To take my kids skiing in these clothes?

[OhShutUpThomas]

I’m taking my kids skiing in Scotland on Wednesday. They’ve never been before but I’ve booked lessons and all excited.

They have no ski gear. We live on a farm though and they have lots of warm gear.

Can they ski in the regular warm winter jackets that they work in? They are waterproof! Or do I need to spend ££££ on ski suits for 3 kids?

YABU - buy them the ski suits you miser
YANBU - they can ski in warm non-ski clothes

Thank you!

So long as what you have is warm, windproof, waterproof, not too heavy and enables good freedom of movement then their current jackets will be fine.

But what about the bottom half? They will definitely need waterproof trousers. Ski pants/salopettes have zippers or flares at the bottom to fit over snow boots.

Ideally you want proper ski socks too. Good gloves are also important, not just for warmth but for protection. Depending on conditions, goggles or sunglasses.

Helmets are obviously a must but will probably be included with the ski hire.

Have fun!

Oooh. Sounds great - where are you going?

I think you know your kids best, and if they are ok doing physical exercise in minus temperatures in the clothes you already have. Are they warm and waterproof, top to toe, but also flexible enough to ski in? Agree with PP about footwear - good socks and boots - we made the mistake of doing a snow (not ski) holiday in good suits but not thinking enough about feet - double socks including merino socks, and snow boots.

Current coats will be fine but they will need ski/waterproof trousers.

I'd get ski suits.

When my dc were small I saw a little ski suit in a charity shop for £5 because the seam had gone. I bought it, mended it. And when it snowed, that child was out all day, with the zip undone because they were so warm, whereas the other two found, however bundled up they were, an hour or two was enough before they were too cold.

Child with ski suit was rolling round in the snow etc so would have expected them to be the coldest.

So next year I bought us all ski suits on eBay/charity shops and snow boots and we were all able to be out in the snow, warm as toast for as long as we were happy to be out.

They need to be waterproof and windproof. You might be able to hire locally if they are not up to it.

Depends what you have and where you farm.

mine are on farm Scotland and absolutely outdoor lambing gear is ski grade.

nothing worse than cold wind on a bike.

Oh, yes,l agree with pp, definitely don’t bother buying new!

Have a google of what people wore back in the day and you will not question what you have.

We are in the borders. I am planning to wear my full Kaiwaka kit and the kids have Stoney Creek and Swanndri coats.

I hadn’t thought of leggings needing to accommodate ski boots though so we may need to buy those!

Thanks all. V good points re socks!

I would totally ski in a waterproof walking jacket type thing. I would still put a thermal layer on plus a neck warmer than can turn into a snood. Presumably you're hiring helmets/skis? Remember to take a hat when off piste.
You'll need waterproof gloves. Socks are a definite. And goggles or sun glasses are a must. And don't forget sun cream and SPF lip balm.

Enjoy! Hope you get some good snow 😁

And as others have said waterproof trousers. If you'l don't want to buy ski trousers then put on joggers underneath for ease.

They'll be fine. I went on a ski trip with school many moons ago and we wore layers - pjs, joggers, and then waterproofs on top. Nobody had salopettes for 1 day skiing on beginners slopes. Good gloves and warm (or doubled-up) socks. If they like it you can think about second hand gear for the next trip. They won't be going high up if they've never done it before.

My local Lidl currently has ski gear in the middle aisle, including children's sizes.

I'm Borders too, it's fucking freezing and knowing here. It's actually 5° warmer in Inverness right now that it is here. Where are you planning to go?

Of course, the jackets they rented when we went were 3 in one jackets, the kind for hiking, I wore thermal leggings, joggers and waterproof hiking trousers on my bottoms

In Scotland windproof is key !

They’ll be fine with what you’ve got. I’d buy some propers socks and a pair of thermal leggings though. Our Decathlon has them but we are on the continent so I don’t know if the Uk one has them. I remember they used to be about €4 for kids.

Glenshee 🙂

It's waterproof on the bottom as well as warm that's important. They will fall over. They will want to sit on the snow. Ski trousers are amazing for this. They also have an elastic bit that goes over the ski boot and then the trouser over the top. This stops snow getting up inside the trouser when you fall into a drift. Although on a green slope the snow will be compacted and you are less likely to come off the side as it'll be flattish and wide.

As others have said, ski gloves, goggles and thick ski socks. Although I imagine walking socks will do.

Jackets sound fine and any leggings would be fine as thermals but please source proper ski trousers, gloves and goggles. Also a snood is a must. I'm also in the Borders and spent lots of my childhood skiing up north, not always with the right clothing. I'm far from loaded but make sure my own children are properly kitted out for it nowadays.

Edited to add thermals shouldn't really be tucked into boots, so you need close to knee length socks. Sports leggings cropped below the knee actually work quite well.

The thing that does seem a bit different re specific ski wear is the cut. Eg on a Ski jacket you’ll get the ski skirt that will help stop snow getting up their back. I think biggest difference though is salopettes versus water proof trousers. On my kids the salopettes are cut much high compared to their normal water proof trousers so they can sit down in the snow without it going up their bum or back. We were skiing last Easter when it was warm and I’ve got pictures of mine messing around on the nursery slopes in just a t shirt but with salopettes and gloves.

The only time I went skiing and was boiling in my thermals, saloppettes and big coat!

A normal waterproof coat is fine, but you need skiing trousers and socks. Proper ski socks are knee high and have a thicker section up the front to help cushion the shin from the pressure of the boot. If they’re only wearing hiking socks their shins will get hammered.

Whatever they wear needs to be fully waterproof, jacket and trousers. Good gloves are important too (also waterproof) They’ll probably fall over a lot. Rolling around in the snow is great fun in the right gear. If you get wet and cold, it’s bloody miserable.

We hired ski suits for our DCs when they did lessons.