So Whilst we wait for TeleVerbier to open the resort me and Caspar thought we would make use of the lovely fresh powder and get sledging with various levels of success.
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Here is some advice on packing for the perfect ski holiday.
The first thing you need to ask your self is what month in the ski season am I going? The temperature difference in Verbier ranges from very cold and snowy in January to warm and sunny in March. This will, of course, affect what you will be wearing. All of the instructors at Performance get dressed bearing in mind the principles of layering.
We start with our thermal underwear or base layer, after that a fleece or thin down jacket. On top of it all goes the waterproof, but breathable shell and that is what we call the outer layer. This way you can adjust your temperature by just taking off or adding another layer.
Now lets get packing –
1. Outer layer – In your bag should be a shell of some sort consisting of a Jacket and pants or if your really cool a one-piece suit.
2. Midlayer – next in the bag will be your fleece to be worn as a mid layer for warmer days and a down or primaloft jacket for the colder days, if its really cold pack both!
3. Base layer – I would pack 3 of them for a week of skiing. That way you will stay fresh and smell good and if you’re really picky you can always do a quick hand wash in the middle of the week.
4. Ski socks – shouldn’t be too thick and need to be long enough to sit above the edge of the ski boot to avoid problems with frozen toes you will need a fresh pair of socks every day. Do not put the long johns inside the sock that will create creases and your shins will hurt.
5. Gloves! – Mittens are warmer than finger gloves so if your hands get cold easily take this into consideration. Also, make sure they are waterproof and that they are the right fit for you.
6. Helmet – is nowadays almost obligatory when you go skiing and every rental shop will have them if you don’t want to make the investment.
7. Hat – something you need for wearing in the evening or for when you take your helmet off, the head is the biggest surface of heat loss of your whole body and lets out as much as 60% of the body heat.
8. Goggles – from a ski fashion point of view you always wear goggles with a helmet, never sunglasses (they only come out at lunch or in combination with the hat). I have two pairs of goggles that I alternate between, one pair with a lens for sunshine and another one with a lens for bad weather.
I meet a lot of people with only one pair and they struggle to see when the weather is bad or the sun is strong depending on what type of lens they have.
9. Sunglasses – are essential on a ski holiday, not only do they make you look good around town or at lunch, they are an absolute necessity to protect your eyes at this high altitude snowy environment.
10. Suncream – we are in Verbier after all and with all the sunshine we get you need to wear sun screen, at least factor 20. The sun is surprisingly strong thanks to the reflection it picks up in the snow.
Being dressed properly for a day on the slopes will make your ski holiday so much more enjoyable (And you will look better in the Après ski).
And remember, as the Swedish saying goes “There is no bad weather there is only bad clothes”!
Kenta
Welcome to Performance Verbier’s brand new website. Sorry we have been off the radar the last couple of months but were back, new and improved. Keep checking back for news and gossip over the season.
It’s not every day, but courtesy of Alpine Homes International, Caspar, Laika and Caroline, Performance has popped up in the Daily telegraph this Saturday. Ohhh, and I never did a GAP year for the record.
Click here for a quick peak. and snippet article below.
Toby
Yes, it’s spring so it’s the time of year when slightly over-weight men in their thirties and forties make their way to Verbier in order to ski as fast as is humanly posible down Mont Fort on the longest skis in the world, all whilst dressed as spacemen.
I’s a pretty impressive feat though – and despite the fact that they look a bit odd, they don’t half go fast.
Now, after a good chat with John (Verbier’s only English lifty) it seems the plan was to use the giant ramp – see below – to go for the world record but whether or not they A) have enough snow and B) can find anyone crazy enough to attempt it, remains to be seen.
Anyway, whilst I failed to get a photo of any competitors it was lovely up there so you get some more atmospheric snaps instead… (Apologies for the lazy and slightly repetitive captions).
We posted the winning runs from the Verbier Extreme the other day, now thanks to Cyril Grosjean and PlanetSki.eu you can watch the two biggest talking points of the comp.
First Ludo Lovey took a terrifying fall over the cliffs and survived just bruised and dislocated shoulder. Then Maria Kuzma took a fall in the women’s snowboarding competition, setting off an avalanche that fortunately left her unhurt.
And the third is Mr Lovey again – this time staying in control and laying down a storming run in the Nendaz Freeride. The superman front flip off the final cliff is proably the coolest thing I have ever seen. Ever.
Yup, we’ve started the season and are proudly sporting a green outfit that combines the very best of Norwegian style with a bit of Kermit the frog…
