Skiing is a fabulous activity but when you are new to the sport it doesn’t take long before you start recoiling at the enormity of the costs involved. By the time you have bought all of your equipment you may well be faced with supplicating before your bank manager asking for forgiveness but you will still have your clothing to purchase and then there is the small matter of paying for your holiday. There is a lot to finance for what might be just one week of action each year. There are ways to mitigate your costs, though, especially when it comes to your clothing.

Choose Wisely

Skiing is a bit like a wedding. It is an excuse to bump up prices, often into the realms of the ridiculous and equally often without any justification. As with designer street fashion, some labels are incredibly expensive and there is a limit to how good a ski jacket could possibly be so it pays to choose wisely. If you don’t ski that often then there really is no need to spend a fortune. Posing on the piste is all very well if you are wealthy but mere foolishness if you are not. The money would be better invested in lessons to improve your technique!

The Strategy

So how do you clothe yourself without breaking the bank or looking like you have raided the textile bin at your local waste site? Well for starters it is worth looking on eBay. Avoid any designer labels that are listed as these items could be fake but will still cost you a pretty penny. Look at the mainstream brands and see if there is anything in your size and to your taste that is in good condition. If you are new to skiing it would be wise to spend as little as possible to start with in case the sport turns out not to be for you.

The Sales

If eBay doesn’t provide the right result then wait for the end of season snow sports sales which start in April each year. You will at least save some money this way. Ignore all the pricey ranges as they will still cost the earth and focus on finding good quality without the designer mark up. Ski clothing is rated for its insulating and waterproof quality so it is fairly straightforward to ascertain how effective the garments actually are. Style is obviously a factor too but you are better off in a hideous jacket that keeps you warm than a flashy one that results in hypothermia! For the record Icepeak is a great range from Finland that offers superb styling, excellent quality and reasonable prices.

Package Deals

It is also well worth looking at ski wear packages. Some online retailers offer great deals on complete outfits which represent big savings over buying everything separately. Going for a package will also save you all that time searching for each element individually. You will need a jacket, salopettes (ski pants), socks, gloves, and thermal base layers.

Skiing is always going to be costly but there really isn’t any need to go crazy. At the end of the day the real fun is engaging in the sport not shopping, so make savings where you can and you will be able to ski more often!

Article by Sally Stacey