Ski Trip Packing List
Ski trips are an over-packer’s worst nightmare. Especially for someone who doesn’t often visit temperatures below freezing, trips to the mountains invite anxiety and overcompensation in the form of clothing.
There are a few things that are good to know when planning for cold weather and skiing, too, that make it easier to break down all the necessary gear into manageable categories. I’ve broken the sections down into separate fields of information, so you can pick and choose the useful information.
All of the following information is presented with the assumption that the reader has never skied before. Here is an article specifically on Kids clothing and skiing
One last important point is ALWAYS to dress in layers; starting with a thermal underwear base layer, then a long sleeve t-shirt, a fleece and lastly the outer layer, the waterproof ski jacket.
Ski & snowboard equipment
Skis, boots and poles OR snowboard and boots are all provided at the rental shop. Make sure the boots fit very snugly so try them out with your thick skiing socks.
Skiing clothing
- Waterproof ski jacket & jacket hood (if not attached)
- Waterproof ski pants
- thermal pants (thin underwear not cotton as it captures the moisture)
- thermal top or other under-layer (thin underwear not cotton as it captures the moisture)
- fleece – vest and long-sleeve
- helmet ( can rent )
- goggles
- headband (or ear muffs if you’re game!)
- beanie
- neck warmer ( Buff )
- ski gloves or mittens
- silk or merino wool glove inners – particularly useful if taking photos or video footage
- ski socks
- sunglasses (!)
Leisure clothing
- Leisure “going out” clothes including warm pants / jerseys / etc – dress in layers
- “going out” gloves
- non slip shoes/après boots (normal HiTech style with good soles)
- hood or hooded top if going somewhere particularly cold
- slippers
- bathers/swimsuit ( many ski resorts have public heated swimming pools and wellness area – great fun ! )
- sleeping clothes
- underwear ( don’t take 1 for each day – wash in the room and hang over the radiator to dry )
- socks ( same as above point )
- scar
Other things for the ski jacket
- sunscreen
- lip balm
- tissues
- goggle wiper
- wipe cloth
Electronics
- mobile phone, charger & headphones
- camera and charger
- spare memory cards for cameras
- memory stick to back-up photos/videos
- electrical adapter
- laptop or tablet and charger
- hairdryer (check if voltage appropriate for the country)
Other
- photocopy of passport and visa
- travel insurance information
- playing cards
- cotton and thread
Cabin luggage
- passport and visa (if required)
- itinerary, E tickets and reservation confirmations
- maps and directions
- toiletries for cabin luggage in small sealed plastic bag including toothbrush & small toothpaste
- sleeping tablets/pain medication
- ear plugs
- blow up cushion
- eye shades
- book, kindle or equivalent
- wallet, credit card & cash
- eye glasses or contact lenses (and accessories in main luggage)
- don’t pack razors, scissors, matches etc – check for prohibited items
Things to do before travel
- ski travel insurance ( part of the package or your own )
- make sure passport is valid for at least 6 months
- organise any visas required
- email your itinerary to yourself in case you lose it OR
- set up a DropBox account and scan and send copies of all documents to DropBox
- set mobile phone to international roam (if not buying a SIM card when you get there)
- check electrical adapters required for the country
- photocopy passport, visa and tickets
- leave itinerary/contact information with family member and leave photocopy of passport OR use DropBox
- consider currency exchange for at least a small amount of cash
- download GPS app to your phone for city stopover – try Maps.me