Powder's Gift Guide
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‘Tis the season for panicked gift shopping. And there’s a constant challenge when you’re shopping for your skiing friends: of course you want to get them something useful, something they’ll want to use out on the hill, but ski gear is incredibly personal. It’s hard to guess what size, color, or model of new skis, outerwear, or boots to gift someone.
A much safer bet is to lean into the accessories, the things that make the experience of skiing better. We’re talking après, accessories, and general winter life. So, in that vein, here are some of our top gift-giving recommendations:
MSRP: $105
Why we dig ‘em: Cozy comfort around the house, during après, or anytime you’re not wearing your ski boots.
Intuition’s liners have long been one of our favorite aftermarket boot upgrades, and their booties bring the same warmth and comfort to all the time you spend outside of your ski boots. After a long day out on the hill, there’s nothing like slipping out of your boots, and into Intuition’s Booties. They’re sort of the opposite of ski boots: Easy to get into, comfortable for hours, easy to walk around in.
Intuition’s Mid Bootie is a great piece of footwear for activities including, but not limited to: Dancing post-ski, driving home from the hill, slipping out to grab a little more firewood from the porch, moving between the house and the sauna, and taking the dog for a chilly midnight walk. We’d also be remiss not to mention their Tour Wrap liners which are one of our favorite upgrades for soft touring boots with insubstantial stock liners.
MSRP: $149
Why we dig ‘em: Photochromic tech means no more fumbling to swap lenses, instead they adapt to the light.
Ski goggles are just goggles, right? Well, sort of, but good goggles stand out. The Adapt 2 goggle from Glade Optics is the ski industry's most awarded goggle, by far. With awards from Outside Magazine, Ski Magazine, Blister Gear, Backcountry, and more - Glade's REVEAL photochromic technology is your one stop solution for optical excellence.
The Adapt 2 uses a Photochromic lens tech which allows the lens to adapt to changing light conditions on the go. No more worrying that you brought the wrong lens for the day, or fumbling to swap lenses on the lift. Just put on your goggles in the morning, and trust them to keep your eyes protected no matter what the weather does.
MSRP: $30
Why we dig it: Ultra warm and comfortable face protection, adapted from the needs of mountaineers for everyday skiers.
OuterU’s faceGlove solves the problems of soggy face-masks, frostbite, and goggle-fog, in an ingeniously simple way– for $30 –placing it firmly in the running for stocking-stuffer of the year. If you are a mountaineer, you’ve probably seen OuterU’s faceGlove FLEX on the slopes of the Himalayas or Alaska in the last 11 years, but their latest model is optimized for skiers and snowboarders.
Lined with POLARTEC fleece, and thoughtful thermoformed, the faceGlove is comfortable enough to wear every day, but it really shines when the wind picks up, and the mercury drops. Their unique, 2-piece approach allows you to cover your whole face– without blocking your breathing –when the faceGlove is paired with any neck gaiter, or their bala. All of outerU’s products are hand-made in New Hampshire, USA.
Beyond Skid - A Cookbook for Ski Bums
MSRP: $44.95
Why we dig it: No-nonsense recipes optimized for mountain people, at any level of cooking expertise.
We’re always excited to see bylines that have appeared on POWDER show up on book shelves too, and Lily and Max Ritter’s cookbook, Beyond Skid, is one of our favorites. It’s a cookbook for folks who love the mountains, and playing in them, regardless of skill level or experience. So, while it’s got traditional recipes for post-ski meals and skin track snacks, it’s also got plenty of advice for aspiring chefs, whether they’re sharing a tiny house in a ski town with eight other roomates, or trying to blow everyone’s socks off during their night cooking on a hut trip.
Good cookbooks are worth reading, even when you’re not hunting for a specific recipe, or trying to figure out a meal. Good cookbooks provide education, entertainment, and inspiration around food, and Beyond Skid does all three.
MSRP: $22-$44
Why we dig ‘em: Still the gold standard for comfortable, stylish belts.
If we had to guess, it’s a safe bet that Acade Belts have appeared on more ski-themed gift guides than any other product over the years. They’re just really, really good. If you’ve already got an arcade belt, consider this your reminder that you probably need another one. If you don’t, you owe it to yourself to try one. They’re so comfortable, and so easy to use, once you’ve used one it’s hard to go back to traditional belts.
Some recent updates to Arcade’s buckle system make them even easier to use, and give them a classier look as well. The Jimmy Chin edition linked above is a great option when you’re trying to look classy, but you still want a comfortable, functional belt, that’s as good a choice for a day on the hill as it is the office.
MSRP: $99
Why we dig ‘em: Warm, comfortable, and stylish, everything a flannel should be.
We’ve written about Pladra before, but it turns out that seven years later, they’re still one of our favorite flannels. If you’ve watched any of our Shop Talk videos you may have noticed that our host seems to wear the same shirt for many of those videos. That’s because it’s hard to convince him to take it off. Pladra’s flannels are 100% cotton, and are available in a wide range of sizes, including a “tall” option for folks who want a little more length. The playful prints inside the cuffs and collar are an added bonus.
Skiers rocking flannels is an oft-used stereotype for a reason. It turns out that good flannels are incredibly comfortable, and strike a nice balance of function and fashion for the mountain-obsessed.
MSRP: $149
Why we dig ‘em: Incredibly warm, weather resistant, and easy to live with.
You may have noticed these cartoonishly styled, playfully colored boots popping up at ski resort parking lots recently. Fubuki’s boots are based on the work boots that Japanese lifties, locals, and snow removal workers wear. Despite their playful exterior, these are some of the warmest, and most functional snow boots we’ve ever used. They’re very easy to get into and out of, and provide so much more insulation than your traditional muck boots. That makes them a great option for shoveling the driveway before you head to the mountains, and rocking on your drive to the hill.
They’re also very lightweight, so even though they look bulky, they’re easy to walk in, and are comfortable over long periods of time. If you’re tired of wet feet and mediocre snow boots, slip into a pair of Fubuki’s and learn what folks in one of the snowiest places in the world have figured out about snow boots.
