Ski Essentials - what's your list?

[ovariantryst]

Excuse my unseasonal request, but I am trying to be sensible and hyper-organised for once, and buy up clothes and equipment for next Feb's holiday while the sales are on!

So... can any of you share your packing lists with me? What do I really need, and what would be totally pointless? It's our first ski holiday with the dcs (will be 3, 7 and 9), and we're going to Hinterglemm in Austria. Thanks!

Thermals, thin fleece sweaters, ski wear (jacket and salopettes), gloves, hat, goggles, helmet. Snow boots for you but could be hard to guess the kids size next year!

We prefer 2 piece ski wear to all in one but your younger one may prefer an all in one. Get 2 if cheap in case of accidents.

Will you have washing facilities?

We always stay in self-catered accommodation, and I can do washing daily.

So we take 2 sets of thermals, socks and fleeces for everyone. We take one pair of ski trousers and one jacket for everyone and one pair of ski gloves. Maybe 3 pairs of ski socks each, actually. If no washing facilities, I would take at least three lots of underthings each.

I would suggest you take two pairs of ski trousers for your little one, and you may wish to use pull ups during the day, even if they are usually dry, as it can be a bit of a palaver finding a loo, and then undressing. I would also take extra ski gloves for the little one, as they will tend to get quite wet.

Some people hire boots, skis and helmets. We take our own. (We have calculated that by passing down, it will be just as cost effective as hire.)

You don't really need snow boots, unless you use them here. Wellies are just fine. Take ordinary hats and gloves for walking around the resort in the evening.

You may also want to take some of those flat sled things with a handle. They don't take much room, and are lots of fun.

Have a fantastic time!

Mad question - is one pair of gloves for children enough? And thanks about the helmet - just wasn't something that was 'done' when I learned to ski in the 80s!

I have plotted their heights in their red books to predict their size next year... does that make me a loon? Ah well. Yep, I'll get boots for them in the Jan sales to be sure they'll fit.

We're staying at a Kinderhotel so I'd guess they'll have a laundry / laundry service if we need it. I'm going to hire skis for all of us but buy boots for husband and I and rent for the kids as they grow too quickly to make it worthwhile!

It depends on whether you will be able to dry them overnight. In an apartment or chalet, you will be able to hang them over radiators etc. it might not be so easy to get them dry in a hotel. But they don't take much room!

There are lots of cheap places to get ski stuff online. And decathlon is quite good for children's stuff, as well. eBay is quite good as well.

Second decathlon - their ski boots were very cheap and very warm cost about £14 I think. If you are flying you may want to consider hiring helmets as they are very bulky!

I would also recommend fleece or thin cotton neck gaiters that can be pulled up over mouth and nose when cold. If was -10 when we were in the alps this year and I definitely appreciated it on the chair lift!

Some sort of glove attachment device for your little one! We had a stretchy string with clips on that threaded through the sleeves and hook of his outfit. You can also get clips that attach to sleeve and glove. This will save you having to pick gloves up every 2 minutes!

Brilliant glove advice, and I am off to look at the pics of the room online to suss out the radiator situation, plus the neck gaiter thread. Thanks so much...

Yy to the neck things. The ones we have are called "buffs". Also, I bought some stuff from Surfanic and they sent one free with each order. (off Amazon).

Oh, and I don't know about anyone else, but I find that the zips on dare2be fleeces always break. I won't buy them now.

I'd definitely say snowboots rather than wellies, especially for your youngest as they will get very cold feet as they spend more time playing in the snow than doing much at that age.

If your gloves don't have attachments then we used these last year which were fab:
www.gooutdoors.co.uk/manbi-ski-glove-glue-p102218

Love the glove cord - I'm also thinking of cheap snowboots for the children owing to the cold thing.

Anyone ever had any really good women's boots that kept out snow and freezing weather?

Snow boots from decathlon are ace - I got a pair for me for £35 in the sale this year, really snuggly. My ds boots were about £12 and he loved them, furry lining and everything - bargain.

if you pm me I will email you my super organised excel spreadsheet for ski trips with optional extras marked for spring and winter ski trips [smug organised emoticon]

if you wait till november /december you can often get cheap snow boots/gloves/helmets/ski wear from aldi and lidl - very handy for growing kids and it's decent quality too. they also sell neck fleeces.
i take 2 pairs of ski glove sfor the kids because they always get so wet.

i have snowboots from patagonia and they are wonderful (but not cheap so i have to wear them for 10 years).

Thanks - Constantly I have also Pm'd you as I am in awe of the spreasheet...

Having learned the lesson the hard way and had to buy extra salopettes in resort , I would take 2 sets for each of the kids in case of accidents.

I would also take a cheap extra pair of gloves that would fit either the 7 or 9 year old.

I have Sorel snow boots which are ace. I bought them on amazon.com and including the postage and the tax they cost me £40 compared to £140 here.

these are the Sorel boots I bought

Also sports direct is ultra cheap for ski stuff, especially thermals.

i second seconds of salopettes and thermals, but also would suggest 3 pairs of ski gloves - 1 for the morning, 1 for afternoon and 1 for evening for playing in the snow. they all get a chance to dry out that way.
before you say 'but that will cost a fortune' i buy my kids ski gear (and my thermals) from aldi and lidl. the offers come in sometime in november-january, so you have to check the websites weekly (or sign up for the email). the kids thermals are about £10 a set, the gloves about £3, a jacket and salopettes set in aldi last year was £25. these are good quality stuff too.you need to be prepared to get there early on the day they start selling them because often they only have 2 or 3 ski sets in any one size (in any one shop). my mom has their snowboots and loves them. the kids helmets are £15 a pop, and after my mate's son caught a fungal infection from his hire helmet i have insisted they have thier own helmet - their heads don't grow that much, and it is much nicer than some wet manky hire helmet.and they can decorate them with stickers if they so wish.

my mom has the lidl snow boots and really rates them - they were about £20 last year.

but my other essentail is a lip salve for everyone WITH THEIR NAME ON IT so they can't lose theirs and nick each others.

may sound a bit obsessive, but i would take a small A4 sized magnetic whiteboard and write on it what the dc must have before leaving the hotel room. Name everything....

and yes to spare ski govles, does not ahve to be expensicve (and will certainly be less expensive that emergency purchase in resort, as I know only too well...)