Thanks to a combination of luck, hard work, and stubbornness, I’ve been able to carve out a career that involves skiing all over the globe. Over the last 2 years, my partner Jenny and I have traveled to Norway, Japan, Peru, Austria, Georgia (the country), Iceland, Italy, Canada, and Chile so I could write about resorts, operators, and ski expeditions.
We’ve had a lot of laughs, face shots, and high fives, as well as a few lost bags and missed connections. Through it all, I’ve learned one big lesson: less is more.
The more ski trips we take — especially international ones when we feel pressure to pack extra — the less we actually want to have with us. While most guides emphasize packing for every scenario possible, we find that bringing the entire kitchen sink only slows us down.
Between trips, I often find myself in our garage-turned-gear closet, whittling down our travel kit to the stuff that I can trust, day in and day out. The stuff that is versatile and durable and that works in a wide variety of conditions, because you never know what kind of snow you’re going to get on a big ski trip.
We recently got back from Portillo, Chile, the iconic yellow submarine resort in the High Andes, allowing me to test the final pieces of gear for this story. Arriving the day after a 3-foot storm, I was able to use its slingshot lifts, steep couloirs, and nearly perfect corduroy to dot my i’s and cross my t’s, as they say. Below are my recommendations on how to pack less, travel light, and, in turn, have a lot more fun.
Essentials for Ski Trips
Roller Ski Bag
It all starts with a good ski bag. I need something large enough for both Jenny’s splitboard and my skis, our boots, helmets, and snow safety gear, and some extra clothes for paddling. That way, we only have to check one bag between the two of us, saving money and cutting out the hassle of hauling a pyramid of duffels across busy airports.
At 112 L, the Patagonia Snow Roller is my first choice. It has durable wheels, padded sides, and multiple handles, making it easy to move without a cart. The fabric is weather-resistant and burly, which means you can stuff it to the brim and not worry about blowouts.
Dp makes a similar bag that not only rolls, but also compresses to the size of a duffel for storage. Backcountry makes the Cottonwoods Double Ski & Snowboard Rolling Bag, and Dakine makes the Boundary Ski Roller Bag. Any of these options will offer ample packing space and ease of transportation.
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Arc’teryx Micon LiTRIC Airbag Backpack
The rest of my gear — especially electronics like my camera, laptop, and spare batteries — go in my Arc’teryx Micon backpack, which I carry on to all flights. Unlike compressed gas, you can fly with electronic airbag systems, even if it occasionally requires a chat with a TSA agent who has never seen one before.
The Micon is the lightest airbag pack on the market, thanks to an ultracapacitor and lithium battery that weigh just 2.4 pounds. It has a voluminous 42L interior, making both long travel days and long backcountry tours a bit easier, too.
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Peak Design Ultralight Packing Cubes
The next step in the process is how to stay organized. I use Peak Design Cubes to keep my clothes sorted — one for shirts, one for bottoms, another for socks and undies — and a few more for other small things like gloves, hats, cords, and snacks.
The most important and fragile items — like my passport, power adapter, wallet, and small camera — go into a Peak Design Sling, which goes just about everywhere with me, to make sure they don’t get lost or stolen.
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Mons Classic Tees
The most common way to overpack, in my experience, is to bring too many clothes. The solution is versatile layers that work well for traveling, skiing, and going out, but don’t smell after days of use.
My go-to shirts are from Mons Royale, a boutique New Zealand-based brand that makes a wide variety of awesome wool products. My favorite is the Classic Tee, which I’ve worn more than once for a full week without complaints from Jenny, allowing me to pack much less, even on the longer trips.
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Patagonia Nano Air Ultralight Freeride Jacket
Like my philosophy with baselayers, I try to bring one or two versatile midlayers that work as well inside as out. My top pick is a prototype from Patagonia (launches this fall) that I’ve been testing for the last year, and I rarely take off, much to Jenny’s chagrin.
In my defense, the Freeride Jacket is light and breathable, which allows me to use it while skiing, skinning, sleeping on planes, running through airports, in buses and taxis, and occasionally out to dinner, too.
Shop the Patagonia Nano Air Ultralight Freeride Jacket
Seavees Beyond & Back Boots
Another great way to waste space in your luggage is to bring too many shoes. On most of my ski trips, I’ll bring a pair of ski boots, a pair of running shoes, and a pair of Seavees slip-on boots, which I wear in snowy parking lots, out to bars, and sitting on planes for hours, staying comfortable and dry throughout. It’s an all-season adventure boot with a grippy sole, perfect for ski trips.
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Faction Agent 3 Skis
Next comes the hardest decision: which sticks to bring. I’ll admit, there are a few trips where I’ve opted for something a bit wider (hello, Japwow), but for the majority of my ski travels, I bring just one pair of skis, the Agent 3s, because of their versatility, inbounds and out.
I feel just as comfortable on long tours as I do ripping turns on corduroy, and while they might not be the master of anything, they certainly are a jack of all trades, able to hold their own on nearly any terrain or condition.
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Dynafit Radical Pro Touring Boots
Because Jenny and I split our time evenly between the backcountry and frontcountry, I need my boots to do a lot (heaven forbid I bring two pairs). They need to be light enough for long tours, but still capable of hot laps at the resort. It’s a difficult compromise to strike, but the Radical Pro handles it well.
Thanks to the Hoji Lock System, it is quick and easy to transition between skinning and skiing, without sacrificing too much power transfer on the downhill.
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Smith Nexus Helmet + 4D Mag Goggles
Keeping the focus on versatility and durability, I’ve used the Nexus and 4D Mag together for years without fail. The Nexus is both lightweight and breathable, without sacrificing safety. It also has removable ear covers, which makes it great for touring, especially on warmer days in the spring.
The 4D Mag offers the best field of vision on the market, and has interchangeable lenses that I can swap with gloves on, which helps when conditions are changing quickly.
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Hestra Ergo Grip Incline Gloves
I typically bring two pairs of gloves on every trip, but I use one pair around 90% of the time. That is the Ergo Grip, a burly yet pliable leather glove that I use at the resort, in the backcountry, and anything in between.
I re-waterproof my pair after every season, keeping them waterproof and more durable, and I have had the current set for over 5 years, and they are still going strong. On the coldest days, I’ll swap to a warmer, thicker mitten, but that’s the exception to the rule. For everything else, the Ergo Grip is my daily driver.
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Mountain Hardwear High Exposure Jacket & Bibs
For outerwear, I lean toward touring-specific kits because they perform sufficiently in the resort but are much more breathable in the backcountry. My top pick is the High Exposure Kit because it’s durable for its light weight, has ample pockets, a large helmet-compatible hood, and large pit and side zips to dump heat when needed.
I’ve used the same set of High Exposure jacket and bibs for a few years, and they work as well as new.
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Julbo Density Sunglasses
I run hot, which is the polite way to say that I sweat a lot, especially when on the skintrack. This means I need sunglasses that have impressive airflow so they don’t fog, while still protecting my eyes. For years, I struggled to find a pair that walked this line, until I was recommended to try the Density from a friend, and I will never go back.
The Density has a large, curved lens and moldable arms, so they securely stay on my head. Most importantly, they never fog up.
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