Mumsnet Talk

My brother is an experienced skier, and is taking dd (13) off skiing for half term in Feb.

Brother says he'll hire equipment there, but she will need to bring togs - cheaper to buy here apparently.

Neither dh nor I have ever skied, so know nothing.

What does she need? Where do I get it? We can't afford (and don't want) to spend too much, as this is likely to be dd's only time, though I'm sure the outer wear will be useful on UK camping trips (our normal holiday!).

Oh yes, she has a jacket from dare2be which is waterproof, windproof, breathable and has taped seams, according to the label, which also says Red 2000 but that's probably irrelevant.

Her jacket sounds fine. The trick is to layer. Mine normally have a thermal base layer, cotton mid-layer and a fleece top layer. She'll need salopettes and good gloves. Helmet can be hired along with the equipment, potentially goggles as well. M&S do nice thermals and TK Maxx is great for the rest, although might be a bit late.

Mountain warehouse sometimes have some good deals on. Eg at the moment they have young children's salopettes for a tenner. We bought these last year and they do a good enough job (I even got an adult version for me at £25).

There is also a ski warehouse near Carlisle, Skiwear4less, and they are priced well.

Working from the bottom upwards:
Walking boots or shoes for getting around town. Thick socksx2. Thermal trousers covered with salopettes. Thermal top (+ spare), fleece, ski coat. (dare 2 be is a good brand!) however if it's warm a top and coat is plenty. Any other comfortable, flexible top layers. At least 1 pair of waterproof gloves. A buff or neck gaiter/scarf is a good idea, and a buff can also be a thin extra layer under a helmet (rented?). Goggles and/or sunglasses.

My kids have their ski coats as their normal winter coats, and we use thermals pretty much all year round (as pyjamas for camping in the UK!). The only items that are specific to snow really are the goggles and salopettes, although the salopettes are also very good for snowman building. My youngest just wears her walking coat (as did I until I discovered Mountain Warehouse) but beware that a snow skirt on a ski jacket does a very good job of stopping snow going up your back when you fall!

We then take everyday clothes, but our (young) kids tend to stay in their thermals. Not likely with a teenager .

Oh and ski socks!

Decathlon have their ski stuff in the sale at the minute if theres one near you, or try online?
I got 2 base layer tops and leggings and 2 fleeces for DS from there recently, good enough quality and warm.
I would suggest inner gloves too, if its cold where shes going.
And dont buy white colour for outer layers, you need bright colours or black to stand out against the snow.

Where is he going skiing? If it is in Europe, I seriously think all those layers of thermals are unnecessary.

DD1 (12) wears a long-sleeved t-shirt, a zip-up-hoody, ski trousers and a ski jacket. Nothing on her legs other than her ski trousers. She has been 4 times now and has never been cold. Honestly. I usually pack some thick tights to go under her salopettes "just in case", but they have never been used. Younger one (6) wears the same, but also a normal vest plus a thin fleece instead of a hoody.

Your daughter will need ski trousers, ski gloves (or mittens are better), and 3 pairs of ski socks (she can wear each pair twice). And a pair of boots for walking around town in the snow. Goggles are useful, but she could also wear sunglasses instead if you don't want to buy goggles.

Fantastic, thank you all. I can't remember exactly where he's taking her but it's in Europe, definitely.

DH has just rushed back from Lidl saying they've got black ski trousers in her size for a tenner. Worth a punt? If they're waterproof, then she can ensure warmth using thermal longjohns?

Or not a chance?

So pleased about the jacket. Got it from TK Maxx a few years ago, was big then and fits now. <relief>

Deffo worth a punt for a one off trip!

We've never used thermal bottoms, just vests and often end up too hot but you never know!

TKmaxx had some good stuff in the clearance section for older kids.

Lidl ski trousers should be fine.

Decathlon or blacks or m&s for base layers. S
Decathlon cheapest and good quality.

Decathlon do teen ski goggles for £12 which are fine. Ski socks are £3. You'd get gloves and a buff from there as well. And a thin to mid fleece to go under jacket.

Europe can be quite cold, depending on where you go. We went skiing in Sweden a couple of years ago and I was glad of my thermals (including glove liners), and we weren't even very high up. I was still freezing on the lifts tbh.

I did get too hot doing cross-country skiing though. That's guaranteed to warm you up

Definitely not Scandinavia! (pretty sure, anyway)

What's a buff?
Does she need a Woolly hat? <pictures dd's look of disgust>

I am waiting for my brother's reply to these questions too, but he's vv busy at work and may take 3 weeks to respond!

She won't need a wooly hat (at least not for skiing) because she'll have to wear a helmet.

Lidl ski trousers should be fine. Don't worry about thermals (unless you are going to Scandinavia).

As another poster has said, if anything, you can end up too hot when skiing.

We all wear thermal tops and bottoms underneath our Salopettes and jackets and we usually ski in France.

I would get her a couple of sets of thermals.

Leggings work well under salopettes and pack a couple of pair of non waterproof gloves, when you are falling over quite regularly even waterproof ones get wet then cold! Good to have dry ones to swap into for the rest of the day.

We went to the alps last year and it was def cold

She may want a "cool" hat for off the slopes but that would be her choice

I'll second the suggestion for sensible shoes off the slopes it can be really slippery

Really jealous, we can't afford to go this year (plus ttc)

A buff is a tube of material pulled over the head and worn round the throat like a scarf.
It can be pulled up at the back over the back of the head so it's covering you from your forehead down the back of your neck and can be pulled up over your mouth at the front if it's cold like a balaclava style.

Get her a really thin hat that she can wear under her helmet if its really cold.

Now see Squirted that is what I would call a dickie.

I always wear thermals under my ski stuff and sometimes a fleece. A buff is a good idea as if it's really cold it can be worn balaclava like under her helmet. So covering her ears and neck.

hearts funny the different terms! I thought a dickie was a hat, beanie style.

this is what I mean by buff, but other suppliers do the same thing only cheaper

Maybe I havent described it very well wouldn't be the first time

Hearts, I always thought a dickie was a false shirt front ( frightfully infra dig, like having a clip on tie).

I shall have a look at buffs/dickies/clip on ties

There are thin gloves, which I think go under proper mittens - seems like a good idea to me. But, MrsBlackcar, you think she'd need more pairs? <hmm, wonder if dd would consider taking dh's enormous rubber gardening gloves instead>

Poor brother has been made redundant and will shortly be unemployed. He'd already paid for this, but I feel a little sad for him that he might not be able to afford to go skiing again for some years, so his last trip is to somewhere perhaps not so fun for him.

See, I'd call it a neck gaiter. But they're really useful anyway - scarves just get in the way.
We always go to France at Feb half term, and I wouldn't risk not wearing thermals. Easter maybe, but not February. It can be chuffin' cold in shady valleys and up the top of the mountain, even if it's sunny and pleasant on a cafe terrace at village level. My kids wear a thermal base layer (Sports Direct has some on sale at the moment) a thinnish fleece and then jacket/salopettes. I also just re-stocked ski socks for dd in SportsDirect - got 7 pairs for £9. You can get away with fewer if she takes some Travel Wash and rinses them out overnight.
Two pairs of gloves are advisable - they can get very wet and if she loses one she's stuffed.
Is there anyone who could lend you any of this stuff?

Don't forget sunscreen and lipsalve.
Oh, and there's an outlet centre near us and I went on Friday. There were hundreds of snowboots there this year - previous years when it's snowed in December has meant they've been wiped out, just when I needed to replace the dc's. I got dd (14) a nice pair for 20 quid. If your dd is small for her age and can get away with kiddie sizes they're even cheaper.