Bearfoot Theory / Gear / Outdoor Apparel

What to Wear Skiing: Women’s Ski Apparel Guide

ByKristen Bor

This is the exact layering system I use and the clothes I wear to say warm, dry, and comfortable while skiing.

Bearfoot Theory founder Kristen Bor skiing powder wearing a pink Patagonia jacket at irwin lakes in Crested Butte Colorado

Layering properly for skiing is a bit of an art, and if done wrong, it can really affect your enjoyment of the sport. Being overdressed or underdressed while skiing can be majorly uncomfortable, as I’ve learned over the years.

The key is finding skiing apparel that will be warm, weatherproof, and windproof, but won’t get sweaty or stinky. You also want a full range of movement so you aren’t hindered by your ski clothing.

If you are a beginner skier, in this post you’ll learn the basics of what to wear skiing (or snowboarding), along with the list of ski layers that I wear. Keep in mind that I’m always adjusting these layers based on temperature, wind factor, and cloud cover.

There’s no doubt that getting into skiing takes some investment. Quality women’s ski apparel is pricey, but once you buy the right gear, it will last you for years.

This post may contain affiliate links.

Ski Jacket

A durable, windproof, and waterproof ski jacket is key to staying warm and dry while skiing. Here are some factors to look for in a ski jacket:

  • Waterproof and Windproof: Look for Gortex or a similar waterproof lining so you stay dry if it starts to snow (or you take a spill). A windproof jacket is also important, especially for sitting on the chairlift.
  • Insulation: Ski jackets can be insulated or not insulated (known as a hard shell). A hard shell alone will not keep you warm and will require additional layers underneath. Shells are best for mild climates and backcountry skiing. Alternatively, insulated jackets are thicker and bulkier with more warmth built in and are great for colder climates where you spend a lot of time sitting on the chairlift. My preference is a ski jacket with light insulation with layers underneath that I fine-tune to the conditions and my body temperature.
  • Breathability: Generally, hard shells are more breathable than an insulated ski jacket. To compensate for this, I always wear a ski jacket with pit zips, which is a quick way to let some air in when I get toasty.
  • Pockets: Pockets are important on a ski jacket for holding snacks, your phone, and other essentials.
  • Fit: You want the jacket to fit loose enough to layer underneath. It should also be long enough so there is decent overlap of your pants and your jacket. I like my ski jacket to hit around the bottom of my butt.
  • Color: I prefer brighter color ski jackets because it makes it easier for my partner and friends to spot me.
Wearing my Patagonia Insulated Ski Jacket
Patagonia Insulated Powder Town Jacket - Women's

Patagonia Insulated Powder Town

The Patagonia Insulated Powder Town Jacket is the my favorite ski jacket I’ve owned. The outer layer is durable and waterproof while the lightweight inner insulation keeps you warm and dry and wicks away sweat. It’s not too bulky or thick, so I can layer underneath without feeling restricted, and the pit zips allow for quick ventilation on warmer afternoons. The hood is helmet-compatible, which is convenient for those extra windy days.

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Ski Pants

Like your ski jacket, you want your ski pants to be reliably waterproof, especially if you’re a beginner skier when you might be spending more time sitting in the snow. Here are some considerations for ski pants:

  • Waterproof and Windproof: Look for Gortex or similar and pants designed to repel water and cut wind.
  • Insulation: Like ski jackets, some ski pants are insulated. Others are not. I personally prefer non-insulated or lightly insulated ski pants, since you can always double up on long johns, making them more versatile for other winter activities like snowshoeing. Ski pants with thick insulation are warmer, but on spring days can feel stifling.
  • Breathable: Shell ski pants are more breathable than thick ski pants with more insulation. I prefer pants that have zippers on the sides so I can vent them if needed.
  • Pockets: More pockets are better in my opinion. I like my ski pants to have normal pockets along the waist, as well as cargo-style pockets along the thighs. I usually keep my ski pass in one of these.
  • Style: Ski pants come as normal pants or in a bib style. I’ve tried bibs before, and as a woman, it made going to the bathroom much more difficult.
  • Color: I like black ski pants because they cover up dirt better than other colors.
Two skiiers stopped in the snow while skiing in Revelstoke BC on the Powder Highway
Wearing the Arc’teryx Sentinel Pants on my Powder Highway Ski Trip
North Face Insulated Ski Pants // Learn what to wear skiing with this complete guide to skiing apparel including everything you need to be comfortable and warm on the slopes.

