First time skiing - what brand clothing to buy?

[chicaguapa]

We're not going until Christmas but I want to be prepared and look in the sales for clothes for us all. Also looking on ebay so I need to know what brands are good and what's not. DC will be 8 & 5 so I want to know they'll be warm and dry without spending a fortune on their clothing - they might even hate skiing so it'd all be a waste of money.

Also need stuff for me & DH that will last as I don't anticipate us growing out of it

Also the people we are going with are experienced skiers, are unbelievably stylish and make me feel like I've just climbed out of bed. So wouldn't mind feeling/looking a bit better than that.

Any advice will be gratefully received. Thanks.

What about borrowing stuff? Definitely worth asking friends, esp for children.

Definitely worth borrowing stuff from friends for you and DCs. We did this the first year I skied.

These days, DCs generally have skiwear from muddy puddles - their salopettes are very good quality. DS2 also has a jacket from there which has been a good buy. DS1 now has a North Face one. We buy their jackets with a view to using them as their general winter coats too - otherwise you find they use them for a week a year and then have outgrown them by next year!

Agree with idea of buying jacket with zip in fleece or simply a thinsulate type jacket which you can then layer up. My last two jackets have been this style. I now have a North Face jacket which is quite thin but is incredibly warm and which I also use regularly here at home.

Don't worry about looking stylish. There will be the odd Snow Bunny who looks delicious and Prada-esque but for the most part we all look like supersized gnomes I would recommend going for some nice base layers though as this is what you will be mooching around in in cafes, chalet etc. Icebreaker are expensive but definitely worth the dosh

ive got loads to sell...live any where near stockport. All stuff only used for one or two weeks,its all immaculate...got boots too from 13child -to size 5 adult

1.Universal textiles for base layers (don't buy cotton) - 10 quid a set
2.H&M have some cool new ski jackets, but they don't have a snow skirt in which stops it shooting up yer tummy

1. So get salopettes - Decathlon have adjustable length ones, brill, and they'll keep middle bits warm and dry
2. For kids, brand doesn;t matter as long as they are warm and dry. They will grow out of it before they wear it out.
3. For you, get good brands in sales from last year's stock. Upcoming Metro Ski Show will have acres of last0-years models on show. I got a first-class jacket with £150 quid off.. and when it was -30 last Christmas, I was happy to have it.
4. Merino wool base layers for you are great - look out for sales
5. Finally - people who said you can wear a waterproof walking coat and some layers are spot on. But again, no snow skirt - so do the pull-cord at the bottom/middle up tight!

decathlon

Decathlon and ebay. Both have been the best buy for my dc for the last 10yrs.

i've used trespass, really good and used for their school winter coats too, just washed with nikwax to maintain the waterproofing. Just google trespass kids ski jackets or mine were from www.littleskiers.co.uk

I know several people have said to do this, but I'd advise against using waterproofs as outerwear.
It can get cold sitting on the lifts, and once DCs get chilled they just want to stop skiing.

Also, we always get silk thermals from Patra as I can't stand itchy man-made fibres.
We do get value out of them as DD likes to wear them as pyjamas in winter.

And I prefer a silk or wool-mix scarf to a buff thing - again, I get itchy rashes from man-made fibres.

C&A used to do the best ski stuff for kids and adults. The brand names they used were Rodeo and Trespass and I've spotted some of their stuff in TK Maxx over the past couple of winters. Very reasonably priced, totally waterproof/windproof and lasts well. John Lewis have some trespass stuff in this year too, but that might be pricier.

My mum's priorities (now emulated by me) for children's skieear were:

1. Built in waterproof hood. Not a proper big one (warm woolly hats are better) but a zip-away-in-the-collar one for when it starts snowing up the mountain.

1. Lots and lots of pockets. Each kid needs to be able to fit: tube of suntan lotion, lip balm, tickets, tissues, sweets (essential to have sugar fix up the mountain!), passes, woolly hat etc

1. Woolly hat (see above)

1. Silk lining gloves (generally very cheap when you're there) to wear inside ski gloves on very cold days

1. Polo necks and thermal underwear from M&S for the kids. Not very fashion forward but utterly essential. You get too hot wearing a scarf and they can get tangled up...Adults either look very professional or very silly in proper ski polos - I tend to wear a couple of layered t-shirts and a thin fleecy cotton Bench zip up top under my jacket.

Enjoy!!