Skiworld Ski Hacks: Making Your Life Easier

At Skiworld we are really passionate about skiing and over the years, as a collective, we’ve picked up a few useful tricks for life on the mountain.

Mobile Phones

The use of mobile phones on the mountain has shot up in recent years and we’ve learnt a few top tips that will help keep yours working. Whether you’re looking to capture that perfect Instagram moment or just using it to keep in contact with your group, make sure you’re not left with a dud phone at the top of the mountain.

The battery: Cold weather is a nightmare for smartphones. It hammers the battery on your phone and also makes them prone to crashing. To combat this, keep your phone in an inside pocket and as warm as possible. For the diminished battery life you could also use a USB battery booster.

Waterproofing: Sandwich bags are a simple and effective solution for keeping your electronics dry… and it’s pretty affordable compared to specially designed covers. You can also use the bags to store piste maps, first aid items etc.

Using touchscreen phones: Touchscreens really struggle in cold weather or when there is moisture on your fingers and/or the phone itself. To get around this you can now buy touchscreen inner gloves which can be worn under your ski gloves. Alternatively you can buy Salomon ski gloves which come with touchscreen capability, so you’ll never have to take off your gloves. They are available from £85 a pair. They use Gore-Tex technology; it is breathable material which also ensures hands stay dry… and therefore warm.

What to Wear

The vast leaps in sports technology and performance have translated into the progression in ski clothing. For example, something like Gore-Tex is now standard piece of clothing technology for alpine (and even urban!) life.

Multiple, thin layers: The key to maintain a good body temperature is well chosen clothing. Despite what you might naturally think picking out big, heavy items won’t be the best for you. Instead wear multiple, thin layers ensuring that it is breathable material. This way as you get hot you can strip individual layers as opposed to one big layer which would see your core temperature drop dramatically and merely result in you needing to put the layer back on during the lift back to the top. This breathable clothing applies all the way to your ski jacket and picking one that will allow you to subtly control your body temperature will be invaluable. Keep your eyes peeled for ventilation sections of the jacket.

Rucksack: Alongside needing somewhere to put additional layers it is imperative that you take a few essentials with you on the mountain. Skiing is highly active and you will need additional water and sustenance in between stops. A rucksack with a few highly nutritious snacks and a bottle of water will have you skiing for longer.

Multipurpose clothing: Something like a buff can be extremely handy whilst on the mountain, especially as the temperatures can change dramatically during your day – from resort to the top of the mountain, time of day or just natural changes. A buff is a stretchable circular tube. It can be worn in 13 different ways from a scarf to a balaclava, a beanie to an ear-warming head band.

Saving You Money

Ski holidays are not renowned for being cheapest type of holiday and even if you got the best ski deal, you wouldn’t want to add additional expense to it or incur unnecessary charges. There are a couple of pieces of sage advice we’ve learnt to make sure you don’t get caught out in resort.

Lost lift pass: As soon as you receive your lift pass, take a photo of it. Most resorts will replace a lost lift pass for a minimal charge if you have the serial number for the card, if you don’t you may have to pay full price for a new one. An easy way of keeping this number is simply to take a photo of your pass as soon as you get it.

Disappearing skis: We’ve all been there, or know someone that was, whether it was a couple of demi-peches over lunch and a “they look like my skis” or a simple same-model issue. Whether the culprit or victim, it’s an easy one to avoid. If you don’t have a ski lock, simply swap one of your skis with a friend to avoid them being taken. Lock the two mixed skis together as normal and for added security; place the set away from each other.

Making Life Easier

A holiday on the slopes is an amazing experience; however all it takes is a few things to go wrong for it to turn into frustration. Cold hands, fogged up goggles and blistering skin could easily sour a day’s skiing. So to make sure everything is working in your favour, here are a few more ski hacks to tip things your way and to make sure you have a great time.

Avoid cold hands: If you suffer from cold hands there are a few hacks you can use to beat the cold. Sit on your gloves during breakfast (or lunch), this’ll warm them up so when you head outside your gloves will be nice a toasty. If they are really bad, unzip your jacket take off your gloves and warm them in your armpits, this is one of the warmest parts of your body and they will warm up quickly. Another trick is when waiting in a lift queue you can circulate your arms like a helicopter, this action pushes blood to your fingertips and will help them warm up… it is best to be aware of children and other skiers before you engage in this activity and always remove your ski poles, otherwise its pandemonium.

Fogged up goggles: If your goggles are fogging up, fold up a paper towel and place it into the top section of the goggles (where the goggles meet the face, above the bridge of your nose so as to not cover your eyes).

Cracked or dry skin: When on the mountain, the extreme conditions will dry out exposed skin. Before this happens it’s worth using Vaseline, a Chap Stick or equivalent on your lips and face. This will create a barrier from the dry cold weather.