Good brands for ski kit for a novice teenager

[tachetastic]

My DS will be going on his first school skiing trip at Easter and we have been given a list of stuff he needs. However, we are not a skiing family and I have no idea about which brands are good, except the über-famous celeb ones that cost thousands.

To get him ready we have done a few sessions at the Snowdome in Tamworth, which has been awesome, and I kitted him out with sale stuff from Mountain Warehouse, but the clothes (especially gloves) always come back soaking and freezing inside. On a school trip I cannot imagine him turning everything inside out and drying it each night on a radiator (nor any teenager).

Being honest, we are not skint and I am happy to spent several hundred on his kit so long as we get quality to reflect the price.

So in short I would be super grateful for any tips for good quality brands we should look at, and also retailers where there may be deals to be done.

Thank you!

Thanks so much for this list @HeBeaverandSheBeaver. This is exactly what I was looking for.

Top tips. Good to remember that North Face is not just a fashion brand, given the recent trend for their puffer jackets. My DD is mortified if ever I go out in one of my ragged aged NF coats when she is in her puffer! 🙄

Top tips. Thanks.

DS had Superdry stuff bought from their eBay outlet. Realise this may be outdated now, but the quality was fab. He’s got a Montec jacket now but still happy to wear the superdry ski trousers. They are ancient but still in good Nick.

north face gloves are v good.

If you don't mind spending the money,use it for the jacket and salopettes, everything else you can get at decathlon. Gloves are important though.

No don't buy cheap gloves. Buy some decent gore tex gloves that will actually keep his hands dry. It's totally miserable wearing cheap soaking wet gloves all day.

And look for jackets that are minimum 10k waterproof, windproof, breathable and seam sealed.

Totally agree.
I've never bought wool for either of my kids. And still managed to over heat my 3 yo in Trespass gear!

But 2 pairs of gloves is a must!

Do you think your son will be skiing for the next few years to come? Because if not buying expensive ski wear will be a waste of money, skint or not. This also applies if he is still growing. Given this definitely look at second hand stuff, and places like Mountain Warehouse, and similar, are good enough places to shop to get decent items but not at silly prices.

Decathlon quality if you don't go for the absolute cheapest items is usually good.

I got some real bargains on Helly Hansen jackets at the end of season last year, so if it's not for 2025 then hang on for a few more months and all the ski gear will be deeply reduced.

Throughout the country there must be wardrobes and cupboards full of good skiing gear for teenagers that was only worn once - either the child grew out of it or another opportunity to go skiing didn't come up. Ask around at school/work/sports club/scouts etc or look at the second-hand sites.

Otherwise, probably half of Europe is clothed by Decathlon - their gear is available at several price points and is all good quality.

Where exactly is he going? At Easter the temperature can easily be over 15 deg. C and sunny, so he doesn't necessarily need the serious cold-weather gear that's designed for glacier or January skiing at minus 20 deg. He'll certainly need good sunglasses (if only for sitting around at lunchtime) and probably also goggles, as well as high-factor suncream and lip-balm.

Spend money on gloves and socks, save on the rest. Cold hands and toes are the worst. Get some cheap silk liners to wear under the gloves. Also get a buff.

Wedze brand from Decathlon is ubiquitous and completely acceptable. I would guess that's what half his friends will be wearing. The advantage of buying new Wedze stuff over second hand higher end brands from Vinted is that you'll get this seasons colours and styles which is often important to teenagers.

I personally buy second hand Picture from Vinted but not sure I'd do that for a teen.

The boys in my family definitely favour North Face and Burton with head to toe black being the look! Helly Hansen is also good, and often on sale. Get decent gloves as nothing worse than cold wet hands. Burton do good ones or Hestra if you’re ok spending a bit more. Even my 4YO and 7YO have managed to never a lose a pair so I don’t think he doesn’t need more than one pair, although will want non ski gloves for walking around town. Don’t buy second hand off Vinted unless you’re willing to rewaterproof everything because you have no way of knowing if someone’s washed with fabric softener and fucked the waterproofing until you get a wet bum on a chairlift. None of the teens in my family, male or female, or even any of the adult men usually wear base layers or thermals for skiing in Europe. It’s a regular t-shirt and hoody under the ski jacket and for the girls maybe leggings under the trousers. Merino sets are more of an essential for little kids IMO. For a teen I wouldn’t bother unless he typically runs cold.

More than one pair of gloves isn't about loosing gloves, it's about having dry pair and giving gloves time to dry.

Kids mess around in the snow, get snow in the gloves in a way that adults just don't.

If it's a school trip they are also likely to have things like sledging and outdoor skating lined up for the evenings.
So less chances for gloves to dry out.

Even if you re waterproof gear it's just never the same.

Buy new with tags from Vinted if you're going down that route.

Top tip about all the accessories. Far too easy to get carried away and buy everything together when its probably only the jacket and goggles that anyone will notice on the snow.

I'm hearing a clear theme that multiple pairs of gloves are needed and the risks of de-waterproofed second hand gear.

Very true re teens outgrowing gear as you watch, but so long as I can give them to charity I don't see it as a waste. Someone will get to wear them again, even if just for playing in the snow at home.

Also good point re the temperature. They are going to Les Orres at the end of March for the start of the Easter holidays. I guess at that time of year the emphasis is really on waterproofing as they are unlikely to get super cold if they are dry.

In fairness I'm the classic annoying parent who wraps everyone up in multiple layers topped with a massive coat and hat at the first sign of winter and then either has to deal with kids complaining about being boiling, or carrying the layers that they shed in order to get down to a reasonable temperature. What can I say? I grew up in the north in the 1970s when we had proper snow every year and nothing was waterproof except wellies.

I’ve never found more than one pair of gloves useful — maybe just luck though! Just took a spare pair for my tweens to play in the snow and needn’t have bothered! My teens have never had more than one. If they have wrist loops (which even decathlon 500 tend to) they aren’t easy to lose (famous last words…)

I'm just back from skiing in France (at a very French resort in the Pyrenees) and it was noticeable that almost everyone was wearing Decathlon Wedze trousers, even if they were wearing Picture or Watts or whatever brand jacket.

It was pretty warm on the slopes this week and we all wore Wedze 500 leggings and thermal top under our jackets but no additional layers. Even if it's not cold, a Buff is useful if it's windy.

While you're in Decathlon you might want to add the ski strap to your basket. I find it really useful when carrying skis.

www.decathlon.co.uk/p/ski-carrier/_/R-p-11545

Another useful bit of kit is a 250ml soft flask that you can put in your pocket for water rather than carrying a hard bottle in a rucksack.

When choosing a ski jacket I always think it's worth checking that it's got decent pockets for carrying bits instead of having a rucksack.

Never found it necessary. One decent pair works fine for us. When the kids play in the snow they are dry by morning. Teenagers play in the snow a lot less than tweens. Different strokes!

Agree. I do bring them in with jackets and don’t leave them in a chilly boot room, I imagine that helps, and the kids do have good quality gloves so the waterproofing stands up to playing and falling over. I only have one pair of gloves, I add liners when it’s cold and skip them when it’s warmer. Admittedly DH has 2 but one is lighter as he runs hot and the other is much warmer for North America skiing. I think 2 pairs for a first timer teen on a school trip that may never go again is madness in all honesty!