ACTIVE | The Ski & Snowboard Gear I’m Lusting After This Season 25/26
Having spent the last 18 months on a journey to transform my health and fitness, I decided that my grand reward (of which there have already been many after reaching various milestones), is to be a snowboarding holiday. Here I share some of the gear I’m most lusting over this winter ski / snowboard season.
I used to go boarding every single season without fail, sometimes twice a season, managing to fit in fortnight in Canada (nowhere beats Whistler imo) and a week closer to home in the Alps. Over the years though, as my tastes have become increasingly extra and spenny, my circle of family and friends that ski or snowboard has also shrunk. On reflection I realised with shock, that the last time I went snowboarding was back in 2019. Read about my solo snowboarding trip with Will-i-Ski.
With that realisation came another, close on its heels: my beloved Salomon Lark snowboard, a treasured 30th birthday gift, is now two decades old. That thought ignited, with the fervent focus familiar to the neurospicy, a new mission: this winter, I would return to the slopes. The pledge was swiftly followed by a more sobering reflection, that now fifty, I may not have an endless number of snowboarding seasons left to savour.
When I get an idea in my head, that’s it, I’m all in. Within 24 hours of deciding I was going snowboarding, I’d rallied a small crew of friends and family who were all enthusiastic yeses, ordered a pair of new Roxy snowboard pants, drawn up a shortlist of potential boards and fired off quote requests to several ski chalets.
A few days later, I’d confirmed a booking to return to La Plagne and stay once again with the wonderful team at Wii-i-Ski, this time in their gorgeous new Chalet Ammonite.
With snowboarding firmly on my mind and a complete new technical wardrobe to replace, I thought it might be fun to share some of my favourite ski and snowboard hardware and clothing discoveries so far.
Haglofs Alper Proof Jacket Women £310
If there’s one thing I love, it’s a bright snowboarding jacket, and after many years of hitting the slopes in a group, bright jackets make friends much easier to pick out on piste.
With Pro shell fabric and a 20k/20k rating, this is a serious jacket with ski/snowboard friendly features at a price point that isn’t too eye watering. Grab the Haglofs Alper Proof Jacket here.
Blending in on the slopes, or lets face it, anywhere, really isn’t me, so this from Picture, is my dream jacket. It’s worth mentioning that snowboarding is not a cheap hobby, even less so when you need to replace every item of gear you’ve ever owned.
Picture Organic Haakon Jacket £350
I’d probably sell my first-born to get my hands on this Haakon jacket from Picture Organic, I mean just look at it! With a strong reputation for designing high-performance snow gear, the colourblock design and colours of this jacket won me over long befor the technical details had a look in.
Anyone that snowboards knows that brands dedicated to snowboarding typically deliver not only garments that are fit for purpose and designed specifcially with us in mind, but their boards too, are going to be front and centre of their R&D.
Burton Feelgood Flying V Women’s 152cm Snowboard £585
My very first snowboard was a Burton Feather with Flow bindings, which received a lot of hate back in the day, but I loved them as a wobbly beginner. My current bindings, although old, are Burton Escapades and my oldest snowboarding jacket is also Burton.
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It’s safe to say I’m a fan, and if I wasn’t on a budget, I’d be heading to TSA and snapping up the Burton Feelgood Flying V because it supports to kind of riding I like and looks pretty sick too.
GNU Ladies Choice 2025 Snowboard $629
If we’re going on pure looks however and the ability to absolutely seduce, my snowboard would be the GNU Ladies Choice 2025 All Mountain Board, their nature based animal designs really appeal to my witchy side. Looks aside though, this board delivers the kind of ride experience I love.
It’s also Jamie Anderson’s board of choice, boasting a hybrid camber profile and a rocker design providing easy switch riding, snappy carving and plenty of powder float. Positively drool-worthy.
Smartwool Intraknit Merino Base Layer £120
It might sound bougie but I hate wearing synthetic base layers, and yes, they are meant to be superior, but I just prefer the way really high quality merino wool feels against my skin. The Smartwool Intraknit base layer is a lightweight, super-moveable top, made for all of your most extreme cold-weather activities.
With Merino Sport yarns and gender-specific ventilation perfectly placed to maximize thermoregulation and breathability during high-intensity activities, it’s perfect for winter sports.
Womens Merino 260 Lounge Hoodie £150
One of my favourite things about a snowboarding holiday is that feeling of getting back to the chalet, nicely worn out, heading out of the boot room, shedding outer layers on the way, grabbing a brew and curling up on the sofa with my Kindle in comfy clothing in front of the fire.
Isbaa deliver immaculate apres chalet vibes with their lush Womens Merino 260 Lounge Hoodie made from superfine merino wool.
I’ve already got a brand new pair of snowboarding boots, so boots and bindings aren’t on my radar, but snowboarding pants definitely are. I tried on my old Helly Henson and O’Neill pairs and the former fell straight down whist my Helly pants are also now enourmous on me, they got ripped last time I used them and have absolutely seen better days.
Roxy Diversion Technical Women’s Snow Pants £160
Once again, plain black pants aren’t of interest, instead, bring on the candy colours! The Roxy Diversion Snow Pants are available in an array of super cute colours and have decent waterproofing and a lovely fit, slimmer on the thigh so they don’t feel too swampping.
Burton Womens’ Marcy High Rise 2L Stretch Waterproof Snow Pants £250
The Burton Marcy Snow Pants would look sick with the Picture Organic jacket, but are way out of my budget. Still nice to dream though right?
These pants have a four-way stretch, high-rise waist that hugs your body for extra warmth and coverage to seal out the elements. Their fully-taped build sheds wet weather like it should, while zip thigh vents make for menopause-friendly temperature management.
Where to next?
- TRAVEL | Solo Snowboarding In The Alps – A Wonderful Week in La Plagne With Will-I-Ski at Chalet Genepy
- GEAR | Volcom Cascade Ladies Technical Snowboarding Pants in Winter Orchid – Review
- TRAVEL | 10 Reasons Why Whistler Blackcomb in Canada is Awesome (& You Should Totally Go There)
From open water swimming, snowboarding and kayaking to hill walks and meditation, Shell shares her travels and microadventures here on the blog and in various publications she's written for, Shell has a particular interest in promoting wellbeing and the many benefits of nature therapy.
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