Gift ideas for the skier or snowboarder on your list

All kinds of new gear will delight skiers and riders this holiday season. (Handout Photo)

Shopping for the skiers and snowboarders in your life isn’t always easy. The worst outcome is to give something as a gift that never again sees the light of day, either because it lacks in function, style or a combination of both. 

Compiled below is a list of gift suggestions that any skier or rider would find useful. And, if the person you’re shopping for already owns one, then keep it for yourself. 

Heated stockings

Stuff your feet into one of these stockings and you’ll never go back to chemical toe warmers or traditional ski boot heaters again. No more trimming insoles, routing wiring and struggling to affix battery packs. No more wishing you could transfer the setup quickly to another pair of boots or shoes for hiking, sledding, cycling, tailgating or any other outdoor winter adventure you’ve got lined up.

With heated socks by Hotronics and Lenz, both of which are machine-washable, the foot-warming game has never been simpler or better.  

Hotronics XLP One is a sock constructed with a wool blend that delivers a sturdy and snug fit. Simply pull the socks on so the heating element aligns down the lower leg, under the arch, and ultimately to ball of the foot and toes. A double cuff holds the rechargeable Lithium-ion battery pack in place outside of the sock for added comfort. The battery pack — smaller than found in boot warmers — delivers adjustable warmth for up to 13 hours. Three fixed settings range in power while a fourth delivers a temporary, timed blast of heat when needed. – www.hotronic.com

Lenz Heat Socks 5.0 are a mix of merino wool, silk and other fibers designed to stay dry by wicking away moisture. These knee-high socks come with an integrated shin protector and patented Toe Cap technology, a sewn-in heating element that wraps around the toes and delivers warmth for up 13 hours on a full charge. — lenzproducts.com

Raise the bar

The best holiday gifts often require a little advance legwork. Do some investigating for the (legal-aged) skier in your family and surprise them with a mug club membership at their favorite aprés-ski destination. 

For a nominal fee (individual pub policies will vary on cost and benefits), mug club members often will receive custom resort-branded drinking vessels, accompanying T-shirt or other swag, and street cred to boot. The best part is that the club typically includes discounted pricing on draft beer throughout the season. See also wine club memberships and make it a perfect set.

Koala Hang Time

I’ve been on a couple ski trips where my teen, or his friend, dropped his smartphone while attempting to use it on the chairlift. Both times the phones were never found and both times the ordeal caused significant consternation for both the teens and their funding sources — their parents.

Set your mind at ease this season with an inexpensive phone insurance policy in the form of the Koala Hang Time Phone Harness. This smartphone harness is made out of heavy duty silicone that wraps securely around your phone, while the 2-foot-long leash, which can hold up to 50 pounds and stretch up to 3 feet, secures via polycarbonate plastic clamp or stainless steel carabiner clip to your jacket. The product provides peace of mind when you know your teens are out there texting their friends, shooting photos or doing that inexplicable “flipping their phone around for no reason” thing that they do. — www.hangtimegear.com

Swix Handy Scraper

Swix calls its Handy Scraper the Swiss army knife of the scraper world. With plastic and steel scrapers on opposite sides, this is a product that every skier will find useful at some point in his or her daily adventures. Use the plastic side to remove wax, ice, pine sap or any other unwanted material from your bases, or to remove ice from your topsheet, boot soles or even your goggles. Then use it to scrape the ice from your windshield when you return to your car. The steel side is equally useful for removing ice from climbing skins or gouged up P-Tex caused by rock damage. Rounded and angled corners on the plastic side are designed for removing wax from grooves. — www.swixsport.com

Dakine Micro Lock

Do not assume you are immune from theft simply because you are in the mountains. Sure, the skiing community tends to be very trusting of one another, but that doesn’t prevent outsiders with ulterior motives from moving in to snatch your skis while you’re preoccupied in the lodge. Considering what you paid for your set-up, it only makes sense to keep it all safe and secure with a portable lock.

For $12.95, the Dakine Micro Lock is a three-number combination lock with a 30-inch retractable cable long enough to wrap around your bindings while securing your skis to a rack. It’s small, light and fits comfortably in your jacket pocket, which is where you should keep it at all times. — www.dakine.com

Super Hot Sauce Wax

Weather and snow conditions on the mountain change so quickly and so frequently that having the right wax on your skis can be a challenge. Most times you want to dial in your bases in between runs, a time when schlepping down to the shop for the proper color wax simply doesn’t make sense.

The quick answer is Hertel’s Super Hot Sauce ski and board wax. Developed nearly 50 years ago, this is one wax for all conditions and all temperatures. Pick up a pack of 1-ounce, biodegradable bars and change your day on the fly. They’re perfect for quickly waxing up your boards in the parking lot or the base area, whenever and wherever you need it. 

Super Hot Sauce is an all-temperature wax that delivers performance from 6 degrees to over 50. It works by changing the structure of the water you are creating through the friction of your skis, which results in extra speed, added control and a smoother glide. — hertelwax.com

Matt Boxler can be reached at [email protected].