Ski mommas -- another question for you

[bubbaray]

Do you ski with a backpack?

I will be mainly skiing with DD#1 this year. DD#2 will be in her first year of "private lessons" with DH. I thought a small pack would be a good place to put all the extra stuff that everyone in the family seems to assume I will carry for them (cameras, kleenex, extra mitts, snacks etc). DH says it will get caught on the lift/chair. We will mainly be riding quads and chairs, not gondolas, so this is an issue I suppose. I've never skiied with a pack before.

Thoughts?

[lfp2n]

No but I get kind of fed up that every pocket of my jacket (of which there are about 7) is stuffed full of stuff. My friend who is an excellent skier goes with a pack.

[hannah]

I ski with a backpack. My DH & I take turns carrying it. We has a camelback pack to carry water and we put our lunch in it because once we get up on the mountain sometimes we don't want to go all the way back down to the main lodge to eat lunch. Plus we carry extra stuff in it too: camera, tissues, chapstick, gatorade, snacks. We primarily ride chair lifts too and I haven't had problems with it catching on anything. I do make sure the safety bar is down while I ride since the pack makes me sit out farther on the seat than normal. I don't take it off while I ride on the lift.

[jent]

I think it could work-- not something I do on a regular basis, but I don't think a small pack, without many zippers/loops/etc, would get caught. You could try a fanny pack-- very unstylish, but in a ski outfit you would look like ski patrol.

[MontrealMum]

My DH has (we haven't alpine skiied in a long time), but he used to be a liftie and skied w/ one for work, and he often skis with one XC so he's pretty aware of where things are, and his center of gravity. I think the issue is more straps being caught on the lift then balance - I think someone with your experience would get used to the different center of gravity pretty quickly.

[tylersmama]

I know a lot of people that ski with camelbaks and take lunch in the backpack part. It's not really a safety issue, just as someone mentioned, you can't sit as far back on the seat, so you need to get used to that. Personally, I tried taking a camelbak once and hated it, and especially would have if it had been packed full of stuff, but that's just me...

[SkyrMommy]

Absolutely, especially on nice days so that an impromptu picnic can happen on a nice sunny picnic table at the summit.

Just make sure that pack doesn't have too many straps, tags, zipper pulls and other 'things' hanging off the back. I have a very low profile one that has a camelback water bladder inside. Deuter Freerider Pro 30 Ski Pack, REI has them.

[bubbaray]

My DH has (we haven't alpine skiied in a long time), but he used to be a liftie and skied w/ one for work, and he often skis with one XC so he's pretty aware of where things are, and his center of gravity. I think the issue is more straps being caught on the lift then balance - I think someone with your experience would get used to the different center of gravity pretty quickly.


Yeah, that is DH's concern. I don't think the center of gravity would be an issue.

Sitting more forward on the lift kinda worries me. I'm afraid of heights! I'm gonna need to medicate myself just to sit on the lift with DD#1 (who is not afraid of heights and has been riding lifts with DH for 2 years now).

[bubbaray]

This is the pack I was thinking of. http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=84552444177 3119&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302699687&bmUID=1258036209720

Super lightweight, no straps. Not a technical pack at all (of which I have many), just small, lightweight and unobtrusive. Its very low profile depth-wise. I only need it to hold a (small) camera, Flip video, a few granola bars and possibly spare mitts for the girls, small lip balm and a small sunscreen. And a small VB ID holder.

I'm not jazzed on the fanny pack idea b/c my new jacket d/n have a waist and I'd have to wear it under the jacket. Will think more about that, though. What I want to carry would definitely fit in a large fanny pack.

[bubbaray]

Hmmm a fanny pack like this: http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=84552444261 8238&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302700103&bmUID=1258036674668

might work. I could just swing it to the front when I got on the lift....

[MontrealMum]

Melissa, I think both of those options look good (remember, I am not the pack skier, I'm just terrified of either falling off the lift or getting caught in it!) The Pika is nice and smooth. If you can believe it, DH is skiing with an absolutely ancient version of this: http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=84552444262 1954&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302699687&bmUID=1258045353874 which has tons more straps hanging off it. Now that I think about it I think he may sometimes put the pack on his front to ride the lift (something he got from canoe guiding), or he swings it off just before getting on and holds it on his lap. I can ask when he gets home.

When we XC ski - which is basically all we do right now while DS is small - we both have camelbaks. Mine has a fairly small pocket that can only hold extra gloves and a few waxes. His is a much bigger version and he can get an extra (lightweight) jacket or fleece in there, plus a small camera. Again, it's old, but it would be the biggest MEC brand one that they sell.

[StantonHyde]

The fanny pack can be more likely to get caught on the chair than the backpack--I know a couple of people who have done that. If I wore a small pack, I would wear it under my jacket for safety. I just know I would be that one person who gets stuck on the lift!!!

When we ski with the kids, we go to places where all the lifts basically stem from the base, so it is no issue to go get lunch. At Solitude, people just leave them on a porch or under the chairs in the locker room. By the time my kids need a snack, they usually need a break etc. so it is good to go to the base to get food. I sit in the sun and let them play in the snow! But your DD is probably more of a serious skiier :cheerleader1: