Ski-ing - what to wear ??? Please tell me !

[Scatterbrain]

Hi everyone,

Well - just a month to go until our first ski holiday !! And I have no idea what we need !! So I thought I would come on here and ask all you experienced people what you think !

DH reckons we need 6 sets of base layers each !! As they get smelly - please tell me that's not true !! Do ski hotels tend to have laundries - maybe I can get away with two sets and get them washed ??

I know we need ski jackets and trousers each - and waterproof boots for when not ski-ing - but other than that I am lost !!! Must I buy expensive fleeces or will Tesco's £4 jobs do ?? Do we really need moon boots ??

Any advice - Oh and recommendations of where to buy (cheap and cheerful ideally) very gratefully received !!!

Thanks

Scatterbrain xxxx

Don't worry - you really don't need that much!

For skiing, I normally take two or three long sleeved thermals (or two long sleeved and one short lseeved): you can always rinse one out and leave to dry while you are wearing the other. A couple of jumpers, maybe a couple of long and hsort sleeved T-shirts (it is sometimes surprisingly warm on the slopes!) and a couple of fleeces. That should be plenty. Tesco £4 fleeces should be fine if they are just for layering. (I often go out with 4 layers on, if I am really worried about the cold - easier to take one layer off if you are too hot than go back to get another one if you are too cold - and miserable).

I feel the cold, so I also take a pair of thermal long johns. I also tak e a load of slik socks - personally I find them warmer than thick socks (but it is personal thing). I also have a pair of silk inner gloves. You should alos get osme fleece "turtle necks" - tubes you wear around your neck. Some fleece turtle bands (for your ears) and/or hats wouldn't go amiss either. The latter you can get easily in the resort.

TK Maxx is worth looking at for reasonably priced salopettes and ski jackets. Gloves you might be best leaving until you get to the resort - or go to a good ski shop beofre you go. If you get silk inners, you maybe don't need to spend as much - depends on how badly you feel the cold in your hands (put it this way, even with silk inners, I still spent a fortune on my gloves).

You'll need proper ski sun glasses - again, you can get a good selection in most resorts and they're not ALL expensive! Get a "string" to attach them - to stop you losing them when you fall .

Aprt from the thermlas, I have never found the need to wash the other lyaers: you are so wrapped up anyway!

For evenings, you might want to take a pair of slippers/slipper socks ( an essential in a chalet - but it sounds like you are going to a hotlel)

Just take a few tops and a jumpers and maybe two pairs of trousers for the evenings. You really don't need that much - unoess you are planning on clubbing and going for the apres-ski every night! A cuddly thick jumper is noce to have. Remeber to take "evening" (ie ordinary wool/whatever) gloves. I haven't always had spefically waterporrf boots for the evening - desrt boots or similar are fine.

Where are you going?

Message withdrawn

You lucky things, I wish I was going. Remembering the dim & distant past (pre children) when we last went.

December will probably be very cold but it depends on how high the resort is and how exposed the slopes but be prepared for cold and you can always wear less layers the next day.

From the inside out you will need standard underwear with tights (nylon ones do trap a lot of heat), normal socks, thermals (top & bottoms), ski socks, a couple of T-Shirts and a couple of THIN jumpers, preferably polo necks. Then ski jacket, trousers hat & scarf. Mittens are lots warmer than ski gloves and both are so bulky that you have no manual dexterity anyway and have to take them off to do up zips etc. My sister swears by thin evening gloves worn under mittens to keep her fingers warmer when digging out ski-passes etc but I have never bothered. The ideal is lots of thin layers rather than less bulky layers as the thin layers will trap lots of body heat.

Your socks & tights will HAVE to be washed daily as they will STINK, you top half will not be nearly so bad so will last longer especially the outermost layers.

Walking boots will probably do just as well & a lot better on ice than moon boots. Depends what you will be doing other than skiing, snowball fights and heavy walking you will need good waterproof boots, but walking down the swept paths to the shops and bars you could get away with cheaper.

I am sure you will get loads of other responses as well

No ski hotels won't generally have laundries but may well have a line in the bathroom and radiators for you to rinse through and dry out. you won't get that hot in Jnauary though , especially if you choose breathable layers.

In January you'll need cotton underlayers (long arms and legs), a cotton polo neck, fleece layer (sleeveless is less bulky) and a waterproof /windproof ski jacket and trousers. Tesco fleeces are fine. Hat (fleece ones are good) and waterproof gloves are a must too and I ussulaly wear a fleece neckwarmer too. You don't have to have moon boots but they must be waterproof (such as Timberland style) as although the main roads are "cleared" they may well have about 6 ins of snow on the paths and ice beneath so good grip essential - nb nubuck or suede may get stained by the snow. Tchibo has some great ski stuff atm and there is a skiwear thread somewhere with a few other cheaper idea - mens , womens , kids . Lidl had some last week too.

