Winter 101: Entry level preparation for southerners’ first New England winter

I’m a Southerner. From North Carolina to be exact.

During my senior year of high school whenever I told people back home that I was going to Dartmouth one, two or all of following things always happened:

“Where is that?”

“It is pronounced ‘Dart-mouth (mouf)’?”

Or the best one if he/she already knew about Dartmouth,

“You know it’s going to be cold up there right?”

I would simply smile and say, “Yeah I know.”

At that moment I was just so happy to get out of the state, start a new chapter of my life and have fun, but I really didn’t know how to prepare for the Hanover winter…

During a floor meeting, my UGA spoke to us about how to prepare for the cold weather. She told us that rain boots won’t cut it, and the only pair of shoes that will guarantee to keep your feet warm are snow boots.

Snow boots? I had never heard of them before. However after doing some research, I had seen them before, but people wore these for fashion back home, not for snow!

The genuine fear of the blizzards to come and the thought of me having to trudge through the snow to get class was causing me to lose sleep.

With my UGA’s warning, the next night I bought my first pair of snow boots and a whole lot more…

Don’t do this!

Instead only buy the necessities first and build up from there…there’s plenty of time to accessorize further.

Snow boots

They come in all sorts of colors, styles and lengths.

Take your pick!

Winter jacket

I recommend buying a jacket that falls at your mid-calf/knee area in order to break the wind.

Gloves

Cotton and similar fabrics are cute, but cute won’t keep you warm.

I suggest slipping into a pair of these.

Scarf

If you don’t want to take a trip to a department store, feel free to hit up your Grandma or Aunt Betty for a hand-knit scarf that will be sure to keep you warm.

Toboggan

Toboggan = skull cap = beanie or whatever you call it be sure to cover your ears as soon as you step outside.

If you don’t by the time you arrive to your destination your ears will be red, freezing and extremely uncomfortable.

Heavy-duty/wool socks

Keep the dogs nice and snug!

Long johns/thermals

Either in the spandex/tighter form or the looser, more traditional version, long johns are your best friend when it comes to insulation and adding a much needed layer of warmth.

Sweaters

….And to top it all off, a hefty sweater will do the trick.

Are you convinced yet?

Winter’s a-coming, so prepare well but don’t go crazy.