A Rundown of My Ski Clothes
One of the things that was stressful to me about taking up skiing five years ago was the SKI CLOTHES.
It felt like I needed SO MUCH gear and since ski lessons and ski rentals were already expensive, I wasn’t excited about spending even more money on ski clothes.
I started as inexpensively as I could and once I was outfitted it was nice that it never cost me extra every time I went to ski.
Five years in, some of my skiing clothes are ready to be upgraded (the zippers on my ski pants no longer stay closed and my gloves are starting to shred), but overall, I have no complaints!
Writing this post totally made me feel like a fraud – I’m NOT a skiing expert by any means or an authority on ski clothes – this is what I have that’s worked well enough for me, but I’d never pretend this was the end-all-be-all list!
And if you have better suggestions, by all means leave them in the comments!
My Ski Clothes
SKI PANTS
I bought my ski pants secondhand on thredUp and they’ve fit great, which was lucky since they were literally the only option in my size on thredUp at that moment. They’re a brand called Nonwe, which I can’t seem to find online now. They’re pretty similar to these snow pants. I’m thinking I might do a snow bib this next time around, but I haven’t had any complaints about using pants instead (and frankly, I’m still torn!).
SKI JACKET
I have three different coats I wear skiing (none of which I bought specifically for skiing). My Uniqlo jacket is perfect for spring skiing and sunny warm days because it’s so light. My most worn ski jacket is my Joules puffer – it’s a perfect medium weight that’s warm without being hot (I also love that the yellow color makes it easy for my kids to find me on the mountain). And when it is COLD out there, I always reach for my Save the Duck puffer which is SUPER warm and cozy. At some point, I may want to upgrade to an actual ski coat shell that’s designed specifically for skiing, but I haven’t felt any need for that at this point (although I wouldn’t hate a dedicated ski pass pocket!).
HELMET
I bought this helmet on Amazon and all my girls have the same brand too – they’ve been great!
GOGGLES
Another Amazon purchase – going strong five years in!
THERMAL LEGGINGS
I love these thermal leggings which I wear as my base layer.
THERMAL BASE TOP
This is the top that matches with my thermal leggings. I especially love the higher neckline so cold wind isn’t blowing down my neck. Plus, the thumbholes can keep my hands warmer if needed.
SECOND LAYER JOGGER SET
I wear this top and bottom over my base layer – they’re thin and loose and perfect for layering.
SMARTWOOL TOP
I snagged this wool top on Zulily (RIP) a few years ago and it was a perfect addition. Sometimes I wear it instead of the second layer noted above and sometimes in addition to, depending on the weather.
My parents bought me this ski pullover last year for my birthday and it upped my ski game CONSIDERABLY. It’s thin but super warm. Way better than the bulky sweatshirt I was using before. (I wear it every time I run outside in the winter too!).
SKI SOCKS
I generally wear three pairs of socks when I ski with a foot warmer in between the second and third pair (my feet get cold!). I start with a pair of compression socks (I don’t even know what brand they are) and then a pair of thin Smartwool socks, then a pair of thicker Smartwool socks.
GLOVES
I ordered these back before my first ski lessons and they’ve been a solid choice at a reasonable price. As I mentioned above, they’re starting to shred so it’s probably time to upgrade!
GLOVE LINERS
I just bought these in December and they’ve been a BIG upgrade from the stretchy cotton gloves I’ve been using as a liner for the past 5 years.
SNOW BOOTS
I got these two seasons ago and I LOVE them – they’re a huge upgrade from the snow boots I was using before. THey’re easy to get on and off, light-weight, waterproof, and have good traction. Every time I put them on, I feel like a genius for having bought them!
Any other suggestions for ski clothes? I’m all ears!
Just a tip on the ski socks, it’s actually better just to wear one pair of really warm socks. And then your boots need to be really well fitted. It can be dangerous to wear multiple pairs of socks as it can cut up your circulation!
Yes, I had the same thought as Sarah – don’t wear 3 pairs of socks.
You might look into ski mittens when you replace your gloves. I switched over several years ago and will not go back to gloves. A liner glove + a ski mitten = warm, happy hands.
I thought this too. We were just out skiing Monday in -21 F wind chill. My son had cold feet. We realized his boots were too tight. He couldn’t wiggle his toes enough to keep them warm. Once we loosened them up and he made an effort to wiggle his toes, no more cold feet.
PLEASE don’t buy a ski helmet online!! Not all helmets are made to fit all heads. (I made this mistake and had what felt like an ice-cream-headache for a week! A very expensive error)
The best gloves known to man are made by Hestra. Buy well, buy once.
Skip the bibs! They’re such a pain when you have to go to the bathroom!
If you can wear 3 pairs of socks in your boots, they’re probably too big! If you want the best equipment upgrade, upgrade to a fitted pair of ski boots! It will improve your skiing 100%!
But feet get cold in well fitted boots or not, so try some electric socks, we got my daughter the ones at costco and they were a game changer for her! also heated mittens for the next glove upgrade. It’s like having a heated seat in your car! The best and always warm.
We like wildhorn helmets and goggles, affordable, and a utah local company.
You can get bibs that unzip at the waist for bathroom and those are great! we have the REI brand and love them. Great places to shop for deals are evo.com, level 9 and Lone Pine up in SLC!