How to Dress Your Kids for Skiing (12 essential tips!)

Having the right ski clothing makes skiing with kids much more fun. Being warm and dry is essential, but certain features and accessories can also help. After many years skiing with our kids in Switzerland, I have 10 tips to share before you go shopping. Hope this helps!

Note: We partnered with Reima clothing on this post. Also this post includes affiliate links, where I earn a small commission if you purchase products through the link on my site but doesn’t cost you extra. This helps me support the upkeep of my website. Thanks!

Remember to gather all the clothes and gear you need early in the season before it starts snowing (ideally in October/November). We usually procrastinate and realize the morning of the first ski lesson that one glove is missing or someone’s snow pants are too short. Let’s do it right this year!

1. Bright colors so you are easy to see

Buy the brightest colored clothes and gear you can find. It really helps you find your kids on the slopes. My son started skiing in a navy jacket and black pants and I always had trouble spotting him, even at short range. One year he had a bright yellow jacket and suddenly I could easily see him from a distance – hooray!

This time we picked super bright orange snow overalls from Reima for both boys. They love how they look and feel and I love that I’ll always be able to pick them out of a crowd. What an improvement!

2. Jacket with sleeve pouch for ski pass

Most ski resorts use a magnetic key card for the ski pass. The jacket must have a small pocket on the sleeve, so your child can easily hold their arm up to the card reader and activate the turnstile. Most ski jackets have this kind of pocket but most winter jackets do not.

If you are buying a jacket for skiing, make sure it has the right kind of pockets. I like that our new Reima jackets have the pocket higher up on the sleeve, so it doesn’t get blocked by the glove.

If the key card is in a torso pocket or trousers, it can be difficult for them to get the key card close enough to activate the turnstile, especially if they are short. I’ve seen this lots of times, kids and adults holding up the line.

One year, I bought my son a “ski” jacket he loved only to realize on our first ski day that it had no key card pocket. So I often had to lift him up and rub the side of his jacket on the card reader to activate the turnstile. Aaaaahhhh!

3. Jacket with detachable hood

Since you wear a helmet, you don’t need the hood while skiing. If you can’t detach the hood, it annoyingly collects snow from the sky or when you fall. That snow inevitably makes its way onto your neck and down your back. Not nice!

So make sure to buy a jacket with a detachable hood. They usually have snaps like our Reima jacket below. Make sure the neck part is tall, almost touching the helmet to keep the cold and snow out.

4. Super waterproof snow pants

This is not the time to buy on discount. Kids spend a lot of time sitting in the snow when they are learning to ski. So make sure to buy snow pants with a high waterproof rating, at least 12000mm.

The pants should list the rating on the label or tags as shown below. Some brands like Reima have switched to more eco-friendly waterproof coatings, which is something to consider.

When my kids were very little and spent most of their time sitting or laying in the snow instead of skiing over it, I had them wear the super waterproof rain slicker overalls. This kept them much drier than snow pants.

But since many rain pants don’t have insulation, you have to dress kids much warmer underneath.

5. Snow overalls with easily detachable suspenders

I recommend snow overalls with a high back to keep the snow out. Snow often creeps in at the waistline. When fall over in the snow, you have to bend over to stand up and inevitably your shirt gets untucked and all the snow on your jacket drops into the back of your pants. Cold and wet! This high back really makes a difference, especially for kids.

But I don’t recommend full snow suits for any kid out of diapers because when they need to use the toilet, it’s too difficult to get them off and keep them off the wet muddy floor while they do their business. 

We prefer overalls with suspenders that easily detach from the front,  so the overalls can come down without taking off your jacket and other layers. 

When our kids where little, the first pair of overalls I bought had suspenders that didn’t detach so we had several toilet accidents just because we couldn’t get the clothes off fast enough.

We also like suspenders that zip off at the back, so you can wash the pants without the suspenders (which can degrade the elastic over time).

6. Gloves with long wrist and zip tie

I cannot stress enough the importance of dry, warm hands for children. Wet, cold hands have ruined many a snow day. Do not skimp on gloves!

Kids fall a lot in the snow and if they have a short glove, lots of snow is going to get jammed into their glove and sleeve and then they have cold wet hands. Gloves with a long wrist can stretch far over the jacket sleeve, then cinch down around the sleeve, providing extra protection from snow creeping in.

I can’t understand why so many otherwise high-quality and expensive gloves have such short wrists – pointless! I’m so glad our Reima gloves shown below have nice long wrists.

Even if you get really nice gloves, your kids gloves will often be soaked by mid-day because kids are constantly falling and playing in the snow. A dry pair of gloves can save the day.

Always bring an extra pair of gloves for emergencies or you’ll be sitting out the rest of the afternoon in the lodge with your little one (I’ve been there, many times).

