Carrying ALL.THE.STUFF.

[marzNC]

Follow up question….
How do you pack the boot bag?? What else are you bringing? Maybe I’m over packing. I bring two sets of gloves/mittens per person, maybe that’s superfluous. I also bring drinks and snacks, those aren’t negotiable

Is it ok to clunk around in the boots through the whole parking lot?

While it's fine to wear boots from the car, there are reasons to invest is something like Cat Tracks to not only have better traction but also to protect the soles of the boots. That material wears down walking around on hard ground. After a few years, that can mean potential issues with how boots fit into bindings. For my home mountain, I much prefer to boot up in the lodge so I don't have to walk around in ski boots any more than necessary.

A second pair of gloves/mittens for a 6yo is absolutely necessary. If not a third pair if the kid likes to play in the snow. For an adult, it depends. But I usually have a second pair that are a different weight just in case.

How long do you tend to stay? Do you mainly ski in the morning and then go home for lunch? Packing for a full day, including a lunch break, is different than for just a few hours.

 

[SallyCat]

I second the post recommending a list! You also have to make it a habit to actually look at the lists; ask me how I know!

Not sure if it's been mentioned, but Kulkea makes a tandem duffel that's great for carrying and organizing stuff.

I'm in the "leave skis in the car" camp. Put a towel in the car to dry them off and maybe get a gummi stone if you get rusty edges? I have ski/board racks on my car roof. They weren't pricy (Rhino Rack brand), they lock, and it's nice to be able to put wet skis up there at the end of the day. I don't use the roof racks if the roads are really slushy or gross because the gunk gets on your equipment. But they're great on dry days, in the spring, or if I want to switch out skis for board during the day and let whatever I'm not using dry off.

For boots, you can just take the liners out overnight and let them dry off of you don't want to spend money on boot dryers. I use the Dry Guy travel boot dryers, which work great, are pretty inexpensive and don't take up much space.

 

[Kimmyt]

We use the Kulkea tandem duffel to carry things to the car and boot up at the car. For shorter walks, the 7yo can carry his skis or poles but not both. This is me carrying all the skis because my husband was helping the 5 and 7yo walk and also carrying poles and backpacks (usually though between the two of us we can split the load or make multiple trips). Being a ski parent is hard work. I don't like to ski with a backpack inbounds so we try to just put snacks and things in pockets but we do sometimes bring a backpack depending on which resort we are at. Some resorts have a nice drop off/unloading lot so at the end of a ski day we might have one parent drive the car up for easy pickup. Doesn't work if its just one of us with both kids, though.

 

[SallyCat]

Speaking of the Kulkea tandem duffel, I was doing some purchasing for our EMS agency a few months ago and it occurred to me that EMT/Paramedic bags can be great for storing and organizing ski gear. The internal dividers are usually attached with velcro and can be moved, removed, and/or opened up into bigger sizes. Colored pod organizers are awesome for smaller items (socks, gloves, etc.).

You can usually find bags like this used on ebay, etc. They aren't necessarily cheap, but neither are ski bags I guess, and aside from the Kulkea bag, I haven't been able to find anything like a duffel with dividers for general use, so just throwing this sort of bag out as an option.

 

[scandium]

I forgot our POLES at home the other day.

I've also done that before...took it as an opportunity to work on technique without them!

 

[TrixieRuby]

I hate walking in ski boots so much that I buy a pair of used warm winter boots and leave them under a bench, hanging from a rack, whatever, so I can put on my boots in or near the lodge. With kids, it is probably best for them to wear the boots and the helmet, leaving the skiis and poles. There are great wheeled ski bags, not too expensive, that you could load up and drag across the lot, and store other stuff in the bag as well. I have not heard about thefts at ski areas, at least for bags and clothes, but I suspect it does happen for skiis and boards.