Other skiwear thread is here

Depends where you're going tbh - I guess December is going to be cold anywhere though - we normally (for bitterly cold Scotland) wear couple of thin stretchy tops, one of which is polo neck, jumper, then waterproof jacket, bottom half I wear leggings, under waterproof trousers if really cold (if you're likely to fall over lots, then these are essential), normal socks, ski socks. Skigloves, goggles/glasses are essential, also a hat, and I wear a sort of fleecy thing round my neck to hide my face in if it's really windy.

Fat Face do some (pricey) ski stuff

Message withdrawn

Asda's collection is shown here. Decathlon is another place to look if you have one nearby.

Agree with sunglasses (you may need goggles if cold, windy or snowing when you are actually skiing) and those pocket sized suncream/lipsalve all-in-one tubes are great but they are readily available in resorts and not necessarily expensive - most sports shops where we have been do Polaroids for adults and kids and Ambre Solaire or Nivea tubes.

Hope you are heading somewhere high or with a glacier - December can be a bit unreliable for snow at low altitudes and if before Christmas the resort may not be fully open, although as beginners that should affect you less.

Thank you everyone !!! I knew you'd know !!!

We are going to The Alpes d'Huez which is pretty high up I believe - so hopefully will be OK ?

Have just been on the Tchibo site and ordered myself a jacket and trousers - hope they fit, one of those neck cuff thingies, some gloves and two sets of thermals ! Also ordered dh two sets of thermals. Just got to sort dd out now - haven't managed to find thermals for her yet - just off to hunt the net !

Thanks again !

I never managed to find thermals for ds last year (aged 4): I just got him very good salopettes (from TK Maxx) and puts lots of layers on him (long sleeved T-shirts, poolo shirts, rugby shirts). He looked like a Michelin man - but he didn't complain about being cold!

Tchibo have childrens thermal long johns on their website. They are shown in 2 locations, just keep scrolling down for the smaller ones (2-4years). Warning - Tchibo size are very big in my experience.

m and s have kids' long thermals - even our little branch !(I was looking for regular vests for dd and they had none !) Actually they don't really need to eb specific thermals just long sleeved cotton t shirt and leggings/tights.

Alpe d 'Huez should be ok for snow by December. We're hopefully going there in April 2007 !!

have a great time.

Need some advice on what to take/wear on our first skiing trip to Austria (going 31Dec for a week). We have 2 girls age 6 & 10. Will it be cold? Also I've just discovered that I'm pregnant again! Great news for us, but will I be okay learning to ski? I will be approx 13weeks then. Thanks.

Yes, it could be very cold - take all the layers described (long underwear, polonecks, fleece , jacket/trousers or suit) and proper gloves and boots ! You should be ok theoretically to ski as the baby will still be protected within the pelvis but
-check your dr/mw is ok with it
-bear in mind that altitude may affect you more
your ligaments will be softening so you may be more prone to injury and you will stretch, twist and fall as a beginner and ache in places you cannot imagine anyway
-depends also on snow conditions, it could well be icy and hard, which makes for nastier falls
-check your insurance policy covers you as well as taking an EHIC card (E111 won't be valid form Jan 1st)

tbh you may well decide not to chance it and just take the opportunity to chill out instead and enjoy watching the kids learn and taking walks on cleared paths.

Hope you all have fun ! hth

yes it will be cold-but sunny too if you are lucky. Lots of layers is the better option then you can remove if you get over warm

As for learning to ski when pregnant-personally I wouldn't. You won't be tackling very big slopes as a novice-but what always scares me are the fast skiers and skate boarders who could take you out!!!

Scatterbrain I find one set of thermals enough, but sometiumes have two - ok they are rank by the end of the week, but I don't care!!

I then have cheap fleeces and the most important - for me - is windproofing. TBH when you are skiing you don't get so cold, with all that falling over and getting up again!!

How old are your kids? I have some kids thermals, bought last year age 3 - 4 and 4 - 5 Navy (I think) I also have ski-suits and everything you might need for kids. CAT

Check www.wetter.at and www.tiscover.at (in english) for current weather/snow conditions for Austria (it's snowing right now over most of Austria ).

Hi everyone,

Just popped back in to say a big thank you for all the advice and tips !!

Have put in a big order with Tchibo (mind you - it's been 5 days and the order is still showing as "being processed" which is pretty worrying as at least 3 of the items have now sold out !) and also went to M&S for dd's thermals - thanks Liz S for that tip - and have got her a pair of pink salopettes from H&M - was that you again Liz S ?

So - if Tchibo come through I am sorted !!

Thanks Crunchie for your offer - really kind - but dd was insistent on pink (as they are !) and I think we have sorted her out now !

Thanks everyone - watch out for my "I have a broken leg" thread about the 23rd December !!!

Two good websites for ski clothes are outdoorgear4u and surlapiste. Haven't bought anything from them but they both have a good selection of everything you may need. I found M&S expensive & out of stock of any size I wanted!Got our stuff from TK Max . I skied as a begginer whilst pregnant and ds turned out OK! Surely biggest risk is a broken limb - which is totally non pregnancy dependant?!?
Taking ds & dd skiing for 1st time in 2 wks. Using Esprit ski. Anyone else used them?

Message withdrawn