Seri's Ski Essentials

Yesterday in the office, Natalie asked me “Seri, if I go skiing for the first time, what do I need?” Well, wow. That’s a loaded question because...you need A LOT! Don’t worry, I’m going to lend her everything. BUT...it made me think - what a great topic for a blog post! So here we go...

I used to treat skiing as an opportunity to show off my après-style. I had the most adorable outfit and looked like a cute little snow bunny out there on the slopes. Secretly...I was freezing. My friend Gina who I ski with here on the east coast understands me very, very well, and knows I’m a fashion over function kinda gal. One day recently she sat me down and gave me a ski outfit intervention. It was pretty amazing...and now I know how to dress without sacrificing fashion for frostbite!

Ok here’s what you need to succeed on the mountain...

SKI GEAR CHECKLIST

Layer layer layer

You can always remove something if you get too warm! BUT...if you’re cold, you’re sh*t out of luck if you haven’t layered up enough.

•  Skin Layer

  • Thermal shirt and pants  - Columbia is great for these items and always has great sales. Not super cheap, but I love the Sweaty Betty brand. 

•  Second Layer - “Mid Layer”

  • Heavier sweatshirt or a fleece zip like this (can be something that you already own, doesn’t need to be ski-wear specific).

  • Pants that fit over your base leggings like a slim fleece pant (you don’t want them to be too baggy because you will need to put snow pants over top).

• Outer Layer

  • To protect you from the wind + moisture: waterproof ski jacket + snow pants.

  • There’s a lot of research that you can do on your own here but for me, I wanted a jacket + pant set that was going to keep me warm and still looking good for the gram...I found this set from Sweaty Betty and couldn’t be happier with it. The pants are stylish, keep me warm and fit perfectly over my boots. The jacket is roomy allowing for layering underneath, has tons of pockets with zippers (including an inside pocket just for your phone with a hole for headphones) and it has an avalanche detector that I would never need while skiing on the east coast but makes me feel pretty bad ass knowing it’s there.

• Ski Socks

  • These are very important because without proper socks, your toes will freeze and hurt so bad you’ll want to cut them off. I found this website which offers great information on the sock that’s best for you as well as options to buy some pretty snazzy ski socks.

• Helmet

  • Very important, please do not ski without one. Skiing is such a dangerous sport and one bump into a tree, person or pole and you could be seriously injured if your head is not properly protected. I’m not going to link to anything here because you will need to go into a store and be fit for this item. I can however tell you the stores that I love for ski equipment which are:

    • Paragon Sports (in New York)

    • REI (in New York and I believe around the country)

    • Sporting Life (in Toronto)

• Gloves

  • You’ll want to insert heaters into your gloves...or treat yourself to a pair of heated gloves. They are so yummy.

• Neck-warmer

  •  I have a merino wool neck warmer which I much prefer to fleece when it comes to my mouth and nose. This item is mostly protecting your face from the snot that whips out of your nose as the wind hits you while you whiz down the mountain. I find that the merino wool does a nice job of soaking up my wet boogers while the fleeces makes me feel extra gloopy. TMI? You’ll thank me later! 

• Goggles

  • Super important if you want to be able to see while you ski. I have a pair of the Giro brand that fits over my prescription eyeglasses that I need to wear while skiing and I find they fit great and don’t fog up.

• SPF

  • Make sure you put some sunblock on your face before you go out, even though your entire face may be covered, there will come times where you take it all off and the sun is reflecting off the snow hitting you in the face harder than usual. 

• Bathing suit

  • All the nice mountains have hot tubs. You are gonna want IN after a day of skiing. Your muscles are going to kill and there’s a good chance even though you followed my list above, you’re still freezing. Nothing is better than throwing on a swim suit and going for a dip in the hot tub after you have been on the mountain all day.

• Checklist for your pockets while out on the mountain:

  • Cell phone

  • Small speaker if you like to listen to music while you ski, like I do. Make sure it’s charged.

  • Small pack of tissues.

  • Lip balm

  • A few bucks and a credit card for lunch and snacks

  • I put a granola bar in my kids pocket just in case they need a pick me up on the chair lift.

If you’ve never skied before:

• Rent your boots, skis (and you can rent a helmet!). Every mountain has this option.

• Get yourself a lesson. Doesn’t have to be private, can be a group lesson to keep the cost down.

• Don’t drink and ski. Save your cocktails till you are off the mountain.

Last but not least, if at any point you plan to ski alone, tell someone before you head out. Can be ANYONE! Just let them know when and where you’re going to be skiing.

Now...go find a mountain and get skiing!  HAVE FUN AND BE SAFE!