The Best Women's Ski & Snowboard Balaclava (Plus 9 Decent Ones)
When we started looking for the best women's balaclavas and ski masks (same thing, really) to compare, we ran into a small problem: there aren't any. Men have plenty of options, but we women often just have unisex ski masks produced in some girly colours and patterns. So we decided to focus this on what matters for women.
Navigate below, or just scroll down for our picks.
The Verdicts | Why You Need A Balaclava | Key Features For Females | How Do I Choose A Balaclava For Skiing? | Conclusion
The 10 Best Balaclava Ski Masks For Women
1. The Ponyclava (of course)
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Standout feature: Ponytail hole, plus everything else |
Because balaclavas and ski masks just don't play nice with long hair. Whether it's loose, tied, or braided, it inevitably escapes and works its way around the front of your face... and into your mouth. Yes - we're speaking from experience again.
That's why we made the Ponyclava. We're pretty sure we're the only specially made women's balaclava on the list, so we're taking the liberty of giving it first place. 🏆
Head size: 5/5. We have female-specific small and large sizes - we found that small unisex sizes are often still too big for small female heads. We've also heard that these fit kids really well. :)
Warmth: 4/5. It's worked for us for conditions in the PNW to the Midwest without being too warm or too cold. We'd say it's a firm midweight.
Hair: 5/5, for obvious reasons.
Style: 3/5. Not the fanciest, but we think it looks pretty cool.
Comfort: 5/5. We put the hole low on the neck so that it fits underneath the back adjustment strap of any ski helmet. (See things to look for, below.) We also included breathing ventilation - a nose flap and mouth piece to stop your goggles fogging up. The whole piece is stretchy, so you can pull it down to breathe freely without pulling the entire balaclava out of alignment, and when it gets cold, you can just pop it back up into place. And lastly, we made it from a warm and soft brushed fleece that's moisture-wicking, breathable, stretchy, thin enough to fit under a helmet, and long enough to tuck into the collar of your jacket or midlayer.
Colours: 2/5. Sadly, only the grey for now. But we will shortly be producing a black balaclava (by popular demand!) and hopefully more fun colours soon.
Basically, we took every feature we ever wanted and made sure we had them all. And added a ponytail hole.
Try it out. Your luscious locks will thank you!
P.S.: You don't need a ponytail to wear the Ponyclava. It works just fine with short hair too!
2. Blackstrap The Hood Balaclava
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Standout feature: Versatility |
This is a fairly standard design for a ski face mask, with 4-way stretch fabric and UPF 50+ sun protection. It gets extra points for versatility because of its hinged design, allowing you to wear it in multiple ways - as a ski mask, neck warmer, scarf, or bandana. Plus, it has a dual layer of material around the neck to provide extra warmth in cold weather. As hinged balaclavas go, this one is top of the line!
Head size: 3/5. No female-specific sizes, but they do seem to use a generic head size that should fit a fair number of people.
Warmth: 2/5. This is pretty lightweight, even with the dual layer.
Hair: 1/5. No hole.
Style: 4/5. We love the Blackstrap logo placement, and it looks pretty sleek.
Comfort: 3/5. Goes under your helmet easily as it's thin, but the fabric touching your skin is slick, not brushed. Also no ventilation, which is probably why some reviews say that it tends to cause glasses or goggles to fog up.
Colours: 4/5. Love the variety of bright colours and prints available.
See at Blackstrap. There's also the Expedition Hood, which is exactly the same except with a double layer everywhere.
3. Airhole Facemask
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Standout feature: The breathing hole |
The Airhole is a great technical piece with a unique feature - the airhole. This is a small hole that allows you to breathe without fogging up your ski goggles or glasses.
Head size: 3/5. No female-specific sizes, but they seem to use a generic head size that should fit a fair number of people.
Warmth: 5/5. There are a range of options from lightweight to heavyweight.
Hair: 1/5. No hole.
Style: 5/5. It's iconic!
Comfort: 4/5. Lighter versions can easily fit under your helmet, and the fabrics are nice. And the airhole means that your goggles shouldn't fog (well unless you are breathing through your nose...) But no ponytail hole.
