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Tips for skiing in the rain

2ski2moro

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
It happens. You've paid for your ski vacation and the weatherman predicts rain. How do you prepare for it? Or is your solution Retail Therapy?

Over the weekend, I skied in bizarre weather conditions. The top of the mountain was in the clouds, with blowing snow and visibilities of less than 100 feet. It was raining/misting in the valley.

The day before, I washed my jacket and pants to renew the water repellant before I went. I also sprayed them with a Nikwax product to renew it. The water beaded up and didn't soak in.

The seat of my pants was the only thing that felt wet/cold. I know there is a 'Fanny Flap' available, but I really don't want to wear it.

Do you have any special tips that work for keeping your goggles clean/dry in the rain?

Other tips?
 

geargrrl

Angel Diva
https://www.werealotlikeyou.com/#profiles/3skisintherainguy

Freezing rain or regular rain? Ski in rain coat, and keep a squeegee handy for your goggle. LIght drizzle is do able, pouring rain, not so much.

Me, I've done it enough that it's really no fun and I'll turn in my ticket for a refund. We get rain more than I'd like to admit at my home mountain. Bottom line, is the snow skiable? Last time I was at Fernie it was raining enough that they were handing out trashbags as you got on the lift. The snow was 18" of cement like...stuff. Unskiable. We thrashed our way down the mountain and got our money back.
 

Appennini gal

Certified Ski Diva
Wow, really geargrrl, you can get a refund on your ticket???? Not where we ski...when conditions are unfavorable and, at times dangerous, they say "a good skier can handle anything".
Going back to skiing in the rain, I got caught in it and don't care to do it again, I had to stop every three turns to wipe off my goggles, not fun! :( So, I'd go for retail therapy.
 

Robyn

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
One of my favorite ever ski days started with rain at the bottom, heavy wet snow at the top and then sun and heat in the afternoon. A group of fifteen of us had an incredible day at Vail last year on closing weekend. I had a rain jacket on top of a spring soft shell, water dripping in my helmet holes and droopy braids (it was insisted that I put them up in my goggles after the below pic as I had been doing). No matter a blast was had by all.

Here's a great pic showing how it started.
1000x500px-LL-eb09c8f6_4530814929_0d531124f0_b.jpg


And top of the mountain a bit later.
1000x500px-LL-93f82e3b_100_0577.JPG
 

Jilly

Moderator
Staff member
Descente rain poncho. Actually I've worn it more in the summer than winter.

Squeege for the goggles. Mine is on a velcro band and fits on a finger on my glove. It's there all winter.

Helmet vents closed! Poncho has a hood that covers it, if needed.
 

2ski2moro

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Squeegee or Snow Eraser (sponge with synthetic chamois)?
 

litterbug

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
My Hotfingers gloves have a one-inch piece of windshield-wiper-like rubber on the outside of the right thumb. I had no idea what it was for until I skied in a warmish storm, the snow started freezing on my goggles, and I discovered it's perfect for scraping ice off! Very clever! I imagine it'd be pretty good for squeegee-ing water off, too.
 

mountainxtc

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Take extra gloves!! For me, the only truly terrible part of a rain day is putting wet gloves back on after lunch. If you can switch you will be all good.

As for goggles, put them on inside while they are dry and do not lift them up for any reason until you go back inside. Once you get moisture on the inside it's all over. When you do go in, take the goggles off completely, don't put them up on a wet helmet or hat. Place them carefully out of the way of wet gear until you're ready to go back out.

As long as you choose a good attitude, skiing in the rain can be fun. If you start the day with thoughts of "this is going to suck" then it likely will. Decide to have fun and go rip :D
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
Just finished a rainy weekend at Snowshoe, WV. Helped to be staying slopeside with a dryer in the unit. Also brought along a Dry Guy boot/glove dryer (driving trip). So could dry things out at mid-day.

The payoff for going out for first tracks on Sunday morning was that by the time we were ready to ski the rain had changed to snow! Few others out on the slopes.
 

mahgnillig

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I hate skiing in the rain... no matter what you wear, you always get wet, even in Gore-Tex! (Not that the Gore-Tex lets the rain in, I just always end up getting damp from where the rain gets in the neck). At Northstar they hand out plastic bags with arm/head holes & a Northstar logo on them. They look dorky, but I suppose if your jacket or trousers are meant for snow and not rain, they do the job. I used one to sit on on the lift, so I didn't have to sit directly on the wet chair.
 

geargrrl

Angel Diva
Take extra gloves!! For me, the only truly terrible part of a rain day is putting wet gloves back on after lunch. If you can switch you will be all good.

As for goggles, put them on inside while they are dry and do not lift them up for any reason until you go back inside. Once you get moisture on the inside it's all over. When you do go in, take the goggles off completely, don't put them up on a wet helmet or hat. Place them carefully out of the way of wet gear until you're ready to go back out.

As long as you choose a good attitude, skiing in the rain can be fun. If you start the day with thoughts of "this is going to suck" then it likely will. Decide to have fun and go rip :D

We get more than our share of rain at Mt. Spokane. I recall one trip to Rd Mountain in Rossland. It was freezing rain... you literally had a crust of ice all over everything. There was a whole group of us up there, and sure enough, we were just about the only ones out on the mountain!! I guess we're used to it.
 

Jilly

Moderator
Staff member
I hate those plastic bags. Fell off the lift at Owl's Head wearing one of those. Never again. That's why I got the Descente rain poncho.

Any CSIA members, they are still on the store site.
 

2ski2moro

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Many years ago, when I ran a ski club for kids 9-18 years old, we handed out big green trash bags on the bus. We cut holes for the head and arms. I used a poncho, flapping all the way down.

These days, I have my Gore Tex. And my pride.
 

2ski2moro

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
@Jilly Sizing question about the Descente rain poncho. They come in med and large. Which size do you have?
 

volklgirl

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Extra gloves + helmet with visor and closable vents + high quality DWR/Gore-Tex outerwear + sense of humor = great day in the rain! :smile:

I know, I'm weird.....I love skiing in the rain :loco:
 

Slidergirl

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I hate working on those rainy days!!! Nothing like standing out at the lift maze from 8am to 4pm... 3 years ago, we had one of the last days we were open have nothing but a rainstorm all day long. It was pathetic. We all had garbage bags under our uniform jackets. It was one of the most miserable days I've spent outdoors. Now, yesterday was a warm snow here in Park City. The snow would instantly melt on the jackets as soon as it hit them. Lots of "drowned rats" around. At least we have new uniforms this winter - we didn't soak all the way through this time, just on the shoulders. If I didn't have to work, I definitely would NOT be out there in that weather!!!
 

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