Must-Have Clothes Head to Toe

Hat or helmet
Ski goggles or sunglasses
Waterproof winter jacket
Under layer shirt(s)
Gloves
Ski pants
Jeans or long underwear (or both)
Ski socks
Ski/snowboard boots

Necessary for the Slopes

Skis/snowboardSki poles/snowboard tetherTicket (if buying in advance)Ticket tie

Accessories

Hand warmers
Power bars (put one or two in your pocket for a midday snack)
Water bottle (it’s very easy to get dehydrated)
Cash and credit card
ID and insurance card (you never know)

Nice to Have in the Car

Towels (for drying off wet skis/boards at the end of the day)
A full tank of gas
Snow tires or chains for icy roads
First-aid kit
Blankets (in case you get stranded, or cold)
Water
Cell phone

Hints and Tips

Buy Tickets in Advance

Before you go, buy your tickets at a discounted price from TicketsWest. You can do this at King Soopers grocery stores or from many ski rental places. This usually saves between 20 and 30 percent on tickets, a significant discount since they are the single most expensive thing on a ski trip.

Wristguards

If you’re new to snowboarding and worried about falling, bring wristguards. It won’t save you from a painful landing, but your bones will stay intact.

Lessons

Most ski mountains offer a plethora of lessons for skiers and snowboarders of all abilities. You can often get great deals on a lesson and lift ticket from the resort itself.

Ticket Tabs

Most ski resorts now have tickets with little tear-off tabs at the bottom. The idea is that if you lose your ticket, you can have the tab and get it replaced. Keep it on you, but not attached to your ticket – in a zip-up pocket is best. The chances of losing both your ticket and the stub are low.

Rent Your Ride

The Breeze chain of shops is by far the most organized setup I’ve seen. You can reserve your gear online, though oddly not over the phone… score one for the Internet age. Oh, and you get a discount if you reserve online.

Once in the shop, sometimes service is a bit slow, and I’ve spent frustrating minutes waiting in the understaffed Lakewood shop, both while picking up a board and while trying to return it. It’s not so much that Breeze is slower than other rental places, it’s just that until they’re ready to get to you, nobody even acknowledges that you exist.

I’ve never had any problems with the equipment rented there, though others have occasionally found broken/missing bindings. Just check it out before leaving the store.

There’s another Breeze up I-70 in Idaho Springs, which gets kudos for having an attached Starbucks. I’ve never actually rented there, but just for giving me a place to stop for a latte on the return ride home it counts as a win.

Convenient when I lived further north, Crystal Ski Shop is relatively small, but customer service is great. They also have a discount program, rent from them seven times and the eighth rental is free.