understatement of the year. So it’s no surprise that ski fashion on Maine slopes is not always the latest or greatest. In fact, the opposite could be said on a cold Maine winter day. Survival trumps sophistication and style on our snowy slopes.

Function over fashion is the rule when you don a facemask and a helmet that resembles a bucket on your head to brace our brisk Maine temperatures. You see more duct tape (holding together ski parkas, mittens and goggle straps), than you do tailored designer jackets.

But there are fashion faux pas that you should avoid so as not to be shunned by the locals. You can wear sports sweatshirts, jackets, and hats. Patriots’ attire is always welcome especially on game day Sunday. Similarly Boston Red Sox wear, although not designed specifically for sub freezing activity, always gets a nod or a thumbs up from fellow skiers. You get kudos and credit for New England team pride even though your thin Sox sweatshirt provides very little wind and water resistance. NASCAR is even acceptable. But New York team jerseys and jackets, specifically Yankee attire, is a Maine ski fashion “don’t”. I have witnessed booing in base lodges when skiers spot Yankee-decked downhillers.

Carhartts are a surprising fashion “do” on Maine slopes. Even though they are not designed for winter sports per se, you see a lot of this “I just came from a construction site” look. Apparently the industrial strength material (I have learned that Carhartts are water resistant and flame retardant) holds up to the rugged mountain environment better than other materials, certainly better than denim – which is another fashion “don’t”, and Carhartts have pockets for everything imaginable.

On the flip side of wearing all this sports related clothing, you do occasional spot a snow bunny. Well dressed ski women with sparkles and bedazzled Bogner one piece suits stick out amongst the otherwise come as you are casualness of Maine’s slopes. You look like you are “not from around here” if you are too matchy matchy, or if you are sporting too much bling.

At last year’s Simon Dumont Cup, Bethel native gone superstar Simon made quite a fashion splash in his matching bright red and white Salomon jacket and pants. He definitely brought a little Aspen-style home to Sunday River.

Park skiers and riders are now sporting bright greens, turquoise, pinks and yellows in eye-catching ensembles – particularly amongst teenage boys. They think they are so original, but many of their candy colored choices resemble 1970’s and 80’s styles with a new spin. As Colby James West, pro skier from New Hampshire and friend of Simon, said in his “My Friend’s A Pro” video, “Bright colors used to be whack, but then they came back. Pro skiers look like a bag of Skittles.”

Still the standard ski attire throughout Maine is black ski pants. I have a pair, don’t you? In last weekend’s lift line, I counted 50% black ski pants amongst the patrons. Black is super practical, slimming, and hides a multitude of stains.

Despite its recent resurgence as a hot new color in ski wear, we Mainers know that white just doesn’t work out once you encounter a cup of hot cocoa, receive a grease droplet from the lift, or lean up against your filthy car to access your ski rack.

Camouflage continues to be big in Maine, which I fail to understand. I see you in your camo, especially the two kids that were poaching a closed trail under the Barker Quad last Saturday.

My fashionista daughter Aspen says that there are no rules in ski fashion these days. That should come as a huge relief to any of you who have not dared go skiing because you just could not decide what to wear. I jest. To quote a Van Halen song lyric, “it doesn’t matter what hat you wear, just as long as you are there.” That pretty much sums up the ski fashion scene in Maine.

I will just add that Mainers are smarter or at least more pragmatic than the average skier. On my recent trip to another New England state, I saw numerous skiers who had affixed their lift ticket to their jacket zipper top - only to have it flap in their face as they flew down hill.

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