What to Buy, What to Hire, and What to Borrow on a First Ski Trip
Don't spend money on kit before you know you're going back. Here's exactly what to buy, what to hire at the resort, and what you can safely borrow.
The temptation before a first ski trip is to buy everything. The ski jacket is the most obvious purchase because it is the most visible. The impulse is understandable. Resist it if you can.
Here is the logic: you do not know yet whether you will ski again. One in four people who go on a ski trip never go back. Before you have confirmed that you are one of the three in four, spending £600 on a jacket and pants is a gamble that many people lose.
Hire at the resort
Skis: Always hire on your first trip. Ski technology changes, you do not know what style of skiing you will develop, and your technique at the end of a first week is not sophisticated enough to make the most of a personal setup. Hire mid-tier skis rather than the cheapest option available. The difference in cost is usually £20 to 30 for the week, and the difference in experience is significant.
Boots: Hire on a first trip. Boots are the most personal piece of ski equipment and getting the right fit requires knowing what fit actually feels like on snow. This takes time to understand. Buy your own boots after two or three trips when you know what works for your foot.
Poles: Hire. No reason to own poles before you are committed to the sport.
Helmet: This is the one hire item worth reconsidering. Hire helmets are shared, often old, and may not fit as well as a personal helmet. A decent helmet costs £50 to 80 and keeps you safer. If your budget allows, buy a helmet rather than hiring. If it does not, hire one and it will be fine.
Buy before you go
Base layers: Good thermal base layers are the single most underrated piece of kit for a beginner. Hire jackets and pants are often draughty or poorly fitted. A proper merino or synthetic base layer under them makes a significant difference to warmth. Budget £40 to 70 for a top and bottom set. These are also genuinely useful for non-skiing winter activity so they are not wasted money if you do not go back.
Ski socks: Buy these before you go. One or two pairs of proper ski socks (Bridgedale, Smartwool, Falke) make a significant difference to boot comfort and warmth. Do not ski in ordinary sports socks. The difference is too large to ignore and they cost £15 to 25 a pair.
Goggles: Buy these before you go. Hire goggles are terrible: scratched lenses, poor fit, broken foam. A basic pair of decent goggles costs £30 to 50 and makes a material difference to how much you can see on the mountain. Oakley, Smith, and Anon all make solid entry-level options.
Gloves: Buy your own. Hire gloves are worn out. Ski gloves cost £25 to 45 for a functional pair. Get them beforehand.
Borrow if you can
Jacket and pants: If someone you know has ski outerwear in roughly your size, borrow it for your first trip. This is the most expensive part of the kit, the least likely to fit well from a hire shop, and the most wasteful to buy if you decide skiing is not for you. Borrow first, buy after the second or third trip when you know you are committed.
If you cannot borrow, the hire option at the resort is fine for a first trip. It will not look great and it will not fit perfectly but it will keep you waterproof enough for the week. Buy proper outerwear once you know you are going back.
The one thing worth spending properly on
If you are buying kit for the first time and you have a limited budget, spend it on the jacket and pants rather than spreading it thin across everything. A mid-price jacket and pants from Dope Snow or Montec will last several seasons. Cheap outerwear that leaks or fails in cold weather will make you miserable in a way that is avoidable.
The gear guide on this site covers jackets, pants, and what specs to look for. Read it before you buy.