The short answer
Pack layers instead of bulk, bring two pairs of gloves at minimum, and bring goggles with a spare lens for flat light. We supply the safety gear: transceiver, probe, shovel, and an airbag pack come with every seat. Almost everything people over-pack, they never touch. This is the list the guides actually give.
The system that works
Layers, not bulk
One big warm coat is the wrong tool. You run hot while you ski and cool down fast when you stop, so you want to add and shed layers all day. Three thin layers beat one thick one every time.
- A base layer that moves sweat off your skin. Merino or synthetic, never cotton.
- A mid layer for warmth: a fleece or a light insulated piece you can open up when you heat up.
- A waterproof, breathable shell jacket and pants over the top.
- A light puffy that packs down small, for the cold stops and the ride up.
- Warm socks that fit, plus one spare pair. One good pair beats three thin ones.
Gloves, goggles, and the rest
Two pairs of gloves is not a luxury, it is the difference between a warm afternoon and a miserable one once the first pair is soaked. Bring a warm pair and a spare, and a thin liner if your hands run cold.
Goggles matter more than most gear because the light in a storm is flat, and flat light is where people fall. Bring a low-light or storm lens as well as your bright-day lens, and a cloth to clear them. A neck gaiter and a warm hat for under the helmet round it out.
- Two pairs of gloves minimum, plus liners if your hands run cold.
- Goggles with a spare low-light lens and a cloth.
- A neck gaiter and a thin hat that fits under a helmet.
- Sunscreen and lip balm. The sun off snow is stronger than it feels.
- A small day pack only if you like one. Most of what you need rides with the group.
Leave it at home
What we supply
You do not need to own or rent any safety equipment. A transceiver, probe, shovel, and an airbag pack are supplied with every seat, and day one includes a practice session on how to use them. Powder skis and boards are available to rent at the lodge and we recommend them: fat, floaty gear makes deep snow far easier. Bring your own boots if you can, since your own boots are always better than rentals.
The drying room truth
Every lodge has a drying room and people lean on it too hard. It dries damp gear overnight, but it will not rescue a glove that got soaked through at lunch on the same afternoon, and it will not turn one pair of gloves into two. Pack as if the drying room does less than you hope, and it will always be a pleasant surprise instead of a gamble.
The over-packing list
What not to bring
The most common mistake is bringing too much. Here is what tends to stay in the bag all week.
- Cotton anything for skiing. It holds water and stays cold.
- A single heavy resort coat. It is too warm going and too cold stopping.
- Your whole quiver of skis. Rent the powder gear here and travel light.
- Formal clothes. The lodge is a wool-sweater and warm-socks kind of evening.
- Extra electronics you will not use. The point is to be off them for a week.