How to Plan for a Ski Trip

Anyone who has ever planned a successful ski trip knows how fun and exciting it can be. Yet so many people who love to ski and snowboard only plan one single day to hit the slopes. For this week’s How-To Friday I’m going to outline everything you need to know to make that one day ski trip turn into a whole week or even a weekend.

First, you should get a group of friends or family together who you like and are willing to spend an entire week or weekend with. The trip is so much more enjoyable when everyone is having a good time and getting along. Also I would like to note, the more people you get together, the lower the individual cost per person for everything such as lodging, food, and travel.

Next, find a mountain that appeals to everyone in your group's needs, whether that be kid friendly, how close the mountain is to the house you rented or hotel, if the mountain has good food, or a good variety of trails. Also an important factor should be that the mountain is located in or near a town that has plenty of other activities to do when your taking a break from the snowy fun. My personal favorites to recommend would be Cranmore Mountain located in North Conway, NH or Loon Mountain located in Lincoln, NH. These two towns are full of fun things to do and have a lot of tiny shops that are fun to explore. Lincoln, NH is also the destination of the incredible Ice Castles that I highly recommend checking out. These breathe-taking ice structures stand 25 feet tall at its highest point and have become a social media sensation that draw over a million people to see them each year.

Once you have everything booked and the itinerary all made, it is very important that you continuously check the weather a few days leading up to your trip. As you may know the saying in New England, “If you don’t like the weather, wait a few minutes”. The weather is constantly changing so it is important that you pack accordingly to stay warm or cool while on the mountain.

Ice Castles during the day

Ice Castles at night 

 Below I have made a list of everything you need to pack for your ski trip:

• Ski/snowboard equipment - boots, poles, goggles, helmet, skis and board**
• Warm clothes- sweatshirt, sweatpants, long sleeve shirt (Even on warm winter days the top of the mountain can get very chilly)
• water resistant pants (snow pants) and jacket (one with a removable inner lining would be best if the weather keeps changing from warm to cold)
• Hats , gloves, scarfs, and facemasks
• Warms tall socks and plenty of backup pairs so that you don’t get blisters from your boots
• Clothes to wear off the mountain- jeans, shirts, boots, sneakers
• Food to make and snack on for breakfast/lunch/dinner (If you find yourself cooking for a large group, pasta is always a cheap go-to)
• Snacks to carry/eat on the mountain -trail mix, granola bars, beef jerky
• Shampoo, conditioner, soap and other bathroom necessities
• Chap-stick, hand warmers, and headphones

**I would also like to recommend getting a ski and snowboard rack for the top of your car for an easier way to transport your equipment and freeing up more space in your car for other things.

Finally, 3 very important thing to remember is HAVE FUN, TAKE PICTURES, and MAKE MEMORIES!