The snow report: 13 tips for your next ski weekend

A chairlift chat with your resident Colorado girlie

A ski trip with a few of my New York girlfriends (husbands in tow!) is one of my favorite friend traditions that we’ve carved out in recent years. I was on cloud nine in Aspen last weekend — standing at the top of the run on a blue bird day, watching from above as each of my friends cruised off into the valley below.

Anyhoo, I’ve decided that a group ski trip is kind of the perfect coed wintertime get-together. The recipe is easy. You don’t have to overthink the trip, as the skiing itself occupies the length of the day on the mountain. Two dinners out, one night in. Sprinkle in a few mid-mountain lunches, après ski happy hours, and a hot tub sesh. Your weekend is planned.

Even if meals are a splash indulgent, you can counter the guilt with 30,000 vertical feet the next day. (I mean, I don’t, but you could.) Socially, there’s no pressure to be together all the time, and everyone kind of goes at their own speed. The ebb and flow of arrivals to the lift line encourages easy cross-pollination of the group; the ride itself creates 7-minute pockets of quality microhangs.

As the Colorado local of the bunch — 10 years here, still feels weird to say — I’ve refined our ski trip routine over the last decade. Below, all my little hacks for a smooth sailing weekend.

1. Create a Note on your phone with your ski checklist.

This is helpful both for packing purposes and for getting dressed on a mountain morning before the caffeine your bloodstream. I can’t tell you how many times someone in the group has forgotten gloves or goggles. One year in Beaver Creek, we unloaded at the base of the mountain before I realized that I wasn’t wearing any snow pants. Avoid my mistake by making your list, and checking it twice…

2. Pack your ski gear in a dedicated travel bag.

We’ve historically skied driving-distance mountains like Beaver Creek, Winter Park, Vail, and Aspen, but since we had trips to Telluride and Deer Valley on the books this year, we decided to invest in a ski bag. Atypically, I didn’t micromanage my husband’s research, but he bought this Scandinavian-designed roller bag and it’s probably what I would have picked, too. It’s highly functional and pretty sleek — we manage to fit skis, boots, poles, and helmets for two in there, plus a bevy of accessories. It rolls up into a compact package when not in use. And now that we have a proper checkable bag for our skis, I’m peppering the group chat with suggestions of Megève 2026...

3. Carry on your most essential ski items.

My girlfriend’s ski bag made it to Aspen a day late on this last trip, which was a good reminder for all of us to be considered about what we check. You can always rent actual gear in any ski village, but if you’re obsessed with your new jacket, pack that into your carry-on so that you’re not cornered into a splurgey purchase you hadn’t premeditated. I recently learned that Away sells a carry-on boot bag with room for ski boots, goggles, and helmet, plus 1–2 days’ worth of clothes. Putting my bunion feet in rental boots is less than ideal, so I’m semi-sold…

4. Or just ship your skis:

If you prefer to avoid schlepping your skis yourself, ShipSkis and Black Tie Skis can deliver ahead to your destination. We’ve used the ShipSkis company to ship golf gear before, and it’s been really seamless.

5. Store your ski stuff separately in your closet.

Instead of mixing my ski clothing and accessories in with all my other socks / gloves / etc., we keep everything ski-related in a storage tub that gets tucked away in an upper shelf of a closet. It doesn’t really get touched otherwise, which makes packing for a ski-specific trip quick and painless.

6. Download the resort app before you get to the mountain.

I have to admit I actually rawdog my way through the mountain without ever looking at a map. But if we weren’t married to a bunch of Ski Dads (they’re cut from the same cloth as Airport Dads) to navigate us on piste, I’d absolutely be pulling out my phone for the handy interactive trail maps, parking info, elevation data, etc. Instead, my phone mostly emerges to for precarious chairlift selfies, hehe.

7. Share your locations with the group.

I know location sharing makes anyone who’s not gen Z break out in hives, but I’ll always share my location temporarily with the whole gang on a ski weekend. It’s much easier to figure out where everyone is when we inevitably get split up, or to assemble the team for a hot cocoa break at a mid-mountain lodge.

8. Stash a few fix-your-face essentials in your jacket pocket.

I’ll usually slip a tube of sunscreen, some tinted SPF balm, and eyeliner in my inner pocket for on-mountain patio dining or slope-side après.

9. Pop on a headband or beanie for lunch or après.

Helmet hair is real. To remedy this at lunchtime, I’ll tuck a headband — like any of these soft fleece, faux fur, or brushed cashmere options — into my pocket and slip it on as soon as the helmet comes off. A beanie works just as well too, but you have to have a roomy ski jacket to avoid a mono-boob bulge.

10. Bring a pair of sunglasses.

One, because sun, and two, because your cheeks will get pink and wind-chapped throughout the day. I don’t wear face makeup or mascara when skiing (dry eyes and concealer all over your goggles? ick), so face armor is key to looking presentable on a patio. I picked up this affordable pair recently as I’m a chronic loser of sunglasses. Two of my girlfriends pulled out matching sunnies as we settled in for an alpine lunch last weekend — chic.

11. Keep just your ID and credit card in a card case or stick-on card holder.

Minimize pocket bulk with either a slim card case (I have this one in two colors) or with a stick-on card holder for your phone.

12. Short Uggs > everything else.

I caved and got a pair of Moon Boots this year, but at the literal end of the day, mini Uggs are the easiest, comfiest, and most convenient option for the brief jaunt from the mountain. And, slipping them on feels pretty otherworldly after your ski boots have just come off. I like a little platform to give me some height in the snow.

13. Hydrate and humidify.

Altitude sickness can crush the best of us. Stock the house with lots of Gatorade, sparkling waters, LiquidIV, and Zbiotics. If you’re staying somewhere that’s equipped with humidifiers, get them cranking before you head to your first dinner — your 2 a.m. self will thank you.

Aspen ski weekend shenanigans.

Are you skiing this season, and if so, where are you headed? For the first time in ever, we’ve actually been making the most of our IKON pass. Also, if you have European resort recommendations, drop them in the comments — taking all the suggestions for a future trip!