What gear do I need, and how do I pick the right equipment?

What gear do I need, and how do I pick the right equipment?

The gear page at /gear walks you through a short questionnaire and matches you with equipment recommended for how you ski. You can also browse the full catalogue directly, compare products side by side, and save a wishlist.

The questionnaire

A short set of questions:

• Ability level — Beginner (a few days on snow), Intermediate (comfortable on blue and red runs), Advanced (confident on all piste types), or Expert (off-piste, moguls and steep terrain).
• Activity — Skiing or snowboarding.
• Height, weight, boot size — so recommendations fit you properly. If you're signed in, the page can pre-fill these from your profile.
• Budget range — Budget (under €250), Mid-Range (€250–€500), or Premium (€500+).
• Terrain preference — On-piste, all-mountain, off-piste/freeride, or freestyle/park.

Once you submit, each recommendation comes with a match score so you can see how well each item suits your profile, along with star ratings and a short summary of why it was picked.

Browse, compare, wishlist

The page has three tabs:

• Recommended — your personalised shortlist based on the questionnaire.
• Browse — the full catalogue, filterable by category (skis, boots, helmets, goggles, clothing, gloves, protective gear).
• Compare — add items you're torn between to a side-by-side comparison.

If you create a free account, you can also save items to a wishlist to come back to later.

What you actually need as a first-timer

If you're new to skiing and don't want to buy anything yet, the essentials to own are:

• Ski socks — long, thin, merino or synthetic. Two pairs. Cotton is out.
• A base layer — top and bottoms in merino or synthetic.
• Goggles or sunglasses — the glare off snow is no joke.
• Sun cream and lip balm — UV is stronger at altitude and bounces off the snow.

Everything else — skis, boots, poles, helmet, jacket and trousers — you can rent for your first trip. Most ski schools partner with rental shops or offer rental directly as an add-on to your booking. See can I rent equipment through my ski school [blocked].

When you're ready to buy

Start with boots. Badly-fitting boots ruin a week faster than anything else, and rental boots are often well-worn by the time they reach you. Skis and poles can follow once you've worked out what terrain you prefer and how often you'll ski.