Review: Smartwool Classic Thermal Merino Base Layer

I LOVE base layers! I run cold, and so living in the French Alps, working and playing daily in the mountains, I demand a lot from my base layers, which get a lot of use. 

Of course it’s all about comfort and warmth when it comes to a good quality base layer. Which fabric and weight I opt for will depend on which sport or activity I am using it for, but as I generally run cold generally speaking I want maximum warmth. In my eyes, simplicity is best, I’m not looking for a fancy design.

I get frustrated when base layers are too short in the sleeve or in the body – there’s nothing worse than a cold gap around your kidneys which can easily be made worse by lots of bending over or wearing a climbing harness. So a close fit is essential, but at the same time it needs to be stretchy to allow for full mobility. Next to the skin, it needs to be soft and non-itchy, particularly on those long extended days.

Running a snowboarding school, I’m up in the mountains every day and often stood around for long periods of time without exerting much energy and then suddenly on the move.

After a couple of shorter test runs, Smartwool’s Classic Thermal Merino Base Layer has become a staple of my mountain setup, which I’ve been using most days for the last couple of months. I’ve taken it on splitboarding morning missions from my front door, all-dayers with friends and also teaching days around Morzine, Avoriaz, les Gets and Chatel as well as just going about my day-to-day life here in the French Alps.