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What You Need for a Ski Trip, from Equipment to a Car Ready for Snow
In the 2025/2026 season, 67.6% of Italian skiers went skiing with rented equipment, according to estimates by the Osservatorio Italiano del Turismo Montano. Two thirds of people who go skiing do not bring skis and boots from home, so the preparation list changes. To go skiing, you need five things: technical clothing, your own or rented equipment, a system for transporting skis in the car, a car prepared for mountain conditions, and documents and a ski pass.
This guide is aimed at two readers. The first is skiing for the first time, or almost for the first time, and does not know what to buy, what to rent and what is required by law. The second has been skiing for years but only goes once a year – and always forgets the same three things. Neither wants to study ski racks: they want to load the car and leave. The five sections below follow the preparation process, from the wardrobe to the garage, with a short guide for each and links to the blog's more detailed guides. At the end, there is a printable checklist with a box for every item.
Which ski equipment should you bring and what should you rent?
Bring from home what needs to fit your body: clothing, gloves, goggles and helmet. Rent what needs to match the snow and your ability level: skis, boots and snowboard. Renting drastically reduces the amount you need to load into the car, shifting the problem from the skis to the luggage. If you own skis, roof transport becomes the most important section of this guide.
For most Italian skiers, preparation starts in the wardrobe rather than the cellar. According to estimates by the Osservatorio Italiano del Turismo Montano, the share of people who rent has been increasing for years: there is little point buying skis that are used for only one week a year, and for children whose boot size changes every season, renting is almost a necessity.
What is worth bringing from home?
Everything that touches the skin and needs to fit properly. In dressing order: thermal underwear, a mid-layer made of fleece or wool, waterproof jacket and trousers, ski socks (one pair per day, never cotton: it retains sweat), gloves plus a second pair for the afternoon, neck warmer, goggles and sunglasses, and high-factor sunscreen.
And the helmet: on alpine skiing and snowboarding slopes it is mandatory for anyone under 18. It is not mandatory for adults, but having your own helmet, correctly adjusted to your head, is worth more than one picked up at the rental counter.
What should you rent on site?
Skis, boots and poles, or a snowboard. Renting offers two advantages that buying does not: the equipment is suited to your level this year rather than five years ago, and it is already prepared, with sharpened edges and waxed bases.
Book online before leaving, providing your height, weight and ability level: you will avoid the Saturday-morning queue. If you rent, you can skip the ski-rack section. If the skis are yours, keep reading.
How should skis, boots and snowboards be transported in the car?
Inside the passenger compartment only if the skis fit completely, lie flat and are secured. Otherwise, put them on the roof with a magnetic ski rack or a rack for roof bars, or inside a roof box. Boots, helmet and poles go in the boot.
A pair of adult skis is over 160 cm long: left unsecured between the seats, it becomes a projectile in hard braking.
Three systems cover almost every situation. The magnetic ski rack sits directly on the metal roof, without bars, and can be fitted in a few minutes: compact models carry two pairs of skis, while Aconcagua carries three pairs of classic or cross-country skis or two pairs of carving skis.
The manuals for Aconcagua, Himalaya, Shark and Igloo set a limit of 130 km/h with skis and 100 km/h with snowboards, and require three things: a clean and dry roof before installation, a safety strap secured inside the passenger compartment, and ski tips pointing towards the rear.
The ski rack for roof bars attaches to the crossbars and can remain installed throughout the season. It carries more: up to six pairs of skis or four snowboards on the largest model, Yelo Black. It is the choice for anyone who skis every weekend or already has roof bars for year-round use.
The roof box keeps skis together with the rest of the luggage, protected from snow and salt, provided the internal length is sufficient. It is the choice for families travelling with more luggage than skis. The comparison between roof boxes and ski racks deserves a guide of its own.
The differences between magnetic racks and roof-bar systems concern installation time, capacity and the type of roof they can be used on. The guide to choosing the right ski rack for your car compares the two systems side by side, with a table showing the capacity of all models. For magnetic-rack security on motorways, see the guide to magnetic ski-rack safety; for the installation sequence, see the dedicated installation guide.
What is a ski bag for and when should you use one?
A ski bag protects bases, edges and bindings from salt, moisture and impacts during transport and storage. It keeps the boot and passenger compartments clean when skis travel inside the car. It is not mandatory when using a roof rack, but it is useful in three situations: skis inside the car, carrying them by hand, and storage in the cellar.
The first is travelling with skis inside the car. Without a bag, salt and meltwater get onto the upholstery and the edges can cut whatever they touch, including seats. The second is the walk from the car park to the lifts: with the bag on your shoulder, your hands are free for boots, helmet and children. The third is the six months in the cellar between seasons, when moisture rusts edges more than a week of snow does.
Padded bags offer better impact protection; simple bags are enough if the skis travel on the roof rack and the bag is used for carrying and storage. In both cases, dry the skis before putting them inside: a closed bag with snow inside is the quickest way to damage the edges.
The Ski Snow bag, 189 × 29 cm covers the length of most adult skis: durable fabric with reinforced stitching, large zips for inserting skis without forcing them, a padded shoulder strap and side handles for carrying by hand. Boots need a separate, ventilated bag: closed in a plastic bag, they will still be wet the following morning.
Which winter equipment is mandatory in the car?
From 15 November to 15 April, on many Italian roads, the car must have winter tyres fitted or approved snow chains on board. The requirement is not national and uniform: it results from orders issued by the authorities managing each road and applies where indicated by signs, whether or not there is snow on the road. Dates vary by area.
Winter tyres or chains on board: how to comply
There are two ways, as explained by ACI in its guide to the winter-tyre or snow-chain requirement: winter tyres marked M+S or with the snowflake symbol (3PMSF) fitted to the car, or summer tyres with approved snow chains or snow socks on board, ready for use.
Having chains in the car is not enough if you do not know how to fit them: try them once at home, wearing gloves, instead of doing it in the dark on an uphill road. Those who are not compliant can be fined €87 to €344, but the more immediate risk is being stopped and turned back when it snows.
Before leaving, check the regulations applying in your destination area. They may bring the start of the period forward or extend the end: two minutes on the provincial authority's website can save you from discovering the rule at the road sign.
The rest of the car: antifreeze, wipers, battery and lights
The second half of the checks is not written into any regulation, but it stops more cars than missing chains. Use antifreeze windscreen-washer fluid, because summer fluid freezes and leaves the windscreen dirty with salt. Make sure the wiper blades are in good condition. Keep an ice scraper and snow brush within reach, not underneath the luggage.
Check the battery, because cold temperatures reduce its capacity. Keep the lights clean, check tyre pressure and fill the tank, because heating uses fuel when you are stuck in snow. General checks for every long journey, from tyres and brakes to the emergency kit, are included in the car-preparation checklist: here, only the additional winter items remain.
What goes in the boot and what goes in the roof box?
The roof box should contain things that are bulky and light and that you do not need during the journey: down jackets, bags, ski suits and bulky equipment. The boot should contain heavy items, especially boots, and anything you need at the first stop. Weight on the roof raises the centre of gravity and is noticeable in corners and crosswinds.
Four people's ski boots are the heaviest and most compact part of the luggage: keep them low down, against the rear seatback. The roof box is not the place for them, nor for anything needed at the first stop: opening it at a snowy service area is something you only want to do once.
The second criterion is length. For skis in a roof box, what matters is the usable internal length, not the number of litres: two boxes with the same volume can fit different skis because one is long and narrow while the other is short and wide.
Menabo roof boxes range from 320 to 600 litres and from 126 to 217 cm of internal length: below 150 cm, adult skis will not fit; above that, it depends on the length of your skis. If you still need to choose a roof box, the guide to how many litres and what length you need starts with the internal dimensions rather than the stated volume.
