What skiwear for DD’s (15) school ski trip in December?

[Rollergirl11]

She is a complete novice. Not sure if she is likely to go again so don’t want to spend a fortune on stuff that she may only wear the once. Perhaps can hire the jacket and salopettes?

But just after a list of what she will need and quantities and tips on affordable places to buy from. She is going for a week to Austria.

Aldi.

Aldi or decathlon. Also look out for second hand: if there's a parents' group try posting on there. I have sold 5 full sets of kit over the years as they grow so much over that age.

I would say essentials are:
Jacket
Ski trousers
Thermal leggings
3 x thermal tops
3 x ski socks
Good pair of gloves
Neck warmer / buff

Decathlon is also good place to start.

Or Ebay

Ebay, Dare2be, trespass, Snow and Rock, Ellis Brigham, tk maxx. They often have last year's discounted. She'll need base layers and waterproof/windproof outer layers, fleece between, good socks and gloves, goggles with anti glare lens. Check what is in the equipment hire package as usually a helmet will be included.

eBay and Aldi and ask friends if they have spares you can borrow

I’d definitely ask around as a lot of people who ski won’t be skiing in December. Although 15 year olds can be precious about their kit! I would get a nice jacket from Ellis Brigham or Snow & Rock (or TK maxx if you are lucky) and get decathlon for absolutely everything else. Isthisnametaken has a good list! I’d add a few fun size chocolate in the suitcase or whatever she likes as a quick pick me up.

Bag of fun size chocolate (mars or whatever) is a must - she cab pop a couple in her pocket each day.

I would borrow or hire most things, but make sure she has goggles that fit and will go over her helmet.

Good sunscreen is essential.

Buff is good, don't bother with a scarf for skiing.

I take 2 pairs of (identical) ski socks so i can be confident the boots will fit over them in the same way.

Also I travel in a (not expensive) puffa and wear it for the evenings so less risk of ripping an expensive ski jacket. Blanket scarf good for sleeping on the coach/early morning transfers.

I prefer trousers rather than salopettes as the latter are annoying with boobs and easier for going to the loo.

The list from @IsThisNameTaken is a good start - remember, she needs ski gloves, not just any old gloves, although a pair of cheap fleece gloves (£2 from Tesco or Decathlon) are useful for the journey and for any evening activities while her ski gloves are drying out overnight. I'd add a knitted hat/fleece hat/headband for the outside activities when she's not wearing a helmet.

Aldi and Decathlon are good places to start. Trespass too. Best of all is if you can beg, borrow or buy from friends and other parents - there is a mountain of ski clothes that have only ever been worn for one week.

BUT - before you buy or borrow anything, you might want to check with the school how they propose to comply with the current entry regulations for Austria, particularly the paragraph about unvaccinated teens only being allowed to enter if accompanied by fully vaccinated adults. (I'm assuming that a class of 15 year olds won't be fully vaccinated). Would the typical arrangement of 5 or 6 teachers to 40 or more kids be acceptable? www.austria.info/en/service-and-facts/coronavirus-information/entry-regulations

Once in Austria, unvaccinated teens would also need regular tests in order to use the hotel, restaurants and ski lifts, and FFP2 face masks.

@Havanananana I agree; I assumed the OP was in Ireland or elsewhere, I also can’t see how anyone can run a successful school trip out of the U.K. that early in the season. On the Ski board I’m on, it’s full of everyone worrying how it will work for their teenagers this season. And pretty much all the school trips have been cancelled before Easter 22.

Decathlon, eBay or FB marketplace. It's no bad thing having a decent weatherproof jacket. I wer my ski jacket throughout winter in the UK too as it's warm and completely waterproof. DC and DH wear theirs too.

I got my salopettes on eBay for £3. They're plain black so of no note to fashion and label conscious teens.

Base layers are really cheap on Decathlon or again, FB marketplace. Socks from Decathlon too.

I take:
1 X jacket
1 X salopettes
2 X base layer (one merino wool/1 lined pair of leggings from Primark that work just as well)
2 X base layer top
1 X thin jumper for layering on colder days
3 X pairs of socks
1 X buff
1 X ear warmer (like a wide headband - ears get cold if helmet doesn't have ear flaps)
1 X ski gloves
1 X fleece gloves from Primark

Mountain warehouse on sale is a good option, they sell whole skiing kits.
I've used these for dc.

DH bought one of the skiing sets from Mountain Warehouse. He liked that he didn't have to think about it. He got his base layers on Amazon.

Just saying, but IMO a teenager on a school trip needs more than 2 base layer tops and 1 midlayer. She won’t be doing washing presumably like you might in your own apartment/hotel and she will be working hard (all those snowplough turns can be hard work!). And from the random photos I have seen of those bedrooms, one will fall down the back of the bunk beds or get stuck under someone else’s towel and she’ll be glad of a couple of spares! I hope she gets to go and has a fabulous time.

