VIP SKI Blog

Base Layer
It’s commonly recommended to use three layers of clothing for skiing. The base layer serves to keep you dry and warm, wicking off moisture, as skiing is an energetic activity that causes sweating which can be unpleasant. Many people opt for thermal clothing for this layer, but warmth is secondary to a layer that stays dry and comfortable over the course of the day.

Mid Layer
The mid layer should be for insulation purposes, and is most necessary when you’re expecting very cold conditions. If you’re heading to resort later in the season, such as around Easter, then you might be tempted to skip this layer, but it’s worth putting it on your ski clothing list anyway just in case. It doesn’t need to be especially thick - a lightweight fleece will do the job perfectly.

Outer Layer
Your outer layer is what offers protection from the elements, so it should be both waterproof and windproof, as well as durable. It is composed of the ski jacket (which often comes with a zip-pocket on the left sleeve where you can conveniently keep your lift pass), and your ski pants, otherwise known as salopettes. What to wear under ski pants? If you feel it’s necessary, a thin tracksuit or thermal leggings will do nicely. In terms of material, think Gore-Tex or similar. Note that although outer layers can often be purchased for a very reasonable price, if you don’t feel ready to make that kind of investment yet, they can also be hired from many suppliers.

Goggles / Sunglasses
It’s best to bring both goggles and sunglasses. The latter are suitable for when the weather is good and the white of the snow can be almost blindingly brilliant, while goggles are necessary for snowy or windy conditions. Bear in mind that goggles can steam up, obscuring visibility, so a pack of wipes can come in handy too. Bringing both along while you ski allows you flexibility. Most ski helmets have a strap to keep goggles attached. Spending a little more for extra UV protection and anti-fogging is a good idea.

Helmet
20 years ago it was rare to see anyone skiing with a helmet. Today, it’s rare to see someone skiing without one. A helmet offers you an extra piece of protection against collisions and falls on surfaces that are often a lot harder than they might look. Modern ski helmets are stylish, comfortable and lightweight. While they can be rented alongside skis, poles and boots if required, if you want to invest in your own then expect to pay upwards of £50 for a high-quality ski helmet. Keep in mind that if your helmet takes a serious knock, but appears undamaged, it may still have an invisible crack that can render it useless in future.

Ski Socks
Choosing the right type of ski socks is an area where many people get it wrong when deciding what to wear when skiing. You might think you want thick socks such as for hiking, but actually ski boots are usually well-insulated themselves, so thinner, calf-length socks are more appropriate. Again look for a breathable fabric, and something odour-free, especially if you plan on bringing just a couple of pairs to last you a week. Thin socks can easily be washed and left to dry on a radiator overnight.

Hat
You’ll want a warm, woolly hat to wear around resort when not skiing. Ear-flaps and comedy-stylings are optional.

Gloves
Ski gloves need to be waterproof above all else. That’s vital especially if you’re a beginner, and can be expected to fall over a lot, as wearing wet gloves all day long is a very unpleasant situation. Mittens suit very cold weather, or you can also get removable linings.

The above covers how to dress for skiing, but there are optional extras that can also be of use. These include:

Neck warmer
This might be a specific garment made of a warm, breathable fabric, or simply a scarf or balaclava. It covers the gap between your jacket and helmet and will stave off chilly winds - particularly appreciated on high lifts.

Back protector
You don’t see many people wearing this body armour, but if you’re a little accident-prone, paranoid about major wipeouts, or enjoy pulling tricks in the snowpark, then you might consider it a worthwhile investment. It can prevent spinal injury, and is usually both lightweight and unobtrusive under a jacket.

Backpack
If you’re spending a whole day on the piste then taking a backpack with you removes the need to stuff the pockets of your ski jacket and salopettes. You can carry around all the sunscreen,chapstick, extra layers, sunglasses, water and snacks you need, as well as your phone and a spare map in just a small waterproof pack. Do remember that it’s good practise to remove a backpack before boarding a chairlift, and keeping it on your lap.

One final thing to note about skiing clothes is that, if you’re borrowing kit from friends and family, always try it on a few days before departure, as if it’s not right, you’ll struggle to find bargain replacements when in resort.

If you've not yet booked your next ski holiday, we're sure to have something to suit your party. 

