First Time Skier... have many questions

[Azxster]

I will be going on a ski trip to Tremblant in 5 weeks. I am so excited and have no idea what to pack. I do not want to skimp out and be screwed over for the trip. I am a first time skier and my girlfriend has limited experience.

What should I bring for my 3 days of skiing?

I went to my local Winners to find some deals...

$70 - Misty Mountain Jacket (3 in 1 Waterproof)
$40 - Misty Mountain Waterproof Pants
$12 - Gordini Waterproof Gloves
Oakley Sunglasses
Timberland Boots
Ear Muffs

Do I need anything else? I have a down-filled "bubble" jacket... it is not really waterproof. Should I use what I have or keep the one I bought? Is what I bought from Winners decent, or should I splurge and get the Columbia / MEC stuff? I tried them on and they were fairly warm. If skiing is my thing, I do plan to upgrade for next season.

[somemale]

Skiing is lame, snowboarding is the way to go

[B40]

Timberland Boots

You don't need boots at all because you will be wearing ski boots...

If this is your first time I wouldn't spend that much money because you don't know if you will keep going...

[MkmBandit]

If this is your first time I wouldn't spend that much money because you don't know if you will keep going...


he's going to mont tremblant.. of course he'll continue skiing!

[aidzhsiah]

Being a beginner myself, I went through the whole "what to buy" thing last season. I learned everything basically the hard way by skimping early and ending up having to rebuy everything coz it wasn't working.

a) Make sure you're waterproofed. I have cheap ski pants and I fall so much that my butt feels cold and damp because they're only barely waterproof. I'm definitely going to invest into a pair of better ski pants. Fleece gloves are useless too because they soak up the water and your hands will freeze.

b) Make sure your stuff breathes. I was afraid of the cold so I wore a tshirt and a sweatshirt under a big winter jacket... 30 minutes into the day I was sweating myself to death, all that sweat was trapped under all those clothes and my clothes got cold and clammy all day. I invested in a base layer and a good breathable snowboarding jacket and I'm soooo much happier and comfortable.

c) Make sure your stuff fits. I tried using a 3-in-1 jacket another time because I thought it'd be nice to be able to take stuff out when I don't need it. Turns out the shell without the fleece liner is far too big because of all the extra space. That space between your body and jacket means cold air and snow just come right in and take away all your body heat.

d) Get good socks. I used gym socks the first time I went out and my feet felt like crap, blistered up and just felt really damp the whole day. Now I bought a pair of good socks and I put baby powder inside and my feet feel really good all day.

e) Get a good hat. If it gets cold, that's the place where all your body heat goes. And if it gets cold, you can pull it over your ear tips, so you don't need ear muffs.

[shabby]

Skiing is lame, snowboarding is the way to go

I thought that too, then i tried snowboarding... i looked even more lame coming down the bunny slope on my ass all the time. Think i'll stick to skiing, its much easier. And snowboarding is nothing like skateboarding like i originally thought :)

[Azxster]

If my pant and jacket has the waterproof shell with fleece lining... what would be my base layer? Since I've researched that you need 3 layers... I have the 2 outter, what about the base? Do I wear those thermal underwear as the base, then the jacket and the pant only? I think it would be weird...

[lost~user]

^^^ sometimes when I go to Blue it gets soo warm under my outerwear I go to the washroom just wear boxers under my snow pants... then I'll just have a t-shirt under my jacket... I have Ripzone core stuff.. and it's been awesome in keeping me warm and dry.... even my socks...

[Spor 13]

It all depends how warm you want your body to be. I've never been so warm skiing in mid-winter that I needed to take off some layers. (And by "so warm", I mean the feeling of walking in a mall during the winter time with a fleece sweater and my jacket on) Maybe in March, but not December/Janurary/Februrary. So usually I'll wear a LIFA as my base layer and then probably a thinner sweater (the LIFA keeps me warm enough, a thick sweater would be overkill) and then my 3in1 Jacket. I just wear trackpants under my ski pants. This usually gets hot, but I can bear it.

I prolly wouldn't wear ear muffs tho, just a toque or something is warm enough. If its really cold and windy the day you ski, you might wanna try wear one of those face mask thingys...baristas (I think they were called that). I just bought one of those Columbia neck warmers that I can pull over your face when needed.

[Azxster]

I went to the army store...

I bought

Stanfields Thermolite (DuPont) Longs
http://www.stanfields.com/menswinter/thermolite/7572.html

and

Misty Mountain (matches my Jacket/Pants) Micra 180 Crew
http://www.fcsurplus.ca/shopping/shopexd.asp?id=2168

What is a better crew shirt... the Stanfields or the Misty Mountain?
Link to Stanfields Long-Sleve Shirt
http://www.stanfields.com/menswinter/thermolite/7573.html


Save More Sports didnt have the black Misty Mountain polar fleece pants so the guy offered me the Stanfields. Call me weird, but I would prefer a matching set. If you had the choice, which would you pick? From what I have researched, the Stanfields is a better brand and is also more expensive.

Thanks guys.

[moyboy]

get real goggles, sunglasses are going to fly off and break, especially as a beginner who isn't going to be able to turn and stop

get something that covers the nose and mouth (balaclava, scarf, etc), the wind really bites at your face, especially as a beginner who isn't going to be able to turn and stop