18 best ski season hacks

1. Pack clothing in boots and helmet

Packing your clothes into your gloves and boots saves valuable space in your luggage, with the added bonus of protecting fragile items like ski goggles or glasses. It also helps preserve the shape of your boots or other clothing, since packed gear won’t be as easily smashed during rough luggage handling. Chances are you might also remember that crucial piece of gear hiding in your boot, that might have otherwise been forgotten.

2. Take tea bags

Tea outside of the UK just isn't the same in my opinion and they’re fab for putting in your ski boot to absorb most of the stench- don't mix your boot and beverage supply! and you can also apply a hot tea bag to a newly forming blister to stop it from bubbling up. ).

3. Defog goggles with a hand dryer- don’t ever wipe the inside of them!

Most new goggles have a layer of anti-fog on the insides of them which when wiped, can be damaged. The best way to solve the problem of steamed up or fogged lenses is to hold them under a hand dryer away from the heat.

4. Always carry duct tape

Duct tape can fix pretty much anything. Ripped pants? Duct tape. Leak in your boots? Duct tape. Broken glove? Duct tape. Slightly Injured? Duct tape.

Not only does it fix everything, but you can use it as a fire starter – duct tape is very flammable and is a great tool to get a fire going in an emergency.

5. Buy wool insoles to keep your regular vans or bar shoes toastie

Having cold feet sucks. Warm snuggly insoles are so good!

6. Put your phone in a zip lock bag

Most jackets and backpacks will keep your things dry including your phone but no matter where you are skiing in the world, you may encounter a rather rainy day or an extremely cold day and phones don’t do well in either of these conditions. Popping it into a ziplock bag in a warm place can help avoid disasters.

7. Put your lift pass in a pocket by itself

When your lift pass is in the same pocket as your phone, lip balm, snack, piste map etc, it may not scan when lining up for the lift which can be a real pain. To avoid this, pop it in the pass pocket in your left arm if you have one or make sure it is the only thing in your pocket.

Also since you may well be able to use your pass as a ‘crew pass’ to get discounts around town make sure you always put it in the same place and remember to take it out and put it back if you need to put it into a different jacket. An alarm on my phone set for the end of the day can help with this too.

8. The best hangover cure after après ski

Some may say the best hangover cure is a big dirty fry up. No No No. The best thing you can do when you're feeling cloudy is to drink a tonne of water and go for a ski- let the cold fresh air enter your lungs and sweat it all out.

9. Always bring snacks

You never know when you're going to come across an insane run that you want to do over and over again and when it comes to lunch time you just don’t want to go in while the snow is so good. The answer? Snacks. Nuts, mars bars, little clementines, sweeties. Whatever it may be, you'll want to fit them in your pocket and save them for when you really want to push lunch or hometime back a bit.

10. Buy your lift passes and reserve your rental gear online before you get to resort

The days of showing up at the lift ticket office and getting a competitive price are long gone. You’ll almost always find the best prices by buying online and in advance.

11. Always carry a buff or bandana with you

Buff’s are ideal for covering up to protect you from the cold, the wind or the sun and they complete your ski outfit perfectly. My favourite one can be found at https://nz.monsroyale.com as it's lovely and breathable and soft on my face.

12. Buy gloves with wrist loops so you don’t lose them

Some of my favourite gloves can be found at https://oyuki.com/shop/ladies-gloves-mitts/

13. Split your skis up and pair them with a friends set at lunch.

Nervous about your new pair of powder skis going walkabouts while you’re at lunch? Split them up – i.e. stick one ski on a rack and the other in the snow by the entrance.

14. If there’s a long lift queue, it’s nearly always fastest to take the outside line.

If you’re afraid of rubbing shoulders, queue behind an aggressive ski racer and follow them through – you’ll be at the front in no time.

15. If you have children with little hands. Buy mittens, not gloves.

Children love taking their gloves off, especially at the worst moments. For ease of putting them back on again, buy them mittens so that they can easily get their fingers in the right places. Mittens also usually keep hands warmer and it's easy to wear a pair of liners underneath in extra cold conditions. Some gloves for extra small hands even come without any finger holes!

16. Buy handwarmers.

You can buy little single use hand warmers that fit in your gloves. Perfect for those of us who have poor circulation. They simply warm up in a few seconds when you give them a little shake out of their packet! These absolutely saved me on the colder days during my season in Japan.

17. Buy second hand skis and gear at the end of the season.

The end of the season is the perfect time to add to your selection of gear or to upgrade. It is also therefore one of the best times to sell off the gear you no longer want. Talk to the rental shops, head to Facebook marketplace spread the word among mates.

18. Keep a mini suncream and lip balm in your pocket.

The sun can damage your skin whether you're able to enjoy its ray or not. Those powder/ flat light days can be a killer on your skin. Keep a small suncream in your pocket