 

[water.rat]

Splurged on one of these boot/gear packs years ago and have never looked back. Fits everything including lunch. Kids all had their own back packs. Had a set of these ties for each pair of skis: lock the skis together like normal, lay the poles along side and twist tie together at tips and tails. The poles now act like a handle. You can find the exact balance point so carrying is easy and nothing is digging into your shoulder. My kids carried their own skis this way. An adult could handle two sets if necessary but I insisted if they were old enough to ski, they were old enough to carry their own stuff. As kids in a single parent household, they learned that in other areas of our life as well: camping, house work, yard work, etc. My theory is a little effort/problem solving is good for them. My daughters are a couple of pretty resilient, capable young women now. (ok - rant over ;-)

 

[teleskichica]

I would often strap the skis and poles together with Voile straps and carry the skis by way of poles like a handbag. It seemed to be easier for the kids to carry them this way too as opposed to over their shoulder.

Lots of other great recommendations about strategy and boot bags, etc. Honestly, reading this brings nostalgia of skiing with my littles. My only other suggestion is including a large Ikea or Costco bag which can easily be folded up and stuffed in a pack or stashed somewhere with little consequence if it goes missing. This bag can corral/carry the yard sale of equipment that seems to expand or somehow procreate throughout the day despite wearing more clothing and eating all the snacks when returning to the car. The old Costco bags we have are somewhat water proof so it also makes it easier to sort the wet and stinky from the dry-ish and clean when we get to the car. That bag goes straight to the laundry room or drying rack when we get home.

 

[Jenny]

side note/comment - those IKEA bags are great for the beach, too

 

[Alisonpv]

I would often strap the skis and poles together with Voile straps and carry the skis by way of poles like a handbag. It seemed to be easier for the kids to carry them this way too as opposed to over their shoulder.

Lots of other great recommendations about strategy and boot bags, etc. Honestly, reading this brings nostalgia of skiing with my littles. My only other suggestion is including a large Ikea or Costco bag which can easily be folded up and stuffed in a pack or stashed somewhere with little consequence if it goes missing. This bag can corral/carry the yard sale of equipment that seems to expand or somehow procreate throughout the day despite wearing more clothing and eating all the snacks when returning to the car. The old Costco bags we have are somewhat water proof so it also makes it easier to sort the wet and stinky from the dry-ish and clean when we get to the car. That bag goes straight to the laundry room or drying rack when we get home.

Oh this is smart. It does seem so much harder stuffing things in the backpack at the end of the day.

 

[2ski2moro]

I organize with bags packing cubes. I swear by them. Each person gets a color.

In my boot backpack, I keep one at the bottom with extra gloves, spring gloves, mittens, an extra gaiter, and extra socks. Etc.

As for little kids’ skis. The bags that folding camping chairs come in are perfect for little skis. No matter if they carry them across their body or with the strap over their shoulder.

 

[RoseSki]

Ditto the packing cubes for all things travel/schlep, but more importantly,

BRILLIANT re: the chair carry bags for tiny skis!! Moms, you all are SO resourceful.

 

[BackCountryGirl]

I wouldn't recommend taking liners out every night. I've been told that the process of removing them and putting them in seeds up the breakdown of the lower. I also use cat tracks to walk on concrete so as not to degrade the sole. I added a really thin replaceable sole to my boots, too, to help them stay flatter longer.

 

[Alisonpv]

As for little kids’ skis. The bags that folding camping chairs come in are perfect for little skis. No matter if they carry them across their body or with the strap over their shoulder.

:-0 You are living in the year 3000 ma’am. This is GENIUS.

 

[Kimmyt]

Sitting in the car in the parking lot before my daughter's season lesson program started and I was observing all the different storage options used by the parents bundling their kids up for their lessons. Many used tupperwares (bonus being that they function as seats in the parking lot as kids get dressed). I saw someone who had several of these IKEA bags, which are lightweight and packable like the regular ikea bags that everyone loves but these have zippers! Mindblowing. I might get a few of them myself for organizing gear on trips.

