Reviews of All the Items we Bought For Our First Ski Trip
You probably stumbled upon this page trying to figure out what you should buy for an upcoming ski trip. I live in Florida, and this year our family planned a Lake Tahoe ski vacation with two other families. My wife and I hadn’t gone skiing since before our 3 kids were born, so it was our first ski trip in almost 20 years. Because of this, we found ourselves needing to outfit 5 people for a week of skiing. We had no idea when we booked the trip that we were scheduled to arrive in the midst of Lake Tahoe’s biggest snowstorm in 70 years. This storm gave us plenty of opportunities to put our new gear to the test.
There are plenty of right and wrong answers when it comes to purchasing ski gear. We knew we were going to be spending a lot of money on gear, so we took our time and did as much research as we could. Thankfully most of the items we purchased held up well in the storm. I’d like to share each item here with you, to give you another point of reference for your shopping, and some more in-depth information and pros & cons of several items.
Read through the entire article if you’d like, or just the table of contents below to click on the items you’re interested in. Hopefully, this info will add some clarity to your decision-making.
A couple notes before I get started:
1. I may receive a commission if you click some of the below links and make a purchase. This helps me maintain this website, and will not affect my written opinion of any product. For more information click here to read my affiliate disclosure. Thank you for your support.
2. This website was planned as mainly a photography site. As the site has evolved, I’ve found myself occasionally writing about stuff that has nothing to do with photography. This is one of those cases. Also, this will be the last article ever that I apologize for going off-topic. 🙂
Background Information
We skied for 4 days at Homewood Mountain Resort and our conditions were as follows:
Day 1: Low to mid-30s, Some snow and some rain, mild wind
Day 2: Low to mid-30s, Cloud cover all day, and occasional snow and wind that got heavy at times
Day 3: Low to mid-30s, Cloud cover all day and occasionally heavy snow and slightly higher winds than Day 2
Day 4: Mid-30s, Rain all day and high winds
Because of the weather conditions, there were a couple days when many of the trails weren’t groomed. I learned that I am NOT good at skiing in deep fresh powder, so not only did I get to test my gear in the rain, but I also had plenty of opportunities to test it for being partially buried in deep powder. 🙂
We rented ski boots, skis, poles, and helmets, but the rest we brought with us.
Read on to check out my reviews of all our ski trip items. We live near a Columbia Outlet, so many of the items we purchased are Columbia brand. We already own several of their items from years past, so we trust their quality and their prices are reasonable.
Ski Jackets
Columbia Whirlibird IV Interchange Jacket
For our jackets, we put all of our eggs in the same basket – all 5 of us selected the Columbia Whirlibird IV Interchange Jacket. There is a men’s version and a women’s version. We purchased one from the outlet and four from the website. It performed wonderfully for all 5 of us.
The Whirlibird IV is a jacket that is part of Columbia’s 3-in-1 Zip-In Interchange System. It consists of a waterproof outer shell and a second puffer jacket that zips inside it. The puffer jacket is a great jacket in its own right. Several times I took it out of the shell and wore it on its own. This eliminated the need to pack a smaller casual jacket.
Omni-Heat
The inner jacket also utilizes Columbia’s Omni-Heat technology. Omni-Heat is a layer of tiny silver dots in the inner liner of the jacket. The dots work much like a space blanket, harnessing warmth from your own body. Since they are dots instead of full coverage, they also wick away moisture when you wear the jacket.
Features
There were plenty of pockets in the 3 in 1. The outside and inside breast pockets were roomy and perfect for a cell phone and wallet. The hood is not insulated but fits over your helmet to keep snow off the back of your neck. Some of us used the hood and some of us didn’t. I liked it. The jacket also has an adjustable, snap-back powder skirt. It’s a nice touch to keep the snow out of your waist area if you plan on falling a lot. I used it sometimes but not the entire time. You’ll need to unzip/separate the inner jacket from the outer jacket in order to seamlessly button the powder skirt. I used it with the inner jacket attached and it was perfectly fine though. The only issue I had with the jacket was that the zipper on the outer shell was small-ish. I found that it was tricky to grab it with gloves on.