Arc’teryx Sentinel Pants

When I ski, I wear the Arcteryx Sentinel AR Pants. They are pricey (I scored mine on sale at the end of the season), but these should last me no less than a decade. They are hardshell, Gortex-lined pants with fully seamed waterproof zippers. They are super windproof, but they aren’t insulated meaning you’ll want a solid base layer (or 2) underneath. During spring, they have a side zipper so you can vent them if you’re hot, making them versatile for other winter activities too.

North Face Freedom Insulated Snow Pants

If you want something more budget-friendly, I recommend the North Face Freedom Insulated Snow Pants. These are the ski pants I used when I first started skiing. They are basic insulated ski pants that will keep you warm and dry in moderate weather conditions.

Skiing Base Layer

The first thing you want to put on is long johns. This next-to-skin base layer is intended to regulate your body temp and wick away sweat while you’re skiing. Base layers come in different weights from lightweight to heavyweight and are intended to be combined depending on conditions.

Base layers are made from a variety of materials, and the key is to avoid cotton since it tends to hold onto moisture and doesn’t dry quickly. I recommend merino wool or synthetic materials, like polyester.

If it’s really cold, I may wear two base layers under my mid-layer which I’ll talk about below.

Woman wearing Icebreaker Oasis 200 base layer drinking coffee from Aeropress in the doorway of her Sprinter van
Here I’m wearing the Icebreaker Oasis 200 Baselayer while getting ready for skiing in my van

Icebreaker Oasis 200 Crew top

I wear a wool baselayer that wicks sweat. My go-to is the Icebreaker Oasis 200 Crew top. I’ve worn it more than 100 days, and it’s a lot more durable that other wool baselayers I’ve tried from other brands. It’s also super soft and doesn’t leave you feeling itchy like wool can sometimes do. Just be careful not to dry it, or it will shrink.

Icebreaker Oasis 200 Leggings

Icebreaker Oasis 200 leggings

I also wear Icebreaker long johns on my legs. The Icebreaker Oasis 200 leggings keep me warm (but not too hot), and they don’t stretch out, even after many days of wear. If it’s really cold, since my ski pants aren’t insulated, I sometimes double up on these.

Mid Layer Jacket

On top of my base layer and underneath my ski jacket, I wear a mid-layer jacket. Again you’ll want to avoid cotton, and I’d also avoid down. Down doesn’t dry quickly, and it’s also less breathable than synthetic materials. Breathability is really important for your mid-layer because there is no way to vent it underneath your ski jacket.

Typically mid-layer can be a fleece, a synthetic jacket, or a thicker wool layer. I also prefer a mid-layer without a hood in order to reduce bulk under my ski jacket.

During warmer spring skiing, you may not need to wear a mid-layer.

BFT Founder Kristen smiling in a golden yellow Patagonia Nano Puff and beanie on a snowy hike in Utah
Wearing the Patagonia Nano Puff, which is also a great layer for winter hiking
Patagonia Nano Puff Jacket // Learn what to wear skiing with this complete guide to skiing apparel including everything you need to be comfortable and warm on the slopes.

Patagonia Nano Puff Jacket

When I’m skiing, I wear the Patagonia Nano Puff as my mid-layer. It’s very thin and light, so it doesn’t feel bulky or uncomfortable layered under a ski jacket. At the same time, it’s warm, breathes well, and provides extra wind protection. See my full Patagonia Nano Puff review for more thoughts on this jacket.

Ski Socks

Despite popular belief, thinner socks are better than thick socks when it comes to skiing. Thinner socks allow for a better fitting boot which will give you more control over your skis. Further heavy ski socks can result in sweaty feet, which actually make your feet colder than if you were wearing a thinner ski sock.

If your feet tend to get really cold like mine, I highly recommend you invest in some boot heaters. And for what it’s worth, I much prefer boot heaters to heated socks. Heated socks are thick, and you can feel the wires running through the sole of the sock, which I found very distracting and uncomfortable.

Two people taking a selfie on a snowy day skiing
Darn Tough Ski Socks // Wondering what to wear skiing? This complete guide to skiing apparel includes everything you need to be comfortable and warm on the slopes.

Darn Tough Lightweight Ski Socks

I personally like Darn Tough’s ski and snowboard socks. I wear the lightweight ones, which have padding in all of the right places, like in front of the shin and the heel. They also stay glued in place throughout the day, and I never experience any shifting around in my boot.