Colours: 4/5. Love the variety of bright colours and prints available.
Airhole Facemasks come in a variety of advanced materials that are water- and wind-resistant, breathable, and moisture-wicking. We love them if you don't have long hair.
Not to mention, they're also Canadian. 🍁
4. Smartwool Merino Wool 250 Balaclava
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Standout feature: Merino wool |
Head size: 3/5. No female-specific sizes, but they seem to use a generic head size that should fit a fair number of people.
Warmth: 4/5. This midweight balaclava is a great all-rounder, and its dual layer knit provides plenty of insulation to keep your entire head warm in harsh weather conditions.
Hair: 1/5. No hole.
Style: 2/5. Not the most attractive.
Comfort: 1/5. Warm, but many people find merino itchy. No ponytail hole, and no ventilation either. Also, not quite long enough to tuck into your jacket collar, so may not keep your neck warm.
Colours: 2/5. Few options available.
5. Oyuki Proclava
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Standout feature: Price |
Head size: 3/5. No female-specific sizes, but they seem to use a generic head size that should fit a fair number of people.
Warmth: 2/5. Like the Blackstrap Hood, pretty lightweight.
Hair: 1/5. No hole.
Style: 4/5. Definitely a unique look.
Comfort: 3/5. Like many of the others on this list, it is breathable, stretchy, and versatile due to its hinge, plus thin enough to fit under a helmet.
Colours: 3/5. Has a reasonable assortment of colours, but some are a bit much.
This is a great budget-friendly option that is quite similar to the Blackstrap balaclava above. Oyuki has become known for high-quality products that are surprisingly affordable, so this is definitely worth considering if you’re looking for quality gear at a solid price point.
6. Burton Cora Hood
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Standout feature: Over-helmet (for better or for worse) |
One of these things is... not like the others. No, this is a balaclava hood, meant to go over your helmet. It's made out of a soft, fluffy fleece, rather like a fuzzy couch throw. It has a drawstring for adjustability, and should keep your helmet and face quite dry. On the other hand, it can be quite bulky - and if it's snowing out, we probably wouldn't want this on top of our helmet, since it would get soggy pretty quickly when exposed to the elements. Water dripping down the back of our neck is not the way we want to spend a pow day! So although it's pretty cool, we'd say it's suited for dry, sunny days only. ☀️
Head size: 5/5. Doesn't need to fit perfectly if you're just popping it over your helmet! Comes with adjustable straps in case you do need to tweak something though.
Warmth: 4/5. Definitely will keep the warm air in (until it gets wet at least...)
Hair: n/a
Style: 5/5 - if looking a bit like a live yeti is what you're going for. (No judgment!)
Comfort: 3/5. It's a fleece hood! No need to worry about under-helmet fit issues, and love the soft, fuzzy fleece. But probably won't be as good at keeping you warm as an under-helmet version, plus the nose flap is likely to send air up and into your goggles, causing fogging.
Colours: 4/5. Love the variety of bright colours and prints available.
7. BlackStrap The Tube Neck Gaiter
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Standout feature: Neck tube / gaiter |
A tube version of The Hood, this is great for anyone looking for a technical, functional, and comfortable buff. Its breathable and moisture-wicking fabric offers up its standard UPF 50+ UV protection, and comes standard with anti-microbial treatment. Made with four-way stretch fabric, you won’t have to worry about movement being limited while wearing it.
Head size: n/a. Does not go over the head.
Warmth: 2/5. Being a neck tube, it's enough to keep your neck warm... but it won't keep your head warm.
Hair: 3/5. No hole, but depending on how you're wearing it, you may not need one.
Style: 5/5. Easily cool.
Comfort: 4/5. Can be easily moved around, but it's hard to get a neck gaiter to stay up and stay in place. You typically have to tuck it under the ear flaps of your helmet, and it can easily fall down, leaving your neck exposed.
Colours: 5/5. Sooo many fun prints.