You've chosen the beer, now all you need to decide is whether you wish to stay in our hotel Bear Lodge, or a private chalet. We look forward to seeing you in the bar...

Luk is a polar bear featuring in ‘Balto’, a 1995 American live-action/animated adventure film directed by Simon Wells. The film is loosely based on a true story about the dog of the same name who helped save children infected with diphtheria in the 1925 Serum Run to Nome. The film stars Kevin Bacon, Bridget Fonda, Jim Cummings, Phil Collins and Bob Hoskins, with Miriam Margolyes in the live-action sequences which were shot in New York City's Central Park.

Phil Collins was the voice of both Muk and Luk, a pair of polar bears, Boris' nephews, and Balto's adoptive brothers

Suite Luk sleeps 8-10 guests

Zozi features in ‘Bartok the Magnificent’, a 1999 American direct-to-video animated adventure comedy film directed by Don Bluth and Gary Goldman.

The lovable bat Bartok goes on his own adventure and meets a pink snake, a dapper bear Zozi, Prince Ivan Romanov and evil witch Baba Yaga trying to rule all of Russia. Kelsey Grammar was the voice of Zozi in the animated film.

Suite Zozi sleeps 6-8 guests

Line Friends are characters, invented in 2015 by Kang Byeong Mok (a South Korean designer), based on the stickers from the messaging app 'Line'. The characters, including our little bear Choko, are used in various products, animations, games, cafes, hotels and theme parks.

In 2019 Netflix produced an original animated series of the globally loved ‘Brown & friends’ characters including Brown, Cony, Moon and Choko.

Suite Choko sleeps 4-8 guests

Yogi is a very well-known bear who has appeared in numerous comic books, animated television shows and films. He made his debut in 1958 as a supporting character in The Huckleberry Hound Show. In 1961, he was given his own show, The Yogi Bear Show, sponsored by Kellogg's, which included the segments Snagglepuss and Yakky Doodle. A musical animated feature film, Hey There, It's Yogi Bear!, was released in 1964, and in 2010 ‘Yogi Bear’ the 3D live-action/computer-animated comedy film was produced.

The 2010 American film centers on Yogi Bear and his sidekick Boo-Boo Bear as they try to stop their home, Jellystone Park, from being logged. Yogi is voiced by actor Dan Aykroyd in the film.

Suite Yogi sleeps 8-10 guests

Special Agent Oso is an American children's CGI-animated TV series. The series premiered in April 2009 running through to May 2012, reruns continued to air through 2019. The series was made available on Disney+ in May 2021.

The colorful special agent stuffed bear who predominantly works on helping children perform tasks such as blowing bubbles, making a card, or cleaning their rooms; is the main character of the series. His name, Oso, is Spanish for bear. He and his friends work for UNIQUE, which stands for The United Network for the Investigation of Quite Unusual Events.

Suite Oso sleeps 6-8 guests

The American animated television series We Bare Bears features a cast created by Daniel Chong. The series focuses on three bears who try to navigate the human world and make friends. The Bears are the loud and adventurous Grizz (voiced by Eric Edelstein), the kind, yet nervous Panda (voiced by Bobby Moynihan) and the quiet and mysterious Ice Bear (voiced by Demetri Martin).

Grizzly (nickname "Grizz") is a fun-loving bear who tends to get the others into wacky and uncharacteristic situations. He is constantly wanting to meet new people and tries to befriend everyone he comes across.

Suite Grizzly sleeps 6-10 guests

Koda is a character in Brother Bear, the 2003 American animated musical comedy-drama film produced by Walt Disney. In the film, an Inuit boy named Kenai pursues a bear in revenge for a fight that he provoked in which his oldest brother Sitka is killed. He tracks down the bear and kills it, but the Spirits, incensed by this unnecessary death, change Kenai into a bear himself as punishment. In order to be human again, Kenai must travel to a mountain where the Northern lights touch the earth. On his way, Kenai is joined by a bear cub, Koda, and learns to see through another's eyes, feel through another's heart, and discovers the true meaning of brotherhood.

Suite Koda sleeps 4-8 guests

Mouk is a 2011–2014 French animated television series produced by Millimages, adapted from the work of Marc Boutavant, and directed by François Narboux. Mouk, the show's namesake is a brown bear.

