Im going skiing for the first time next month so I need to go and buy the clothing. Id just like to know if anyone has any recommendations. Ive been told gloves are important and to get the best possible.
Socks wise I was thinking of getting 2-3 pairs of ski ones but wear normal socks underneath so I just change my regular socks.
Ill probably head out to a few ski/surf shops next weekend but I wanted to gather as much information as possible. My mates sisters have been and told me what I need but I thought Id ask on here as well.
Its been about 4 years since I went and i REALLY want to go again, loved it so much!
Decent socks, gloves and waterproof trousers would be what I recommend. I spent alot of my time with jacket without the lining and un-done because you just get so dam hot!
Thinking about it I would make sure you get some decent glasses / googles, mine werent great and kept steaming up which was v. annoying.
Get ski trousers (C&A sell these sometimes), a ski/snowboard jacket (quicksilver etc make loads of these) and a pair of gloves. Dont go spending loads of money, Ive skiid loads on cheap stuff, the only thing I spent much dosh on was the jacket because I wore it all year round.
Oh and I used walking socks. Doesnt really matter that much IMO.
Goggles are nice; you can make do with sunnies but they distort the snow more.
Dont forget some *good* insurance too, you might need it. Remember *not* to break a leg too :D
Few years back my mum bought me a thick, well padded ski jacket, I went out on an abysmal, cold, windy, rainy, night walking to visit some mates. By the time I got there I was soaked in sweat.
They work... ;)
If its not too cold, I like mirrored climbing glasses when in alpine territory. I dug out my vintage cateye ones a couple days ago to show off to Badabing. Great in the snow! :mrgreen:
Glacier glasses are great for that early 80s New Wave look. :D
(http://www.campmor.com/images/sunglasses/81792.jpg)
Remember that cotton is the fiber of death. You dont have to get expensive stuff, just stay with wool and synthetics. ;) Wool is best for socks and silk for longjohns as it gets less smelly.
Gloves with ribbed hard finger areas are number one if you hit the dry ski slope first!!! Seen a lot of broken fingers when I was doing dry skiing :(
TK Maxx is very good for discounted branded snow stuff, just bought a pair of ski trousers from there myself.
And as said, if youre skiing on the continent (Alps type area), dont get a massive thick coat that you cant pull layers out of, as you will be too hot. I learnt my lesson trying to ski in Austria in a coat bought for Nordic conditions (circa -15 instead of -3ish)!
as has been said already - ski jackets are nice for walking round town at night or for the chair lift but can get a bit sweaty when youre skiing.
IMO what you need
To wear:
ski gloves
thick socks
Ski trousers
Breathable T-shirt/Long sleeved top (helly hansen type thing - except dont buy helly hansen get a cheaper one )
Windproof top - i.e. lightweight gortex jacket
+ carry a small rucksack with:
A fleece (in case it gets cold or the cable car stops)
sunscreen (keep applying it else you could get panda eyes)
lunch (food places on the slopes are a complete rip off)
camera (french & swiss girls are hot - youll want to take lots of pictures of them)
Spare sunglasses - just stick in a cheap UV resistant pair in case your sunglasses/mask breaks
....and also dont eat yellow snow
oh balls - forgot I was logged in as the mad mullah :?
Ill put a jihad on myself
Youll love it
Right salopettes (or ski trousers as there caling them) Basically quilted WATERPROOF (some are not) trousers. They come in two main types. One is like a normal pair of over trousers. The other are like a bib (think dungerees). These are (imo) the best as if ur in deep powder (or bin it) you wont be fishing cold snow out of ur ass crack. Some people dont like them though. (35 quid from tk max)
Goggles. sunglasses are fine for a bit of sunny skiing. If it turns bad (which it will at some point) you may as well not bother. Get some goggles with a brown tinted lense (suits almost all conditions) You wont look as cool but u will be able to see the edge of the cliff :) (25 quid)
A coat. Some people do well with a lightweight jacket and fleeses. I dont really. All this stuff about layering is fine but if u need to strip to put a layer on at the top of a lift its too late and will take u ages to get warm again + dry if its snowing) get something that you know will keep u warm and allow u to move ur arms. (45 quid from tk max ;))
gloves. Dont skimp and make sure they fit. then should be snug. Anything more than a 5mm gap at the end and u will have cold fingers. Mitts are good but you loose some dexterity. get something thats reinforced if ur bording and you can tuck into your coat sleeves or fasten the back of. exposed wrists ant good. There are loads of thin gloves on the market today and a mate turned up with some last year and read me the blurb on the ticket. Sounded great but he couldnt feel his fingers after the first hour. If u can only get shell gloves get some inner ones to go with them. (35 quid from tkmax)
Socks. Tube socks are your friend. they are warm, fit everyone and allow a bit of padding for hire shop ski boots. get one pair per day unless u washem. 4 quid. on the subkect make sure ur boots fit when u get them!!! its most important bit of kit!
