What to Wear in Aspen in January

Pack two wardrobes and plan to swap between them. NOAA's figures for Aspen 1SW, at 7,908 ft, put January at 32.0°F by day and 9.9°F at night, almost exactly December's numbers, with 28.1 inches of snow and snow on the ground every day. The summit of Aspen Mountain, at 11,212 ft, sits more than 3,000 ft higher. Aspen Snowmass's own packing list is the mountain kit: waterproof jacket and pants, non-cotton base layers, insulated gloves or mittens, a neck gaiter, and goggles with a yellow lens for snowy days and a polarized one for sun. Sun matters: the EPA warns that snow reflects the sun's rays, and Aspen Snowmass says sunburn happens faster in its thin air. The town kit is simpler, a wool coat, a knit and lined boots, because the month's biggest evenings, from Gay Ski Week to X Games, happen off the slopes.

The capsule

1. 
   01

   Glacier-blue insulated ski jacket, powder skirt, helmet hood

   The summit of Aspen Mountain stands at 11,212 ft, more than 3,000 ft above the town's 32°F afternoon, so the jacket has to hold its own well below the forecast you read at breakfast. Insulation and a waterproof shell handle the chairlift; the snap-in powder skirt keeps snow out of your waist in a fall; pit zips vent the hike up Highland Bowl. Pale blue shows up against dark trees in flat light.

2. 
   02

   Charcoal insulated ski bib pants

   Aspen Snowmass's own packing list asks for waterproof ski pants, and a bib does one thing better: it covers the gap at your lower back when you sit on a snowy chairlift or bend to buckle boots. Charcoal hides the wax and grime of a lift line. Wear it again at X Games, where you stand in snow at Buttermilk for hours.

3. 
   03

   Charcoal mélange merino base layer

   Aspen Snowmass asks for non-cotton base layers, and merino is the reason. It stays warm when the climb up to the ridge leaves you damp, and on the 4 or so January nights when the low reaches 0°F it goes under the cashmere in town as well. A fitted crew slides under a ski jacket without bunching at the shoulders.

4. 
   04

   Black insulated quilted leather ski gloves

   Aspen Snowmass's list calls for waterproof, insulated gloves or mittens. These black quilted leather gloves are insulated for a lift ride that starts in the valley and ends near 11,000 ft, grip poles and zips better than a mitten, and close at the wrist with a strap. Wear them in town too, when a 10°F night meets the walk back from dinner.

5. 
   05

   Deep forest-green loden wool coat, stand collar

   Loden is boiled, felted wool from the Alps, dense enough to cut the wind on a short walk down Galena Street, and it sheds a snow flurry without looking like ski kit. The stand collar buttons to the chin, and the knee length covers a pair of jeans on a -12°C night. Aspen Snowmass says a coat and tie is not necessary here; this coat is as dressed up as town gets.

6. 
   06

   Oat cashmere crew

   One soft knit for every evening. An oat cashmere crew goes over the merino base straight after skiing, sits under the loden coat without bulk, and looks right at dinner in a town that dresses down. Oat also keeps the town kit separate in your head from the charcoal and blue of the mountain kit, which makes the evening change quicker.

7. 
   07

   Near-black indigo straight jeans

   Town only. Near-black indigo straight jeans fall cleanly over a lined boot and pass at every restaurant on Hopkins Avenue. On the mountain they are the wrong tool, because denim soaks through on the first snowy chairlift seat and stays cold, which is why the bib exists. Keep them dry for the evening.

8. 
   08

   Dark leather shearling-lined lace-up lug boots

   Snow covers the ground in Aspen on every January day, and the sidewalks between the gondola and dinner are packed and icy. Dark chili-brown leather with a moc toe and a shearling lining keeps your feet warm through a 10°F evening, and the black lug grips where a ski boot's hard sole slides. Change into them at the base, not at the hotel.

A suggested look — deep green loden wool coat, oat cashmere crew, dark indigo straight jeans, dark brown shearling-lined lug boots, black quilted leather gloves.

What to avoid

• Jeans on the mountain — denim soaks through on a snowy chairlift
• Ski boots in town — hard soles slide on packed snow
• Skipping sunscreen — the EPA says snow reflects the sun's rays
• Formal clothes — Aspen Snowmass says a coat and tie is not necessary
• Driving to X Games — there is no parking at Buttermilk