It's the first trip of the year and skiing is the only thing on your mind. The view over the snow-capped mountains is spectacular, and as you ride the lift up you can hear the soft swish of skis and snowboards gliding effortlessly through the powder below. But when you reach the top, you experience a horrible sinking feeling: where are your gloves? Where is…? Where are…? To help you brace yourself for these crushing realizations, Snowplaza has researched the 11 things skiers and snowboarders most commonly forget or lose during a ski holiday.
Everybody knows the all-too-common pain of forgetting their gloves during a ski or snowboarding holiday. Most of us would happily return to fetch these items from the restaurant, the hotel or the equipment rental store, but sadly for us, gloves are usually dropped at the top of the mountain, sailing merrily over the chairlift into the depths of powder below. Handy tip: Gloves with small hooks or an elastic might look dorky, but they do a great job of keeping your gloves with you!
Gloves
Second-most common item to glimpse lying in the snow: ski poles (or “pole” in the singular – we don’t know which is worse!). This is one area where snowboarders win, hands-down.
This one hurts. You’ve already strapped on your skis and you’re finally at the front of the half-hour lift queue. As the friendly lift assistant asks you for your pass, it dawns on you: your ski pants were still wet this morning so you changed into your other ones… and forgot to transfer over your lift ticket. D’oh. Count yourself lucky you’re not one of the unhappy sods who somehow managed to lose their lift ticket on the pistes – but still, a very uncomfortable walk back to the hotel in your ski boots awaits you.
Expensive thing to lose
Even though you probably have a dozen scarves from Christmases past, it’s still annoying to lose this essential winter article. How do I circumvent this problem? By wearing my oldest, cheapest scarf for skiing, so I can happily leave it behind a tree if the sun comes out without caring if someone steals it. True to Murphy’s Law, I’ve had this scarf now for ten years and counting…
Have you heard about the new fashion competition for the best raccoon eyes? Neither have I, so it’s best to wear sunscreen on the mountain to avoid those sexy goggle marks. No, it’s not Hawaii, but the snow will reflect and intensify the solar radiation. Unless you want to be a blind tomato, don’t forget your sunglasses either.
Skiing can work up an appetite, and I know one of my favourite parts of the day is indulging in a hot cocoa or a portion of kaiserschmarrn. Soooo awkward when you get to the cashier and your pockets are empty! Never mind whether you left your cash in the hotel or whether your coins fell out through the hole in your pocket, the cashier is not very amused. Hopefully you made some friends in the lift queue.
Lifts and goggles don’t get along. You took a gorgeous selfie, but as you were putting your phone away, your goggles plunged towards the trees below. If you’re lucky, you might be able to retrieve them on your way down, but don’t take the chance: fasten your goggles securely to your helmet and don’t take them off until the day is over.
Don't lose your goggles
Yes, it is possible to lose your helmet, especially if you’ve hung it off your rucksack and the buckle hasn’t closed properly. Any normal person would notice the difference in weight when it falls, but a lot can happen after an evening of après-ski…
Now an essential part of your daily life, including during your ski holiday, your mobile phone might just be the thing you dread losing the most. Pity about your clumsy cold fingers – did you really need that selfie? And is that an honest-to-god selfie stick you brought with you? If you find yourself (like everyone else) unable to resist the temptation to snap the perfect shot, consider attaching your mobile phone to a keychain while skiing.
Phone accessories
Yes, sometimes people can count as objects. Your son’s red jacket seemed like a wonderful idea – so bright and easy to spot! – until you skid into the lift queue and turn to see yourself reflected in the goggles of a complete stranger. Time to look for a needle in a haystack… hopefully this is not one of the cases where you also dropped your phone!
Anything is possible, and man, was it ever crowded at lunch today! I have a special technique for days when I forget my ski lock which entails separating my skis from each other so people are less likely to steal both of them. This is also a fantastic opportunity to double your chances of losing a ski! Just cross your fingers that the skis will still be there when you come back tomorrow…
Where are my skis?
We all cringe at the relative expense of a ski holiday. Don't make yours that much worse by losing something expensive!
