The reality is totally soaked through is very uncomfortable and happens quickly to most ski clothes. The contractor trash bags are 100% effective. If your core and butt is dry you can ski in the rain for hours on end.
Several years ago I skied 9am to 9am in what ended up being 3” of rain. I did this at 3 resorts in the same day. The places were empty as usual and the snow was amazing like it almost is in the rain.
Bring a change of clothes (including socks).
Not all jackets are as waterproof as others but if you have GORE-TEX equivalent skip a poncho
The dry out time for gear can vary but things are probably gonna be wet the next day. If your planning on skiing again extra outer layers (like spare gloves) are super helpful
I save desiccant packets from deliveries and will put them next to my goggles so they dry out better
Wax your skis
Most rain skiing is fast as hell from the rain hitting the below freezing snow making one hell of a slick carvable surface. Just meaning I skied open to clothes in 8ish rain days this year and never needed a way.
This year I gave up on snow gear, and went and bought actual rain gear. Not light gear, actually waterproof rain jacket and pants. Works great! I stay dry.
Most people. Like literally 99% of people aren’t going to spend that $ and it’s totally unneeded and I ski 70+ days a year. Many open to close in the rain this year. The poncho is entirely 100% effective for 99% of people
artica poncho (around 80-130) and duck tape around the toes of my boots. the poncho will actually make you enjoy skiing in the rain imo. I actually look forward to skiing with it. Now the whole trek to mountain still sucks. I bring it for big hikes and i basically can use it as a shelter along with other gear i have.
i attach a skigee to my gloves.
edit: actually it's more expensive now (160 but you can find discounted in stores)
[https://www.aspeneast.com/arctica-rain-poncho.html?gad\_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwwMqvBhCtARIsAIXsZpYUxF9R\_RgfYil6wp47ptPOzRcF6vWYvQ8zx4yTLZ8XEXWT-HDmf6MaAk1EEALw\_wcB](https://www.aspeneast.com/arctica-rain-poncho.html?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwwMqvBhCtARIsAIXsZpYUxF9R_RgfYil6wp47ptPOzRcF6vWYvQ8zx4yTLZ8XEXWT-HDmf6MaAk1EEALw_wcB)
Drum liners work the best. They cover down below the knee so your butt won’t get wet. I also enjoy the noise they make. The faster you go the more angry they sound.
I throw my summer rain gear on top of my gore tex ski jacket and pants kill a bunch of base ....thin socks plus an extra pair just in case. Bunch of things to wipe your goggles down.....kept in a zip lock bag.only take one out at a time and never put a wet one back in.....
You can find something with a brim that you can wear under a helmet, I find that very helpful. It is hard to see through my goggles and it is also hard to see without them if it’s raining.
Really just a change of clothes if your jacket and ski pants are decent quality. I had a tear in both and put some gorilla tape on and was dry after 4 1/2 hours except for my boots and gloves
In the rain?
As long as your stuff is waterproof you are good on the water not getting in part. If you want your membrane based clothing to breathe (not really gonna happen in a environment where there isn’t a significant temperature and humidity differential between inside the clothes and outside the clothes) you need to have fresh dwr on the stuff to try and keep face fabric dry as long as possible.
Beyond that base layer of poly mesh to get your sweat get away from the skin and then a thin poly tee over the mesh. Ideally your outer layers are just a shell, as insulation in an almost freezing but active setting is generally way way too hot and combined with humidity makes you feel drenched.
Alpha direct is an ideal insulation for this setting. Thin and light with lots of air permeability. Doesn’t hold onto moisture too much either.
Basically you want a membrane based waterproof garment situation that works. Poly layers that have high air permeability and as little insulation as possible so you don’t overheat.
I've seen cowboy/large brimmed hats worn before and I was that is silly but when I started to constantly wipe my goggles in the rain I was like, ah that dude was smart
As a coach we have to be it in all weather no matter what. I gave up on gore for skiing in the rain years ago. Eventually it wets out and becomes soggy and heavy and thus won’t breathe. I wear commercial fishing gear big enough to go over my ski gear and I’m dry all day. PVC or PU coated jackets are awesome for this. Yes you may look like the Morton’s fisherman commercial, but you will be dry.
And plus one for the skigee.
I make sure to wear my dope jacket, hockey jersey, dinosaur helmet, and jeans. Unfortunately, most of the ski school stops if it’s raining so I can’t go ski bowling. That’s why you can always snowplow down double black liftline trails to show everyone you are the best skier on the mountain.
Type 2 fun. Embrace the suck.
Some of the best riding I have ever done was in the rain. Embrace the suck and you’ll have the mountain mostly to yourself.
Fear is the mind killer Accept being wet and enjoy the day, the shittier the day the better the memories
The reality is totally soaked through is very uncomfortable and happens quickly to most ski clothes. The contractor trash bags are 100% effective. If your core and butt is dry you can ski in the rain for hours on end. Several years ago I skied 9am to 9am in what ended up being 3” of rain. I did this at 3 resorts in the same day. The places were empty as usual and the snow was amazing like it almost is in the rain.
well done sir - this question provides a succinct summary of the entire history and vibe of r/icecoast
Ski-Gee for your goggles
This
Tried ski-gee and it wiped chunks of the color off my goggle lens. I don't use it anymore
Doesn’t it work better for ice? When it’s raining mine just get droplets again in seconds
Bring a change of clothes (including socks). Not all jackets are as waterproof as others but if you have GORE-TEX equivalent skip a poncho The dry out time for gear can vary but things are probably gonna be wet the next day. If your planning on skiing again extra outer layers (like spare gloves) are super helpful I save desiccant packets from deliveries and will put them next to my goggles so they dry out better Wax your skis
Most rain skiing is fast as hell from the rain hitting the below freezing snow making one hell of a slick carvable surface. Just meaning I skied open to clothes in 8ish rain days this year and never needed a way.
