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You’re probably a ski bum and absolutely disgusting. But I can’t blame you — there isn’t enough time after a “day of skiing” (8 runs and an afternoon of après) to do laundry and do nothing. After you remember how to brush your teeth and shower, follow this ski-specific hygiene regimen for deeper powder and more attractive significant others.
1. Launder your outerwear. This isn’t 1987 and the waterproofing isn’t going to wash off your snowpants after one washing. Outerwear manufacturers recommend cleaning your gear, because rail paint and parking lot mud render your jacket non-breathable, your pants non-waterproof, and you a complete gaper. I like the 
2. Wear clean socks. They keep your feet from sweating and your boots from smelling. Surprising to some, cold feet are often the result of sweat that has chilled and frozen your toes. One reason for sweaty feet is non-breathing socks, frequently caused by an accumulation of sweat and dirt. Fresh socks keep your feet warmer and your boots odorless. Some skiers like to spray their feet with aerosol deodorant to minimize foot sweat for the day. Other skiers use it as mouthwash, which is highly discouraged. I like the thin, merino wool-blend of 
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3. Wash your hands. When you look up and see “Employees must wash hands before returning to work,” consider yourself a professional skier. You’ve eaten your lunch of crackers and now it’s time to head back to work on the mountain, so wash your hands and save your gloves from odor-born death. Any smell on your hands will be magnified and retained by the liner of your gloves, which is contagious through on-snow high-fives. I like the removable, wash-friendly fleece liners in the 
4. Clean your equipment. Keep your bootsoles free of pebbles, wipe the preseason mud off your topsheets, and pick the hair from inside of your beanie. Pop your lenses out when cleaning and always store goggles in the bag. Combined, minor things make a major difference in keeping your ski life simple and fresh. The glaring disadvantage to this is a decrease in excuses for not having stomped that landing.
5. Merino wool. We’re skiers, not laundromats. This fabric allows us to wear the same (unwashed) long underwear for multiple days and still have a girlfriend/boyfriend/roommate. In a market saturated with technology-ridden StayDryPolyNoH20 fabrics, the natural merino wool used in many fine base layers is nature’s gift to the ski bum. While it wicks moisture just like other proprietary materials, merino’s fundamental benefit lies in its ability to renounce odors after repeated uses. This matters unless you do laundry daily and actually live in a house and not your van. I like Terramar’s Thermawool 2.0 Crew base layer because it fits perfectly, is long enough to tuck into your bottoms, and doesn’t get smelly. Because when traveling, there isn’t always space for five base layers and all of your gizmo chargers.
Congratulations, you can now scrape the snow from your old Subaru with your nose comfortably nestled in the collar of your jacket. And this time, you won’t even have to hold your breath.