Skiing Accessories

In addition to all of the layers, you always want to wear a helmet, goggles, gloves, and a neck warmer when you are skiing. Below is a checklist of the accessories you need.

Learn what to wear skiing with this complete guide to skiing apparel including everything you need to be comfortable and warm on the slopes.
  • Ski Gloves or Mitts: My hands tend to get really cold when I’m skiing, so I choose mitts over gloves since mittens are warmer. These Black Diamond Mercury Mittens are the warmest I’ve ever tried, completely waterproof, and have removable insulated liner filled with Primaloft Gold Cross Core for extra warmth. They also have an index finger inside the mitten so you have a little more dexterity.
  • Ski Helmet: The best ski helmets have MIPS technology, which reduces rotational motion to the brain during impact, protecting it from injury. I’ve tried a number of different helmets, and the Sweet Protection Switcher Helmet is by far my favorite. It’s so lightweight, it almost doesn’t feel like I’m wearing it. It also has 22 adjustable vents so my head doesn’t get super sweaty, and the ear pads on this helmet have cutouts so your ears don’t get squished or achy.
  • Ski Goggles: A quality pair of ski goggles will come with two different lens that you can swap out – one for bright light and one for low light. With the Smith I/O Chromapop Mag goggles, it’s incredibly easy to swap out the lens via magnets depending on the weather and sky cover. These ones specifically are designed for smaller faces (making them a great choice for women). The anti-fogging technology performs fairly well, but keep in mind that if you are wearing a face mask that tightly covers your nose and mouth, you can expect some fogging no matter what goggle you choose.
  • Neck Gaiter: This Polar Buff is fleece-lined so it’s super soft and cozy, and it can be pulled up to cover your face when you get chilly on the chairlift. It’s easy to breathe through (which helps prevent your goggles from fogging up too much) and most jackets will zip up over the buff.

More Winter Tips

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Collage of women's ski clothes with text "the best women's ski clothes"
Kristen Bor skiing powder with text "what to wear skiing"
Two people standing in a forest on skis with text "what to wear skiing - women's apparel guide"
Learn what to wear skiing with this complete guide to skiing apparel including everything you need to be comfortable and warm on the slopes.

Got any questions or your own tips about what to wear skiing? Leave a comment below!

Portrait of woman at sunset on the Trans-Catalina Trail

With two decades of hiking and seven years of van life under her belt, Kristen has dedicated her life to helping people experience the positive effects of nature. As a pioneer in the outdoor blogging space, she founded Bearfoot Theory in 2014 and has since authored more than 350 blog posts about outdoor travel, hiking, camping, and van life. Her work has been featured in National Geographic, Outside Magazine, and Backpacker, and when she’s not on the road, she lives in Park City, Utah with her partner Ryan, their son, and two adventure pups.

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15 Comments

  1. Wonderful Post…!
    I like your ski wearing tips and ideas. This is very helpful Post for every ski beginners. Ski wear is most important for skiers because of its ride more easy and comfortable play. It’s protected from cold wheater. I love your Post. You are so creative.
    Thanks for sharing your Post.

    Reply

  2. Hi,
    I am preparing for my first skiing season. I am 26-year-old women who is going to have her first skiing trip. We are going to Slovakia. At the beginning of December, I am going to the US and want to buy myself a good skiing jacket. I have done a little bit of research and found this “Arc’teryx Women’s Sentinel Jacket” (number 2 in this list: http://www.bestsnowgear.com/best-womens-skiing-jackets/). Actually, I have found good reviews on several sites, so I believe it is a good choice.
    First of all, I love the plain minimalistic design. I don’t like these colorful hip skiing clothes. Maybe they are nice, but not for me.
    Second, I trust the reviews, especially the ones on Amazon.
    The price is not low and I like it. A cheap thing can’t be well-made.
    Do you have any comments on my choice? Will appreciate any input. I am buying the jacket for at least 3-4 seasons, therefore I need to have a durable and comfortable piece of wear.
    Any input appreciated.

