SKI/snowboard wear advice please!

[makingmiracles]

So ds is going snowboarding with school and I haven’t a clue about ski wear /brands / what are good prices etc and wondered if anyone could any recommendations/advice?

I know he will need sallopettes+jacket, gloves, balaclava, base layers and goggles....I know goggles I need to make sure they have UV protection etc...there’s seems to be a wide range of brands and prices and I’m not sure what’s best/which you are just paying for the name etc
Mountain wearhouse have a deal on a men’s package for £80 at the moment which seems like a good deal?

He’ll be in Italy just south of Switzerland border if that makes any different temp wise etc

Dare2b is great for jackets, you might be able to get some of last seasons sale items! Roxy is lovely for women's wear (unsure about men's) but might be a bit expensive.

Decathlon is also a good option and have a large range. They're also really good value. Only thing to consider would be it is likely he'll see lots of people with the same jacket etc... they have a huge range of helmets and goggles too!

Get some good quality gloves as there is nothing worse than cold hands! Maybe 2 pairs so he can alternate. Glove inners are also a good idea!

The mountain warehouse deal is great value.

I’d suggest you get this moved into the Skiing topic for more responses.

Get yourself to decathlon or try FB marketplace for items that are only going to be worn for a week.

Decathlon, TK maxx or think Lidl have theirs in end of next week. Trespass is a reasonable priced brand and often has good discounts at outlet centres. Or the North Face, ONeill or Animal if you are willing to pay more and he'll wear the jacket again - try ebay.

If he’s still growing and/or might only go once get everything from decathlon.

Whatever you do do NOT be tempted to buy Nevica (Sportsdirect) socks.They are the worst.

I would second Dare2b. Good value and always a bargain to be had.

TK Maxx regularly have last season’s branded skiwear - lots of Dare2Be, but also brands like Spyder (which are rather fancier).
Decathlon is excellent for outerwear but I think their thermals are a bit too thick. There are good thermals in Uniqlo or M&S.
He will need socks: the very thick tube socks tend to wrinkle up round your feet and cause blisters so if you can stretch to good merino ski socks it’s really worth it. You only need a couple of pairs and can alternate them so they get alternate rest days.
I think he might be a bit hot with a balaclava- was that school’s advice? We tend to use a buff & helmet.
If he’s an absolute beginner his hands will be warmer in mittens than gloves.
Goggles - Id look in decathlon again. Make sure they sit comfortably over a helmet and on his face.

Lidl and Aldi stuff is great value. Lidl's skiwear is in as from Thursday 7th. Also bought at Mountain Warehouse, Trespass and SportsDirect. I wouldn't spend too much as he might not like it or go again.

Another vote for decathlon, their mid range kit performs very well. I ski a few weeks a year and although I have a range of more specific kit now, I could go out for a relaxed day on piste in any of my old kit and be warm enough and dry enough.

We ski on the Swiss side of the Swiss/Italian border and you don’t mention when he is going, but on the Glacier at Christmas I want all the layers under the sun and on a sunny day in March I sometimes just put my waterproof shell over a T-Shirt, no fancy layers.

As a beginner a lot of time will be spent sitting down if he’s boarding. A lot. Get the best gloves you can afford, and get 2 pairs so he can swap them if they get too wet as cold hands = miserable times.

Oh and don’t get a balaclava, get a buff. Much more flexible so can keep your chin/nose warm whilst letting air get to the top of your head, of just keep the sun off your neck if it’s really bright.

Factor 50/ snow specific sun cream and UV lib balm

THANKS, some fab advice so far, I had no idea there was a ski talk board I’ll look for that! He’s not been before but has a skateboard/longboard so thought it was the better option as similar stance and moves etc hopefully he’ll be having some board lessons on the dry slope locally before he goes so that should help shouldn’t it?

I’ll take the buff advice, it was school who listed balaclava!

He’ll be going late Feb so sounds like it won’t be too cold then?

Has anyone got the Lidl ski wear? I noticed it in the leaflet today, but looking at the MW website the base layers are around the same price but the outerwear is cheaper from Lidl but wasn’t sure on quality?

Tkmaxx is a good shout, didn’t think of them selling skiwear but will take a look. Also didn’t know there is ski specific sunscreen so will look into that too as ds is a blue eyed burner

How do I get this moved to the ski topic please?

For our school ski trips, the organising company (I think it's Interski) has outerwear that can be rented for about £30 for the week - jacket and salopettes. They provide them at the resort too so it saves us the packing.

You could consider looking on ebay. Usually lots of outerwear that's only been worn for a few weeks before it's sold. Otherwise Decathlon is comprehensive and not too pricey. Good socks are a necessity!

Don't forget thin inner gloves in case it's cold. You might want a second pair of outer gloves too in case they don't dry out overnight.

Oh and you'll need to report your post to MN to ask for it to be moved. The 3 dots on the bottom right (visible to me on the mobile site).

Lidl and Aldi year is perfectly adequate, as is Decathlon.

As a beginner snowboarder he's going to be spending a lot of time on his backside doing up bindings etc. I'd make sure the trousers are very waterproof. My snowboard trousers are 20k waterproof vs my skiing friends who can get away with 10k. A cold wet bum is no fun!

My son got some superdry ski gear from their eBay outlet. Wasn’t any dearer than trespass etc, the quality is great.

Oh and got some bargains online from sportsdirect.

I agree that you don't need to get expensive brands. However, particularly for snowboarding beginners, the waterproofness needs to be good. 15k at a minimum if you can get it.