November 21st, 2008 - Posted by: Powder Monkey

Christmas Gift Ideas for Skiing and Snowboarding Fans

anThis is another post inspired by those ski gurus at Snowheads. A recent discussion on the excellent snowsports forum about Christmas presents for skiers has got me thinking up an ever lengthening Christmas wish list. So I thought I’d share some of the gifts that the Snowheads and I are dreaming of, so that you won’t be at a loss for what to buy for the skiing or boarding fanatics in your life.

For many Snowheads it looks as though the dream of a white Christmas will be coming true in 2008. Here’s what they had to say:

My family Christmas ski trip is sort of seen as a Christmas present.

I’ll be skiing on xmas day.

Lucky lot! If your budget doesn’t stretch to a ski holiday, you can always pretend you’re in the mountains by getting involved in some skiing action on the Nintendo wii. The wii has come down in price a lot but it is still an expensive toy, so you might be interested in a competition I spotted to win one at Extreme Pie. The giveaway also includes the brand new Shaun White snowboarding game.

Ok, your chances of scooping up the top prize are not great but you should check out the site for gifts for snowboard and extreme sports fans. They have everything from street wear to hardware to ‘experience days’. Anyway, back to the wii: a great gift for kids and adults alike it seems:

We’ve bought ourselves, errrr I mean the kids, the wii fit with balance board and ski slalom and ski jump games.

This Snowhead has nothing to be ashamed of. My other half and I have one and we don’t have any kids so there’s no denying it is our toy. Family ski is really difficult, by the way. I can’t get to grips with it at all. It would probably help if I went through the tutorials but that part’s no fun, I just want to ski the bumps like a pro even if it’s only in the land of wii.

Back in the real world, this safety conscious Snowhead has the right idea.

Avalanche kit. My bday is in December too so hopefully get the parents feeling extra generous due to it being about my safety and get the most expensive bits out their pocket instead of mine.

If you’re going skiing off piste you should wear a transceiver and carry a shovel and probe. I never ski without these 3 essential pieces of kit. It just isn’t worth it. And it no longer costs the earth to be properly kitted out.

I’m thinking of going one step further and getting an ABS avalanche pack. The ABS system is a backpack containing canisters of pressurised air which inflates an air bag when triggered so that you stay on top of the avalanche. The packs are really expensive so I’ll probably have to ask for Christmas donations to get my hands on one of these but the stats on avalanches are compelling and you can’t put a price on safety.

Not all ski related gifts are so expensive though. As this Snowhead pointed out:

Sad I know, but socks are always most welcome. I find it difficult to part with 15 quid for a pair of socks and subsequently have pairs which are years old. I also end up steeling my other half’s which drives him mad.

I confess this Snowhead is me. I am tight when it comes to the little things so I am always chuffed to get ski socks for Christmas. Base layers are also always gratefully received. And it’s pretty difficult to get this stuff wrong.

If you’re uninspired by socks and thermals but don’t want to splash out on a ski related gift in case you get it wrong, get the loved one in question to check out Simply Piste

It has a huge range of ski wear (including but not limited to, socks and thermals) and has this great gift wishlist list feature. Once you have selected a whole bunch of stuff that you are after you can send your wish list electronically to your friends and family. By the way, this method is a whole lot more effective than writing to Santa, except if your nearest and dearest are about as computer savvy as the jolly bearded man in the red suit. I’ve found gloves, goggles and a backpack for my list.

All this websurfing for ski products is not a purely selfish act – I’ve been looking for inspiration for others too and in particular for the men in my life. Pack your Bags is a great place to get boys toys.

Happy Christmas shopping.

Tags: Avalanche Safety, Clothing, Equipment, Gaming, Snowheads
Posted in Ski & Snowboard Kit | 1 Comment »