is hiking gear ok for ski-ing

[javo]

HI my DD is going to France with her 6th form in mid December and we need to get the ski outfit. As we hike a lot and she has done DoE gold so we have waterproof jackets, fleeces etc. We need to keep costs right down as she is only there for a week and hasn't skiied before (so may not like it).

Will probably buy a jacket and salopette package from a discount warehouse in cheapish brand like trepass or dare 2 be - are these ok ? or is H&M ladies ski wear ok for 17 year old. Does ski wear need to be a certain heat/ waterproof rating?What else do I need? - can she use sunglasses or are goggles a must? Could she use her waterproof walking boots instead of moon boots? Are really good gloves (£40 ish) a must too? - Gosh its all adding up. (My DD is size10)

Any help gratefully received (have read some archive threads that said dare2be etc ok)
many thanks

I learnt to ski without a thread of proper ski wear! As a teenager I saved my hard earned money for day trips to the slopes then worked two seasons in ski resorts in different countries. The gear was way beyond my budget then. Of course, it is much better if what you are wearing is designed for what you are doing.

I never wore goggles for years because I'm not keen on them at all but now tend to have them with me for the times when glasses are not enough. I wear contacts for skiing.

I've bought new kit from Lidl this year, it was too cheap to resist and I was gutted to have missed their jackets last year.

The drawback to moonboots is that they are so bulky - the only way to transport them is to wear them, and it gets pretty hot in the plane/car/coach.
One year I made DS use his walking boots, and he whinged that they were too much of a faff to put on and do up after taking off his skiboots. Once he grew out of them, he chose moonboots next and said it was like putting on slippers at the end of the day after tramping about in lumps of concrete.
Fair point.

I think you really need both goggles and sunglasses. If the weather's fine, you can get away with sunglasses, but if it's not, and you're up at the top of a mountain in a white-out, you'll really regret not having goggles, although personally I hate them. Maybe it's the crappy cheaper ones I've tried, but I hate not being able to see the lie of the snow/moguls properly. Also, you can end up with a two-tone face once the lower half tans!

The absolute key to keeping warm is decent thermals, which presumably your DD will have from DofE. And protecting your extremities. Try to get some sort of hat/snood/neck gaiter that can be pulled up over the face - it can get pretty icy and windy on those chairlifts, 'specially up the top - although if she's a beginner, she might not be going up there.

When I went on my ski hol last year, it was really snowy here so I was happy to wear my snowboots for travelling (first time I've ever had any) but totally forgot to pack shoes! Emergency visit to Clarkes at the airport to buy a pair of shoes to wear in the hotel .

I bought decent expensive goggles, thinking I hated goggles so much because I had cheap ones. It made no difference tbh!

However I do think your DD will need both goggles and sunglasses as doing without is worse!

Good gore tex gloves are a must for a beginner too as their hands will end up on the snow a lot.

I agree that beginners will get roasting as they are more likely to be side stepping up hills at first, but then freeze standing around!!

I find with skiing you need to be prepared for being roasting one minute and then freezing the next sitting on a lift.

A hat is also a must have, but I'm really not keen on kids wearing scarfs to ski in.

Do you mean actual scarves? As in they could get caught on something?
That's why we use neck gaiters. Or is there some hidden danger to them that I'm unaware of?

Yy clam, I'm sure someone earlier on said to get a scarf.

I think it was me that said scarf, meaning a snood-type thing - is neck gaiter the technical term? Like a fleece poloneck, or a bandana. Agree, not a Dr Who stylee scarf.

I think you are thinking of a buff to keep your neck warm. We also pull it up over our ears to keep warm with the ski helmet.