Performance
Skiing with the jacket was terrific. Several times I fell into knee-high to waist-high powder and also skied in the rain, and the inner jacket never got wet. The Omni-Heat inner jacket worked so well that I wore nothing but a t-shirt under the jacket all week. I had planned on other layers but ultimately did not need to use any of them. My wife and kids did wear their base layers and other various layer combinations under the jacket, and they all also reported that the jacket kept them warm and comfortable all week as well. I suspect wearing only the outer layer would be a great option for spring skiing, though we never got the opportunity to try it. It comes with nice size pit zips to help regulate your core temperature.
The bottom line is this jacket kept us all warm and dry, and I’d trust it in even colder weather. The salesperson at the Columbia outlet told us that any jacket that is part of the Interchange System will work with any other jacket in the system, so you can mix and match inner and outer layers. We didn’t try that but it does seem like a nice concept that could come in handy sometime in the future.
Ski Pants
Columbia Men’s Powder Stash Ski Pants
My 12-year-old and I selected the Columbia Men’s Powder Stash Ski Pants. They are equipped with the Omni-Heat and the waterproofing is great, but the main reason I selected them is that Columbia offered them in Short, Regular, and Tall. I’m 5’8” and generally wear a 30” inseam. The Short is 29”, the Regular is 31”, and the Tall is 33”. Both of us selected the Short and they fit way better than any other pants we tried.
Even though we ordered the short length, the “rise” was still kind of low, i.e. the crotch area was much lower than any normal pants – low enough to potentially affect mobility a bit. Every other pair of pants I tried were the same, so I found a way to solve that problem. In order to mitigate the low rise, I adjusted the waist to my liking, then I simply rolled the waist down one time and pulled the pants up. After that they were perfect, and since it was only a single roll, I still had access to the pockets. I know I shouldn’t have had to do that, but it worked and it was a simple solution that made the pants feel great.
The pants come with two handy cargo pockets and zippered leg vents. The left cargo pocket is a Velcro flap only, and the right pocket is zippered w/ a Velcro flap. I stored my fleece gaiter in the zippered pocket, and every time I pulled it out it was completely dry, even when it had been raining. The vents were also a must for me, even though I never used them on this trip.
Skiing in the pants was great. The waterproofing held up and they were warm enough that I wore them with a base layer only. My base layer never got wet in the snow or rain.
REI Co-op Powderbound Insulated Snow Pants – Men’s
My oldest son is taller than me so the shorter length wasn’t necessary for him. He found the REI Co-op Powderbound Insulated Snow Pants at an REI store and liked them, so we got those for him. They too are equipped with leg vents and a zippered thigh pocket, neither of which he used. He wore a base layer only under them and they kept him warm and dry the entire trip.
Columbia Women’s Kick Turner Insulated Ski Pants
My wife and daughter opted for the Columbia Kick Turner Insulated Ski pants. These did not have the leg vents though both said it wasn’t important to them. They both wore sweats and a base layer under their pants, and stayed warm and dry.
Ski Gloves
Hestra Army Leather Heli Ski Glove
These gloves come in a 5-finger version, a 3-finger version, and mittens. I’d never heard of 3-finger gloves before, but a friend suggested them. They have a space for your thumb and pointer finger separately, then a single space for your middle, ring, and pinky fingers. So basically they are a glove/mitten hybrid which gives your outside 3 fingers an opportunity to stay warmer.
What I liked about these gloves is that they come with a removable liner that is Velcroed into the leather shell. You can optionally add your own liners to stay even warmer. We all brought additional glove liners (discussed below), and some of us used them and some didn’t. I also loved that these gloves came equipped with handcuffs, so when you remove them on a lift, you can just let them dangle to your side and not worry about dropping them. They are also long so they go well up your sleeve in order to help prevent snow from getting into them.
3-Finger & 5-Finger
The 3-finger is a great concept and everyone went with it except for me. I decided to be the devil’s advocate and stick with the old-school 5-finger. I tried both and they both felt great to me. In fact, they are the most comfortable gloves I’ve ever worn, and they got even better as the week went on. By the end of the week, they just felt like an extension of my hand.
I do want to point out that the gloves did not perform well in the rain, although I’m not sure they ever claimed they would. On the two rain days, they lasted until about lunchtime and the moisture did make it into the liners. We removed the liners at lunch and hung them in front of a radiator while we ate. They didn’t fully dry but they were good enough to go back out after lunch. This was fine in low 30s temperatures, but I’m not sure how it would be in lower temps. I was glad to be able to pull the liners out in order to give the inside some time to dry.
Even though they didn’t perform well in the rain, they did great in the snow. And frankly I don’t know enough to know if there are any gloves that would be this good and also repel rain.