hat for when ur on the lift (thinng hair me :()
sun cream. factor 40! its silly how much extra uv u get up there. put some on every day without fail before u leave for the slopes!!!!!!!
a backpack containing a camera, cerial bars and bottles of coke or similar. save it for the third day when u go exploring.
a good attitude. Skiing is hard at first and and you will use muscles you didnt know u had. technique makes it easy (im fat and can ski all day without getting knackerd where as the gym bunnys can last a few hours tops initially) start doing squats now ;) but lots of people dont get on with it because they dont get ofer the this is hard thing. Throw urself down the slope and laugh when u fall over. laugh at ur mates when they fall over too and just have a giggle. take it too seriously and you wont enjoy it half as much.
drink lots and be wary as the alcohol will kill u the next day.
deoderant. you will smell at the end of the day and the ladies wont arreciate ur smelly socks et al in the room ;)
Have fun
Quote from: nooba backpack containing a camera, cerial bars and bottles of coke or similar. save it for the third day when u go exploring.
disgusting infidel drink - I put a jihad on you
clearly you are a noob infidel - your infidel drink dehydrates people & is not suitable for sporting activites or fighting infidels in the desert sun.
My advice is to NOT buy ski stuff but buy mountaineering stuff. This isnt more expensive now days just pop into somewhere like Go Outdoors. Ski stuff is fashionable and mountain stuff actually works & looks alot kooler :P
If you can afford it get a Rab jacket (dont if you cant) and carry it everywhere you go. Youll never be cold ever again!
Quote from: SaraTK Maxx is very good for discounted branded snow stuff, just bought a pair of ski trousers from there myself!
Theyre called "TJ Maxx" over here, and I got a very nice Swix XC ski hat and XC gloves there for $5 each. Im about to go make myself some cuban coffee in a pot I got from there...for $5. :mrgreen:
the infidel known as ERU talks sense - breathable tops + gortex jackets are best for fighting the infidels in the mountains of afghanistan + growing a big beard is useful too.
Ski jakets make people look like homosexuals - which allah forbids - if you wear a ski jacket I will put a jihad on you
TK Max is full of drug users and single mothers who should have been wearing burqas - I put a jihad on TK Max & anyone who shops there - the same goes for primark.
Quote from: Mad MullahQuote from: nooba backpack containing a camera, cerial bars and bottles of coke or similar. save it for the third day when u go exploring.
disgusting infidel drink - I put a jihad on you
clearly you are a noob infidel - your infidel drink dehydrates people & is not suitable for sporting activites or fighting infidels in the desert sun.
Aye but it doesnt freeze like water does (or not as easily imo) and in nice and sugery to try and stop the shakes after using those muscles. Works for me anyways.
Been some good advice so far but no ones mentioned thermals. I was actually thinking of getting these but dont know how necessary theyd be especially as Im a person that gets hot really easily.
Ive not personally bothered with them tbh.. They are cheap & wont take up any room in your suitcase so you might as well try them out but if youre going to the alps you probably wont need them.
If youre not too high up & the sun is out you wont really want any more than one layer on anyway.
The absolute advantage of thermal underwear is not whether it keeps you warm, but the way in which it wicks perspiration away from your skin, keeping you dry and comfortable.
Cotton absorbs moisture and stays damp - itll chafe you. Tops/pants/long johns made from synthetic fibres like polypropylene or polyester do not absorb moisture but pull it away and transmit to the next layer. Even football shirts do this. The idea is not to have thick thermal underwear but a very thin layer.
If you wear cotton next to the skin in a chilly mountain environment and get hot and sweaty, the casing of water can be the first step to hypothermia.
I like the Patagonia Capilene (http://www.patagonia.com/web/eu/product/mini_site/pbl_shop_landing.jsp?OPTION=PBL_LANDING) range for this, or the Berghaus base layer (http://www.berghaus.co.uk/index.asp?bhcd2=1168221977) range. You can even get sports underwear from M&S which does the same thing.
The layering principle already mentioned is the other important thing.