What to pack

Packing for a ski holiday can seem daunting, but we're here to help!

Here is a handy list of things to pack or sort at home to help you through your excitement and to make sure you don’t forget those all-important ski essentials.

Hand luggage

• Passports
• Travel documents
• Insurance documents
• Currency
• Wallet
• Water and snacks for the journey - your journey to your ski resort can be long and tiring, especially if you have been up since the early hours of the morning. Taking some sandwiches or snack bars in your hand luggage could be a saviour if you are delayed on the plane or the coach into the resort, particularly if you are travelling with small children
• Magazines, games, iPads, books, etc to entertain you on your journey. Similar to the need for snacks, this can be a long journey so be prepared to need some fun if you get bored easily. Don’t forget external battery packs to recharge phones while travelling
• Printed copies of any Heidi-provided vouchers for, transfer, ski hire, and ski pass. You can retrieve any vouchers you will need through the My Booking Portal. However, don't worry if you don't have vouchers - some of our providers do not use them. 

Ski Gear

• Ski jacket - to wear skiing and if you go out in the evening
• Ski trousers (salopettes/ski pants)
• Thermal trousers and top 
• Several pairs of ski socks
• Ski gloves
• A thin pair of gloves and a hat you can wear when you're stopping for a mid-ski-hot-chocolate. It's nice to be able to take off your helmet and still keep your ears warm.
• If it is very snowy you may want a neck warmer/balaclava to protect your face when skiing
• Extra layers for skiing if you get cold easily, such as long sleeve t-shirts or jumpers
• Goggles - you usually can't rent these in resort, so we recommend you buy them in advance to avoid the high prices in resort. Changeable lenses for sunshine and low visibility are advised
• Sunglasses - when you stop for breaks and are not wearing your goggles, sunglasses are great to help protect your eyes from the brightness of the sun reflecting off the snow
• Helmet - you can hire these in most ski hire shops in resort if you don't have your own
• Ski or snowboard bag (with wheels is easier) and boots bag if you take your own equipment. For your first trip, we would advise that you hire your equipment

Basics

• Jeans or trousers for when you're not skiing
• Tops and jumpers for when you're not skiing
• A pair of comfortable walking/outdoor shoes
• Slippers are useful if you are staying in a chalet
• Underwear and socks
• Sleepwear
• Hat, scarf, and gloves if you are planning on going out in the evenings
• Swimwear for hot tubs, sauna, or swimming pool
• Travel adaptors
• Travel speakers
• GoPro or camera
• Travel pillow if you like to sleep on flights or the coach transfer
• Cards or games for a quiet night in
• A small backpack for taking up the mountain - useful for carrying emergency supplies including tissues, sun cream, spare goggles/ sunglasses, water, hip flask, and of course chocolate for those long chair lifts
• If you can’t go without any of your home favourites for a week, you may want to pack Ketchup, Marmite, Cadburys chocolate or branded tea bags as it’s unlikely these will be available in the resort

Toiletries

• Toothbrush and toothpaste
• A hairbrush, hair ties, etc
• Deodorant
• Shampoo, conditioner, and body wash
• Hair products
• Shaving kit
• Wipes
• Face wash
• Hand sanitiser
• Sun cream and lip block are essential. The sun is very strong in the mountains as it bounces off the snow so a high factor is recommended
• Small first aid kit - you may need treatment for aching muscles, bruises, and blisters
• Prescription medication

You can also read through our blog post on What to wear on a ski holiday.