Ski Holiday Packing List: The Extras

You're heading on a ski holiday so what should be on your holiday packing list? There's the obvious things like your ski jacket, your salopettes, goggles/sunglasses and hat. But there's also smaller items that you might not remember about. I certainly forgot a few from the list below on my recent ski holiday. So here's a few things you should try and remember next time you head off on a skiing adventure.

The sun can be very instense on the mountains with the reflected rays so you will need a high SPF lip sunscreen. It will also help soothe your lips from the wind burn. I typically chose SPF 50.

As for your lips you will want to ensure that your face is protected from the sun's harmful rays. Once again chose something with a high SPF and UVA/UVB protection. Not only will it protect your face from the sun, it'll also help prevent the 'goggle eyes' sun burn. Sun ages the skin too so that's an added reason to want the best protection for the sensitive skin on our face.

The mountain air will be cold and it could be windy, which will make your nose run.  If not blown you could end up with a very sore nose so don't forget to tuck a tissue into your ski jacket.

In addition to your jacket you will need something to protect your neck from the wind.  This will also help to prevent you straining a muscle in your neck which could make an early end to your skiing.  I find that when there's a draft at my neck I'm more likely to strain a muscle from a sudden neck movement.  For my last ski holiday I got a Buff which can be worn in many ways including simply round your neck or pulled up over your face to protect it from wind-burn.

On my first day skiing, whether it was the socks I had or an uncomfortable ski boot, I ended up getting a blister on the side of my ankle.  For the remainder of the holiday I applied a Band Aid over the raw area to protect it from further abrasion. 

I suffered from wind-burn on chin and cheeks this year as I had got lazy and not pulled up my Buff properly.  This made it feel dry and tight and look rather red.  Not so good a look for the Apres Ski.  I went into a local Pharmacy and asked for something to soothe my irritated skin.  They recommended this Avene cream and that's what I got.  It really helped heal up my face and I couldn't have lasted the week without it.