Skiing Clothes

oh well

going skiing with family at easter for first time. apart from obvious waterproof jacket and pants, gloves, etc. any hints on what else to bring/wear. Is cotton vest better than polyester/thermal, how many layers on coldest (ie vest, polo neck and jacket or more layers ???) Anyone got any other hints on best things to buy/bring etc. tks

kenmc

avoid cotton like the plague, once it gets wet (sweat or melted snow) it stays wet and makes you cold. Go with something like a dryflo top from Lowe Alpine (an example, many brands provide similar - usually around 30 euro or so). They can be washed and dried overnight, so 2 will do. Make sure you get good ski or snowboarding socks, at least 2 pairs, as they get smelly and need to be washed. I usually board in a dryflo and a jacket. If it's really cold I wear a longsleeved wicking top too. I am usually too hot.
- Hat
- Shades
- neck gaiter

watna

If you've got your ski suit all organised then that's the main thing. I reccomend getting a proper ski jacket and not just wearing a waterproof jacket. If it's anyway cold you won't be warm enough.

When I'm skiing I don't see the need for thermals (as I have a thick ski jacket). I wear a t-shirt with a long sleeve top over it. I have special ski ones but any long sleeve top will do as long as it's not too light. I also wear a gator (as mentioned above, it's like a hat with a hole in the top that you pull over your head and wear around your neck) as it can be dangerous to wear a scarf (they can get trapped in lifts), proper ski socks (buy these, you're feet will kill you if you don't), ski gloves (again invest in a good pair) and a good hat that fits well around the ears (i.e. covers the ears and doesn't fly off if you go fast). I actually wear my normal sunglasses for skiing so if you don't want to buy a pair of ski glasses you'd get away with it.

Apart from ski gear, just bring jeans, jumpers and boots. Nobody dresses up so that's all you need. A lot of people drink in their ski gear (and dance in their ski boots) after coming off the slopes. It's all very casual so you won't really need any going out tops or little skirts! I usually just broing a few nice long sleeved tops/jumpers.

Fozzie Bear

I'm heading to Val Cenis on Saturday morning for a week and will be bringing good jacket, pants and gloves and long sleeve t-shirts.

watna wrote: »

I actually wear my normal sunglasses for skiing so if you don't want to buy a pair of ski glasses you'd get away with it.

I actually tried that before but i found that the sunlight was reflecting off the snow and up under my regular sun glasses and dazzling me (not good with trees/cliffs/snow boarders in the way;)) plus they were metal frames which could damage you or snap if you fall. If your regular glasses are a snug fit and completely enclose your eye area then you might get away with it as Watna. However you might want to check there flexibility and if they are expensive you might be better off forking out the 20-40 euro for a pair of cheap but reasonably good skiing glasses. (You can pick them up at the resort). At least if you fall and break them you are not going to be out of pocket and the metal frame of them will not be stuck in the side of your head!

As for the rest what everyone else has said just about sums it up. Bring long sleeve t-shirts and wear them under your jacket. Not really that much need for thermals as you are going to be active all day and will be kept warm doing so! If you find yourself short or in need of anything there will be plenty of sports shops out there and you will find that a lot of them do not charge exorbitant prices either.

Enjoy the trip.

oh well

thanks all. I have the proper ski suits and gloves so that's sorted at least. Had seen the gators but wasn't sure if were needed so thanks for the info on them. Skiied years ago in Australia quite a few times so hopefully it'll be like riding a bike and it'll call come back to me. :cool: