Spring Ski Gear Basics

All right – you’re finally planning a ski trip! But wait – it’s in April. You may not want to wear that bulky down jacket.

But what should you wear? Knowing how to dress and modifications to make to use during spring skiing and riding can be tricky. In some ways, it’s easier since you won’t need as many layers and liners to keep you warm. But on the other hand, you tend to sweat more in the spring, which can ultimately make you colder – and you may have temperature fluctuations of 20 degrees or more between your first and last laps.

If you’re planning a spring ski trip, consider some of the suggestions below to make your days on the hill as comfortable as possible.

Pants: Ditch the Insulation and Look for Shell Pants

Insulated pants, which can have actual insulation or be lined with warm fabrics like fleece, are popular in the winter for the obvious reasons. However, they don’t give you much flexibility – you can’t remove the lining at all. So, in the spring, look for non-insulated pants, usually called Shell Pants. These pants offer waterproof protection but not usually too much else. On days that start quite chilly but may warm up by 1 p.m., wear them with a warm baselayer. That’ll give you about the same warmth as your insulated pant but allow you to pull off your base layer (I usually just stash mine back in the car) when the temperatures warm up.

When buying Shell ski pants, look for pants with oversized vents. While many ski pants have small vents inside the upper thigh, some warm-weather ski pants have vents that run the length of the leg or vents on both the inside and outside thigh. The larger your vents, the more heat you’ll be able to dump when the temperatures rise. You can start the day with your base layer and shell pant, and when the temperatures climb 25 degrees, ditch the base layer and open your vent. That should cover you for a wide variety of spring conditions.

Jackets: Same as Pants, a Shell Jacket or an Insulator Jacket

When it comes to jackets for spring skiing, you’ve got two options. You can follow the same strategy as pants by looking for Shell Jackets with large side (underarm) vents and ditching your base layer as you heat up. However, as long as there’s no rain or snow in the forecast, you might instead want to wear your full-zip Insulator Jacket as an outer layer. Insulators usually aren’t very waterproof, but they do a great job of moving moisture away from your body. That makes them far more breathable than a shell, so you’re less likely to overheat. They generally have fewer pockets than outer layer jackets, but if you don’t mind that, consider rocking your shell as your outermost layer.

Gloves: Sorry, But You Need a Different Pair

Unless your peak-of-winter gloves are way too thin, you’re going to need a different pair for spring. You still want them to be waterproof, but you don’t need the heavy insulation. Wearing insulated gloves in warm conditions will cause your hands to sweat profusely, dampening the lining (which can make them difficult to pull on and off.) Moisture in your gloves can also make your hands cold, which you never want, regardless of the outside temperatures.

Look for lighter-weight gloves with good waterproofing. Spring gloves tend to be a bit less expensive than heavy-duty winter gloves, especially since you won’t need features like a handwarmer pocket or dense insulation.

Helmets

You certainly can buy a different helmet for spring skiing, but you likely won’t have to. Most ski helmets have vents to help direct heat away from your head (and improve airflow, which reduces moisture build-up.) Higher-end helmets usually have a switch to open and close the vents, so you can leave it closed in the a.m. when it’s chilly and flip open the vents when the sun starts blasting on your head.

All helmets have some level of padding, but if yours has removable padding (which usually Velcros or snaps into the liner), keep it clean between ski sessions. The liners absorb sweat, so after a warm day of skiing, they’re going to be pretty dirty. Clean liners help keep your skin cooler and prevent microbial (bacterial) build-ups, which can cause skin conditions like acne and not-so-great odors.

Your helmet manufacturer should have instructions on how to wash the lining, but in general, you want to hand wash them and let them air-dry. Avoid tossing them in a machine dryer.

Other Gear You Won’t Want to Forget

Sunglasses:I hate having bulky items in my pockets while snowboarding, but one of the things I always carry in the spring is a pair of sunglasses. Sunshine reflecting on the snow is blindingly bright, but it’s often too warm out to keep my goggles on while I’m relaxing outside or waiting for friends at a lift. I like having a pair of lightweight, durable sunglasses on hand to protect my eyes on peak spring ski days.

Socks: Skiers, consider switching to something like an Ultralight Sock – it doesn’t take much for your feet to overheat on warm spring days. I always recommend bringing a second pair of socks to change into post-skiing instead of wearing your sweaty ski socks around during après.

Of course, “spring skiing” is more about the conditions than the weather. In Colorado, you could have a blizzard in April, and in California, you may get a 45-degree bluebird day just 24 hours after a massive February storm. Spring skiing is all about sunshine, having fun, and enjoying a day outside. If you’re doing those things, then you’re already having the perfect spring ski day.