Confession: even though my formative years were spent in Maine, I have never gone skiing. It was not a sport in which my parents engaged. My winter sport of choice was ice skating; my parents even put me in lessons to better assimilate their Mississippi-raised (thus far in my then-brief life) daughter into life north of the Mason-Dixon Line.
Cut to living on the Mediterranean for four years followed by the Gulf of Mexico for four years (talk about high-low) and I had not been around, let alone seen, snow until moving up to Washington DC for graduate school. I distinctly remember the first snow mid-semester. I insisted on leaving my internship as my Ford Escape was two wheel drive, as I preferred not to drive through that kind of precipitation.
A few years later, a friend from graduate school and her soon-to-be sister-in-law, and I opted to spend New Years on the slopes and go snowboarding. This was the first time I participated in any snow sport, let alone the notoriously toughest one to learn. However, the sister-in-law taught lessons at nearby Liberty, and I felt comfortable taking direction from her.
Cut to me spending most of my time at the mountain bar and reading my copy of The Atlantic. My major takeaway was, dress appropriately for the conditions. I used my friend’s extra pair of snow pants but I 10/10 recommended finding a pair to own, especially if you are tall. You will feel more comfortable and comfort is key when learning a new skill.
I purchased a pair of Athleta years ago. The Ravenswood Ski Pant has a 35 inch inseam. They are going abroad with us. However, did you know that The North Face and so many others offer long length snow pants? Below is a round up of those that are available in long.