8. Turtle Fur Shellaclava Fleece Ski Mask
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Standout feature: Synthetic top half with fleece lower half |
The Turtle Fur Shellaclava Chelonia 150 is an excellent choice for skiing and snowboarding due to its versatility and functionality.
Head size: 3/5. No female-specific sizes, but they seem to use a generic head size that should fit a fair number of people.
Warmth: 5/5. One of the warmest ski masks on this list, likely second only to the Burton below. The hoodpart has a stretchy exterior fabric with a brushed fleece inside, while the neck warmer part is a dual layer of purely soft fleece, which should keep you nice and cozy on super cold days when you want extra protection.
Hair: 1/5. No hole.
Style: 2/5. You're likely to look like you're wearing a couch throw over your face. In other words, the downside of a fleece balaclava.
Comfort: 1/5. Bulky, so it's hard to fit under a helmet. Probably too warm for anything but the coldest days. No ventilation, and the fleece double layer doesn't breathe well, and so your goggles can easily fog up if you pull it over your nose (to avoid the Rudolph effect). 🦌
Colours: 3/5. A bit drab, but some good colour options.
9. Burton Ember Fleece Balaclava
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Standout feature: All fleece |
For extreme cold, this thick fleece balaclava provides maximum protection.
Head size: 3/5. No female-specific sizes, but they seem to use a generic head size that should fit a fair number of people.
Warmth: 5/5. Full fleece balaclava = super warm.
Hair: 1/5. No hole.
Style: 2/5. Like the Turtle Fur above, you're likely to look like you're wearing a couch throw over your face.
Comfort: 1/5. Again, it's bulky, so it's hard to fit under a helmet. Definitely too warm for anything but the chilliest days, and you can't really convert it into a fleece neck gaiter because it will become bulky when lowered. Provides extra protection, but won't breathe too well because it's so thick, risking goggle fogging. Lack of versatility is a bit of a damper for us.
Colours: 3/5. A few colours, but nothing too memorable.
10. Icebreaker Oasis Ski Mask
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Standout feature: A small ventilation flap! |
Head size: 3/5. No female-specific sizes, but they seem to use a generic head size that should fit a fair number of people.
Warmth: 4/5. A decent lightweight, probably warm for its class since it's wool. Wicks moisture, too.
Hair: 1/5. No hole.
Style: 4/5. Sleek looking.
Comfort: 3/5. This one has a little ventilation flap at the front. But some reviewers found it may not fully cover the back of your neck, meaning you risk some cold exposure.🦒 We're not quite sold.
Colours: 3/5. At least there's more than just black!
Also, although it's machine washable, you can't put it in a dryer - it has to be line-dried.
Why Do I Want a Balaclava for Skiing or Snowboarding, Anyway?
To rob a bank afterwards, obviously Picture this. The snow is fluffy, the sun is out, and the wind is crisp. You're nice and toasty in freshly washed gear. You hop on the lift.
Three hours later, the wind feels like it's boring right through your teeth, your nose is running, and your skin has the texture of cracked cement. Your face is totally wet from the unexpected dump halfway through the day. And the tip of your nose is red from the cold and the wind, so now you look like Rudolph too.
You try to hide behind the collar of your jacket, but it just scratches the already irritated skin on your chin and nose, and it takes two days to settle down.
If you can't tell, we're speaking from experience.
Snowing or (perish the thought) raining? Check.
Sun? Check.
Wind? Check.
Cold? Check.
Unless you're spring skiing somewhere with no precipitation, not much sun, and no wind, you'll probably want some sort of face protection. Enter the balaclava face mask.
If you're looking for our picks for the best balaclava for different categories (midweight, fleece, kids, etc.), then check out our other post on the 25 best balaclavas and ski masks.
Key Features For A Women's Ski Balaclava
Sometimes the things that matter to women just aren't a big deal for men. Like:
- Warmth: Women often run colder than men, so a proper fit with a decent amount of insulation is important.
- Head size: Women often have smaller heads than men, meaning that a unisex fit can easily be too big. If that happens, any ventilation holes will likely stretch to the wrong place, or sag.
