Do you live/work in Scandinavia? Please help with snow!

[TheSuggestedAmendment]

I’m going on a business trip to Scandinavia this week. And the temperatures are expected to be between -14 and -18. Apparently everyone is still just working away from their offices.

How does this actually work in practice? Do you all wear business suits with ski-wear underneath? Does the transport system just function normally? And when you get into work are you all stripping off to cope with the heating?

I’m calling on potential colleagues and clients and expect to be professional, but will it be OK to wear woolly hat and boots?

Thanks!

At that temperature you'll need a floor length sleeping bag style coat, good boots and a hat and gloves. Everyone just strips off once indoors. I usually take a different pair of shoes to wear indoors.

Will you actually be outdoors long?? Calling where on colleagues? Offices or construction sites?

Insulation and heating in buildings is generally good. Also good while on the public transport so buses, trains, etc. are pretty nice and warm. Wear whatever you normally wear to work (also very few people wear suits in my experience - much more likely to be jeans and a shirt/top) then add a good warm coat, hat, gloves and decent boots (preferably lined) over the top. That's assuming you'll only be outside for short periods and working inside, rather than actually working outside too.

Oh and sorry, you'll absolutely take off the coat, hat and gloves while inside!

When I went to Sweden in the winter with snow I just wore my normal UK winter clothes and coat.

Your face is a bit colder but outside you're walking and inside is heated

In Stockholm and Gothenburg I just wore my usual work clothes with my winter boots, hat and gloves. I took spare shoes for offices in my rucksack. Kiruna was a bit different as it had REALLY deep snow, so I wore my ski kit (salopettes, ski jacket and snow boots).

Are you expecting to be outside for any period of time? At those temperatures, on a business trip, I'd be expecting to be spending all my time indoors (hotel, office, restaurants) and only dashing outside briefly for my Uber

What are you actually doing ?

Are you going to be outside touring facilities or inside in meetings ?

You may be surprised that they are very good with coping with low temperatures in Scandanavia.

I have just come back from a trip there, it was -10. I hardly spent any time outside. It was all in meetings/on site or being shuttled around in taxis. You just need a warm coat for when you are outside briefly.

Inside they have mastered the art of thermal management - I suspect a long time ago.

I am going into meetings from building to building.

I was meant to have a tour of some outdoor facilities but I think that’s been canned. I think my main concern is not looking business-y.

I used to work in Sweden in an engineering firm. My experience is that work wear is more casual. This was approx 2015-2018, and jeans and boots were universal workwear in the offices. (Back when uk offices were still shirts & trousers or a dress)

Boots tended to the cleated sole type in black, so not particularly smart. But that style was also in fashion in the Uk back then.

The only time I needed to think about what to wear in Helsinki was when staying at a hotel where I liked to walk to work so I'd take proper boots and change at the office into workwear shoes (as did all the staff) - a Lands End big down coat and gloves over my normal clothes was fine.
Otherwise, even on one trip at -25' I've never been outside for long enough to need full thermals, its always hotel - taxi- office.

Also, you will want some grip on your shoes, but it's also no where near as slippy on ice at -15 than -1.

At the higher temps there is usually a very thin film of between the ice and the ground. Your foot compressing the ice generates another very thin layer between your foot and the ice, which is very slippery. At -15 there is less chance that can happen

Oh and yes, in our offices, we had much larger cloakrooms for coats than in the UK, so when it was snowing you could leave your ski jacket/ hat & gloves etc to dry off. Some people changed shoes, some didn't

Hugely helpful - thanks all.