We are going skiing for Christmas...... not my choice. What ski gear is essential for a first-time skier I probably won't ever do it again so I'm not looking to go overboard. I will also need to know what can be rented. Thanks.

Calling out Guy. Guyyyyy . . . .

You ski Hud?

You might be surprised. I went snow skiing for the first time three years ago. Couldn't wait until the next trip, and then went a 3rd time this past winter. We plan on making it a regular thing every year now.
You definitely need snow bibs and a coat and gloves. For your hat and face covering, you can just wear your cold weather hunting gear if you want. If you are going for Christmas, it might be cold, so you might think about goggles too. I usually go for spring break and it is usually kinda warm then, so just sunglasses work for me. You can rent the skis, boots, and poles. We found most of our snow gear on facebook marketplace used, so it did not cost an arm and a leg.

Bibs, jacket, good waterproof gloves, goggles,something to keep your ears warm. You can rent the actual skiing equipment at the resort.

Bourbon

Appreciate it, yeah maybe. My wife dragged me Kicking and Screaming to New York City for Christmas a couple years ago, and I actually enjoyed it, so who knows?

Learn something new everyday. I didn't know you skewed.

Bibs are nice. Especially in wet snow. But you can get by with "gators" that cover the lower half of jeans. I've also ScotchGuarded the heck out of jeans and used them with good results. A good pair of sunglasses with a neck strap work fine in place of goggles.

I'd also ask around to borrow stuff from friends or neighbors. I've loaned out ski gear numerous times.

Where are you going?

I haven’t for several years Bill, and with a bad knee I am done.

Vail, If I remember correctly.

What is the likelihood of getting injured?

I went once. Looked at the mountain from the parking lot. And said, no way I’m skiing down that. I’m certainly not riding the lift.

Not my thing. I tried.

What would you say the fun factor is from one to ten, ten being the best.

Lol, I'm guessing your high center of gravity doesn't help either. Its probably easier for the vertically challenged.

Pretty good standard list. I use pants instead of bibs but I usually run pretty hot and am shedding layers after every run to the bottom.



If you have never gone a ski class is a great way to learn in a controlled environment. If you wing it and learn on your own I would say 50/50 chance on getting hurt with the possibility of a ride down with ski patrol.

I have had friends pick it up right away and have seen others bust so bad they curse me for inviting them.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^THIS^^^^^^^^^^^^

And good health insurance & the local emergency numbers and locations.

You'll be able to rent skis, boots, helmet and probably goggles. Some places rent outwear as well. Just need to call a few in the area you're going. Also good to reserve equipment ahead of time. If you do wear a helmet, which I highly recommend, the insulation is pretty solid and they keep your head and ears warm. I usually wear a very thin balaclava under my helmet. Gloves...mitts are the way to go. Mine are thin but keep my hands perfectly warm. I usually just wear a t-shirt and thermal leggings. Good socks are a must. Darn tough ski/snowboard socks are my favorite so far.

[/quote]
Appreciate it, yeah maybe. My wife dragged me Kicking and Screaming to New York City for Christmas a couple years ago, and I actually enjoyed it, so who knows?[/quote]
Where are you going?[/quote]

Vail, If I remember correctly.

What is the likelihood of getting injured? [/quote]

We used to have a “business “ trip with a bunch of vendors and customers. On the next to last trip one of the customers blew out a knee on his first fall on the bunny hill. Had to be driven home to the Valley in the back of an SUV, didn’t want to have surgery In Colorado. It was his first time to even see snow. I guess it’s just luck of the draw.

You can rent all the clothing too.

That depends on how daring you get. If you stick to the greens, you will probably have a higher risk of getting injured in a Texas ice storm. I am 48 tomorrow, so I skiied at 45 for the first time, an am only in halfway decent shape. Take a half day class and you will be good to go with the knowledge of how to handle yourself. If you are comfortable on the greens, then step up to the blues. They are much more fun.

If your wife is an experienced skiier and tells you that you are doing great and you should go down a Black with her, DON"T DO IT!!! Trust me. If you follow my advice, the likelihood of injury is pretty slim.

That would be a negative. Too many bad habits already.

Guy should ready to apply his expertise here (if he can remember).

We ski quite a bit. You'll have fun.

You aren't going to need near the amounts of insulation that you think you will. It's physical and you'll get hot. I've skied on a sunny days in the single digits wearing a long sleeve t-shirt with nothing over it. Focus on water proof shells top and bottom. Being new you're gonna fall. If you get wet, you'll be miserable. You can always layer under the shells but I can promise that you'll never need more than some thermal underwear and maybe sweat pants and a hoodie. Get hand and foot warmers to keep your hands and feet warm and you'll be good. Definitely make sure your gloves are waterproof. I rarely even wear gloves anymore but I don't fall. Day 1, layer up more. It'll be slower and you'll be colder as you learn.

Definitely wear a helmet. I used to not wear one but other skiers are idiots and will hit you. I started wearing one after some of the stuff I saw on the slopes. Bunny slopes are the worst.

Sunglasses or tinted goggles. The sun coming off the snow will blind you.

And also agree to start off on morning 1 with a lesson. That hour or two will make the rest of your trip 100X better.

Two tips I tell newbies. First, if you fall, getting up with skis on is hard. Kick them off, stand up, and put them back on. Second, flex your knees and lean forward. You should feel your shins pressing hard on the front of the boots. Once you get used to that feeling, balance, stopping, and turning come really easy. Most people try to stand straight up and keep their balance. That doesn't work, and even if you can pull it off, you can't turn or stop because you're not putting any pressure on the skis. Same thing coming off the lift....get your weight over the front of your skis and your shins buried in the front of the boots as soon as you come off the seat.

Both my knees are shot and I don't do the crazy stuff anymore, but if your technique is good greens and blues are easy to handle.

I would love to see him skiing in scotch guarded jeans at Vail, the locals will love it.
Rent or borrow some decent ski pants. Wind blocking layers are what you need, the ride up the lift will be the coldest part of your day.
Rent a helmet, concussions are not uncommon if it gets icy.

This bears repeating so that you don't forget once you are up on the slopes!