What to Wear in Santa Fe in January

Dress for the height, not the month. NOAA's normals for the Santa Fe 2 station give January a high of 43.0°F (6.1°C), a low of 17.9°F (−7.8°C) and 3.7 inches of snow, and Tourism Santa Fe puts the city at about 7,000 ft. Sixteen miles away, Ski Santa Fe's base sits at 10,350 ft and its peak at 12,075 ft, and NWS Albuquerque's snowfall table gives the ski area 225 inches a year against 23 in town. The World Health Organization says UV levels "increase with altitude as the air is thinner and less UVR is absorbed." So build the day on Ski Santa Fe's own advice: a wicking base, a sweater, a weatherproof shell, and dark lenses.

The capsule

1. 
   01

   Dark brown hooded down jacket, hip length

   One coat has to work at two heights: a night in town that falls to −8°C / 18°F, and a morning at Ski Santa Fe's base, more than 3,000 ft higher. Down gives the most warmth for its bulk. Hip length clears a chairlift seat, and the fixed hood goes up over the watch cap when snow starts.

2. 
   02

   Charcoal merino base layer, long sleeve

   Ski Santa Fe's advice starts at the skin: "First layer next to your skin should be something that wicks moisture." Merino does that and stays warm when damp, which counts when you sweat on a run and then sit still on a lift. In town it goes under the cable crew on a morning that starts at −8°C / 18°F.

3. 
   03

   Old gold cable-knit crew

   Ski Santa Fe's second layer is "a fleece or sweater"; this is the sweater. Deep cables hold warm air over the base layer, and a crew neck lies flat under the jacket's zip. Indoors it is the top layer: the Folk Art museum's Girard Wing shows about 10,000 pieces, so plan to carry the jacket. Old gold picks up the brown of the coat and boots.

4. 
   04

   Charcoal softshell trousers, straight leg

   Ski Santa Fe wants the outside layer to be "something that is wind and waterproof". Softshell does that without the bulk of a ski bib, so one pair covers the base and the Plaza. A straight leg drops over the boot shaft and keeps snow out of the cuff, and charcoal hides road spray from the drive back down.

5. 
   05

   Brown suede snow boots, shearling cuff, lug sole

   Town is dry in January, 0.55 inches of precipitation on about 3 days, which suits suede. But about 30 nights freeze, an inch of snow lies on the ground on about 3 days, and the ski area averages 225 inches a year on NWS Albuquerque's table. A deep lug grips both, and the dark leather toe takes the scuffs suede shows first.

6. 
   06

   Black insulated gauntlet mittens

   A gauntlet runs over the jacket sleeve, so snow cannot get in at the wrist, and the leashes keep a mitten from dropping off the chair. Leather palms grip a ski pole at 9am, when the lifts start. In town they earn their place too: Nambé Pueblo bans phones at its King's Day dance, so your hands stay inside them.

7. 
   07

   Navy cuffed wool watch cap

   About 30 January nights fall to freezing at Santa Fe 2, so your ears need cover on a walk to dinner and in a 9am lift line. A fine-knit watch cap fits under the hood without a bump, and its deep cuff doubles the wool over the ears. Navy sits between the charcoal and the browns, and the cap folds into a pocket indoors.

8. 
   08

   Dark tortoiseshell wraparound sunglasses

   Two WHO facts meet at Ski Santa Fe: UV levels rise with altitude, and "fresh snow can reflect up to 80% of incident UV radiation", which is how skiers get snow blindness. A wraparound frame stops glare from the sides, and dark lenses stay on from the drive up NM 475 to the walk back to the car. Tortoiseshell suits the brown jacket.

A suggested look — dark brown hooded down jacket, old gold cable-knit crew, charcoal softshell trousers, brown suede snow boots with shearling cuffs, navy wool watch cap.

What to avoid

• A phone or camera at the King's Day dances
• A chairlift ride without skis or a board
• Plaza clothes at the 10,350 ft ski base
• Entering a kiva or graveyard at San Ildefonso
• Bare eyes on fresh snow at altitude