Leather Maintenance
Finally, each pair of gloves came w/ a small sample size of Hestra Leather Balm. We rubbed it on all the gloves after the trip (about a half tube per glove) as recommended, and let them dry outside before storing them for our next trip. The description of the leather balm says, ”Prolongs the life, suppleness and water repellant properties of the leather.” I’m looking forward to seeing how they feel and perform on our next trip.
Ski Goggles
Smith Optics Frontier Unisex Snow Winter Goggles
Smith Frontier Unisex Snow Winter Goggles: We selected these because they were reasonably priced and had good reviews on Amazon. Everyone except me purchased them. When I tried them on I felt like they were too small for my face, so I found a bigger goggle (see below).
The Smiths performed well for everyone. Over 4 days of skiing in snow and rain, there were no issues for anyone except once. On day 2, my 15-year-old took them off on the slopes and the inside got wet and they weren’t the same again for the rest of the day. I traded with him and let him use mine since he was still a beginner skier. It turned out that they actually fit better than I expected, so my worries about them being too small were unfounded. I’m not sure there are any goggles that will survive getting wet from the inside when you’re out on the slopes.
After my son’s goggles got wet, we stopped at a ski shop the next morning and purchased a reasonably priced pair of SCOTT Muse Pro goggles so we could have one family backup pair. They were very similar to the Smith goggles so the Smiths became the backup and he wore the new Scotts for the rest of the trip.
Wildhorn Roca Ski Goggles
Wildhorn Roca Ski Goggles: These are the goggles I selected. I chose them because they are a little bigger than the Smiths, and still reasonably priced. I loved them and never had any issues with fogging all week. The lens was much bigger than the Smiths and I loved the field of few these googles gave me. Another bonus to this goggle is that you can purchase other lenses for it. I didn’t do that but I may pick up a second lens for my next trip.
Ski Socks
We had heard – and it makes sense 🙂 – that fingers and toes are very important to keep comfortable when skiing, so gloves and socks were places we spent a little extra. After some research, we learned that Merino wool is the best choice for comfort and warmth. It’s thinner and softer than regular wool but has all the same qualities. Wool regulates your body temperature well and helps wick away sweat to keep your feet dry.
Smartwool Socks
We selected socks by Smartwool. They offer several varieties on Amazon, including Skiing, Snowboarding, Full Cushion, Targeted Cushion, and No Cushion. Frankly, we just chose the ones we liked the designs on. Mine were targeted cushion snowboard socks and they were perfectly fine. We purchased two pairs each, but since we had a washer & dryer in our cabin, none of us truly ended up needing the second pair.
After-Ski Snow Boots
When we weren’t skiing, we needed snow boots anytime we were outside. As I had mentioned before, we had no idea that we were going to experience so much snow. For this reason, selecting effective boots was more important than we even knew at the time. We went with 4 pairs from Columbia and one pair from Merrell. All the Columbias were purchased at the outlet so everyone could try them on first. I purchased the Merrells online because I couldn’t find that exact model locally.
Columbia Arctic Trip Omni-Heat Boot
Columbia Arctic Trip Omni-Heat Boot: My Wife and 12-year-old son selected these boots. There is a women’s and a men’s version. My 12-year-old spent many hours playing in the snow with friends sledding, climbing, and walking through snow that was sometimes up to waist-deep. These boots are waterproof and equipped with Omni-Heat protective lining, and they performed wonderfully. Every time he came back inside and removed the boots, his socks were dry. My wife wasn’t quite as active but she certainly stepped through her share of deep snow and slush, and also always had dry socks and warm feet.
Columbia Women’s Slopeside Village Omni-Heat Mid Boot
Columbia Women’s Slopeside Village Omni-Heat Mid Boot: These are the boots my daughter selected. When we were purchasing boots at Columbia, there were two things we looked for. One was that they were rated as waterproof, and the other was that they were equipped with the Omni-Heat reflective lining. All the Columbias we purchased checked both boxes. These boots kept my daughter’s feet dry and warm throughout the trip.
Merrell Men’s Moab 3 Mid GORE-TEX
Merrell Men’s Moab 3 Mid GORE-TEX: I purchased these for myself. They are more like hiking boots than snow boots, but I’ll explain the reason I purchased them. My 12-year-old wears the same size as me and he’s continuing to grow. I suspect I’ll be inheriting his snow boots as soon as he grows out of them, so I didn’t want to live in Florida owning two pairs of identical snow boots that I’ll only use on ski trips. For this reason, I took a chance and selected these hiking boots. I thought they would perform “good enough” in the snow, and also be something I can wear here in Florida. Since they were only mid-height boots, I hedged and also purchased a pair of ankle gaiters from REI (discussed below).
