If you don’t know what to buy that special someone in your life who lives for skiing down mountains, we’re here to help with this rundown of the very best gifts for skiers. Whether you’re in the market for a Christmas gift, a birthday present, or a generally nice “Thanks for being such a great friend” surprise, we guarantee the person you’re buying for will love receiving one of these items.
- Dakine X Chris Benchetler Team Baron GTX Mitt
- Dakine X Sammy Carlson Team Baron GTX Mitt
- Full Tilt Apres Bootie 2.0
- Garmin Fenix 6
- GoPro Hero9 Action Camera
- Nikwax Twin Tech Wash / TX.Direct
- Mons Royale Temple Tech LS And Shaun-Off Leggings
- Oakley Flight Tracker XM Goggles
- SIGG Water Bottle Traveller 1L
- Smith Vida MIPS Ski Helmet
- Smith Wildcat Sunglasses
- ‘The Man Behind The Map’ By James Niehues
Dakine X Chris Benchetler Team Baron GTX Mitt
Price: £100
BUY HERE
Chris Benchetler is a bona fide Van Gogh on snow. Sure, he’s a talented powder skier in his own right but he’s also a supremely talented artist. The Dakine X Chris Benchetler Team Baron GTX Mitt is warm, tough, and has such a nice visual aesthetic that it wouldn’t look out of place in a gallery.
Some gloves and mitts are nothing more than things to keep your hands warm on the cold mountains during winter. These, it’s fair to say, are a little more special than that.
Dakine X Sammy Carlson Team Baron GTX Trigger Mitt
Price: €120
BUY HERE
Way back in the dawn of time, also known as 2010, Sammy Carlson became the first skier on our planet to successfully execute a switch triple rodeo 1260. Five years later, in 2015, he showed real balls of steel courage by skiing switch off the largest ski jump in the Western hemisphere
In 2020, there’s the updated, extremely cool-looking, Dakine x Sammy Carlson Team Baron Gore-Tex Trigger Mitts. Part glove, part mitt, very red; we like the lobster claw vibes here.
Full Tilt Apres Bootie 2.0
Price: £80
BUY HERE
Even the most diehard ski fanatic will tell you that ski boots leave a lot to be desired on the comfort front. The Full Tilt Apres Bootie 2.0 is the ultimate reward after a hard day’s work on the slopes. They’re a heavenly place to put your feet, they have a durable Michelin outsole, and are perfect for downtime in the mountain. Be sure to check out the Full Tilt Apres Bootie 1.0 as well. It’s similar, but different.
Garmin Fenix 6
Price: £600
BUY HERE
The first thing to say about this watch is that it costs nearly £600 (it’s RRP is £599). The second thing to say about it is that it’s packed full of features, is super durable, and has a long battery life. It’s the perfect timekeeping, and so much more, companion for those backcountry missions. Give a skier a Garmin Fenix 6 and they’ll love you until their dying days.
GoPro Hero9 Action Camera
Price: £330
BUY HERE
If you really want to treat them get them the GoPro Hero9 Action Camera. With its RRP of £330, it’s not exactly cheap. Although, when you consider the excellent 5k, 240fps, and Hypersmooth 3.0 that it’s bringing to the table then you start to get a sense of just how much bang you’re getting for your buck. Worth every penny? Quite possibly. Also, can you really put a price on making a skier smile? No. The answer is no.
Looking for a cheaper alternative? Check out the GoPro Max Action Camera.
Nikwax Twin Tech Wash / TX.Direct
Price: £20
BUY HERE
You know how as you’ve got older, you’ve come to appreciate more and more a practical gift at Christmas / on your birthday. Back in the day, you’d smile through gritted teeth if someone gave you a deodorant set or a pack of new socks. Nowadays however, genuinely useful gifts like that can feel like a godsend.
All of which leads us to introducing the Nikwax Twin Tech Wash / TX.Direct combo. It might not be as exciting as a Playstation 5, but it will clean and waterproof wet weather clothing superbly. Enhancing the lifespan of existing kit is good for the bank balance, and good for sustainability. It’s not a present a present to get pulses racing but it will, we guarantee it, be greatly appreciated by the skier in your life.
