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My Dad hates to leave things behind. Over the years he has developed a Master Ski List of things not to forget. Not that the average person would forget their snowboard or skis, but he even writes those items down. This list is locked quietly away in a filing cabinet and perused a few weeks before each family trip. A blanket is laid out on an unused part of the floor and accessories are assembled together there for about a week before the trip.

I have, unfortunately, inherited this inclination toward retentiveness, and yes, often anally retentiveness runs deep in my family. Yes, it makes having friends very difficult. In any case, here are 4 ski accessories most often forgotten taken from the manuals of Dad’s Lord of Lists (Including: A Horror Story of what happens if you do forget!)

Ski Poles

I talked about these little understood but most necessary accessories last week. Well, these are one of the top ski holiday utensils most often forgotten. My twin brother brought one of his (sort of) expensive Scott’s and not the other. He took it to the ski rental shop to find a match—I can see it now: “I’d like to rent one, yes one, ski pole.” At any rate, he sat it down to ask about renting another single ski pole and this one disappeared. It either walked off or was stolen. Anyway, he now had only one ski pole at home, forever going on ski vacation thereafter and trying to rent one ski pole. True story!

Goggles

Whether for snowboarding or snow skiing, goggles are just so darn necessary that they are often lost or forgotten. Those Smiths, Oakleys or Zeals are not something you want to replace often. At any rate, here’s the horror story: This one time a band camp…no, wrong story…ski camp…my sister forgot her goggles. So, she rented a pair and had to sign for them, agreeing that they were not damaged. Not too long after, she damaged them. It was more of a crack than a scratch if I remember correctly. She had to pay for them, as per the agreement.

Helmets

It seems like every sport these days requires a helmet. I have one for biking, rock climbing and for skiing. Depending on the slopes, however, I don’t often wear it like I should. Helmets are so easily forgotten or misplaced that it’s best to tick them off of the list once they are for sure in the car. I personally like the Bern or Giro models (for biking). One time, I accidentally left my helmet on top of the 4X4 going from Courchevel in France to a smaller no-name resort and it flew off the top, unbeknownst to any of us. I’m sure it fitted someone else perfectly and they considered themselves very fortunate. I was not as fortunate delving out another €127  for a new one. No apres ski drinking (or girls) for me that year!

Funny Pack

My mom will not leave the house without it. My grandma uses it for everything from used tissues to hiding bags of candy. My brother and I can’t get within the vicinity of them with their fanny packs without laughing our heads off, and I’m older now, but I still laugh out loud. Here’s a suggestion: The little back country pouches that ride your fanny (butt) are fanny packs and are great to poke fun at—funny packs. The larger ones, used for important gear, called lumbar packs, are not so funny. So, choose the latter over the former if at all possible. Two lumbar packs (not fanny packs) are made my NorthFace and Eagle Creek. If you plan to get off-piste at all, like in the hills of France in Chamonix or like in Innsbruck or Tux in Austria, you’ll want a fully prepared lumbar pack (not funny, er, fanny pack – enough of a horror story in itself here).