Anyone notice any new ski trends this season?

[ski diva]

What do you think? Anyone notice something that's caught on this season, whether it's gear, fashion, or activity?

I'll start:

• Drab colors in skiwear. I've been wanting to buy a new pink/fuschia jacket, and I can't find one anywhere.

• Also, it seems to me that it's become more acceptable/common to leave skis on the ground, rather than propping them up against a rack. I know this is something that's been done for a long time, but I can't recall a season when I've seen it more.

 

[santacruz skier]

Hmm.... leaving skis on the ground. I'm totally guilty as you may have noticed in Taos. Super common in Europe and nearly impossible to find your skis. Thankfully, my grass sticks poles stand out...

Agree on drab colors - Patagonia fan here and hard to find anything colorful in there these days.

Those furry hoods....... seem warm but doesn't snow just sit in the fur rather than repel away.

Noticed in Tahoe last week in a nice shop a one piece suit with stretch pant bottoms and puffy attached jacket.

 

[TiffAlt]

•Also, it seems to me that it's become more acceptable/common to leave skis on the ground, rather than propping them up against a rack. I know this is something that's been around a long time, but I can't recall a season when I've seen it more.

This just became a thing? Sorry, I just started skiing recently. I'm guilty too, but the racks are pretty full when I just give up and leave them off to the side. I don't like when people leave them in the walkway though. That annoys me - at least leave a path.

 

[EdithP]

Those stretchy pants, tight and narrow worn inside the boots. Fur trimmings on jackets. Belted jackets OR very puffy, quilted boxy jackets.Fair isle patterns on jackets especially with snowflake motifs. Very high sheen to the jacket fabrics. Yes, abundance of neutral and earth coloirs . Noticed all of those in Italy this March.

 

[MissySki]

I kept noticing more out of control straight lining this season. Usually looks like teenage boys, but found girls and younger kids doing it at Wachusett this season. Also the other day a mom posted her 10 year old son on Facebook straight lining the entirety of double black White Heat at Sunday River.. and seemed very proud of him “ripping it up”. Looked like a ridiculously dangerous out of control thing to me. Dislike it very much overall.

 

[sorcamc]

Ok, this is gonna sound mean and generalized, but.. I noticed why women have longer life expectancies than men. I saw a lot of men really getting themselves into situations that were well above their skill (maybe I’m just jealous if that faith/fearlessness)

I also noticed Gwyneth Paltrow is OUT THERE.

But the thing that struck me the most and made me smile is that I saw so many groups of elder skiers. I absolutely love seeing seniors maintain their love of skiing. It really is special

 

[TiffAlt]

Ok, this is gonna sound mean and generalized, but.. I noticed why women have longer life expectancies than men. I saw a lot of men really getting themselves into situations that were well above their skill (maybe I’m just jealous if that faith/fearlessness)

+1. I got a rant on this while riding up a lift with a ski patroller a few weeks ago. And this was a man saying this! Testosterone - damn helluva thing - was his conclusion. I didn't tell him my "new to skiing as of a few months ago" husband was on his first black (hubby's fine, thankfully)

 

[snoWYmonkey]

The only perplexing trend observation by my patroller and resort clinic provider friends was a massive increase in major traumas.

Surprising to me as usually we have more fractures on firm snow years and more soft tissue injuries on big snow years like this one.

Their only suggestion to this trend was that people were sending harder than usual because of the softer snow.

Almost all the big cases were single person injuries and thankfully not collisions.

 

[ilovepugs]

Ok, this is gonna sound mean and generalized, but.. I noticed why women have longer life expectancies than men. I saw a lot of men really getting themselves into situations that were well above their skill (maybe I’m just jealous if that faith/fearlessness)

Men ages 15-49 are the reason why trauma surgeons stay employed.

 

[NYSnowflake]

I dislike the drab colors I see in almost every type of ski or fitness clothing right now.

 

[NYSnowflake]

the thing that struck me the most and made me smile is that I saw so many groups of elder skiers. I absolutely love seeing seniors maintain their love of skiing. It really is special

The head of ski instruction at my club is 75 years old. We skied moguls ALL DAY with only a 20 minute lunch break at Pico a few weeks ago. I was EXHAUSTED!! He seemed to have endless energy! One woman in our club is in her 90s and has parkinsons and she still skis! She is a legend!

