The full list, on the slopes and off them, including the stuff people forget every single year and end up buying at inflated resort prices instead.
A ski holiday has a different packing list to pretty much any other trip. You're dressing for freezing mornings on the mountain and warm evenings apres-ski, often on the same day, and half the items on this list either don't exist at home or live at the back of a cupboard from last year. Get it sorted a couple of weeks out and you'll save yourself both a stressful last-minute shop and the resort prices for anything you forget.
If you're deciding what to hire versus what to bring, my rule of thumb is: hire the bulky, expensive stuff (skis, boots, poles) unless you ski often enough to justify owning your own, and bring everything else.
Layering is the whole game. You want a system you can add to or strip back as the weather and your effort level change through the day.
Chalets and hotels are warm, and apres-ski is a big part of most ski trips, so don't just pack for the mountain.
A handful of things that don't make it onto most people's lists until they're standing in resort without them.
Standard travel insurance often doesn't cover skiing and snowboarding as standard, you usually need a winter sports add-on or a dedicated policy. Double check before you travel, not after something's happened on the slopes.
Some resorts still want a physical passport-style photo to issue your lift pass. Worth checking in advance so you're not queuing at a photo booth on your first morning.
Cold weather drains phone batteries fast, and you'll want yours working for photos, resort maps and checking lift status.
For sitting outside on a sunny apres-ski terrace without wearing full ski goggles.
If you're not sure whether your holiday insurance covers winter sports, tell me before you travel, not after. It's a five minute check that can save a very expensive problem if anything goes wrong on the mountain.
Take my quick ski resort quiz and I'll match you to a resort based on what you actually want out of the trip.