“Skiing with the family is so complicated! How do you do
it?” friends ask me. “Packing is a nightmare!”
I
think the bigger nightmare is staying home every weekend. The kids facebook
and watch videos, my husband and I work and do chores. I’d rather pack and
fly down a snow covered mountain with my kids.
Packing for skiing isn’t easy…but as Tom Hanks said in A League of Their Own
“if it was easy, than everyone would do it!”
Simply put, you need systems for your ski packing to streamline the process,
and so you don’t forget someone’s’ goggles, or spend the morning in the ski
shop instead of on the fresh snow.
Here are our tried and true travel systems for skiing:
Ski Bag: Every skier in the family should have their own
ski bag, labeled with name address and cell contact. In this boot bag: ski
boots, long undies, hat or helmet, mittens, socks, neck warmer, ski pants
and jacket – unless you are wearing it to the mountain. For little ski
tykes, be sure to have extras of anything that could get “wet”!
Check each ski bag before and after each ski trip to be sure everyone’s
inner and outerwear is clean, dry, and ready to go. Pack separately your
après ski clothes, pjs, toothbrush and a swimsuit!
Dress
rehearsal: Before your first ski trip, have a full dress rehearsal
to make sure everything still fits. You don’t want to find out Saturday
morning that Suzie lost one mitten last March.
Ski Equipment: Store all your hardware: skis, boards,
poles, in one place – so you can grab everyone’s gear and go.
Ski Resort: Go on-line, visit the ski area’s website and
check on lift hours, lesson registrations and times, rentals, parking,
ticketing, everything you need to know. This saves considerable time at
check in, guarantees space in ski camp and often unearths special discounts
that weren’t otherwise promoted.
Lodging: Know your lodging amenities and check in policies
before you go. Find out if you have a full kitchen, swimming pool, DVD
player, etc. Then you can pack accordingly. Bringing a lasagna can save $$ -
but can be a frozen flub up if you don’t have an oven.
I hope these ski travel tips will help you get to the slopes more often with
less stress!
