What to take skiing in 2011-12

Last year we created an essentials ski kit post which we sourced from our community on facebook. It proved really popular and we got lots of feedback about how useful people were finding it as well as a few suggestions for things that we (or rather our facebook community) had left out.

This year we asked our facebook community about whether a mobile phone should be taken onto the slopes. We knew it would be a hotly debated topic and here are just some of the comments: 

1. “My kids are in ski school – I want to know if there is a problem with them.”
2. “We use radios; they’re more reliable in the mountains where you can sometimes lose the signal on your mobile phone.”
3. “They’re an expensive thing to lose on the mountain”
4. My phone doubles up as an MP3 player and lightweight camera – a must.”
5. They’re an annoying distraction

Looking at all the comments and suggestions it would appear that most skiers and boarders (at least the majority commenting on our facebook page) think having a mobile phone on the slopes is a good thing (disagree? Why not leave us a comment). There were, unsurprisingly, quite a few caveats to this however, with almost everyone agreeing calls should only be answered on the side of or away from the slopes and music should be listened to only through headphones.

So we’ll leave the option of whether to add a mobile phone to the list or not up to you – just be careful not to drop it off a chairlift when you’re hands are freezing cold…

What to take skiing – our list for 2011-12

• Jacket
• Trousers
• Base layers – for dispersing moisture
• Mid layer*
• Helmet and Hat
• Gloves**
• Ski socks
• Sunglasses
• Goggles – sunglasses don’t work when it’s snowing
• Neck warmer
• Suntan cream
• Lip balm
• Camera
• Insurance
• Pre-booked equipment
• Ibuprofen
• Deep heat
• Wrist guards

* We would suggest a Micro Fleece

** In a straight vote between the two, gloves were the overwhelming choice over mittens.

To take if you have room ski kit list

• Your own boots – for a more comfortable fit
• Knee pads – particularly if you’re going snowboarding
• Walkie talkies
• Small rucksack
• MP3 player
• Chocolate bars

And in case it gets really cold:

• Glove liners
• Balaclava

Remember we really want to hear your views. If you feel as though we’ve missed anything from either list, please let us know by leaving a comment below or visiting our facebook page and joining the discussion there.

Updated for the new ski and snowboard season - our skiing kit list for 2012/13