Hey folks!

I've been skiing for a year and I'm finally breaking down and buying a good ski jacket.

I'm still a beginner/intermediate, so if you have any suggestions, I'd appreciate it.
I'll be heading up to Hunter Mountain this wknd. and mainly sticking to Roundtop/White Tail/Liberty.

Any brands that you recommend?

-Stabone

I have found that the lighter weight jackets offered widely with a real strong and water resistant outside layer are quite versatile for skiing in our area. You can wear an extra fleece vest or wool sweater underneath for colder days. Buying one really big, super warm jacket just seems to be overkill for the typical daytime temps around local ski hills between 35-55 degrees. The lighter weight ski jackets sell for approx 50-100 at places like sports authority, to 100-300 at better, more fashionable ski stores like ski chalet, sort of depends on your budget and fashion requirements. It is nice to get a matching pair of water resistant ski pants. those run about 40-200, again depending on where you like to shop. Galyans may have stuff sort of in between the two price ranges mentioned above.

The trick here is -waterproof- or a really good water-resistant brand such as Spyder. If you are a beginner/lower intermediate you are going to be spending a goodly portion of you experience on your bottom. I know, been there, done that. Being wet can seriously ruin your fun and cut short your skiing day.

My suggestion is to splurge on a one of the new jackets that allow you to add/subtract liners depending on the weather. You are not going to be buying a new jacket every year and $200-300 (on sale even less) amortized over 3 years or so, is a small price to pay to be dry and warm.

Get ski pants that are seriously water-resistant. It's amazing how damp those lift seats can be, especially if they run thu snow blowers, not to mention those dangerous snow snakes that leave you sitting on your butt! Decent pants run in the $90-175 range.

And don't forget good waterproof gloves and warm socks. If your hands and feet are warm life on the slopes is ever so much nicer.

If you think this is a lot of money to pay for clothing for a sport, it is. But if you are serious about skiing, the investment is really worth it.

SKIING is BELIEVING!!!

wooo!!! Wool socks to wear as well!!! oh, and pass some of it (the pow) my way!

[This message has been edited by ski_guy_59 (edited 12-26-2002).]

Hi, I agree with Snowcone, Go Waterproof! It will pay for itself over and over. Wet snow will soak through even a water resistant jacket. And go for the good pants as well. The most miserable day I ever spent on skis was at Alta of all places. It was snowing at the top (11,000') and raining at the bottom (9,000'). If it can happen at Alta it can happen anywhere.

I agree with the last post - go waterproof all the way. So far, Gore-tex is the leading brand of liner and can be found in such name brand jackets as the North Face, Patagonia, Marmot, Mountain Hardware and Sierra Designs. Keep in mind that there are different levels of Gore-tex from single layer to triple layer XCR. All Gore-tex jackets are guaranteed to keep you dry.

For skiing, try to find at least double layer XCR Gore-tex jacket, preferably uninsulated. That way you can add layers depending on how much warmth you need. For example, for the top, you may want to start with a polypropylene (polyester based wicking material) shirt followed by a fleece top and your Gore-tex jacket. If it gets really cold, you can add a down vest underneath the jacket.

For your legs, you may want some wicking long underwear and a pair of Gore-tex ski pants. If its really cold, perhaps another layer of work out type pants over the underwear and under the ski pants.

Stores that carry all this stuff in the DC area include Eastern Mountain Sports (AKA EMS), Recreational Equipment, Inc. (AKA REI), and Hudson Trail Outfitters. Don't forget to check out EMS and REI brand gear with Goretex. There are some real deals to be had there. My wife got a new EMS double layer Goretex jacket for skiing this year on sale for $89 (normally $299).

For online shopping, you can't beat Sierra Trading Post (Sierratradingpost.com). They usually have a lot of the name brand stuff at clearance prices. Usually because its last year's gear or close out stock (which usually means a minor color change from "this year" or different pocket locations or some other non-vital change). But its still all new. I got a North Face Kitchatna (3X Goretex) from them two years ago for under $200 (normally retails at $499).

Good luck.