Why Gift Chocolate When You Can Gift Ski Gear?
Image: @rossignol
Winter wardrobes are made in summer.
And with Valentine's Day just around the corner, now is the time to gift your loved ones with some luxury ski gear to get them set for the impending 2021 ski season.
Whether you are looking to carve up the slopes in state-of-the-art skis or up the après ski style stakes, we have sourced the top ski gear picks for the upcoming season.
Ski Gear Gift Guide 2021
Best Luxury Ski Jackets
For Her
Moncler Grenoble is the high-performance range from the renowned French-Italian brand. The former sleeping bag company geared for mountaineering is now one of the world's finest luxury ski brands. With its rich history, the brand holds true to its values of practicality, durability and design.
These values are evident in the Beverley fur-trimmed down ski jacket – made from an insulating, down-filled shell with a detachable fur-trimmed hood and waist-hugging belt. Practical features include a drawstring hood, two-way zipped front and snap-button fastening, wrist gaiters with thumbholes to keep you warm and a handy ski-pass pocket.
For Him
Nothing says chalet chic like Bogner, a German ski brand started by Willy Bogner in 1932. The company, once an import business for ski equipment and Norwegian knitwear, is now the leading ‘athluxury’ brand.
The Felian Quilted Down Hooded Ski Jacket is designed to keep you comfortable on the slopes, with a quilted shell filled with insulating down and underarm panels, designed for enhanced breathability. This jacket will keep you warm and protected with adjustable hood, thumbhole cuffs, snow gaiter and a drawcord hem.
Best Luxury Ski Helmet
Smith launched in 1965 when orthodontist and ski bum, Dr Bob Smith, began making goggles in his garage and selling them out of his van on weekend ski trips to Utah and Colorado. In 2006, the brand entered the snow helmet market, and today Smith is heralded as the industry leader, creating helmets that combine advanced technology with dynamic design.
The Vantage is both sleek and cleverly designed with cutting-edge features including the BOA® 360 Fit System, which means easy adjustment with the turn of a dial. In terms of protection, this helmet leaves no stone unturned with Zonal Koroyd® coverage for lightweight, energy-absorbing and ventilated impact protection and MIPS® Brain Protection System that reduces rotational forces caused by angled impacts to the head.
Best Luxury Ski Goggles
Zeal Optics is based out of Boulder, Colorado and it is a company that believes in crafting the highest quality eyewear for those that live for outdoor adventure. Doesn't hurt that these goggles are also easy on the eye.
Beacon is their latest range of eye-catching goggles which are not only beautiful to look at but packed with advanced features. They include Observation Deck Technology that gives skiers and snowboarders perfect peripheral vision whilst reducing inner lens reflection. The goggles are also 100% UV protected, infused with Everclear anti-fog, covered with a Permashield hardcoat and have a triple foam layer to ensure total comfort.
Best Luxury Skis
Rossignol launched in the early 1900s and was one of the first companies to produce plastic skis. Now an iconic winter sports brand, Rossignol is favoured amongst mountain skiers and free-riders, from beginners to Olympians.
The Rossignol Black Ops Blazer Skis are sure to blaze a trail this season with their artistic design and list of impressive, high-tech features. These include Poplar Wood Core to balance weight, flex, and stability, Titanal Beam for enhanced grip across the ski and Damp Tech insert to reduce ski vibration, absorbing any irregularities in the terrain.
Speaking of skiing, check out the best ski accomodations to book once New Zealand travel bans lift.