I agree with @boismint - a minimum of 3 base layer sets (tops and bottoms). Decathlon or Aldi

None of the lists have sufficient fleeces. In December, she'll need at least two - one thin, one thicker, including one that zips up around the neck - as well as the obligatory "Ski-trip 2021" hoodie

My DD went to Austria for a week also. Pack Mars Bars/protein bars so she can take some out with her for the day, skiing burns a lot of energy and my daughter came back underweight as she hated the food and was so active all week.
I got nearly all of her stuff from Decathlon, also get her some sunglasses as DD says she hardly wore her goggles and wore her sunglasses much more.

Definitely eBay-things get worn for a week at that age then grown out of. You should be able to get salopettes and jacket for under £20, leaving budget for decent gloves, base layers etc-and Decathlon is really good for these.

Sunglasses and goggles are a must to prevent damage to her eyes - so hopefully the school has made these mandatory. Helmets are also mandatory for under-16s in most resorts, but the ski hire shop will supply these as part of the rental package.

As last season was cancelled, I expect most of the rental helmets will be brand new and unused in December.

Where is the trip to? December skiing can be cold - particularly if they are going to a glacier resort (e.g. Kaprun-Kitzsteinhorn / Hintertux / Solden) in order to be sure of snow.

The little hand warmer packets can be useful as well, particularly if you are high up and stop skiing for a while.

Thank you everyone, I think I have a pretty exhaustive list! Now I just need to get on and source it all!

So it is looking more and more likely that it’s going ahead. @Havanananana they are going to Obertauern. We have had further guidance from the travel company the school are using. 15 yr olds that are single jabbed will be classed as fully vaccinated. They just need to work out with the Austrian embassy what proof is acceptable as currently the NHS app/Covid pass is only available for 16+. This means that they are only required to take a Day 2 lateral flow test on return. 16 year olds are required to be double jabbed to be classed as fully vaccinated. So they will have to do a PCR test 48 hours prior to departure, 2x PCR tests in resort and Day 2 lateral flow test on return.

Just have to hope and prey that DD doesn’t come down with Covid whilst out there as that will mean a parent having to fly out there to isolate with DD over Christmas!! 🥴🤦‍♀️

@Rollergirl11

Your school and travel company need to know that the rules for Austria changed on Friday evening, when the government issued new restrictions in response to a sharp increase in infections and hospitalisations.

From Monday 8th November only people who are fully vaccinated or recovered can enter hotels, tourist accommodation, restaurants and cafes and use ski lifts. PCR and antigen tests are no longer acceptable. This applies to everyone over 12.

From The Guardian live blog - Friday evening >

www.theguardian.com/world/live/2021/nov/05/covid-news-live-hong-kong-expects-border-with-china-to-reopen-in-february-new-zealand-sees-record-high-covid-cases

"Among the rules to be introduced in Austria are barring the unvaccinated from hotels, events of more than 25 people and, importantly for a country that is a winter sports hotspot, ski lifts."

This was all presented at a Covid press conference on Friday evening - the actual laws will be passed on Monday and the exact details regarding entry to hotels etc. and entry to Austria will become clear then.

@Havanananana thanks for the info. No doubt we will hear further this week then. If I’m brutally honest I think I’ll be relieved if it doesn’t go ahead.

So it’s all been a bit dicey but the school
ski trip is still going ahead with a very last minute switch from Austria to France!

I have managed to borrow a fair bit which is good. I just have a question around ski goggles. Can I buy cheap (around the £20 to £30 mark) or will they be really crap and not worth the money and be no good on the slopes? I really don’t want to spend a fortune on them. She has actually been given a helmet that has a visor that negates the need for goggles but everyone else has goggles and she doesn’t want to be different.

I was thinking of getting something like this…

As she's a beginner, unless she is on the top of a windy glacier or going out in a blizzard, then she probably doesn't need goggles - particularly as her helmet already has a visor. As goggles go, these seem OK assuming that the reviews on Amazon are genuine and that the goggles have UV protection. Have Aldi or Decathlon not got any goggles yet?

More important - she needs a good pair of sunglasses. When things get hot, as they will while she's learning, she might want to take the goggles off, but she must have some kind of eye protection when skiing. I'd hope that the school has made it mandatory that the children wear eye protection on the slopes. Even on cloudy days, the UV light can cause severe damage to eyes.

Thanks @Havanananana that’s really helpful. I think she wants not to take the helmet we borrowed at all and just go with a hire helmet and some goggles that we buy. With regards to sunglasses, should we buy some specifically for skiing rather than use her own?