Gifts for skiers and snowboarders they will actually use.

Under $25

• The Gondola Ornament, $18. Ours. A little red cable car with skis on one door and a snowboard on the other, made to order in California, gift boxed with a card. It goes on the tree every year, which is more than most gifts can say. See it.
• A good neck gaiter. Merino if you can, fleece if not. Nobody owns enough.
• Hand and toe warmers, the big box. Unglamorous and the most-used thing in any ski bag.
• A rub-on wax bar and cork. Five minutes before a trip makes a real difference, and almost nobody does it.

$25 to $75

• Ski or snowboard socks, the thin kind. Thick socks are the most common beginner mistake. Two good pairs beat six bad ones.
• A boot bag with a dry compartment. Wet boots in the car is how every trip home starts; a proper bag fixes it.
• A lift-ticket or pass contribution. Day tickets at big resorts now run well over $150, so even a partial gift card to their mountain lands.

$75 and up

• A tune. A full base grind and edge sharpen at a local shop, as a gift certificate. The person who never pays for one notices the difference all season.
• Goggles with a second lens. Flat-light days are where cheap goggles fail; a low-light lens is the upgrade people do not buy themselves.
• A lesson. Especially for intermediates who have plateaued. The gift that quietly changes the next ten seasons.

What to skip

Novelty hats, anything with a resort logo they did not pick themselves, and ski-shaped bottle openers. If in doubt, give something small for the tree or the bag and a note that says you will come up for a day.