 

[Iwannaski]

I’m also a fan of this brand, and before I got the kids their own bags because I want to teach them how to get themselves organized and keep themselves organized for skiing, I was toting in an IKEA bag (pants, warmers, socks, etc…) and one of these (helmets/goggles/gloves/gaiters) with a zipper.

Bonus, price/durability are great, but more importantly, they are cute. ;)

Cute & Funny Shoulder Tote Bags | Shop Adorable Gifts

Shop Blue Q's Shoulder Tote bags made from sustainable materials. Choose from our cute options to elevate your style.

www.blueq.com

 

[marzNC]

At Snowbound Boston, one of the new "gadgets" that caught my eye was the Pure Mountain Fun ski carrier. It was apparently inspired by an idea by a couple 10-year-olds. I decided to give it a try. Haven't actually used it yet, but do intend to take it to Taos where the walk even from the slopeside lodges takes more than a minute or two. I can use all the help I can get, especially during the first few days at high altitude. Can stuff poles in the pack too. The Instagram account has plenty of pictures of the The Ski Pack in action.

The Ski Pack

The Ski Pack is a hands-free, pocket-size, youth ski carrier designed by kids. It helps skiers of all ages carry their skis with ease when navigating the walk to and from ski resorts.

www.puremountainfun.com

Pure Mountain Fun on Instagram: "Sometimes a bluebird day is too perfect to sit out……but, you can’t let school get in the way of your education. And for these kids, it meant a ski day date with their dad. #puremountainfun #theskipack #ski #skiing #

20 likes, 9 comments - pure_mountain_fun_llc on January 13, 2023: "Sometimes a bluebird day is too perfect to sit out……but, you can’t let school get in the way of your education. And for these kids, it meant a ski day date with their dad. #puremountainfun #theskipack #ski #skiing...

www.instagram.com

 

[liquidfeet]

The Ski Pack

The Ski Pack is a hands-free, pocket-size, youth ski carrier designed by kids. It helps skiers of all ages carry their skis with ease when navigating the walk to and from ski resorts.

www.puremountainfun.com

Is there a video somewhere showing how to assemble skis into this pack? I'm awful at scanning and couldn't find anything on this website.

OK. Just found some informative videos on YouTube.
They target the packs for kids.
The video shows that way it works is very simple.
And it appears to be effective. It's just a bag with a small opening at the bottom so the bindings won't slide down and out.
Use code SKIMOMS2022 for a 20% discount at puremountainfun.com.

 

[diymom]

They started with just the smaller size bag for kids, then made a larger one when parents started asking for one for themselves. It is a basic nylon bag, but with a reinforced patch with a slot for the ski tails to poke through. If you look at the bottom of the bag you'll see the patch is made of a different material than the rest of the bag.

A clever idea if you have your kids boot up in the car or at home, or if you have enough room in your own boot bag to carry their boots. But if they also have their own boot bag to carry....

 

[marzNC]

They started with just the smaller size bag for kids, then made a larger one when parents started asking for one for themselves. It is a basic nylon bag, but with a reinforced patch with a slot for the ski tails to poke through. If you look at the bottom of the bag you'll see the patch is made of a different material than the rest of the bag.

A clever idea if you have your kids boot up in the car or at home, or if you have enough room in your own boot bag to carry their boots. But if they also have their own boot bag to carry....

I'm interested in trying out The Ski Pack instead of the Mountain Goat straps that I've been using for an in-bounds hike. The straps are a pain to set up when it's windy. Hard to do with mittens or gloves on, so my hands also end up cold.

It was good to see the kid size and the adult size in person at Snowbound Expo. While the pack could fit on my back, my adult bindings wouldn't fit well in the kid size.

Going to bring it along to Taos to see how I like it for the walk from Alpine Village Suites to Lift 1. I've never been able to get comfortable with skis over a shoulder. Being petite, somehow finding a balance point based on where the bindings are doesn't work out well so I don't last that long. Being able to walk with both skis and poles on my back is an appealing idea.