Ski clothing - HELP!!

juliavix

We're due to go on our first family ski holiday - with 3 kids - in February 2017. Horrified to see that 'middle range' ski clothing for the 5 of us could easily run to £1,500-2,000! The price of this stuff is enough to make you faint!
Does anyone know where I can find some good quality (don't want miserable cold damp kids!) to buy or perhaps rent?
Thank you
julia x

Blue264

I really would consider Ebay, particularly for the kids as they'll only get one season's wear out of them, and because it's out of season still.

Look on the shop websites for the fabric names of the clothes you would prefer, and search Ebay by those names.

http://www.en.dare2b.com/

http://www.mountainwarehouse.com/clearance/ski/

suki1964

Tk maxx if you don't want to go second hand

DigForVictory

EBay all the way for all of you, get the nicest stuff you can afford for a fixed budget & plan to resell it when you get back?

My school used to go on skiing trips, and the resale of ski gear was a standard practice.

Above all, Do The Exercises. "Sitting" against a wall for as long as your legs can stand it etc is not at all fun, but ye gods, if you're going skiing & can't move after day two, you've bought a *very* expensive holiday.

Some possible articles to consider are here, here (although if you do have seriously knowledgeable & or best of all qualified instructors in the family network, Of Course ask them!), here & here (complex, but probably worth the effort I think).
Then please do not break your leg at an early stage (or ideally At All). It's Extremely Boring, the jokes get repetitive & while the repatriation techniques are well rehearsed that does not make them at all fun.

richardw

Aldi and Lidl do ski clothing occasionally.

tinabina

There's one or two places that hire out middle to top end gear - one is skismart.co.uk - Helly Hansen, Spyder etc - great if you want to treat yourself and they cover all kids ages and sizes. They also do a trial service if you want to check sizes ahead of your trip. Good luck anyway!

peachyprice

Decathlon do a great range of ski clothing, especially good value for children.

jfdi

The Range usually have it in later in the year, and I've found cotton traders sale cheap for thin stuff to wear underneath.

agrinnall

I'd echo TKMaxx, I got a very good ski jacket for £50 in December 2014. In fact, just checking the manufacturer's website they have some deals on there now that you might want to take a look at.

http://www.surfanic.co.uk/ski-jackets/

michele-p

Keep a look out for base layers with merino wool. Its really good at keeping moisture away from your skin (yes you will sweat a lot!) and you can get away with a quick wash midway through the week.

Aldi stuff is great. I have a pair of their merino long johns, bought in the sale for £8. I also have a pair of Icebreaker ones, worth around £50. Aldi ones are just as good. I prefer narutal merino to synthetic for freshness!

Also check out sports direct. My first ski jacket was £15 quid and was great. They usually have trousers, gloves (i like mittens to keep hands warmer) and i wear silk glove and sock liners, usuallt amazon a few quid but worth it. One pair of each, rinse out each night.

Good stuff doesnt have to cost a bomb.

Have fun!

Blue264

michele-p wrote: »

...and i wear silk glove and sock liners, usuallt amazon a few quid but worth it. One pair of each, rinse out each night.

Good stuff doesnt have to cost a bomb.

Have fun!

Thank you! I forgot to mention silk glove and sock liners. They're worth their weight in gold. Back in the 80's, I got a few silk shirts in the sale at C&A (remember them? Still going strong in Switzerland!) and wore them as my base layer. It made a lot of difference.