January 20, 2010
Pack up the posse for skiing
by Heather Burke/
(photo: Greg Burke)
“Skiing with the family is sooo 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 go on Facebook and watch videos while 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, then 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 number. 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 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 online, 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 money, but it 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!
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