- Hair... big hair. What do you do with all that fabulous volume?
- Style: Call us cliche, but sometimes we like to look good while shredding! Not all of us ladies do care about this, of course. But quite possibly more than the men do.
- Comfort: Why compromise?
- Colours: If you don't care about this, skip right ahead. But if you're anything like us (and we have been known to not buy a piece of gear because it only came in black...) then you might want to know where you can get the best colours.
Let's talk in a bit more detail about why these matter, and the features a good female-specific piece of gear should have.
Snow and Cold Weather Protection
Ski balaclavas have one job: to protect you from the elements. Like we mentioned up top, women often tend to run a bit colder than men, so keep that in mind. That's one reason we made the Ponyclava midweight - lightweight wouldn't be enough for a lot of outdoor adventures, especially when the temps start to drop into the single digits.
So if you see a lightweight balaclava, in our opinion you should think twice. Many of them are single layer or very thin fabrics, which means they'll have less protection against wind and may not hold up too well in cold conditions. Unless you run extra hot all the time, we'll bet that you won't find a midweight - whether it's made from a heavier material or adds an extra layer - to be overkill. Instead, it'll add versatility, so that you can use it on ski trips near and far.
Smaller Heads...
Womens' heads generally run a bit smaller, and a lot of balaclavas only come in one size. If they're too big, they bunch up. Unfortunately, stretchy materials don't shrink! A women's balaclava should have female-specific sizing, or at the very least a smaller and larger size.
That's why we made the Ponyclava in two sizes. How do you choose? Check your helmet size. Anything below 55cm is an XS/S; anything above is a M/L.
... And Big Hair
If you're one of those people with a spectacular mane, now you can show it off while you ski. Just pop it through the Ponyclava and let it billow out behind you as you fly down the hill.
Yes, we know that's a male lion - but just look at that mane! Besides, we had to give a shoutout to our man-bun friends.
Skin Protection
Pretty much all the options we've listed above have some sort of full face coverage. We think this is extra important. Women's skin is, on average, 20% thinner than men's - which means it's more prone to damage. So, let's face it (pun intended!): we need to be a bit more aware of how alpine and cold weather conditions can affect it. That way, we can rip during the day and still look like we've stepped out of a spa at night. Or not - whatever floats your boat. But either way, you don't want burned, peeling skin! The extra layer provided by a balaclava is the perfect solution.
Sunscreen should be a critical part of every woman's skincare routine. But if you're up on a mountain without a face covering, you're going to have to keep re-applying it. The sun is sharper at high altitudes, plus it reflects off the snow. Put these two together, and it becomes super easy to get a sunburn.
Then there's windburn. Not only do cold winds make temperatures seem worse than they are, but windchill bites into any exposed skin. Even if you have your sunscreen routine dialed, you can easily get windburn, and it causes pretty much the same effects as sunburn: peeling, soreness, redness, dryness. There may be no UV damage, but it sure feels just about as unpleasant.
So make sure you keep your face covered. A bit of additional sun protection from your balaclava, and you can keep your skin hydrated and glowing while forgetting about constantly re-applying sunscreen. Thankfully, most of the materials mentioned above and below are naturally UV- and wind resistant.
Now let's get to the general topics.
How Do I Choose A Balaclava For Skiing?
There are a few things you should watch out for. Let's start with the most important.
What materials and fabrics are best?
Look for soft materials that are:
- technical (performance fabric)
- breathable (to release heat from exertion)
- quick-dry (in case it's wet outside)
- excellent at moisture-wicking (keeps sweat away)
- wind- and water-resistant (stops it from soaking through)
- stretchy, ideally four-way stretch (to get a good fit and avoid bunching up)
That means no cotton! You have two main categories to choose from.
Synthetic fabrics
Synthetic fabrics like fleece, PolarTec, or Repreve recycled polyester are great for all of the above. The only downside is that synthetic fibers tend to pick up unpleasant odors more easily. But they usually come with an antimicrobial finish to avoid this problem.
