When inviting friends and family out to a ski cabin trip, it’s important to remember to have all the proper gear. For skiing or snowboarding, you’ll, of course, need the standard affair: snow pants, ski jacket, gloves, goggles, beanies, skis, snowboards, and ski boots. No ski trip is spent entirely out in the snow, though. There is always the time spent relaxing in the lodge or the cabin after several runs down the mountain. After your party is exhausted from a long day of half pipes and fresh powder, there’s no better way to unwind than with a piping hot cup of hot cocoa around the fireplace.

While you and your friends are not on the mountain, you’ll be spending your time watching movies, tending to the fire, cooking, and running errands. Running errands in the deep of winter when sheets of snow are falling and the wind is billowing can be rather difficult if you’re ill-equipped, and this fact is easily forgotten. Not everybody is acquainted with a snowy setting, and so they’ll assume that a heavy coat will do the job of protecting them against the harsh snowy conditions. Not so.

Even if you’re just going to run about in the snow for a spell, it would be wise to at least have a heavy snow jacket, snow pants, and a pair of cheap muck boots. Muck boots will ensure that no ice, snow, or dirt seeps through your footwear and into your socks. One of the greatest dangers of being in an unaccustomed cold is underestimating the frigidity. Even the burliest of the burly men will find themselves in a state of regret when realizing they’ve not properly prepared for the cold. Make sure you’re not caught in the situation by packing a least one extra pair of muck boots with you for any cabin trip.

Written by Asher Briggs