What's in Your Pack? - Part I: Uphill Resort Skiing
What's in Your Pack for Resort Uphill Skiing?
A successful day spent touring on the ski resort is largely determined before you leave the house. The mountains are a harsh environment––the variable snow, strong winds, harsh cold, and radiant sun all conspire against you having a pleasant time out (or sometimes it seems). Packing the appropriate gear for your uphill outing will set you up for success measured in big smiles and human-powered ski turns.
A major appeal of uphill resort skiing is that ski resorts have an existing infrastructure that makes everything a little bit more hospitable. Trails are groomed, bathrooms are numerous [and maybe even heated!], and parking is plowed. There is plenty of food waiting slopeside in case you decide to take a coffee and cookie break or even a full-fledged, mountain-top, sit-down lunch. However, the most important appeal of resort touring is that ski patrol ensures safe snow conditions resort-wide. No avalanche equipment is needed and no knowledge of how to safely travel in avalanche terrain is necessary for resort uphill outings (unless, of course, you're planning to exist resort boundaries, in which case plan accordingly). This overall convenience provides the opportunity to get in a great amount of exercise without the added complexity of the backcountry.
500 mL Soft Flask: I like using a soft flask for water because it packs down when it's empty. Also, I have an attachment on the front of my pack that allows me to sip small amounts of water more frequently while touring rather than gulp down larger quantities every time that I stop. This tends to be a more effective form of hydration for me while touring.
Ski Helmet: The Salomon MTN Lab is one of the lightest ski helmets that is CE 1077 certified (approved for alpine skiing). I like skiing on the resort with a helmet because of the possibility of collisions with other skiers. Goggles are a great addition if I see precipitation or low visibility in the forecast. Otherwise, I ski with high-coverage sunglasses.
Climbing Skins: I always bring two pairs of climbing skins while touring on the resort in case one pair fails (the skin glue stops sticking to the ski). These are the Pomoca Race Pro 2.0 skins, which seem to have the best performing glue and most durable plush. Skimo racers use this skin, so I just follow suit. I recommend bringing a back up to anyone who tours on the resort with ski mountaineering race skis. Ski mountaineering race skins have a bungee tip attachment, no tail attachment, 100% mohair plush, and run only 75% the length of the ski. These attributes make for lightweight and high glide skins but are also more prone to skin failure. If you have a full coverage skin with a tail clip, you can forgo the extra pair of skins.
Puffy Mittens: I like to bring an extra pair of down mittens. The CAMP Hotmitt'n mittens are packable while having an extremely high warmth to weight ratio. These mittens are sleeping bags for my hands and make me happy in cold weather. Mittens work great for resort uphill skiing because dexterity isn't high on my list of requirements when all I need to do is hold a pair of ski poles. Also, if it's uncomfortably cold, I go inside a warming hut or on-resort restaurant and warm up with a hot drink! A serious benefit of skiing on the resort.
Lightweight Touring Gloves: I will bring gloves that are comfortable to wear while skinning uphill at an aerobic pace. For me, the TNF Softshell gloves provide enough insulation on both the uphill and downhill without getting too hot. How warm or cool gloves you need is personal preference and may take some trial and error to dial in.
Sunglasses, Buff and Sunhat: Sun and weather protection. Full coverage, photochromatic sunglasses (CAT 0-3) work great from low-light to sunny conditions. The Julbo Aerospeed Reactiv Performance sunnies are so light and provide a wide, uninterrupted field of vision that makes me feel like I don't even have sunglasses on my face. A buff and sunhat provide added weather protection.
Wind Layer: I typically transition into a wind layer for skiing down. More weatherproof layers are bulky and not necessary unless snow is actively falling. A wind layer cuts the cold while skiing at higher speeds, but isn't as bulky as a puffy coat. That said, a puffy coat is a great addition to bring if the weather is cold enough.
***Additional Items to Consider: Puffy coat(nice to layer underneath your wind layer for colder weather), an extrabase layer(with built-up sweat from the aerobic pace of uphill skinning, it's nice to change into a dry layer),goggles(they make skiing down more enjoyable and warmer at the expense of an added step during your transition). If there is anything else that you have in mind, comment below!
Here is all of my uphill resort touring gear packed into a ski mountaineering race pack. This pack is lighter than a traditional backcountry skiing pack and allows me to grab my skins, water, food, or a pair of mittens without even removing it from my back.
There you have it: tips on how to best prepare for a day out ski touring on the resort. Did we miss something? Add a comment below with your additions. There's more to come for packing lists in Part II & III: backcountry ski touring and overnight hut trips.
Sunrise skiing on the resort reaps the reward of fresh corduroy provided daily by ski resort snowcats (thanks snowcats!).
- Written by Slader Alpine, who can't hold himself back from a day of resort skinning when the following are included: freshly groomed trails, freshly tuned race skis, freshly compiled dubstep playlist
