Oh No - A "What to Wear" question from Budman
 

Spending a week in Grindelwald the last week in May and taking day trips from there. I am prepared for weather in the mid-60's and for the possibility of rain.

What about the surrounding areas and higher elevations? Will sweater with lined windbreaker due or should we dress warmer in layers and strip as needed. Gloves/hats/scarves? Would like to do non-strenuous hikes/sightseeing, but don't want to freeze to death. ((b))

How refreshing! A MAN starting a What to wear thread.
A metrosexual?

leave your stillettos at home...oops, sorry wrong post! hee hee =P~

Make sure you wear LOTS of black. That way they can find you in the snow easier.

And don't forget the avalanche beacon. They're available in many colors.

Jules

jules4je7- you forgot to mention how slimming black is..:)

Hi Budman !
Will you wear those little kneee socks with tassles?
Wishing you a great time and I will enjoy the video of you on a hill, yodeling :D

Budman,

You absolutely must "blend in" when in Switzerland. That means those cute little tan, suede thingies that come above the knee. Quite the rage, you know. Held up with suspenders, all flowery with eidelweiss and the like. Then the knee socks - oh, with the tassles.

But must importantly, don't forget the very large cowbell. You'll never get lost wearing one of those.

Auf weidersehen!

Budman - I've seen those knees! You'll fit in no matter what you wear!

I froze one July in Switzerand. Layer, layer,layer. And did I mention Cuddleduds?

Budman in Cuddleduds? Now that's a vision!

On the assumption, perhaps a shaky one, that this is a mostly serious inquiry, I will forego a jocular remark and engage in a serious reply.

Bud, it all depends on the sunshine. If the clouds have you socked in, temperatures at even 7,000 feet can be very cool. Actually, for me, there is no reason to go to upper elevations because you can see fog more cheaply and more comfortably down below.

If the day has high clouds, but the sun is hidden from view, at places like First, Kleine Scheidegg, and even Grosse Scheidegg, the temperatures can be unpleasant.

If the sun is out, even in late May, temperatures can be warm because of solar radiation. I was at the Jungfraujoch a couple of years ago and the sun was out full force. Even though we were walking in snow out to the Mönchsjochhütte, I was stuffing my windbreaker, Polarfleece, and finally my sweater in my pack and hiked in my T-shirt because I was hot.

Suddenly we walked from behind the protecting ridge right into the teeth of a stiff breeze. I had to retreat behind the ridge and put on my warmer clothes before venturing out to a viewpoint that was fully exposed to the breezes.

So three factors to consider: elevation, sun and wind.

For the Jungfraujoch, which is about as extreme as I expect the cold risk factor to be, I take along a long sleeved sweater, a Polarfleece pullover, a Goretex parka for both rain and wind protection, a golf hat to shade my eyes, and my rain pants which can be good for wind protection as well.

I also wear my hiking boots with wool outer socks and a liner pair. With that equipment, I have sloshed through sleet storms, snow, as well as rain without undue discomfort.

You can figure on a drop of temperature of 3.1 degrees F per 1,000 feet of elevation increase. The cause of the drop is atmospheric expansion. Wind can of course alter that pattern, and if you are in a stiff breeze, the wind chill factor can come into sharp focus.

(Actually the figure I gave is based on a decrease of 5.6 degrees C per vertical kilometer of elevation increase. It converts to about 3.07 degrees F per 1,000 feet. )

The Joch is about 11,300; Lauterbrunnen about 2,600. So you are looking at about 8,700 feet of elevation gain if you go up there. Based on atmospheric expansion alone, the temperature differential between the two will be about 25 degrees F.

However, the effects of the sun can make it seem much warmer as I described. If the sun suddenly disappears behind a cloud bank, the perceived drop in temperature is considerable, particularly if a breeze kicks up.

Of course at the Joch if you don't venture outside of the Sphinx Building, you don't need to lug all the gear I described. I was headed for the hikers' shelter and that is about a walk of a mile or more over snow, but usually out of the wind.

So what you wear depends on where you are going and the conditions under which you plan to do it in.

Salü Budman,

End of May is always hard to say. Last year, it was beautiful in the mountains and we even got a bit of a heatwave.

However, as Bob Brown has said, it will still be cool in higher elevations. Layers are always good to bring. Zip-off pants are also very useful.

My best recommendation is to check out the weather forecast before you go and pack accordingly. Do bring layers that you can use otherwise. A lined windbreaker sounds good too. Bring sunglasses. I hope you can leave your gloves/hat/scarves at home but let the weather forecast decide for you.

If you have sturdy shoes and good ankles, then you won't necessarily need hiking boots. Bring a small backpack to take with you on your hikes. And perhaps you'll even want to buy/rent hiking poles. They are super because they keep the blood circulation going in your arms and hands (less swollen fingers) and they give you better balance. You can push them together and put them in your suitcase or hang them from your backpack (although I wouldn't recommend bringing them on the plane.)

Tschüss!

I knew a Swiss national once. He name is Bernard. Do you know him??

Do you have to carry your own beers when going to the higher elevations? Can anyone recommend a decent freeze-dried beer? I especially enjoy a stout Rauchbier when running around on Alps and stuff.

Am I the only one who doesn't know how budman painted his title red?

Thanks for the good-morning chuckle. :-d I'm cleaning up coffee I spewed all over my keyboard. :-)

Cuddle duds? I love the image, but no thanks. http://www.chockcatalog.com/subcateg...#Cuddle%20Duds

The 3:O bell might make a great souvenir.

Metrosexual - thanks Mimi. <):)

You've all provided some great ideas for a future Fodor's GTG. ((a))

And I do appreciate the serious responses. ((b))

So Budman, can you tell me how you did it? Merci.

Budman, I'm sorry about the coffee in your keyboard.

From personal experience, it is not recommended to unplug your keyboard and try to rinse it out under the faucet. I tried this with wine that "fell" into my keyboard once, and it wasn't the same after that.

Cost of a new keyboard? $25
Value of the experience? Priceless.

Happy travels,

Jules

I honestly cannot imagine you would need more than a sweater AND a lined windbreaker...well, perhaps you could have some silk longjohns as a back-up but that's a "layer" which can be inconvenient to shed, especially on a hiking trail.

&lt;RED&gt;<font color="red">Like this.</font>&lt;/RED&gt;

Dear Budman: I apologize for having no humorous riposte. I do believe that having a thin knit hat and a pair of cheap knit gloves in your windbreaker is always a good idea in the Swiss mountains, even in July, let alone May. It's a no cost, no weight, no hassle bit a security.

I second the zip-off legs for pants. Avoid cotton shirts as your base layer. Cotton absorbs sweat, a bad idea when the temperature suddenly drops by 20 degrees.

My very best wishes for your trip to Grindelwald,

Charles