What to look for in Ski clothing

Warm, waterproof and breathable. Spend money on Goretex gloves. Believe me, you can cope with a cheap jacket a lot more easily than cheap gloves.

The most important thing is that the jacket fits you and gives you room to move without letting in lots of drafts. You don't need a snow skirt particularly, unless the jacket is very short and you are wearing ski pants that are low rise. If you have high rise pants on, then you'll get away with a shorter jacket.

Actually, both Lidl and Aldi have a special sale of ski and snow boarding stuff early each winter, and I find their stuff is just as good as the much higher priced stuff from most shops. It's only worth paying the extra if you have really specialist needs or are a very unusual size.

I think the most important items you should have are a good pair of gloves, ones that extend up a good bit past the wrist, this stops snow coming into the glove, not 100% but better than standard gloves.

Next id fork out for a good jacket, if you get a good one they should be light weight and not bulky, but are still water proof and wind resistant. You will be able to move more freely in a light weight jacket.
I forked out 500 Euros for this jacket, its a Norwegian brand i dont know if you can get them back home in Ireland. Its a brand called Bergans.



Make sure your pants are waterproof, because if its your first time skiing you will most likely be on your ass alot and you can get quite wet.
Also i wear one pair of thick Thinsulate socks.

If you have good sunny weather while your skiing you will manage with just a pair of sun glasses while skiing, becareful because some glasses can blur out the contours in the snow, which is not good, you could hit a bump or groove in the snow without ever seeing it and snot yourself.

If the conditions are bad, rainy/sleet, windy, snowing, which it can be at the top of a mountain, even ifs its not a the bottom, you should have a good pair of Ski googles, make sure they dont steam up on the inside otherwise your as good as blind. Also its next to impossible to see if you dont wear googles or glasses and you happen to be at the top of a mountain when its snowing and the wind is blowing a gale, its like thousands of needles whacking off the side of your face. Most goggles should be sprayed with a Anti-Steam or something chemical.

EileenG wrote: »

Ok, I have spent 500 euro on ski clothes, but I don't suggest you do this until you know you are seriously addicted and will be skiing for years to come. At the beginning, when you are skiing on piste and probably taking frequent breaks, all you need is something that keeps you covered and is pretty warm and waterproof.

Check out the Patagonia shop in Wicklow Street in Dublin. They have odd sizes, but you can often get great bargains on top quality ski clothes. Also, Great Outdoors often sells off ex-hire stock at the beginning of the season.

If you have a comfortable jacket but are not sure if it's waterproof enough enough, wash it in TX-direct to boost the proofing.

Yeah i would have to agree with you there actually, make sure your snow junkie before throw away loads of money on expensive gear. So i would go with EileenG's suggestions until you have had your first ski holiday.

If you love skiing and cant wait to get back on the slopes then i would invest in some good gear, it will also last you alot longer and be cheaper in the long run. For example that Jacket i bought above comes with a 10 year gaurantee, if it fatigues in anyway, like tears or leaks i can send it back for a new one.

for the jacket you need minimum 5k most ppl go for 10k. some thermals (i use hot chillis they are great not sure where youd get them here though) sallopettes with suspenders are best, good thick socks(hot chilis make those too) and something to cover your face with. if you have a warm jacket one layer is usually ok but for a thin one with no insulation you may need 2