Any advice on what items to take on a school ski trip?

Savvy_Sue

danandjens_worldtravels wrote: »

Look for Merino wool base layers. I discovered them last year, wash very very well, soft, naturally anti bacterial (can wear them for days without them being smelly), naturally breathable or as the technicals say 'wick away'. They are not on the cheap side but look on ebay for the following brands -
Icebreaker, Macpac and Kathmandu (there very probably are other but these are the ones I know are nice, personally icebreaker and Macpac are my fave's)

All these companies have stores as well, so you could look on there websites too (but I think they are all NZ or Australia based) they seem to distinguish by weight/thread count, there is a number on their descriptions - 150 is tshirt like, kind of smooth feeling and cool to touch. The larger the number the thicker the garment I'd get some 150..ish t shirts for base layer.

I got given my first icebreaker last year and wore it all winter and summer. It still looks as new and I've bought a few more Merino garments since last year.

Thanks, that's very helpful. I've just done some browsing and they sell Icebreaker and Macpac in a couple of our local 'outdoor' shops, and we have a Kathmandu, so he should be able to sort himself out fairly easily.

meritaten wrote: »

well, if he is anything like my son don't bother with more than one set of underwear - I supplied my son with a change for each day and he lived in one set for the whole week! and his favourite jeans and top! everything else came back unworn! lol

sighs - at least I didn't have the washing mountain I was expecting - though I did have to throw out the er, well worn underwear!

:rotfl: Teenagers, eh? Mine is 24, and does now shower daily, which is a great relief to us all ...

sassyblue wrote: »

Mountain warehouse! We went to lapland for a few days last year and got our base layers, fleeces, gloves, neck warmers and boots there. Most things we're bogof, or half price then an additional 20% off which they do a lot.

As someone said the merino wool base layers are antibacterial so can be used for a couple of days, the hotels tend to be very warm so could DS wash and get dry one pair and wear a second pair?

My current thermals came from Mountain Warehouse, but they're synthetic not merino. As a plus point they are bright pink! Not a selling point for DS2, obviously.

On a ski trip it might be possible to wash and dry thermals, but DS2 is going to be in a 'lodge' with minimal facilities for some of the time. OTOH he's only going for a few days, not a full week.

Dunroamin

gingin wrote: »

French Alps

Don't forget his EHIC.

couponqueen123

goggles , sunglasses, ski socks and thick socks , sunglasses , ski jacket trousers, hat, them thermal hand packs, gel face cream wash stuff towel ,

some clothes to wear out at nite time//meal time ,

shiny76

Perhaps more necessary for snowboarding but:

Wrist guards - perhaps built into ski gloves so he doesn't get grief for taking precautions.
(http://www.ski-injury.com/prevention/wrist_guards)

onlyroz

I haven't been skiiing in 10 years, but off the top of my head he'll need:

- Ski jacket (a proper one, not just a regular winter coat)
- Salopettes or ski trousers (I prefer the trousers - much easier to get off when you're going to the loo)
- Padded ski gloves, and regular gloves
- Goggles *and* sunglasses (including a cord to make sure they don't fall off)
- Suncream
- Small stick of cream for the nose
- Sun block for the lips
- Long-sleeve tops that can be worn under the ski jacket - not too thick or he won't be able to move his arms
- Something like a bum bag which can be worn round his waste to carry his money, sun-block, glasses, gloves etc
- Hiking socks
- Possibly a ski-pass holder. I'm not sure how the passes work these days but when I went skiiing it was a small plastic card which had to be got out at every lift - you need to be able to get at it when you're still wearing your thick gloves, but it needs to be secure so that it doesn't get lost

He'll probably also want the usual ton of crisps, biscuits, choccies, juice etc etc to survive the long journey and the cold evenings.

meer53

Dunroamin wrote: »

Don't forget his EHIC.

My daughters school asked for all the EHIC cards before the trip.

poe.tuesday

https://www.lapland.fruitbandit.com tells you all about layers and what to wear for skiing

we go skiing every year with our kids - I recommend you get them a thin base layer (no cotton products should be used) , this is to draw the sweat away from their bodies, then a midlayer, this is to absorb the sweat (something like wool or fleece), then an outer layer (ski jacket and trousers) - you probably wont need a mid layer for their legs if the outer trousers are thick
hat that can fit under a helmet and snood (dont get a scarf as these can be dangerous)
socks are important - but get a mixture of thin socks and ski socks just incase they have issues with their boots (they can be really tights)
googles or sunglasses, sunblock and lip balm are a must

if you want to keep the costs down then get your stuff from ebay - I just sold a load of gear and they went for pennies, you can get a jacket with postage for under £10 but start looking now and its better for the trousers to be looser and longer than tight

he wont need wrist guards if he is skiing

Bella73

Boring but his own travel insurance. Medical care can be very expensive if anything gets broken. Don't know if the school would do this for them or not?

folam

Ours go by bus and it is approx. 26 hours so a pillow for the trip is essential. We chose to hire the ski package through school, and all the little bits sunscreen, thermals etc were included. DS3 went in year 8 and 9 but had grown significantly between the trips.