Replying to New guy to the hobby

Hey
I am going to make my first big purchase in terms of camera gear as well as my first.  I am going to buy a Canon 400D and get into photography, focusing on nothing, taking shots of everything.  I am interested in shooting sking thought and I just had a few questions about people who are knowledgeable about photography and have shot skiers in the past.

1) Cold temps + camera gear = ?  Thats basically it, is there anything besides cold batteries I should watch out for?  Like if I get sprayed with snow can there be major damage to my gear?

2) In terms of sequence shots I've heard two different things, mounted camera and non mounted.  Mounting giving you the nice clean shots and unmounted giving a panning technique.  What do you guys use when doing sequences?

3) Is there any other big things I should watch out for/need to know about shooting skiers?  Right now I won't be doing anything at night unless it's under lights on the hill or urban street lights because I don't have the funds to buy the flash equipment, so that's ruled out.  Any biggies?

Thank for reading, look forward to replies.
-aaron