The result was that I was amazed at how well they did. Anytime I knew I was going to put them to the test I also put the gaiters on. I walked several times through snow that was literally knee-high to waist-deep, and slush that was ankle-deep. I few times my toes got a little chilly but never uncomfortable. The first couple of times I mistook the chill for moisture, but each time I took the boots off, my socks were dry. The boots were so comfortable I wore them on the plane, which saved us some space in the suitcase. And I’ve already used them several times in Florida on rainy days. These boots are terrific and I’m extremely glad I took a chance on them. Plus, I’ll have a nice pair of Columbia Arctic Trip snow boots as soon as my 12-year-old grows out of his. 🙂
Columbia Men’s Fairbanks Omni-Heat Boot
Columbia Men’s Fairbanks Omni-Heat Boot: My 15-year-old son selected these boots. They were waterproof and Omni-Heat just like all the rest of the Columbia boots. He was quite active in the snow with them as well. They sit a bit lower on the ankle than the Arctic Trip boots, so on his first day out in the snow, some snow found its way down into the boot from the top. Really it had less to do with the height, and more to do with how loose he had them tied. After that day, I gave him my ankle gaiters to wear anytime he went outside, and the boots performed terrifically for him on the rest of the trip, keeping his feet warm and dry. Coincidentally, my 15-year-old also wears the same size as me and my 12-year-old, so if he grows anymore, I’ll also be the proud owner of a nice pair of Fairbanks boots. 🙂
Other Items
In addition to the obvious stuff, these are some other things we brought with us on the ski trip. Each item may be helpful to add to your ski trip packing list.
Ankle Gaiters
REI Co-op Flash Gaiters
These things are hidden gems. I originally purchased them to go with my Moab Mids but had no real intention of using them. It turned out that with all the deep snow and slush, I used them almost every time I wore my Moabs – except when my 15 y/o had already put them on his Columbia Fairbanks. Luckily it was rare that we both truly needed them at the same time. They were super easy to put on and take off, and were always dry and ready to use. I’d say these are a must if you don’t have snow boots that reach your calves.
They also came with an extra set of underfoot cords, which is nice but we didn’t need to change them. Time will tell how long they last. There was a defined heel on the Moabs, but not on the Fairbanks, so I assume they’d last longer on the Moabs. I’ll definitely purchase at least one more pair for our next trip. We wore size 10.5 boots and went w/ size XL for the gaiters.
After-Ski Socks
In all honesty, I don’t think it matters too much what kind of socks you wear when you’re done skiing, but I do want to point out one pair of socks that I absolutely love. They are the Weatherproof Men’s Outdoor Crew Sock from Costco. I saw a 5-pack at the store one day, and they looked reasonably priced, so I threw some in the cart. I gotta say, they might be the most comfortable socks I’ve ever worn. Maybe the mix of fabrics just agrees with me, but they just felt so soft and went great with my Moabs. For the record, they are 44% Polyester, 38% Acrylic, 15% Wool, and 3% Lycra Spandex.
Sling Packs
My wife and I both brought a sling pack with us. We decided on small 8-liter sling packs instead of backpacks. The sling made it easier to quickly slide the pack to the front when getting on the ski lifts. I carried a bottle of water and a Gatorade bar in mine, plus a microfiber cloth, Chapstick, sunscreen, etc. I used a Merrell Crest 8L Sling and she used a Patagonia Atom Sling 8L. Neither is rated for being waterproof, but hers held up to the moisture way better than mine. I still used mine every day, but just made sure to put things in zip-loc bags if I didn’t want them to get wet.
Neck Gaiters
Columbia Fast Trek II Fleece Gaiter
We all used the same fleece neck gaiters from Columbia. Some of us used them 100% of the time, and some of us used them part-time. Since it was in the low to mid-30s, I felt it wasn’t necessary as long as it wasn’t snowing or raining. But as soon as the snow or rain started falling, they made it much more comfortable by blocking it from hitting my face as I was skiing down the slopes. The fleece wasn’t Omni-Heat, but it was still very warm, and I could see myself using it more extensively in colder temperatures.