Natural fabrics
We'll say it again: no cotton! Merino wool, which comes from sheep, is the go-to. It is sustainable, naturally odor-resistant, naturally moisture-wicking, and excellent at regulating body temperature. (That being said, body heat regulation is more important for a base layer than a ski mask, so you probably don't need to worry about it too much.)
The downside is that it's often itchy, and that's not pleasant on the face. You'll often find it in a blend of polyester or other synthetic materials to avoid this, but even that doesn't always solve the problem entirely. So the choice of merino or synthetic fabric generally comes down to personal preference.
Also, merino balaclavas are some of the most expensive ones on the market, unfortunately.
How much cold protection do I need?
Look for features that will help keep the cold air out and your body heat in. You wouldn't want a knitted balaclava - everything would go right through it!
Generally, just having something in front of your face will go a long way to warming you up, so we've found a midweight balaclava works the best all around. If you're out in frigid weather, though, you may want one of the heavier options. The tradeoff is that they are less breathable because they have thicker layers.
How do I make sure my balaclava is helmet-compatible?
We're writing this post assuming you're wearing a helmet on the hill, because everyone really should be!
Thinness and fit
Your balaclava should be thin enough to slide under your helmet without being too tight. Otherwise, your helmet will end up squeezing your head, and probably give you a headache.
Use the adjustment dial at the back of the helmet to loosen it if needed. If you don't have a dial, then it's extra important to try them both on together.
Of course, the helmet provides its own insulation too, and you don't want to overheat, which is why the head pieces on most ski balaclavas are made of much thinner material than the neck pieces.
Hair
The back strap of the helmet often smushes down on a ponytail or bun, making it really uncomfortable.
You already know that we made the Ponyclava to solve the problem of hair wrapping around the front and getting in your mouth. But we also made sure to put our ponytail hole low at the back - so that it doesn't interfere with the adjustment strap.
So how do I fit my balaclava for maximum comfort?
In a nutshell: Not too tight, not too loose. You want it to be snug, but not so snug that it feels like it's compressing your head with the force of an elephant. You also don't want it to be so loose that gaps appear, letting in cold air or snow, or so that excess fabric bunches up under your helmet.
It should also have a decently sized eye hole - enough to protect the part of your face that's not covered by your helmet, but not so much as to impede your peripheral vision. For example, that's why we were a bit unconvinced by the Oyuki Proclava - it sits too high on the forehead.
The point of a balaclava is to increase your comfort on the hill - so make sure you size it correctly. We make the Ponyclava in two sizes so that you always have a perfect fit.
How do I stop my ski goggles from fogging up?
Ventilation. Breathable materials like those described above are great, but it's really important to also have physical breathability, like a mesh panel for ventilation at the mouth and nose. Skiing has periods of being a highly aerobic activity and you will be breathing heavily - all that air needs a place to go.
Otherwise, either you have to keep your nose exposed (not fun) or you risk your goggles fogging up - and that is not just unpleasant but highly dangerous.
A few other things to consider
Visibility
If you plan on skiing or snowboarding at night, you may want to look for reflective elements so that you can be seen by others on the slopes.
Versatility
Versatility isn't a dealbreaker, but it can be useful. We've found that just having the ability to move the ventilation flap away from your mouth is all we need. But if you only want to buy one piece of gear for all activities and all weather conditions (e.g. hiking, skiing, shoveling snow), then this may matter more.
Washability
Although this may not sound like a big deal, it's always better to get a machine washable (and dryable!) balaclava. It is just so much easier to throw your ski mask in the washing machine rather than worry about hand washing every time it picks up some unpleasant odors. Luckily, most synthetic fabrics are machine washable.
Conclusion
This is, after all, a post about the best women's balaclavas and ski masks. So we don't think we're stretching when we say the Ponyclava should be first on your list! It's the only one made specifically for women (by women!), and it covers all the bases - it's breathable with physical ventilation, it's made from recycled materials, it's soft, warm, wicks moisture, and is helmet-compatible... and of course, it has a ponytail hole. We'd say it's the perfect choice for your next ski trip.