Wondering what to get your skiing friends and family this Christmas? Here’s our guide to festive shopping for skiers and snowboarders young and old, ranging from stocking fillers to something a lot bigger…
My daughter scoffed at the manufacturer’s claim this brush could straighten her mixed-race hair in five minutes (without the usual arduous blow drying and traditional hot straightening). She ate her words when several brush strokes later, straight it was. Now the effects of cold weather and ski helmets on hair are easily sorted.
This travel-version of the original ceramic brush comes in a handy heat-resistant case, which holds the cable and brush. DAFNI go, £99.95, from uk.dafni.life
Simple yet cool packaging and a warm smell of coffee make this lip survival kit from the coffee-based Australian range stand out from the others. Rid your loved ones of chapped lips with a balm that is thick but easily absorbed, while the dinky tin of scrub is hard not to eat. Full of antioxidants, paraben free and not tested on animals, it will perk up the driest of lips.
Frank Body lip scrub and balm, £11.95, x 2 15ml, from uk.frankbody.com
Ok, so socks for men are something of a Christmas cliché. But add three AA batteries and make them warm for up to five hours and they magically transform. UK sizes 6 – 12.
Battery Heated Thinsulate socks, £21.95, prezzybox.com
There’s no need for several different lenses for altering weather conditions. Transitions adaptive goggle lenses automatically change tint in response to the sunlight and weather conditions, so they’ll enhance visibility in all conditions.
Dragon offers four base tints to suit the full spectrum of users – this pair is a pretty Light Rose, but they are also available in Yellow, Amber and Clear, all of them transitioning to grey. Dragon X1s Flux Pink/Transitions Light Rose Goggles, £225 from Snowboard Asylum.
If the chalet has a power cut or you end up lingering a little longer on the slopes than you meant – or worst case scenario, a real emergency – shed light on the situation with a portable, rechargeable solar light. It packs flat then inflates to create a waterproof lantern illuminating for up to 16 hours.
Luminaid Solar Lamp, 99gms, £19.95, from prezzybox.com
Podiatrist-turned-London foot guru, Margaret Dabbs is well known for her emu-oil based products for feet. After a spell on the slopes, any skier will be glad to open this travel-friendly set to pep up weary feet. The gorgeous lemon myrtle fragrance will banish any lingering boot odour.
Kit includes: Intensive Hydrating Foot Lotion, 50ml, Hydrating Foot Soak 50ml, Intensive Treatment Foot Oil 30ml and Exfoliating Foot Mousse, 30ml. Margaret Dabbs Fabulous Feet Discovery Kit, £39, from margaretdabbs.co.uk
A sweet treat that will please the whole family, 16 hand-iced vanilla flavoured ski-themed biscuits include skis, hats, jumpers, scarves and even miniature mugs of hot chocolate (suitable for vegetarians). Other choices include a tin of Flower Power chocolate biscuits and a chocolate First Aid Kit.
Biscuiteers Apres Ski family tin, £35, from John Lewis.
From the Norwegian luggage brand designed for sports travel with the most distinctive name around, new designs for 2016/17 include the limited edition version of their classic wheeled ski bag, which claims to be the lightest. Adjustable, it can carry a single pair of alpine skis or several pairs of cross-country skis with poles.
Douchebags Slim Jim (max ski length: 210cm, width: 38cm, height: 18.5cm), 129€ (about £108), from douchebags.com
…and to go on the bag…Pickle Pie Gifts has created some individual luggage tags with your personalised message in metallic print. The leather luggage tags are handmade and come in a choice of seven colours with the name or message in four metallic colours. The tags measure 12×6.5cm and have a buckled strap.
Personalised Leather Luggage Tag £13.19 from Pickle Pie Gifts.
If your child resists wearing a hat, then gift them this soft faux fur balaclava with bear ears. Lined with 100% organic cotton it is also washable. Grrreat.