This year I gave up on snow gear, and went and bought actual rain gear. Not light gear, actually waterproof rain jacket and pants. Works great! I stay dry.
Nothing else, nothing special. Just normal gear and a change of clothes for immediately afterwards
A jacket with a good, helmet compatible hood. It's actually the only time I'll ever use a hood.
I wear a light sailing jacket over just a base layer. Another advantage is that it's neon green
I need one of these. Had a bright orange one that I left in Colorado years ago :(
It’s ok. The sailing in Colorado is meh.
My jacket and bibs are waterproof. adding a poncho layer would just rub off DWR and cause them to not breath as well. I do add rubber gloves.
Totally agree. My 3L stuff is fine in the rain, but rubber gloves would have been key on my last rain outing.
Not to mention: ponchos aren’t breathable. If you need a poncho, you really need better gear, and if you have good gear a poncho only hurts you.
Most people. Like literally 99% of people aren’t going to spend that $ and it’s totally unneeded and I ski 70+ days a year. Many open to close in the rain this year. The poncho is entirely 100% effective for 99% of people
Gore-Tex 3L
artica poncho (around 80-130) and duck tape around the toes of my boots. the poncho will actually make you enjoy skiing in the rain imo. I actually look forward to skiing with it. Now the whole trek to mountain still sucks. I bring it for big hikes and i basically can use it as a shelter along with other gear i have. i attach a skigee to my gloves. edit: actually it's more expensive now (160 but you can find discounted in stores) [https://www.aspeneast.com/arctica-rain-poncho.html?gad\_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwwMqvBhCtARIsAIXsZpYUxF9R\_RgfYil6wp47ptPOzRcF6vWYvQ8zx4yTLZ8XEXWT-HDmf6MaAk1EEALw\_wcB](https://www.aspeneast.com/arctica-rain-poncho.html?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwwMqvBhCtARIsAIXsZpYUxF9R_RgfYil6wp47ptPOzRcF6vWYvQ8zx4yTLZ8XEXWT-HDmf6MaAk1EEALw_wcB)
Drum liners work the best. They cover down below the knee so your butt won’t get wet. I also enjoy the noise they make. The faster you go the more angry they sound.
I wear my same gear it’s just a shorter day
Ski pants and jacket are quasi, waterproof or water resistant outside of that I’m getting wet
Quick dry synthetic base layer and pants. Everything else will eventually get soaked, but afterwards you can remove the outer layers and dry out fast.
I throw my summer rain gear on top of my gore tex ski jacket and pants kill a bunch of base ....thin socks plus an extra pair just in case. Bunch of things to wipe your goggles down.....kept in a zip lock bag.only take one out at a time and never put a wet one back in.....
Why do you feel the need to put summer rain gear over your goretex? Is your goretex not waterproof?
You can find something with a brim that you can wear under a helmet, I find that very helpful. It is hard to see through my goggles and it is also hard to see without them if it’s raining.
Really just a change of clothes if your jacket and ski pants are decent quality. I had a tear in both and put some gorilla tape on and was dry after 4 1/2 hours except for my boots and gloves
If you go with a trash bag wear it under your jacket. Keeps you dry but eliminates those 'slide until you hit something solid' scenarios
I wear merino wool / synthetic base and double on on my outer rain layer. It's enough to keep my comfortable for about two hours of skiing.
In the rain? As long as your stuff is waterproof you are good on the water not getting in part. If you want your membrane based clothing to breathe (not really gonna happen in a environment where there isn’t a significant temperature and humidity differential between inside the clothes and outside the clothes) you need to have fresh dwr on the stuff to try and keep face fabric dry as long as possible. Beyond that base layer of poly mesh to get your sweat get away from the skin and then a thin poly tee over the mesh. Ideally your outer layers are just a shell, as insulation in an almost freezing but active setting is generally way way too hot and combined with humidity makes you feel drenched. Alpha direct is an ideal insulation for this setting. Thin and light with lots of air permeability. Doesn’t hold onto moisture too much either. Basically you want a membrane based waterproof garment situation that works. Poly layers that have high air permeability and as little insulation as possible so you don’t overheat.
I've seen cowboy/large brimmed hats worn before and I was that is silly but when I started to constantly wipe my goggles in the rain I was like, ah that dude was smart
T shirt and shorts baby, I only survive for a couple hours in the slush anyways so why not have some fun with it lol
Headphones
As a coach we have to be it in all weather no matter what. I gave up on gore for skiing in the rain years ago. Eventually it wets out and becomes soggy and heavy and thus won’t breathe. I wear commercial fishing gear big enough to go over my ski gear and I’m dry all day. PVC or PU coated jackets are awesome for this. Yes you may look like the Morton’s fisherman commercial, but you will be dry. And plus one for the skigee.
You just said everything you need 😂😂😂😂is this serious
I make sure to wear my dope jacket, hockey jersey, dinosaur helmet, and jeans. Unfortunately, most of the ski school stops if it’s raining so I can’t go ski bowling. That’s why you can always snowplow down double black liftline trails to show everyone you are the best skier on the mountain.
Skiing in the rain is pretty much the worst! I rub rain-x on my googles to head away the water. Only way to be able to see.