Skiing in Livigno and the question of gear

impr0v

I haven't been skiing before and as such have no equipment, even down to gloves, goggles etc. Should I leave it until I get there and rent gear then, or should I get some stuff here and bring it with me? Perhaps someone who has been there before could advise.

Imposter

impr0v wrote:

I haven't been skiing before and as such have no equipment, even down to gloves, goggles etc. Should I leave it until I get there and rent gear then, or should I get some stuff here and bring it with me? Perhaps someone who has been there before could advise.

Generally you just rent the boots, skis and poles or snowboard. I've not heard of it being possible to rent the clothes at resorts (that doesn't mean it's not possible).

You'll need trousers, jacket, gloves and hat for sure. Also thick socks like football socks would be good, especially if skiing. You could buy skisocks but football socks will do the job. Longjohns are also a good idea as it does get cold. Similarly warm clothes such as a t-shirt and a fleece under your skijacket.

As for your head a lot of people use a scarf or if it's very cold a balaclava. The very cold weather seems to be over so a scarf will probably be enough and depending on your jacket you mightn't even need that.

As for your eyes i'd suggest that you bring sunglasses (sports sunglasses are better as they're designed to be abused more). If it's particularly bad weather goggles might be neccesary but they can usually be got at the resort at a pretty decent price. Gloves might be another thing that can wait until you get there.

Arnotts had pretty decent skigear in their 'january' sales (late dec). Might be an idea to see what they've left in terms of jackets and trousers. Outdoor shops should be of some help too. Another idea might be to try and borrow these as they are quite expensive (trousers anything from about 80-400, jacket similar). Gloves should be 20+ and goggles about 25+.

Hope that helps!

HarryD

Yeah, you can rent ski clothes at Livingo, but I don't recommend it.
It's a better idea to buy the clothes at home, and just rent skis/boots/poles.
Buying clothes at the resort is expensive.

Shelliestar

Great place for ski gear is TK Maxx, I got surfanic pants there for €45 in Jan and they had loads of choice and top brands. Definatley get gloves, bout €20-30 should do, make sure they fit well too. Dont bother with goggles till youre there and it starts snowing othewise sunglasses are fine.
Ski resorts are full of shops that stock all the stuff so dont worry if you forget anything, they can be got if and when you need em.
Just make sure all your gear is comfortable so you dont have to worry bout adjusting them when your learning to ski but im sure youll be grand
and go snowboarding if you can its waaaaaaaaay more fun

cupthehand

Say hello to Marco over there from me.....



p.s. one piece of advie he doesnt really like ppl dancing on tables downstairs

skibum

When you are there try the Skidoo's on the frozen lake, it is a great buzz, especially if the instructor is in a good form, they really let you open them up!

If you have a bit of extra cash you can also have a go at driving evo's, scooby's and one or two other mad 4WD cars with studded tyres, every thing you think you know about driving goes out the window!

Imposter

Shelliestar wrote:

and go snowboarding if you can its waaaaaaaaay more fun

if you enjoy sitting on your arse most of the day!

In sadder news I should be skiing at the moment but it's pissing rain! Bloody freak winter here.

Lisapeep

Imposter wrote:

As for your head a lot of people use a scarf or if it's very cold a balaclava. The very cold weather seems to be over so a scarf will probably be enough.

I wouldn't recommend bringing a scarf. They're not allowed on the slopes because there's a risk they could get caught in some of the lift machinery! Instead, you can buy a neck gaiter as shown: Have fun!

Imposter

Lisapeep wrote:

I wouldn't recommend bringing a scarf. They're not allowed on the slopes...

News to me. Where exactly are they banned and how is such a thing enforced?

Neck thingeemajig looks good though.

Cake Fiend

I've bought almost every bit of my snowboarding equipment in Livigno. It's a tax-free village, so most things are much cheaper than in Ireland, just make sure you have plenty of space in your suitcase for bringing your gear (and lots of cheap booze!) back.

If you're renting ski equipment, I'd recommend 'De Fox' up at the Carosello 3000, they have superior equipment for good prices. There are a couple of dodgy places that I've had bad experiences with and it's not worth having a binding break when you're halfway down a black run just because you wanted to save a tenner.

If there are snowboarders going, you should try it. It's not as much fun the first year, but after that, it's a lot more fun than skiing IMO. On the other hand, skiing is very easy to pick up - you'll learn the most important things in the first half hour.

Go on a pub crawl in Livigno. There are tons of crazy pubs, all dirt cheap. Don't bother going to Kokodi nightclub (except on Thursday, stripper night :cool: ), it's a dive.

And look out for Boards's own 'TheFanj', also known as Tom in Daphne's pub!

Imposter

Sico wrote:

If there are snowboarders going, you should try it. It's not as much fun the first year, but after that, it's a lot more fun than skiing IMO. On the other hand, skiing is very easy to pick up - you'll learn the most important things in the first half hour.

I've heard and to a lesser extent seen the opposite to be true.

Lisapeep

I think that if you're showing your liftpass and you have a big scarf flowing out behind you that the lift operaters often would say something to you. I don't think I've ever seen anyone wearing a scarf on the slopes any time I've been away, but then again, I wouldn't be looking that closely! Anyway, the neck gaiters are great. They fit nice and snug in around your neck without any extra bulk!

Imposter

Lisapeep wrote:

I think that if you're showing your liftpass and you have a big scarf flowing out behind you that the lift operaters often would say something to you. I don't think I've ever seen anyone wearing a scarf on the slopes any time I've been away, but then again, I wouldn't be looking that closely! Anyway, the neck gaiters are great. They fit nice and snug in around your neck without any extra bulk!

Anyone i've seen wearing a scarf has it tight ot their face and partially under their jackets, just like that neck thingee. A scarf that trailing behind you would be dangerous but i've not seen that. Anyways that's what those long hats are for

Cake Fiend

Imposter wrote:

I've heard and to a lesser extent seen the opposite to be true.

That's only my opinion - I personally found snowboarding much harder to learn than skiing. IMO, a learner has far more control over a pair of skis than a snowboard. All you have to do to stop on skis is the 'snowplough' you learn in the first 10 minutes, but it takes balance, coordination and practice to stop safely on a snowboard if you get into difficulty.

Now that I can snowboard with confidence, I find it a lot more enjoyable than I ever found skiiing (and more challenging)

impr0v

Thanks to all who replied, sorted most of my stuff out today and looking forward to to it now.