Skiing Clothing

tri111

I'm a total beginner at skiing and am going in Feb to Austria.

I just want to know what are the necessary or recommended items of clothing that you need to ski comfortably and where to get them fairly cheaply. I know of the following:

Ski Jacket
Ski Pants
Ski Socks (been told these are very important to help stop blisters)
Goggles
Gloves and Hat

Apart from these, what about what to wear underneath the ski jacket and the pants? And footwear for walking to and from the ski areas?

Also, is there any need for protective equipment like wrist guards or helmets?

Thanks.

listermint

TK Maxx.... Savage!

robinph

Wrist guards - not really needed for skiing, advisable for begginer boarders as with other forms of padding as boarders fall over a lot more.
Helmet - personal preference really. I do wear one but thats as much because I have a camera attatched to it. They are now becomeing a lot more common on the slopes.
To wear under ski jacket - thermal and then t-shirt and/ or thin'ish fleece. Not a good idea to wear a t-shirt as the base layer though as you'll just get cold and weat from sweating. Depending on how cold it is you might also want thermal bottoms under your sallopetes but unless it's really cold I'd not usually bother.

For general wandering about after skiing you don't need anything special, just that high heels are not advisable. If you do go for a helmet then don't forget to take a regular hat to keep your ears warm though during the wandering around resort.

ShayK1

there are alot of different opinions out there.
Read the below threads and you'll see what they are.

Protection http://boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055212491
Shoes http://boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055214912
Clothes http://boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055211835

As for where to shop....

TK MAX (Dublin or Kilkenny)
Quiksilver Outlet Store (Kildare)
There's a Little Ski and HorseRiding shop in Maynooth that sell Ski and Horse gear. (Weird Combo I know but the prices seem cheap ish)
hadden's store in carlow (small selection)
Keep an eye out for Lidl and Aldi offers. I've seen them in there on a few occassions.
The Great Outdoors aka OUTSIDERS

Triangle

There shouldn't be any need for protective gear (unless you have a history of injuries). Keep in mind i'm not a doc/physio and can only tell you what i have seen from previous ski trips!!!
Most people wouldn't have any protective gear.

As for what to wear under your ski clothes !!!! what do scots men wear under the kilts??? :eek: it really is up to the individual. My missus wears about 2 - 3 thinish layers under the ski jacket/pants, but she really feels the cold. I dont go anywhere near that level, but the cold doesn't really bother me. Keep in mind that although it is freezing (generally) if the sun is out and no cloud cover/wind chill - it can get quite hot up there.
I'd bring two pairs of gloves, they can get wet and then are freezing. so a second pair are handy. Also make sure they are water proof
Definately bring a backpack to hold items (water, snack, neck warmer, spare gloves, etc)

As for goggles, i find a pair of wrap around sun glasses are alot more comfortable than goggles, but in any type of snow conditions i'd more to goggles. Again this is presonal preference.

This is all superficial though - as long as you have what you listed below, you should be grand. (if not the most prepared/comfortable person up the hillside )

gzoladz

Last year was my first and we went with:
-Pants and Jackets rented in Great Outdoors (€50, but this year it is €59 for 9 days).
-3 layers: footbal jersey, polar and the jacket.
-Polar neck.
-Gloves (they have to be good).
-No googles but sunglasses.
-Light polar hat.
-2 socks per foot: first comfortable football socks and then winter socks.
-Just in case, carry some plasters with you.
This worked out excelent for us and I will repeat the formula this year.

oclugg

There's camping shop across from Louis Copelands in Caple street. They are having a genuine sale. You can get a pair of ski pants for 25 euros. I bought a pair there last year for 55 and found them perfect. Some very good saving on jackets too. If you're on a tight budget you can be kitted out for easily under 80 euro. There's also a fabulous pair of waterproof gloves for 9.99.

No need for goggles, sunglasses with string to stop them falling off. Lip balm, try carry a small bottle of water with you every morning, very easy to dehydrate on the slopes.

bonkey

Triangle wrote: »

There shouldn't be any need for protective gear (unless you have a history of injuries).

Depends on what you mean by protective gear. Most people I know wear helmets to protect them from idiots on the slopes.