Mini Rodini Faux Fur Balaclava, £23, from minirodini.com
No book, perhaps, captures the magic of the first snowfall better than The Snowy Day. The story reveals a child’s wonder at a new world, and the hope of capturing and keeping that wonder forever. Ezra Jack Keats’s now classic and retro book was winner of the 1963 Caldecott Medal. The book is also notable for its lovely artwork.
The Snow Day by Ezra Jack Keats, £5.60 from Amazon.
New to the UK, this four-day intensely hydrating mask set is perfect to pack for an alpine weekend. Four 10ml pots hold sweet smelling, creamy masks made without testing on animals from naturally derived ingredients with no nasties (petrochemicals, parabens, sulfates, synthetic fragrances or colours). Exfoliate, soften and hydrate – one mask can be used over two nights making it pretty good value.
Nügg Dry Skin 4 Day Intensive Skin Treatment Collection, £13, beautybay.com
Sleek and sophisticated, new MW50 wireless on-ear headphones fold-flat for easy travel. With a connectivity range of up to 30 metres from the connected device, the battery lasts for a good 16 hours (can also connect via cable). Luxuriously covered in cowhide and lambskin, this is one gift that won’t be returned after Christmas.
Master & Dynamic Wireless On-Ear headphones, £399, masterdynamic.co
Skiing and chocolate go hand in hand. The perfect treat to slip under the tree for the selfie-loving skier, these 500gm slabs of creamy chocolate will provide much-needed energy boosts on the piste.
Hotel Chocolat Selfies available in Reindeer (milk and caramel chocolate, pictured) and Penguin (milk and white chocolate), £16, from hotelchocolat.com
How would you like to design your very own base layer? Well, it certainly feels like you are with Burnt Custard’s UCustom because you can choose from eight different colours for each arm, leg, and the torso…then put them together to create a unique piece of clothing.
Imagine having a different colour combination for each member of your family, rather than everyone muddling their basic black or navy blue thermals? Oh yes, and it’s also one of the best performing technical base layers on the market. Burnt Custard base layers from £45 for tops, £35 for bottoms; UCustom from £55 for tops, £45 bottoms, all at Burnt Custard.
New to the UK, the X4 smartphone offers both holidaymakers and business travellers an affordable smartphone option. Offering 16GB of storage and dual sim capabilities (great for multiple numbers), it’s lighter than an iPhone, while camera wise there’s a 5MP selfie shooter and a 13-megapixel wide angle lens camera less, for less, er, self-indulgent shots. Snap it up.
The Nu Mobile X4, £129, from amazon.co.uk
New for this season from the British brand sported by the Swiss Ski School instructors and the GB Telemark Women’s Ski Team, this women’s cashmere hat comes in cable knit and basket weave, in pale grey (pictured) or smoke with a jaunty racoon pom pom in pink, green or grey. Apres ski never looked so good.
Snow Finel cashmere hat, £60, from snowfinel.co.uk
The Mountain Range from the brand fittingly named after the Piz Buin alpine peak, has a Cold Shield Complex to moisturise skiers’ skin for longer and protect from extreme cold and wind along with UVA/UVB sun filters. Perfect to slip in a stocking, this cute vintage-style 40ml tin of SPF30 Glacier Cream nods to their original created back in 1946. £10.99, from Boots.
Utye is a new ski carrying device that’s designed to fit snuggly into a jacket pocket when not in use. It’s a bit like a toboggan for your skis, designed for anyone who doesn’t like the weight or awkwardness of carrying skis around the mountain. Instead you secure your skis into the device and push them along beside you.
£28 (or a special Christmas price of £25 until December 24), from utye.co.uk.
Made from luxuriously silky soft 100% pure New Zealand merino wool, Three Bags Full baby and children’s wear is designed with fun, function and style in mind. Each piece of clothing has been sustainably made from 100% ethically sourced wool, is durable so it can be washed again and again without looking tired, and is warm but not bulky which makes it perfect for packing.
54NZ$ (about £31) for a jumper in storm grey with ski design. Also available with stag, star or tractor design, from threebagsfullmerino.com
Add Comment