    Reply

    1. Arcteryx makes great gear. The jacket you mention is a shell so you’ll need to layer underneath it since the shell on its own won’t be very warm.
      I currently ski in the Patagonia Nano Stretch Storm Jacket skiing and I love it. It isn’t quite as bombproof as the Arcteryx but it has a lighter layer of insulation so it will be a bit warmer. You can check it out here: https://goo.gl/iB7aqe

      Reply

  3. Nice article. My best discovery was merino wool. Me and my family every year we go skiing to Alps. And we all wera merino wool clothes. We bought shirt and pants for my wife, kids and myself from green-rose.uk.com and the clothes are wonderful. They keeps us warm but does not let us sweat. I recomend merino to every skier 🙂

    Reply

  5. I believe wool products to be a much better choice for the environment than synthetic petroleum
    man made ones. Sheep keep family farms alive and productive thus lands in a rural state. They produce fiber, meat, and fertilizer. I will always use wool products rather than ones made of highly processed petroleum. Since I spin, knit and obtain fibers close to where I live this is a much smaller ecological footprint than using products manufactured in large factories from finite natural resources. Wool clothing lasts many decades so doesn’t need to be replaced often. Please rethink your recommendation on this point.

    Reply

    1. Peggy – I can’t speak to the farm near your house, but I am moving towards a vegan lifestyle which means I’m beginning to transition away from a majority of animal products, especially when there are good alternatives. Industrial-scale wool that meets worldwide demand is not necessarily eco-friendly. There is a lot of waste (which contributes to climate change), the system requires a ton of inputs (food and water), and the animals are not guaranteed to be treated humanely. I agree synthetic often comes with its own problems, but many companies are moving towards recycled materials as alternatives. I also believe the outdoor industry needs to do better all around. If the consumer demand eco-friendly synthetic products not made from animals, the companies will respond to that via innovation.

      Reply

  6. Hi Kristen,

    You are a skiing enthusiast I guess. You providing I depth info about snowboarding. I personally prefer less good quality protections while snowboarding. It is always fun if we opt for safety gear. Does anyone use siddhiwear headbands?

    Reply

  7. Do you have any recommendations for a warmer synthetic puffy mid-layer? I find I am often cold snowboarding unless I am riding more difficult terrain where I am working harder. It’s been a cold January here in VT and I find I am wearing 5 layers on top to keep from getting too cold. I am hoping to reduce the number of layers but get better quality and warmer options that are still breathable yet versatile for different temperatures. I have an old synthetic puffy from Isis that is more than a decade old but back in the day was considered one of their warmer mid-layers. I just purchased the Helly Hansen Lifaloft puffy yesterday but am questioning if it will be enough to replace two of my layers. The Helly is supposed to be warmer than the Patagonia Nano but not sure if it is enough. Some of the reviews of the Patagonia Micro were not as good as the Nano so I initially have steered away from it. Thoughts? Any others I should consider? Thanks!

    Reply

  9. Thank you for this comprehensive guide on what to wear skiing, Kristen Bor! As someone who is new to winter sports, I greatly appreciate the detailed information and tips you provided.

    Choosing the right skiing apparel is indeed crucial for staying warm, dry, and comfortable on the slopes. Your emphasis on finding clothes that offer both warmth and breathability is spot-on. It’s important to strike a balance between staying dry in snowy conditions and allowing proper ventilation to prevent overheating. The suggestion of opting for a waterproof outer layer made of materials like Gortex is valuable, as it ensures protection against snow and spills.

    I also found your insights on outerwear options, such as deciding between an insulated jacket or a shell, quite helpful. Understanding that a shell alone may not provide sufficient warmth and requires additional layers underneath is essential for new skiers like myself. It would be beneficial to learn more about the layering system and what types of base layers and mid-layers complement different outerwear choices.

    Additionally, I noticed you mentioned skiing accessories in the table of contents but didn’t delve into them in this article. I’m curious to know what accessories you recommend for skiing, such as gloves, hats, goggles, and socks, as they play a significant role in keeping skiers comfortable and protected from the elements.

    Lastly, as you mentioned that skiing clothes can be pricey but worth the investment, it would be great to have some tips or recommendations on finding quality apparel at a reasonable price. Are there any specific brands or stores you recommend for ski apparel that offers a good balance of quality and affordability?

    Thank you again for this ultimate guide on women’s ski apparel. It has provided me with valuable insights as I prepare for my upcoming skiing adventure. I look forward to reading your future articles and learning more about winter sports.

    Reply

    1. Hi Joyit, if you click on “skiing accessories” in the table of contents, it’ll automatically take you to that section of the article where I give specific recommendations for hats, gloves, goggles, etc.

      A few places to look for ski clothes — REI (they also have good winter sales in December and end of season) or your local ski shop. Local shops are going to have a wealth of knowledge so you can get the right apparel & gear, and they also usually have deals at the end of the season.

      Reply