The show is about two bike-riding travelers, Mouk and Chavapa, who have adventures as they travel around the world.

Suite Mouk sleeps 8-10 guests

Natsu is the secondary main character of Kuma Miko: Girl Meets Bear, a Japanese manga series by Masume Yoshimoto. Natsu is a talking bear from the Kumade Village. He lives with the Miko to maintain peace between humans and bears. He knew Machi ever since she was little and is a type of parental figure to her and tries his best to deal with her antics and keep her out of trouble.

Suite Natsu sleeps 6-8 guests

Misha the Little Bear, is an anime television series which aired in Japan from 1979 to 1980.

The series was inspired by the mascot introduced for the 1980 Summer Olympics held in Moscow, designed by children's books illustrator Victor Chizhikov and the first mascot of a sporting event to achieve large-scale commercial success in merchandise.

Penthouse Misha sleeps 12 guests

Umka is a 1969 Soviet animated film based on children's book of the same name by Yuri Yakovlev, who also wrote the screenplay for the film. Umka means "polar bear" in Chukchi language. The film is famous for its song "She-bear's Lullaby" written by Yevgeny Krylatov and performed by Aida Vedishcheva. 

Penthouse Umka sleeps 7 guests

Andy consolidated everything that VIP SKI had learnt over a couple of decades into paper scale cut-outs (all very Blue Peter) with a sofa size and shape that was comfortable, (never less than 100cm under the knee), a coffee table big enough for both a clutter of G&T glasses and a piste map, a dining space big enough for the cornflakes but not so wide you can’t pass the wine, bedrooms for tall people and little people and plentiful storage for both.

He also wanted to build something for everyone; rooms for couples, rooms with bunks for families or interconnecting rooms for mum, dad and kids, plus private suites for groups of every shape and size.

For Andy it was a unique experience, “I’ve never had the freedom to design something inside-out before, getting the tiny spatial details just right and not caring too much about where the walls ended up, planning regulations normally cramp you at every turn, a new wing of Arcs 1950 was a completely unique opportunity to build the perfect ski homes for every type of guest.”

He then added a 30-bedroom hotel with bar, lounge and restaurant to the 12 chalets and happily didn’t forget the toys; including a proper sized pool you can swim in, a spa with plenty of steam, piste-side kids playroom, gym, cinema and small conference room (for those tax efficient après-ski Company meetings!)

Researched and refined by our guests over thirty years, designed and built by Andy and Luigi over the last seven, VIP SKI’s brand-new signature complex is located at 1950 altitude, on the piste, next to the ski lifts and a short walk across the slope to the centre of the village. Doesn’t get better than that.

Call the team today for a quote, we're really excited to welcome you to Bear Resort this winter. See you there.

We know you will be underwhelmed (sorry) by the pictures that we have chosen to show to represent the chalets, because we have nothing in our current collection to do justice to the grandeur of the bedrooms, the amazing views and the wonderful pools. The plans don’t lie though, and the architects amongst you will recognise that the 30 square metres per guest is 20% larger than anything else we operate in the Alps. (come back in December for up-to-date imagery).

The location offers complete solitude but with easy access to the piste, shops and nightlife Val d’Isere is famous for. Access to the Santons piste is opposite the front door, you can also walk ten minutes across the nursery slopes to the village centre. Alternatively you can make use of our shuttle service morning and evening to Ronds Points, the nearby intersection of resort bus routes, pistes, nursery slopes, ski lifts, ski school meeting points and apres-ski (the infamous Cocorico) which is at the bottom of the hill and a two minute drive away.

No. 7 CLUB Bellevarde sleeps 14-16 guests, No. 8 CLUB Bellevarde sleeps 14-18 guests. In both chalets all the rooms have balconies overlooking the forest and stream with staggering views.

Guests will enjoy our VIP CLUB service with a flexible menu plan offering a choice of dishes provided by the Chef and team of dedicated chalet hosts. Relax with a canapé reception on 6 evenings and free beer plus serviced breakfast & cleaning every day.

If you're tempted to know more why not call Gareth, Jess and Lou today, they're waiting at the end ofthe phone for your questions. We'd love to welcome you in the mountains this winter, in these or any of our 50+ chalets in the Alps.