2011 Holiday Gift Guide: Under $20

For those of you that started watching the sales back in June and wrapped your gifts while the leaves were still green this will not be overly useful, but for the rest of us that still have last minute shopping to do this may help. The FasterSkier staff has once again suggested their favorite gift ideas for the 2011 Holiday Season. The first installment are items that cost under $20.

FasterSkier’s picks for the top ten gifts under $20:

10: Hand warmers. Price: $10.00. The FasterSkier team goes through these like mad at races keeping our camera batteries warm, but they will also keep your hands and feet warm and you can never have too many. Slide one along the back of your hand or top of your feet and it makes skiing on the coldest of days a lot more enjoyable. Available at your local sporting goods store or online at L.L. Bean.

09: Bag Balm. Price: starting from $5.00. Yup, we’re recommending you rub something that was created for the treatment of dry, cracked cow udders all over your face. Bag Balm works great to keep your face warm and frostbite-free! Keep a 10-ounce box of this in your ski bag for whenever sub-zero temperatures strike, plus it will give you a jolly glisten as you cruise down the trails. Available at most pharmacy/drug stores or online here.

08: Cat Crap. Price: starting from $4.00. Sunglasses are an important part of what we do, so keep the lenses from fogging up with Cat Crap… What? Yeah, that’s its name. Spray or rub it on your lenses and wipe it off to create an anti-fogging layer. Available online here.

07: Mini sharpener. Price: $12.00. If you do any roller-skiing, you know that it is annoying when your road ferrules start slipping. Keep one of these mini sharpeners in your bag, car or water belt to keep your tips sharp and sticking. Available online at Boulder Nordic Sport.

06: Spray green klister. Price: $19.95. Both Swix and Toko have klister options in spray cans. These are perfect for getting on a super thin base layer or adding a small amount of green to a warmer wax to provide some durability. They are a must have in your wax box. Available at your local ski shop or online at Boulder Nordic Sport, Gear West and Ski Rack.

05: BootBuddy. Price: $9.99. So the boot companies probably don’t want you to buy one of these because they work. If you spend too much time walking around in your ski boots the front will wear and they won’t sit correctly in your bindings. Snapping on a BootBuddy will help preserve your boots. Available online at Skadi Nordic.

04: Swix’s ‘hydration’ cup. Price: $8.95. Just what you need to measure your espresso shots or recover with a little Aquavit after your hard race next to a roaring fire. Nice job keeping it fun, Swix. Available online at Gear West.

03: Picky Bars. Price: $9.00 for a small pack, $21 for a large pack. We like to call energy bars ’emergency rations’ and we are always looking for new, delicious, yet healthy options. Perfect for a long workout or on your drive home from skiing. Although this came with some debate, Picky Bars are the FasterSkier staff’s current clubhouse leader in this category. Available online at Picky Bars.

02: Headbands. Price: starting at $15.00. Be FAST, Sauce Headwear and Skida all make rad headbands so you can show a little personal style in the sea of black team jackets on race day. These are perfect for everyone on those warm days or if you are a high school girl, who thinks a hat is the devil, this one’s for you. Available online at BeFAST, Sauce Headware and Skida.

01: Toko kick wax. Price: $11.95. So maybe the wax is the same, but the container is way cool… no more getting wax and foil stuck in your teeth as you try to peel back the cylinder to get more wax. The new container works just like your favorite chap stick, just twist the bottom when you need more wax. Available at your local ski shop or online at Gear West and Skinny Skis.