What to take on your ski holiday

As if packing for a regular holiday wasn’t stressful enough, packing for a ski holiday is a whole other sport that calls for a detailed checklist. Skiing requires a lot of equipment, special outdoor wear and protective gear so, if you have the opportunity to travel to your skiing destination by car, it is always wise to bring your own equipment and save on rental costs at the resort.

Reaching the top of the slope only to find you are missing an important part of your gear will not only be a nuisance, but costly too – rental equipment can quickly run up a high tab, especially during high season. If you’re not sure what to take on your ski holiday, follow this useful checklist to ensure you’ve got everything you need to make your trip a success!

Skiing Gear

A no-brainer, sure, but seeing as skiing requires so much gear, it’s easy to forget some of the essentials – especially if you’re packing for an entire family. Skiing gear is quite expensive to hire, so triple check and be sure that you’ve packed everything: your skis, boots and poles. If you are skiing with young kids, a helmet is advisable to take too.

Winter Clothes

The last thing you want as you’re flying down the slopes is for your body to be rigid with cold. Warm clothing is essential for skiing, they will protect you from the cold and will even help cushion minor falls, protecting you from nasty scrapes and possible bruises. Never head off on a ski holiday without gloves, ski pants and jacket (or a ski suit), thermal socks and underwear and a warm hat to keep your ears nice and toastie.

Post-Ski Entertainment

If you’re travelling with kids, you’ll want to ensure you have plenty of post-ski entertainment packed for them. A portable DVD player will make for a whole world of entertainment as you can pack all their favourite DVDs to watch after a long day out skiing. Be sure to pack a few family games like Memory, Uno or Dixit for some quality time spent warming up in front of the fire.

UV Protection

If this list is starting to look somewhat contradictive to you, it’s because it is – and so are the mountains! One minute the icy wind will numb your cheeks as you speed down the slopes, the next you’ll be sitting out on a mountain terrace in your t-shirt watching your skin tan. The sun is very strong in the mountains and it is important to protect your skin – specifically the areas exposed while you’re skiing, such as your face and eyes. Always bring a pair of sunglasses and quality sun screen. If you’re conscious of your goggled tan line, you might want to pack some concealer too.

SkiLynx

If you’re skiing with friends or family, this gem of an app will help you keep track of one another on the slopes. SkiLynx uses trail maps and GPS to make it easier for you to connect and acts as a skiing log for extra kicks.

Lightweight/Weatherproof Backpack

Now that you’re clear on what extras to pack, you’ll want to be sure you have a lightweight, weatherproof backpack to store it all in. You’ll only want to pack the essentials we discussed above, so there is no need to go for a big, bulky pack that is just going to end up weighing you down. There are only two main things to keep in mind when choosing your back: it needs to withstand all weathers and feel light on your body.