7. Long tight-fitting ski socks

The inexpensive “kid ski socks” are usually made from cheaper materials that don’t breathe, so kids get sweaty feet. Also the elastic quickly gives out, so the socks droop, which means my kids are constantly asking me to help pull up the socks – not easy to do through all the other layers.

It’s absolutely worth it to invest in a higher quality sock that fits snugly, stays up and reaches to the knee. I recommend getting one size larger because they always shrink in the wash even if you don’t dry them.

For little kids, tights can be a good solution, eliminating the need to pull up the socks. But get thick tights that will keep their feet warm in the snow boots.

8. Thermal layers – warm but not too warm

When my kids were little, I didn’t spring for thermal layers but instead had them wear pajamas, leggings or sweat pants as their base layer. This can work, but there were some downsides. PJs and sweat pants often have bulky seams at the ankles and loose fabric that was difficult to tuck into the ski boots, which meant lots of complaining and readjusting.

Slim leggings are ok, but if the fabric isn’t breathable, your child will get unnecessarily hot and sweaty. Tights were ok until someone got snow in their boot and then wet feet. Instead of just swapping out the socks, we had to get completely undressed to get the tights off.

So we were all happier after we upgraded to proper thermal sport leggings and undershirts with sport fabric. They come in different thicknesses and we prefer a medium weight.

The first ones I bought were much too thin, not keeping my skinny child warm while riding up the lifts and big holes wore in the thin fabric only half-way through the season. But too thick and the kids got way too hot. Thermals usually come in boxes, so make sure to feel the fabric inside the box before buying.

9. Neck warmer

This simple tube of fabric serves so many purposes. First it keeps the cold wind off your neck, both back and front. You can configure it in lots of ways: neck scarf, face mask, balaclava, etc. See this helpful video for a demonstration (no affiliation).

They are usually made from thin fabric, so you can easily stuff them in a jacket pocket and have them accessible for sudden weather changes.

We like the ones with a thin fabric on one half and a thick fleece on the other. This gives you some flexibility on warmth. These quickly get wet from runny noses and breathing through them, so you might want two per child.

With the pandemic, you might consider a buff with an integrated filter, like the one from Buff brand. I saw the kids version at Ochsner Sport. SportXX is selling the adult verison. 

10. Ski mask with a long neck

If the weather turns really cold, you’ll need a full head covering, with an opening just for your eyes and nose. You can use a buff for this, but for kids, sometimes it can be difficult to adjust the buff exactly the way they want it with all the hair tucked in just so.

The ski mask is much easier to use. However, make sure to get one with slightly stretchy material (so it doesn’t hurt pulling it on and off) and has a long neck you can tuck it into your jacket (the first masks I bought had neither and were terrible!).

If it has a short neck, the kids will end up with some skin exposed on the neck, which can/will get very cold and full of snow if you fall (I know from lots of experience). You might want two for each person because they can get really wet and gross with snot by the middle of the day.

11. Après-Ski clothes

Even with your best efforts, the kids will probably be a little wet at the end of the day, either from sweat or snow. We started bringing cosy pajamas to change into for the car ride home and it’s now a must for my kids. It’s a nice feeling to shed those ski layers and start the bedtime routine a bit early. Don’t forget to bring extra socks too!

12. Organizational tip: Ski bucket

We use a bucket for all the “extra” clothes and gear that your child will not be wearing in the car, like gloves, helmet, goggles. It’s easy for these things to get lost or forgotten on the rush out the door.

We tried individual bags, but then I had to check lots of different bags over and over. Now I just look through one bucket. At the end of the day, everyone throws their wet gear in the bucket, I bring it inside to wash and dry, then everything goes back in the bucket until the next ski day.

Where to buy for ski clothes in Switzerland

Ski clothing typically shows up in stores starting in October and starts disappearing in February. In Switzerland, the big sports stores like Ochsner Sport have a decent selection of popular brands. Decathlon generally has lower prices compared to other stores, especially on their house brand products.

Premium sport stores like Transa and Bächli have the best selection of high quality brands, but also higher prices. But these stores also have outlets with big sales: Transa Outlet, Bächli Outlet. But don’t expect bargain prices. You are more likely to see a CHF 600 jacket on sale for CHF 400.

You can also find ski clothes in some department stores like Jelmoli or C&A, which can have good sales pre-Christmas or post-season in March. 

You can also order online from Amazon.de and Bergfreude but beware of custom fees and stores that don’t ship to Switzerland.

Renting ski clothes

If your kids ski for less than 2 weeks each year, rental makes a lot more sense than buying – both financially and environmentally. Renting your clothing means that you don’t need to buy new outfits every season as your kids grow out of their old kit.

We recommend the Cirkel Supply Co., which rents ski clothing for adults and children from premium brands like Patagonia, Picture and Namuk. Their easy-to-use service is available across Switzerland. Simply head over to their website, select your rental period, and outfits (outerwear, midlayers & gloves) for the whole family.

If your destination isn’t listed, contact them to find a convenient delivery solution for you.