Shopping for a winter sports lover? Find the perfect gift for the skier or snowboarder in your life with these great (and practical!) gift ideas.
Whether they’re a future Olympian or still working on the bunny slopes, any skier or snowboarder needs to gear up to have a successful run. Help them out with one of these unique gifts that will keep them happy (and warm!) on the slopes.
Winter Hats
A cute winter hat in their favorite color might be the perfect gift for that skier or snowboarder on your list. Not only will it keep them warm and cozy on the slopes, but it will also serve double duty around town on those chilly winter nights. For men, the The North Face’s Salty Dog Beanie ($25) comes in tons of fun colors and for women, they make the slouchy cute Shinsky Beanie ($32).They’ll think of you every time they wear it—and they’ll be wearing it a lot!
Ski and Stay Package
The most obvious gift of all: Book a ski and stay package for that special someone on your list. Who knows? They might even ask you to come along. Most major resorts offer a plethora of options for ski and stay packages, and if you check Travelzoo or another major deals site, you might score a great deal at a fantastic resort.
Action Camera
Cameras like the GoPro Hero 9 (from $350) or Sony’s Action Cam (from $200) are great gifts thanks to their versatility, especially when it comes to capturing the high action of pursuits like skiing and snowboarding. Hook them up with accessories too, like a suction cup mount ($40) to attach to their helmet to capture the coolest downhill footage.
Travel Power Adapter
Traveling outside of the US comes with its own set of challenges—namely, powering up your gadgets. Don’t let that trip to the Swiss Alps be ruined by differing power adaptors, and plan ahead with a travel power adapter. After all, what good is an action camera if you can’t charge it?
Boot Dryer
That skier or snowboarder on your list knows that when you spend as much time on the mountain as they do, there isn’t much time for drying boots. A boot dryer, like the DryGuy Force Dry ($50) will get their boots and gloves dry within an hour, and have them comfortably back on the slopes. Their toasty warm and dry feet will thank you!
Avalanche Beacon
This is a gift that will show your loved one you are looking out for them. Avalanche beacons make great gifts for people who spend a lot of time skiing or riding in the backcountry. The Mammut Barryvox Avalanche Beacon ($500) particular beacon has a 70-meter search range and three digital antennas, to make it as easy as possible for search-and-rescue teams to find victims should the unthinkable happen.
Packing Cubes
Few things are more annoying than being unorganized when traveling. The trick? Using a few tools to keep your suitcase in tip-top shape. A set of mixed water-resistant and gear cubes ($65) can make a ski trip—or any trip, for that matter—less stressful. Add a Pack-It®®® Isolate Clean/Dirty Cube to keep wet, snowy gear separate from clean clothes for the trip back, too. And don’t forget compression cubes ($40) for helping them fit all of their bulky sweaters and clothes in their suitcase.
Sunglasses
This is another great choice for a gift that will get used for more than just a day on the mountain. Help keep the bright mountain sun out of your loved one’s eyes with a pair of sunglasses, like these performance shades from Smith Optics (from $139) suited for the mountains, but look great off the slopes too.
SNOW TRIP GEAR BAG
Bringing all your essentials is important for a successful ski or snowboarding trip. Which means, if your bulky gear takes up a lot of space, there’s no shame in bringing a gear bag big enough to load everything up into. Two great options are the Cargo Hauler XT Wheeled Duffel 120L or ORV Trunk 30”/98L. Both have a waterproof material and oversized treaded wheels to take on the snow and muddy mess that tends to welcome us to mountain resorts.
Need more gift ideas? Find the best travel gifts for men and women , plus cool travel-themed gifts for millennials .
Related Links (from Eagle Creek blog):
20+ Unique Travel Gifts for Men
20+ Cool Gifts for Millennial Travelers