Skiing gear recommendations

For weekend resort trips

By Brandon Wang

I share research and experience on things I buy and use with my friends, and am now writing them here. Generally speaking, I'm an enthusiast, not an expert. Your mileage and use case may vary!

My context: I ski on the weekends, either by driving to a nearby resort (usually Tahoe) or by taking a flight. I can ski most things on a resort mountain, but I wouldn't consider myself an expert and I haven't toured or done backcountry.

Chubby Buttons (Control music)

Chubby Buttons. One of the most clever things I've come across, this is a small media control (play, pause, volume) you can wear on your arm. The buttons are big and the battery lasts for months.

I use this for both biking and skiing. I find using this (and wearing a single Apple AirPod) to be cheaper and more flexible than wearing helmet headphones. Without this, there's also no good way to control volume or skip ahead in a podcast without taking your phone out.

Downsides: wearing this every day means the Velcro on the strap has started to fall apart a bit after a few months. Also, the first button press after a period of inactivity wakes up the Chubby Buttons and doesn't register, so you have to mash it a a few times before it goes.

Ski helmet/goggles

Salomon Driver Prime Sigma Photo Mips helmet. This was pretty pricey ($350) but as far as I can tell, it's one of the best helmet/goggle combinations money can buy. I recommend this for anyone who wears glasses.

Its key feature is the clever goggle visor design, which has three positions that click into place: above your forehead out of view, on your face with an airflow gap, and sealed on your face.

Because the visor is attached to the helmet, even in the sealed position the goggles do not clamp down on your face. This is vastly more comfortable than regular goggles, which must be strapped tightly. The visor is also large enough for even wider glasses. Finally, the lens it comes with is photo-chromatic and dims in the sunlight. It's really good for most conditions.

These are all killer features. It also features nearly every safety certification (MIPS is basically a must-have at this point, and this helmet also has EPS4D).

There are a few downsides I've noticed after 30+ days:

First, fog is not resolved. This helmet-goggle combo is the best I've tried, but occasionally the goggles still fog up— this generally happens if I'm sweating, so I always take care to regulate that temperature proactively.

Second, don't leave the visor open if you're doing a jump. If the goggle visor is open/on your forehead and you get some air, there is a chance it will snap back down onto your face when you land. This doesn't hurt at all, but it's a bit jarring and in the worst case can disorient you. If you're riding terrain, make sure the goggles are actually on.

Third, there is no support for Chips / headphone audio (I usually wear AirPods anyways).

Fourth, it's been difficult to find replacement/different lenses due to supply chain issues. They are also quite pricey.

Traveling

Ski brake retainer straps. These have a clever Velcro mechanism that is easy to figure out, and I've never had any issue. They can also be used to hold two skis together (in a way that's easy to tear apart when you're ready to ski).

These seem more secure than the rubber bands many people use. I'm worried a funky impact from a baggage handler could snap a rubber band— not good since the brake would immediately snap out into whatever position it wanted to be in.

Outdoor Master Ski boot bag. Since every major airline lets you check both a ski bag and a boot bag as a single item (even though they are physically separate), you should definitely invest in a separate boot bag— you can carry a lot more stuff, your actual ski bag will be shorter and lighter, and it's just overall more convenient.

This bag has tons of space between the actual boot carry for a helmet, gloves, and clothes. It has detachable backpack straps, which are really helpful. Each boot goes in its own zippered pocket (so everything else stays dry) and the pocket is vented.

Downsides: my hardcore ski friends tell me you should always bring your boots in your carry-on because, after years of perfecting the fit on your boots, the last thing you want is for them to be lost by an airline. After 1-2 years of use, some of the scuff pads on the bottom have started to fall apart (but this hasn't compromised the bag itself).