Glove Liners
Columbia Omni-Heat Touch Liner Gloves
Our experience with the glove liners was very similar to the neck gaiters. We all purchased the Omni-Heat Touch Liner Gloves from Columbia. We selected these because of the Omni-Heat, the moisture-wicking fabric, and the touch-screen compatible fingertips. Our usage was varied – my wife absolutely loved them and used them every day. I didn’t end up using them at all, but was prepared to use them if the temperature got lower.
Base Layer
All of our base layers were the 32 Degrees brand. Costco sells a lot of this brand, though the base layers are seasonal items. We purchased most of our base layers from Costco, but we did buy some from the 32 Degrees website as well. These base layer tops and bottoms are about as comfortable as it gets in my opinion. They are much thinner than your normal “long johns”, and still provide that same extra layer of warmth when it’s cold out. I also occasionally wear the base layer tops under t-shirts when it’s chilly outside here in Florida.
Whistle
S.O.L. Slim Rescue Howler Whistle, 2ct (Pack of 3)
We read that every skier should carry a whistle with them, so we purchased these whistles from Amazon. There were a total of 6 whistles in this package. Thankfully we never needed to use them – although the day they arrived in the mail, the kids put them to the test way more than necessary. 🙂
Finger Lanyards & Carabiners
We purchased these Finger Lanyards and Carabiners to attach the whistles to our jackets or sling bags. The extras came in handy throughout the week and beyond for other applications as well. We used the carabiners to hang stuff up to dry, and a couple of finger lanyards as temporary replacements for broken zippers on backpacks.
Hand Warmers
HotHands Hand Warmers
We brought a ton of hand warmers on the trip, and as it turned out, we hardly used them. My intention was to put one in each pocket every day so I can warm my hands, but I never did do it. I’m pretty sure my wife was the only one that used them. She shoved them into her gloves while she was skiing. Some gloves come with pockets to insert hand warmers. Ours didn’t have them, but she said she was happy just having them inside the gloves. Hand warmers can really dry your skin out, so I recommend making sure you have moisturizer available. Also, it may help to have a layer of glove liner between your hand and the warmer.
Sunscreen
Neutrogena Sport Face Sunscreen SPF 70+
Sunscreen isn’t something you generally think about when skiing. However, you are just as susceptible to UV radiation and sunburn in the snow as when you’re on the beach – even when the sun is not out. So make sure to add sunscreen to your packing list.
Travel Pillow
MLVOC Travel Pillow 100% Pure Memory Foam Neck Pillow
If you’re going skiing for the first time, you’re probably flying somewhere to do it. This isn’t necessarily a ski item, but I wanted to mention it because it was super comfortable, and [relatively] easy to roll up and put back into its little bag. The first time you open it, you’ll need to let it sit out for a day to take its shape.
Microfiber Cloths
Amazon Basics Microfiber Cleaning Cloths
I love these microfiber cloths. I used them each night to wipe and polish my goggles. If you wear any kind of eyewear, I highly recommend these even if you aren’t skiing. They are so much better than those tiny microfiber cloths that come with your glasses. I use them all the time at home for my glasses and sunglasses, and keep them all over the house, as well as a couple in each car.
Ziploc bags
Ziploc Sandwich and Snack Bags
I mentioned these a few times throughout this article. If you’re skiing, you’re going to be around moisture. It’s nice to have a few zip-locks around to keep stuff dry.
Lip Balm
I used regular Chapstick which was perfectly fine, but something with SPF protection may have been a wiser choice.
Conclusion
One final piece of advice: If the place you are staying has a washer and dryer, you can pack way less than you think you need. We brought several items of clothing and backup ski gear that we never used because we were able to wash clothes each night.
All in all, we were very satisfied with the items we selected to bring with us on our first ski trip. We knew we were paying a premium for a few of the items, but we gambled that the kids would love skiing and would be able to use them for years to come. Thankfully they all did love it, and we are already in the discussion phase to plan our next trip.
Planning your first ski trip can feel a bit overwhelming. Hopefully, all this info helped you clear up some of your decision-making. If you have any questions please feel free to leave a comment or contact me and I’ll do my best to help out in any way that I can. Happy Skiing!
James is a part-time photographer in Ponte Vedra, Florida, and creator of jamesvernacotola.com. He does freelance work for corporate clients and for Jacksonville.com, but his favorite gig is covering his kids’ sporting events as a parent with a camera.