Ski clothes and the actual skis are obvious items to bring along on your ski vacation, but what other things do you need for your ski travel experience to be enjoyable and safe? Read on for must-know packing tips that could avoid a ski vacation disaster.
Five Sweaters and No Pants — How to Pack Ski Clothes the Right Way
Calculate the number of clothing changes you need during your ski vacation. A weekend trip obviously requires fewer changes than a weeklong ski vacation. Pack your ski clothes by assembling complete outfits and then packing them as such. For example, group your unmentionables with long underwear, socks, pants, sweater, jacket, hat, ear muffs and gloves. Repeat as often as necessary.
If you travel by plane, call ahead and find out if your hotel or resort offers laundry facilities or services for guests. This cuts down on the number of clothes you need to pack. Unfortunately, it does increase the cost of your stay. Stay Aspen Snowmass has compiled a useful list of items to bring along; just cross them off as you pack.
Toothpaste in the Mitten – Ski Travel Essentials
Unless you live a hop, skip or a jump away from the slopes, the odds are good that your ski vacation takes a bit of travel time. If you hit traffic, icy roads, or even road closures, you may add a few hours to the ski travel time. Observe a few simple packing tips for essentials. Group your essentials; for example, you may put together medicines, toiletries, snacks and maps.
Pack these in a backpack you can easily keep on your person or in the passenger compartment of the car in which you travel. This eliminates the need to pull over during a snow storm and unpack half the gear to find grandma’s Gas-X. If you travel by plane, check with the airline about carrying liquids and medications onboard.
Pink Flamingos vs. Frostbite — Packing for Cold Weather
Don’t let your weather fool you! This is especially true if your ski travel takes you to areas where the climate is radically different from your home temperatures. Plan on dressing in layers and pack warm mittens as well as waterproof gloves, neck and forehead protection – preferably fleece – and also ear muffs. Don’t forget sun screen, skin moisturizer and lip balm.
Last Will, Beacon and Waterproof Clothes – Special Packing Tips for Heli Skiing
Heli skiing – the exercise of jumping out of a helicopter or off a CAT to ski the untouched powder of slopes otherwise inaccessible – is an extreme sport that attracts a good many adventurers on ski vacation. Not surprisingly, you need additional ski clothes for this kind of ski travel, in part because the deep snow gets you wet daily. Don’t count on air drying your clothes overnight; you might find yourself putting on uncomfortably moist and smelly clothes the next day.
Additionally, it is crucial that you bring along safety equipment, such as beacons. While many heli skiing operators provide these units as part of their gear packages, it does not hurt to have an extra set. Of course, these beacons are a great idea for anyone doing backcountry skiing, snowboarding or even just snowshoeing.
Sources
http://www.stayaspensnowmass.com/
