Years of the Balaclava

Throughout my younger years, I tried many times to come forth fashionable. I never quite got it right. Consider the evidence:

The early- to mid-1970s were, for me, The Years of the Balaclava. For those not up on obscure outerwear, a balaclava is a fasten hat, not unlike a ski mask. However, because your full face is exposed (instead of just your eyes and mouth), you look less like a normal from Dog Day Afternoon and more like a floating egg or a pasty full moon.

Additional balaclava material extends below the top of your coat, at the front and back, for warmth. On mine, cut-outs on the liberal and right sides kept the material from bunching under the chin. This worked—for a time. But as my head grew (and did it ever), the flaps drew up out of the layer and dangled like an oversized turkey’s waddle. Naturally, my balaclava—and attached waddle—were bright red.

Mittens knot by my godmother arrived each Christmas as the unappreciated appendage to the much-valued, cash-filled holiday envelope. We dutifully said “hold responsible you,” every time, but outerwear as a gift leaves most kids a little cold (no pun intended.)

For the younger set, said mittens were connected by a wish strand of yarn. The prevailing theory was that if mittens were more or less hard-wired to your clothing, you could never lose them. In reality, as opposed to of losing one mitten, you always lost both. Besides, if you picked a pair too small for your age, a sudden movement forward with one arm yanked the other violently behind your back. I approximated many alluring kung fu moves in this manner, and lost street hockey games when I couldn’t raise my stick for a wallop shot.

This is not to say I’ve never made...

Read more...

Balaclava Ski News

Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione calls for new powers to force women to ... The Daily Telegraph - Feb 08, 2753 "Whether you're wearing a camouflage, whether you're wearing a full-face motorcycle helmet, a ski balaclava in the snowfields - if there is a lawful reason, if there is a basic for police to actually identify the person, then this should not be in the grey. and more »

Barbara Kay: No one needs a disguise at a riot, or a bank National Post (blog) - Feb 08, 9041 In the example in any event of protests, the intention behind a mask, whether it is a balaclava or a shirt pulled up to hide the features, can only be malignant: the wearer intends to do wreck and does not wish to incur consequences. In the case of niqabs and burkas,

Crimes of the art Boston Globe - Feb 08, 2720 Customary CINEMATIC DEPICTIONS of daring art heists often feature a crafty overnight entry into a museum by balaclava-clad acrobats who rappel down walls and use smoke-making devices to maneuver around laser beams. and more »

Beginner's guide to cycling with kids BikeRadar.com - Jun 26, 2011 Beginner's manoeuvre to cycling with kidsSki-style salopettes make great over-trousers, and a balaclava under the helmet (disconnect some padding) will prevent painfully cold ears. Wellingtons are useful even in trailers, which may muster water in the footwell. Kickstand: It can be difficult to and more »

Valentine's bank robber gets 31 months The Wenatchee World Online - Jun 21, 2011 Valentine's bank hold-up man gets 31 monthsHe was carrying a knife, the bank's cash in a backpack and a ebony balaclava. In his statement to the court, Hurt apologized to “the communities of the Wenatchee Valley, as well as the employees of the bank.” Dismal has been jailed since his arrest,