What to Wear in Asheville in January

Pack for two altitudes. NOAA's normals for Asheville Regional Airport put January at 9.4°C by day and −1.9°C at night, the coldest month of the year, with precipitation on about 11 days and 3.6 inches of snow over the whole month. Yet only about one January day brings an inch of new snow in town. The snow is above you. The National Park Service writes that "Ice and snow close sections of the parkway in winter," and that temperatures "can vary 10-20 degrees Fahrenheit" between the foothill towns and the crest. Start with a waterproof parka for the rain downtown, then add a down liner that packs small for the drive up to Cataloochee or the Parkway overlooks.

The capsule

1. 
   01

   Rust insulated waterproof parka, hooded, thigh length

   Rain falls on about 11 January days and about 22 nights reach freezing, so the outer layer has to be waterproof and insulated at once. Thigh length covers your hips on a wet walk downtown, and the hood stays up at an overlook that, on the Park Service's figures, runs 10–20°F (about 6–11°C) colder than town. Rust stays visible against a grey ridge.

2. 
   02

   Black collarless down liner

   This is the layer for the drive up. A collarless liner snaps shut under the parka without crowding the hood, and it rolls into a pocket for the hours you spend downtown at 9°C / 48°F. Put it on at Cataloochee, whose base sits at 4,660 feet, about 2,500 feet above the airport, and where last season's peak-season hours ran to 10pm.

3. 
   03

   Cream heavy-gauge wool crew

   Wool keeps its warmth when it is damp, which matters in a month with 4.13 inches of precipitation on about 11 days. A heavy gauge lets one knit do the work of two: under the liner on the crest, on its own in a heated gallery downtown. Cream lifts the black skirt at dinner and repeats the beanie and the shearling at the boot cuff.

4. 
   04

   Black softshell trousers, straight leg

   Softshell has a smooth, tightly woven face, so wet snow brushes off in a ski-area car park and town drizzle beads instead of soaking in, which denim cannot do. The straight leg falls over the boot shaft and keeps slush out. Zip pockets matter here: Cataloochee bans handbags of any size on its lifts, so your phone and card ride on you.

5. 
   05

   Brown leather lace-up winter boots, shearling cuff, deep lug sole

   One pair has to cover wet pavement downtown and packed snow at 4,660 feet. A deep rubber lug grips both, the shearling cuff holds warmth on about 22 nights at or below freezing, and laces let you tighten the ankle for an icy overlook path. Wax the leather before you fly, because about 11 wet days will test every seam.

6. 
   06

   Cream cable-knit beanie, folded cuff

   A folded cuff puts two layers of wool over your ears on a crest the Park Service says runs 10–20°F colder than town. Cable knit traps more air than a fine rib. It folds into a parka pocket on a 9°C / 48°F afternoon, and cream picks up the crew underneath.

7. 
   07

   Black leather mittens, shearling-lined

   "Mittens are better than gloves," the National Weather Service says flatly. Fingers kept together in one compartment warm each other, which counts at 8am, the coldest hour of a January day on NOAA's hourly normals for the airport. Leather sheds wet snow that a knit mitten would soak up, and the ribbed cuff tucks under the parka sleeve to close the gap at the wrist.

8. 
   08

   Black bias-cut midi skirt

   This is the Biltmore evening. Antler Hill Village Illumination runs daily from 5pm to midnight until 15 February, included with admission, so dinner at the village's restaurants ends with a walk under the lights. A bias cut swings over the lug boots, black hides a splash from a wet car park, and the cream crew goes on top. Wear it over thick tights.

A suggested look — rust insulated parka, black down liner, cream heavy-gauge wool crew, black softshell trousers, brown lace-up winter boots.

What to avoid

• A handbag on Cataloochee's lifts — banned at any size
• A Parkway drive without checking NPS road status
• Canvas trainers on a wet day or on packed snow
• The Grovewood Homespun Museum — closed January to March
• Christmas at Biltmore after 10 January — the season has ended