Talk:Balaclava (clothing)

"exposing only the eyes and often the nose" - Does this mean that the version with a big round hole in the front that exposes the whole face is not a balaclava? -- Heron 12:24, 26 Mar 2004 (UTC)

I dunno about that but I'm now thinking that we should have a separate article for ski-mask and balaclava. Traditionally a balaclava is made of wool and can be rolled up into a hat. It predates the popularity of skiing by quite some time. Because of the origin of the term the word Balaclava is more well-known in Britain than America. Mintguy (T)

Perhaps two articles would be best. I moved this to ski mask because on google "ski mask" got many more hits than "balaclava"... but, if they're different then that's irrelevant. I don't know much about either of them, so I'll leave it to someone else to split the page, if that would be best. fabiform | talk 19:30, 26 Mar 2004 (UTC)

Please please please don't use Google as a guide to relative worldwide usage. All google hits prove is that there are more websites in the USA than in the rest of the world. Mintguy (T) 21:22, 26 Mar 2004 (UTC)

I don't think that either is more prevalent in the US. I thought that a ski mask was something else for the longest time. I have been told that the "big round hole" one is a balaclava, while a ski mask has separate holes for each eye, but there doesn't seem to be a difference in popular usage.

I added a reference to outdoor sports activities because that is how I initially heard of a balaclava. i was looking for ski gear, and a balaclava was recommended. Upon researching in the wiki, I found no reference for skiing or outdoor sports usage. "Real world" research at [REI] and other outdoor "outfitters" revealed such use.