Mons Royale Temple Tech LS And Shaun-Off Leggings
Price (Top): £90
BUY HERE
Price (Leggings): £80
BUY HERE
Buy someone the gift of warmth and comfort with the Mons Royale Temple Tech LS and Shaun-Off Leggings. They’re ethically-produced, offer all-day comfort, and are breathable for active mountain use. This is a high quality merino base layer combination from your favourite New Zealand brand.
Oakley Flight Tracker XM Goggles
Price: £177
BUY HERE
Oakley have been doing some clever stuff with their goggles recently. The Oakley Flight Path, for example, was designed specifically with racing in mind. Knowing that skiers who ski fast are often in a tucked in racing position, the Flight Path opens things up in the skier’s upper field of view – allowing them to make themselves aerodynamic without sacrificing forward vision as a result.
The Oakley Flight Tracker XM is essentially the inverse of the Oakley Flight Path. It opens up the FOV down below, making it much easier for skiers and snowboarders to spot their landings when they’re up in the air. It’s an evolution of Oakley’s Canopy goggle, it brings excellent clarity to the hill, and it’s just a very good product in all honesty.
SIGG Water Bottle Traveller 1L
Price: £17
BUY HERE
Tough, lightweight, simple and effective – there’s more than one reason why this iconic bottle design from SIGG found its way into New York’s Museum of Modern Art (yes, really).
In all seriousness, drinking water and staying hydrated is important – especially when you’re charging about the mountains on a warm spring day. Stop buying and using single-use plastic bottles. The SIGG Water Bottle Traveller 1L is a much better option, saving money and the environment simultaneously.
Smith Vida MIPS Ski Helmet
Price: £150
BUY HERE
The Smith Vida MIPS is the gold standard when it comes to ski helmet technology. If you want to buy someone the gift of head safety, look no further.
MIPS injury prevention technology is quickly taking over the ski and snowboard industry, and the Vida MIPS helmet is packed full of the stuff. MIPS reduces the rotational forces exerted on the brain (which mitigates any unnecessary strain on brain tissues during a collision.
This reduction of rotational forces is achieved through the use of a separate internal layer that sits close to your head, but away from the external shell of the helmet. This internal layer allows the helmet to move 10 –15 mm around your head, thus reducing the initial rattle of your head as it strikes the floor or an immovable object.
Smith Wildcat Sunglasses
Price: £175
BUY HERE
Nothing says “I’m the coolest cat on this, or any other, mountain” quite like a pair of Smith Wildcat Sunglasses. They’re stylish, they protect eyes from harmful UV rays, and they’re vision enhancing – thanks to the excellent ChromaPop lenses.
Give them a gift you can’t put a price on, give them the gift of sight and looking rad.
‘The Man Behind The Map’ By James Niehues
Price: £85
BUY HERE
Over the years, we’ve all spent hours upon hours eyeing up ski maps in search of our next line, the local après spot and even to help us get home after one too many Weissbier at said après spot.
If your loved one has a deep-seated appreciation for ski maps, and is the kind of person who would be interested to hear the unique story behind the man who’s put his paint to canvas to create these beauties – then they’re, for sure, going to be big fans of ‘The Man Behind the Maps: Legendary Ski Artist James Niehues’.
James Niehues is the man behind the creation of countless ski maps around the world – from North America, South America, Europe, Asia and Australia. Wherever you do your shredding, there’s a good chance you’ve ogled his artistic creations. In an increasingly digital era, Niehues could quite possibly be the last of the great mapmakers.
“The last of the great mapmakers”
This nearly 300-page book showcases his exacting process in which he first captures aerial shots and then explores the mountain himself before painstakingly illustrating every run, chairlift, tree and cliff band by hand.
“Jim has played such a huge role in the development of our sport and there are so many, like me, who have been deeply influenced by Jim and his art,” said legendary big-mountain skier Chris Davenport. “His maps are important, even vital, for everyone whose heart and soul revolves around the sport of skiing.”
Share