You’ve finally decided where you’ll spend 7 glorious days over winter break. The accommodation and ski school are booked and you can almost feel the sunshine on your skin as you imagine zooming down the piste towards lunch at the next mountain hut … but that thought will probably be quickly interrupted by a feeling of dread that overcomes you – you still have to figure out what to pack.
I always find packing for winter holidays more daunting than packing for a summer escape to the beach. All the extra layers mean not just a larger suitcase but also a higher risk of forgetting something. So to help you in your moment of packing dread, I’ve done all the work for you! Allow me to introduce you to our ski week unpacking list.
Unpacking list you ask, what’s that?
An unpacking list can be a parent’s saviour when it comes to preparing for the next holiday. When you return from your travels (but before you throw everything into the washing machine), take 5 minutes to note what did your family actually use during your time away? Note the date, the minimum and maximum temperatures you experienced at your destination as well as whether you used a washing machine. Then, the next time you go on a similar trip, you will thank yourself for taking the time to make that list, as your packing list is ready to go. (Read more about it here)
Thanks to my unpacking list from our week-long trip to Andermatt over the Christmas break, I already have my ski-week packing list sorted and ready for this weekend when I have to pack the Teen for her first ski camp, and for our upcoming week-long ski holiday in Scuol.
Since you probably don’t already have an unpacking list for your upcoming winter break, here’s a look at ours below. Hope it’s helpful in relieving your “Packingitis” (It has to be a thing right?).
And when you come home from this years ski break, note down what you used, in either a spreadsheet or why not take the easy route and use this downloadable unpacking list. Just print the first sheet for each family member, the second sheet you can fill out together as a family or individual as well. Keep it with you as you unpack and your packing list is ready to go for next year.
Not sure what to wear skiing in Switzerland? Our complete Switzerland winter packing guide covers everything from base layers to ski gear.
Our unpacking list for 1 week in Andermatt in Dec/Jan
Time of Year: December/January
Temperatures -4 – 0 degrees Celsius
Washing: once
Ski Clothing
- Ski Jacket – x 1
- Ski Pants – x 1
- Thermals – x 2 sets
- Ski Fleece – x 1 (thin) x 1 (thick)
- Neckwarmer – x 1
- Balaclava – x 1
- Gloves – x 1
- Ski Socks – x 2 pairs
Ski Gear
- Skis and boots
- Poles
- Helmet & Goggles
- Back Protector
- Sled
Other Clothing
- Jeans/Trousers – some of us used 2 pairs while others used 4
- Long shirts – 5 was the average number here but we only skied twice
- Tracksuit pants – x 1
- Hoodie – x 1
- Dress/Good shirt
- Underwear – x 5
- Socks/Tights – 3 pairs
- Pjs – x 1
- Singlets – x 1 for most of us but little Z used x 2
- Winter boots – x 1
- Winter hat – x 1
- Swimmers – x 1
- Sunglasses – x 1
Toiletries
- Shampoo and Conditioner
- Shower gel
- Toothbrush and toothpaste
- Lip balm
- Sunscreen
- Brush & hand bands for us girls
- Moisteriser
- Deo
Medicine
- Themometer
- Ibuprofen
- Paracetomal
- Nose spray
Extras
- Electronic devices
- Charges for all devices
- Books and Kindle
- Camera
- GoPro
- Coloring in supplies
- Paper and pen
- playing cards
- board games
- bluetooth speaker
- Waterbottles
- Reusable bags
- Tissues
- Headphones
- Snack for Ski Jacket pocket