It's the first trip of the year and skiing is the only thing on your mind. The view over the snow-capped mountains is spectacular, and as you ride the lift up you can hear the soft swish of skis and snowboards gliding effortlessly through the powder below. But when you reach the top, you experience a horrible sinking feeling: where are your gloves? Where is…? Where are…? To help you brace yourself for these crushing realizations, Snowplaza has researched the 11 things skiers and snowboarders most commonly forget or lose during a ski holiday.
Everybody knows the all-too-common pain of forgetting their gloves during a ski or snowboarding holiday. Most of us would happily return to fetch these items from the restaurant, the hotel or the equipment rental store, but sadly for us, gloves are usually dropped at the top of the mountain, sailing merrily over the chairlift into the depths of powder below. Handy tip: Gloves with small hooks or an elastic might look dorky, but they do a great job of keeping your gloves with you!
Gloves
Second-most common item to glimpse lying in the snow: ski poles (or “pole” in the singular – we don’t know which is worse!). This is one area where snowboarders win, hands-down.
This one hurts. You’ve already strapped on your skis and you’re finally at the front of the half-hour lift queue. As the friendly lift assistant asks you for your pass, it dawns on you: your ski pants were still wet this morning so you changed into your other ones… and forgot to transfer over your lift ticket. D’oh. Count yourself lucky you’re not one of the unhappy sods who somehow managed to lose their lift ticket on the pistes – but still, a very uncomfortable walk back to the hotel in your ski boots awaits you.
Expensive thing to lose
Even though you probably have a dozen scarves from Christmases past, it’s still annoying to lose this essential winter article. How do I circumvent this problem? By wearing my oldest, cheapest scarf for skiing, so I can happily leave it behind a tree if the sun comes out without caring if someone steals it. True to Murphy’s Law, I’ve had this scarf now for ten years and counting…
Have you heard about the new fashion competition for the best raccoon eyes? Neither have I, so it’s best to wear sunscreen on the mountain to avoid those sexy goggle marks. No, it’s not Hawaii, but the snow will reflect and intensify the solar radiation. Unless you want to be a blind tomato, don’t forget your sunglasses either.
Skiing can work up an appetite, and I know one of my favourite parts of the day is indulging in a hot cocoa or a portion of kaiserschmarrn. Soooo awkward when you get to the cashier and your pockets are empty! Never mind whether you left your cash in the hotel or whether your coins fell out through the hole in your pocket, the cashier is not very amused. Hopefully you made some friends in the lift queue.
Lifts and goggles don’t get along. You took a gorgeous selfie, but as you were putting your phone away, your goggles plunged towards the trees below. If you’re lucky, you might be able to retrieve them on your way down, but don’t take the chance: fasten your goggles securely to your helmet and don’t take them off until the day is over.
Don't lose your goggles
Yes, it is possible to lose your helmet, especially if you’ve hung it off your rucksack and the buckle hasn’t closed properly. Any normal person would notice the difference in weight when it falls, but a lot can happen after an evening of après-ski…
Now an essential part of your daily life, including during your ski holiday, your mobile phone might just be the thing you dread losing the most. Pity about your clumsy cold fingers – did you really need that selfie? And is that an honest-to-god selfie stick you brought with you? If you find yourself (like everyone else) unable to resist the temptation to snap the perfect shot, consider attaching your mobile phone to a keychain while skiing.
Phone accessories
Yes, sometimes people can count as objects. Your son’s red jacket seemed like a wonderful idea – so bright and easy to spot! – until you skid into the lift queue and turn to see yourself reflected in the goggles of a complete stranger. Time to look for a needle in a haystack… hopefully this is not one of the cases where you also dropped your phone!
Anything is possible, and man, was it ever crowded at lunch today! I have a special technique for days when I forget my ski lock which entails separating my skis from each other so people are less likely to steal both of them. This is also a fantastic opportunity to double your chances of losing a ski! Just cross your fingers that the skis will still be there when you come back tomorrow…
Where are my skis?
We all cringe at the relative expense of a ski holiday. Don't make yours that much worse by losing something expensive!
Born and raised in the ski paradise of Vancouver, Canada, I learned to ski before I can remember, balancing precariously on my parents’ skis as they sailed down the hill. I started snowboarding in my teens and am now delighted to be exploring everything Europe’s ski scene has to offer!
