Gift ideas for the skiers on your holiday list
‘Tis the season. We’ve compiled some of our favorite skier gift ideas to help seed your holiday shopping plan with fresh ideas.
Black Hole Gear Tote Bag – $69+
A tote bag, you say? Don’t laugh; totes are awesome for hauling gear to and from the car on day trips. The Patagonia Black Hole 61-Liter Gear Tote keeps your gear tidy in the car, and the wide opening makes for easy access to gear, food, drinks, etc.
Pistil Designs Hats – $32-$60
There’s no such thing as too many hats. In fact, you can calculate the number of hats a skier should own with the equation n+1, where n equals the number currently owned. When it’s cold and blown’ like it’s prone to do in the winter, we reach for a wool hat from Pistil Designs.
Gear Aid Tenacious Tape-$6
Tree branches, ski edges, hot wood stoves and bonfires can all put a hole in your all-too-expensive GORE-TEX ski jacket. Duct tape sounds like a good idea for fixing rips, punctures and holes in your favorite puffy or ski shell. But when it starts to peel off and leaves a sticky mess, you’ll discover why it’s not the best fix. Enter Gear Aid Tenacious Tape. Don’t think twice; get some. Short of a professional repair, this stuff is the best. And it’s an affordable ski gift at that!
Leatherman Multi-Tool For Skiers – $79
Speaking of Repairs, never let your favorite skier head into the backcountry without a proper multi-tool to address unforeseen problems. For the gram-counting minimalist, the Leatherman Skeletool is the clear choice in bit-driver multi-tools. It includes the basic essentials for turning screws, cutting stuff and the utility of pliers in a light five-ounce design. Be sure to get the add-on bit extender for added utility. The Leatherman Skeletool Multi-Tool plus Bit Extender makes an excellent ski gift.
BD Spot 400-R Rechargeable Headlamp $65
We’ve abused a lot of different headlamps over the years, and the Black Diamond Spot 400-R rechargeable headlamp offers the light you need for predawn starts and dusk returns in an easily rechargeable design. It’s compact enough to stuff in your pocket or pack and bright enough to guide you home on the skin track. Everybody needs a headlamp.
Buff Neck Gaiter $20-25
The Buff Neck Gaiter is a fixture on our ski day packing list and holiday gift list. It’s simple. It’s super functional, and you need one (or your favorite skier does). A Buff is a scarf, a hat and a neck gaiter all in one. Best of all, it’s lightweight and does wonders to help seal out cold, stormy weather in the backcountry and at the ski hill. Consider it essential gear for any skier. There are loads of different styles; we recommend the Original for your ski gift list.
Voile Ski Tuning Stand / Tree – $60
Our go-to off-the-shelf ski tuning stand is the Voile Ski /Board Tuning Tree. They create a platform that is a full 12 inches across, so they are rock solid and accommodate today’s big skis or a snowboard with ease. Set-up is easy – just clamp them to your workbench surface, and away you go waxing and tuning. The top features grippy rubber to keep your skis from sliding, offering a solid platform for waxing and mounting. There’s even a slot for putting your boards on edge to do tuning work. Get them directly from Voile for $60.
Black Hole Duffel Bag – $160+
More than just a duffel bag, the venerable Patagonia Black Hole Duffel Bag is the pro-caliber travel bag you can count on to keep your gear dry through rain, sleet, snow and everything in between. It’s avail in 40-, 55-, 70- and 100-liter sizes. The 40-liter is the way to go for fly-in hut trips and carry-on air travel. It’ll have you counting your socks to fit everything you need, but it fits the overhead on a commercial jet and is ideally sized for heli loads flying into a hut.
Rocker Ski Racks – $39+
Tired of tripping over the ski quiver? We all know what happens when you lean your skis against the nearest available wall — if they don’t fall over right away, they will fall over eventually. rockerskirack.com
Leather Ski Gloves – Outdoor Research Aksel Gloves $69
Good gloves for backcountry skiing need to be weatherproof, dexterous, rugged and warm – but not too warm. The Outdoor Research Aksel Gloves are equal parts ski and work gloves. Full leather and lightly insulated with a wool-blend lining, they’re an ideal uphill glove that can handle a wide range of temps and weather.
Adventure Medical Kits – $23+
First aid is one of those things you hope never to need, but every skier should carry a basic kit. I also keep one in my car. Adventure Medical Kits make packing basic first aid easy. Their ultra-light kits have the basics neatly stowed in a waterproof bag inside a zip pouch. Even the smallest kit is better than carrying nothing at all.