The third criterion is the roof load limit, stated in the vehicle handbook: it includes the weight of the empty box and the bars. Menabo boxes have a 75 kg load capacity (50 kg for the 320-litre model) and an anti-theft lock. Duo versions open from both sides; on Crab versions, the claw supports tighten around the outside of the bars. Even with the box closed, the same ski-rack rule applies: check the attachments at the first stop.
Documents, ski pass and the things you always forget
Three things to have with you before getting on the first chairlift: the ski pass, third-party liability insurance, which is mandatory on downhill ski slopes, and your personal and vehicle documents for the journey. Then come the bookings and the list of things that always get left at home.
Since 1 January 2022, anyone skiing on downhill slopes must have insurance covering third-party liability for damage caused to others. This is established by Legislative Decree 40 of 2021 on safety in winter sports, the same decree that made helmets mandatory for under-18s.
If your policy does not include it, lift operators offer liability cover together with the ski pass, for a day or a week. In the car, keep your driving licence, vehicle registration document and insurance; in your wallet, your health card and, if travelling abroad, a valid identity document for travel.
Make bookings in advance and save them offline, because phone reception is intermittent in many valleys: ski-pass voucher (bought online, it lets you skip the first-day queue), accommodation confirmation with address and phone number, and rental booking with collection time.
Then come the things that are always forgotten: chargers and a power bank, because cold weather drains the phone faster; cash or a card for car parks and mountain huts; a bag for wet clothing; spare socks and lip balm; a lock for skis in the rack; the spare car keys, because whatever falls out of a ski-suit pocket ends up in the snow; comfortable shoes for après-ski.
The checklist to print before leaving
Everything you have read fits on one A4 page: the five areas in this guide, one box for every item, two fields to fill in by hand (destination and departure date), and space for notes. Print it a few days before leaving, tick items off as you go and keep it in the car for the return journey.
Download the printable checklist
Once the boxes are ticked, there is only one choice left if the skis are yours: the system for carrying them on the roof. Among Menabo ski racks you will find magnetic models and models for roof bars, with a vehicle selector that filters the magnetic models compatible with your car.
On snow, everything can be improvised – except the departure.
FAQ
What do you need when skiing for the first time?
You need your own clothing (thermal underwear, waterproof jacket and trousers, gloves, goggles), rented equipment (skis, boots and poles), a helmet, a ski pass and third-party liability insurance, which is mandatory on downhill ski slopes. Rental equipment should be booked online before leaving, providing your height, weight and ability level.
How many pairs of skis can you carry on the car roof?
It depends on the system. Menabo magnetic ski racks carry 2 pairs of skis, or 3 pairs of classic or cross-country skis on the Aconcagua model (2 pairs if they are carving skis). Models for roof bars can carry up to 6 pairs of skis or 4 snowboards. The actual limit is the stated load capacity of the ski rack and the maximum roof load specified in the vehicle handbook.
Do you need a ski bag if you already have a roof ski rack?
It is not mandatory. It is useful when skis are transported inside the car, when you carry them by hand from the car park to the lifts, and when storing them at the end of the season, as it protects bases, edges and bindings from salt and moisture. The Menabo Ski Snow bag measures 189 × 29 cm.
When are snow chains mandatory?
Generally from 15 November to 15 April, on roads covered by regulations issued by the authorities responsible for them. On those roads, you must have winter tyres fitted or approved snow chains or snow socks on board, and the requirement applies even when there is no snow on the road. Dates and road sections vary by area, so they should be checked before leaving.
What can and cannot be put in a roof box?
The roof box is for bulky, lightweight items that you do not need during the journey: clothing, bags and bulky equipment. Heavy items, which raise the centre of gravity, and anything needed at the first stop should stay outside the roof box. The box's load capacity and the vehicle's maximum roof load must be respected; the latter includes the weight of the box itself and the roof bars.
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