Nathan started taking Harrison on an annual ski trip when he was three. Nathan plans the trip, books everything, and handles the daily activities, grocery runs, etc. involved in the trip. This upcoming year, Jonathan will get to join in on the annual ski trip now that he’s three, and we are busy making sure we have all of the gear that we need for them in Colorado.

I didn’t grow up skiing, and have absolutely no desire to learn at this point in my life. My dream is to be able to have three little boys that love to ski with their dad, and a little alone time for mom to get a massage or drink hot chocolate and read by the fire while the boys take on the mountain. Needless to say, I had a lot to learn to prep Harrison for his first ski trip, and we’ve found what works for us so far.

I’m sharing today what we’ve preferred to buy and pack versus what we rent for the very short trip.

But first…here’s a little look at my boys on their ski trip last year…

Things We Buy:

Snowbibs: We buy good quality snowbibs for the boys. As much as possible, I buy them secondhand from a site like Poshmark. Good quality snowbibs are expensive, and kids grow…a lot. So truly, I buy Harrison snowbibs, and then they get passed down from one boy to the next. Obermeyer snowbibs have been great for us so far, and withstand our roughest child on clothes, Harrison.

Long underwear: For a three day ski trip, I send three sets of long underwear for each boy. Most of the time, they can get by with just one set a day, and ideally don’t have to do any laundry. And at the worst case, if one set gets wet, they can let it dry and re-use if necessary later in the trip.

Wool socks: My favorite are SmartWool for the boys. Tall wool socks are important so that it covers most of their calf up to their knee. I assume one pair per day plus an additional two sets for each kid.

Ski goggles: We buy ski goggles for each boy. We have Oakley, Giro, and Smith. All of these brands have worked well and are good quality.

Ski coat: Similar to snowbibs, I buy a winter snow coat for each boy and then it gets passed down. I try to buy secondhand through a site like Poshmark, and buy a good quality one that will last us a loooong time given that I’m hoping they will last through three boys. Most importantly, I buy a bright color coat. More than anything else, this has been the most helpful for Nathan to make sure he can easily spot the boys on the mountain and at ski school. Red, bright blue, neon – it all works. Just not black or navy for us.

Snow basics: Hat, mittens (at least two sets!), snowboots, and scarf. The only thing special about these items, is that the mittens have a velcro strap to keep them tight around their wrist like these. I bought Harrison both a scarf ring and a baclava, and Harrison only ended up ever wearing the scarf.

Things We Rent:

Skis: The boys only go skiing once a year, so it doesn’t make sense for us to buy skis for them to only be used once a year. Nathan has been contemplating buying his own skis, especially if we continue to go on this annual trip, it probably makes sense for him to just own skis.

Helmet: We’ve contemplating buying boys helmets, but have decided that similar to the skis, it just doesn’t make sense for us with how little we go skiing and how fast their heads grow. Nathan did buy a helmet for himself, though, last year. He ended up picking out a Smith helmet, and he was happy with it!

Ski Boots: If I think their heads grow fast, their feet grow even faster. We will probably never buy the boys ski boots until their feet stop growing. Nathan did buy a pair for himself to have, though!

I’m working on convincing Nathan to help me write a post on planning a ski trip for little kids because that’s been by far the thing that we get the absolute most questions about every time they come back!