Ski Clothing
by St. Supéry Winemaker Michael Beaulac

When I’m lucky enough to be able to get some place where there’s plenty of snow, I want to make sure that I’ve got everything that I may possibly need. It doesn’t matter if it’s a weekend trip up to Tahoe or a week in Colorado you want to make sure you have left nothing behind.

While I’m gathering my ski equipment together I try to not to think about the weather today (sunny and warm or snowing like crazy) because as we all know the weather will always change. It’s no surprise that you need to layer to control your temperature. For a base layer, I usually start with a capilene t-shirt followed by a capilene long sleeve zippered turtle neck. I wear this almost every time out. If it’s really cold you’ll need some capilene long underwear to keep your legs warm, but I’m not a big proponent of this. I should mention that I would rather be slightly cold than slightly warm, I free that I ski better when I’m not burnin’ up. For a mid weight layer I’m fond of wearing a wind stopper vest (less around your arms for ease of movement). Finally you need a good pair or ski pants that breathe and are completely water proof. The ones I have suspenders to keep them up.  I have three coats that pretty much cover all weather conditions. One wind shell for warmer days, one mid weight jackets with “pit zips” (zippers that are under your arms and can be opened for ventilation) and finally a hybrid of hard shell and soft shell jacket that will keep you dry and warm but allow excessive heat to escape. You also need to think about gloves light weight and warm, maybe a fleece gator for really cold days and what kind of helmet to wear. The helmet can be a problem because they tend to be way too warm but….brain buckets are the way to go.

Next is all the equipment….Remember, your ski boots are key to having an epic day. Whatever works for you is best and but always bring your boots no matter where you’re going. I of course bring my skis up when I’m in Tahoe but if I’m flying it’s less to carry and lots of fun to try different skis on different mountains. I always have a Camelback around so that I have plenty of water and can keep a snack with me so I don’t have to stop when I get hungry.

You can never have too much gear with you when you hit the slopes but you sure can miss one little item if you forget something. Also as our CEO Michaela says “never sip wine while packing”