 

[snoWYmonkey]

Funny, I like the darker, and drab colors, then again my friends always ask where my closet is until I tell them that those are my dark dude color clothes! LOL! I do prefer bright pants for skiing for safety reasons, but if cruising groomers drab is just fine by me. I know that OR is doing baby blues and pinks and pastels for next year.

 

[Eera]

mmm, I've noticed a lot of metallic, shiny one-pieces. Kudos to those who can get away with them; I'd look like a broiler chicken ready to go in the oven but they look lovely on others.

 

[NYSnowflake]

Funny, I like the darker, and drab colors, then again my friends always ask where my closet is until I tell them that those are my dark dude color clothes! LOL! I do prefer bright pants for skiing for safety reasons, but if cruising groomers drab is just fine by me. I know that OR is doing baby blues and pinks and pastels for next year.

I like wearing all black outside of skiing… but I don’t want to dress like a snowmaker on the slopes!

 

[yecatstrip]

I think ski fashion has definitely made it mainstream with more designers and/or high street shops doing collabs or coming out with their own ski collections. Zara, Farm Rio, Rossignol x Balmain, Fusalp x Chloè, TopShop... the list goes on and on. I suspect a lot has to do with more and more influencers getting "into" skiing and, hence, ski fashion and the ski lifestyle (but think more St. Moritz, Aspen, Vail, etc). The amount "packing videos" on YouTube for ski trips are mind boggling!

It's nice to see more flattering cuts in jackets and pants, as well as bright colors and prints. Let's not mention the après ski fashion has just exploded!

Honestly though I'm here for it, but I also live in that world in my professional career.

And skis on ground, guilty as well

 

[racetiger]

The skis on the ground seems to be a racer thing around here. And lazy kids hah!

I like wearing all black, because when it's sunny it's soaks up the sun and I'm nice and warm.

 

[ski diva]

Leaving skis on the ground drives me nuts. It makes it difficult to walk around, and I think it's really poor ski etiquette. I think it started with the race kids and it seems to have spread. Please stop.

 

[brooksnow]

Leaving skis flat isn't new, but it has somehow gone from bad etiquette to the norm.

Where I am so many $&#+ people leave their skis flat above the base lodge that they've had to set up ropes and post an ambassador to keep skis inside the ropes on busy days. Before the area was supervised $#&@ people would leave their skis so high up the hill that ski patrol would have to to lug sleds uphill around skis and beginners would have to climb up around skis before heading down from the lift. There's also a narrow trail next to the lodge where $#@& people leave their skis flat cutting the trail to less than a groomer width where beginners and people in lower condos have to thread their way through the gauntlet. (Sometimes particularly egregious offenders will have to go hunting for their skis on the far side of the racks.)

The competition programs used to be some of the worst offenders in yet another busy spot but after years of discussion now they use the racks.

I try. I tell my students that it's selfish for people to think that their skis are so important that they need to be taking up trail space when they're not using them.

 

[shadoj]

Thank you! Please stop, everyone. Keep a path for patrol to respond! I *will* move unattended skis down to the racks, depending on my mood. Grrr.

Grounds crew fantasizes about running them over with a snowcat midday and making a giant pile. "You want your skis? Go get 'em!"

Also, learn to skate uphill if you're a skier. Seriously. It's faster and leaves fewer chopped-up boot-holes around the base area. Leaves little excuse for abandoning them on the snow near the lift. A few patrollers need to be reminded to "lead by example" from time to time, too, so it's not just a youth/newbie thing.

Granted, our hill desperately needs more ski racks...

@brooksnow I appreciate your conveying of ski etiquette to the next generation!

 

[MissySki]

In Taos it was kind of the opposite. Sometimes it was hard to find a spot to put your skis because every rack and vertical areas was completely full of skis, especially towards the end of the day. I saw very few on the ground. How do they accomplish this? It's very interesting how people behave from place to place.

Our spot with the most issues of skis on the ground tends to be outside of the Barker lodge at Sunday River. It can be very frustrating because it's a busy area and they cause a hazard to people on skis and on foot trying to make their way through while also watching for others coming into the same area from different directions. I have seen people kicking skis around as they walk through or ski through, and I don't blame them one bit. If you value your skis, store them appropriately out of everyone else's way.