In terms of the "what to wear under the ski-jacket", I typically wear a thin cotton poloneck (one of them has a zip, for opening the neck on the warm, sunny days) with a t-shirt over it. Unless its seriously cold (pushing -20) thats plenty for me. If it gets too warm, the t can always come off, leaving just the poloneck under the jacket.

Like some of the others here, I'm a sunglasses person, but thats mostly because I wear prescription lenses and have two sets of prescription sunglasses which I personally find much better than any goggles-based solution I've tried out. Your mileage may vary. If you do go the sunglasses route, please, please, please look at getting a pair of proper sports glasses. If nothing else, you want something with shatterproof lenses, such as polycarbonate.

In terms of where to shop, a mate of mine who's coming to visit here in Feb has been telling me that he's found a cheap place on Capel St. (Capel Street Sports, perhaps?). Probbly the place oclugg is talking about.

Other tips:

My ski-gloves get sprayed at least annually with the same waterproof spray I use to seal my shoes. Make sure if you've got Gore-tex gloves that you use a gore-tex spray.

Suncream is also a must. If the sun comes out at all, you'll get burned really quickly, even if you're feeling cold.

gzoladz

I actually have to get gloves today, so thank you for the advise.
Just around Capel St (on Mary St) is my favourite outdoors shop (Ramblers way). It is the small one with runners on the street.
The place is always packed and it looks like you dont want to go in, but sellers are very helpful and friendly.

Update: the cheap place on Capel st. is Capel Camping (or Camping Capel?). I got a pair of €10 gloves and they look very good value. They have different models for that price and others for slightly more.
They have sales on jackets and other stuff too.

cailinoBAC

I bought gloves in Dunnes for €20, jacket (€35) and pants (€25) in Penneys. Got ski type sunglasses for Christmas, no idea how much they cost. They did me fine. I only wore a tshirt under the jacket and nothing under the skipants.

ShayK1

I looked for pants in Pennys and couldn't find them.
The jackets that I saw didn't look great either.
I spent €186 on my quiksilver jacket but I absolutely LOVE it and wear it all the time.

cailinoBAC

They might not have been on sale in all branches. The quality might not be great, but they did the job, and it's good that people who aren't sure if they will be going skiing often have an option not to spend a fortune (well there is the whole beg, steal and borrow as well I suppose...)

ShayK1

I totally agree and I didn't want to spend a fortune either but I'll be boarding twice this season and moving to canada around June and staying there for a year, plus I wear my jacket all the time in the Rain and wind so I'm getting my monies worth.

My brother got an Aldi jacket for €60 which looks the job. Hasn't been put to the test yet though.

Don1

We shall be testing the Aldi stuff versus Quiksilver stuff in 2 and a bit weeks as a good few of the guys goin on our trip bought them. I am thinking that they will do the job they are supposed to but I suspect that the build quality will let them down. One of the guys gloves (cheap aldi type pair bought in Germany "oh they look and feel the same, just cheaper") lasted less than 15 minutes. Carrying his board and the palm just ripped. :mad:
We shall see..............

robinph

Don1 wrote: »

Carrying his board and the palm just ripped. :mad:

I find any pair of gloves it ripped withing seconds of picking up your ski's/ board once the edges are even slightly sharp so stopped bothering to buy any expensive pairs and just accept that they have holes in them. On my last trip the gloves were permanently wet inside but just had some good liners to wear under them and had nice warm hands all the time even so.

ShayK1

I generally carry the board by the loop on the back of the binding. (when its out of the bag of course)
But gloves with a bit of rubber or something on the palms would surely solve your problem?

SlyRax

Got trousers and jacket in pennys, been working on my car out doors over the last few days wearing the gear and it is toasty and dry. Even the hood is insulated, got goggles, gloves and boots in Aldi. The one at newlands cross always has alot of gear that doesn't dissapear too fast

ShayK1

any idea when aldi are having ski stuff back again?
I want some socks

gzoladz

I would love to read a review on the Penneys gear. My concern is not that they wont let the water in, but that they will not let the air out.

I hope I am wrong but you might end up having a Sauna on the Slopes.