Summer travels always seem so easy. Throw a bathing suit, flip flops, and some shorts in your suitcase and you're good to go. Winter getaways - especially the real active ones - are a little trickier. You've got gear, coats, lots of layers, and baggage policies to contend with. So, with our own Colorado trip commencing, let’s talk about what to pack for your ski/snowboard trip, how to pack it, and what to bring with you on the mountain. Read on for our travel tips & tricks - but first, a video!

Travel Tips & Tricks

For us, winter travel is all about packing as light as possible. There’s a lot of clunky gear we need to pack - boards, helmets, boots - so why overload yourself with extra clothes? If you’ve got access to a washer/dryer, even better! You can wash and reuse some of your gear. Not an option? No worries - you can still pack light and bring everything you need.

Carry-on: Take full advantage of your carry-on luggage and be strategic about what you pack in it. Most flights allow one piece of carry-on luggage and one personal item. For winter trips, we always fly with a backpack and our boots, and we do this for a number of reasons. Bringing your boots with you saves room in your luggage and ensures that if your luggage is lost, you won’t be without them. That being said, you’re not going to want to rent a helmet either, so try to pack that in your carry-on gear as well. It might seem like a lot of gear, but these items have bonus storage spots themselves. Put your goggles and rolled up down jacket inside the bucket of your helmet. Socks, gloves, and neck gaiters will fit inside your boots.
Other things to pack in your carry-on? Toiletries and a full base layer set - long underwear and a top.
Ski/board bag: Unless you’re renting your equipment at your final destination, you’re going to need to pack your skis or board in a special bag. But a lot more can fit in there besides your skis, boards, and bindings. Make good use of the leftover space by packing your ski pants, an insulation layer, your boot dryer, repair/tuning kit, and if you’re going steep and deep, a probe and shovel. Just keep the weight at 50 lbs or less!

On the snow we definitely want to make sure we have a base layer, an insulation layer, and a shell. The base and insulation layers are packed, as we just established, and we wear the shell (our ski jacket) on the plane. This is really the only jacket we’ll bring (as much as we wish we could bring our fun, fashionable winter attire). What we wear on the plane is generally something that we can wear out for the one or two nights we won’t be chilling at the mountain condo. You can also swap that outfit with your base layers if you plan to hit the slopes upon arrival.

Mountain Must-Haves

You’ve made it to your destination and now it’s time to rip it up. It’s easy to overlook some important items to bring with you. Here’s what we recommend:

Backpack: A small backpack is great to carry. You can store extra layers in it or use it to shove discarded layers in if the day warms up. Extra gloves (of warmer or thinner material) are good to bring along if yours get wet or you need more or less insulation. Bring water in a reusable bottle to stay hydrated in higher elevations.
Sunscreen: Assuming most people reading this are from the East Coast, keep in mind that the sun can be brutal in higher altitudes that we’re not as accustomed to. Bring sunscreen to protect your face, and don’t forget to do the bottom of your nose and space above your upper lip - the sun reflects off the snow and can burn that section pretty easily.
Lip balm with SPF: The sun, wind, and cold air can be brutal. Throw a tube of lip balm in your pocket and reapply throughout the day.
Sunglasses: We like to ride in sunglasses on warmer days. These are small enough to pack in your backpack to have as an option on the snow.
Avalanche gear: There have been several in-bound avalanches this year at different resorts out West. it can never hurt to have and to wear your beacon around the resort, especially if you plan to do any side or back country.
Ski Patrol phone number: As we’ve mentioned before, look up the number for the Ski Patrol at the mountain you’re visiting and store that number in your phone. Safety first!

Après Attire

We don’t pack a ton of clothing to wear off the mountain. A pair of jeans and one or two tops is all we usually need for dinner or evenings out. Let’s face it, we’re traveling with a bunch of outdoor adventurers who like to slide around on snow. We all have the same mindset and no one is there for the fashion or judging what we’re wearing.

Other, perhaps more important, après attire? A bathing suit so you can soak in the hot tub after a long day on the snow! Is there anything better?! Oh, and slippers, PJs, and sweats to wear and be cozy in while lounging around.

What are your secrets to packing efficiently for a ski/snowboard trip? What are your mountain must-haves? Comment below!