I've been skiing since I was kid. From mittens to lip-balm, these 10 items are packing essentials in my suitcase.

My dad is Dutch, which pretty much explains why he was always keen for me to learn to ski growing up. It's very much a cultural thing and a winter sport a lot of Europeans enjoy doing as a family.

Although my sisters and I remember crying while being left at a ski school as kids, we grew to love it — so much so, that we've really missed being out on the slopes in the three years since COVID-19 first hit.

But after all that waiting, we're heading back to one of our favorite places: St. Anton, Austria.

If there's any element of a ski trip outfit that I'd say is worth investing in, it's a good winter jacket and snow pants. Growing up, I was used to getting hand-me-downs from my older sister and then passing those down to our younger siblings.

Now that we're all a bit older, some of us aren't always able to make the family trip. Quite conveniently, we use each other's coats and pants instead of buying new ones.

This year I'm borrowing my youngest sister's jacket since she's currently at university, and I'm wearing the same black Arc'teryx women's snow pants I've had since high school.

Higher altitudes mean higher exposure to UV rays and dry air, so even though skiing is a cold winter sport, it's important to bring along some sunscreen or moisturizer with SPF to be on the safe side. From my Google weather app, I can see there's going to be a few days of sun among the snowier days so I'm definitely making sure to pack these products.

Although my day cream has SPF, I've been a bit more conscious about skin damage in recent years so I'll buy some broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30 at the airport.

It may come as some surprise, but I've found that sunglasses are a huge plus on a ski trip. When it's not snowing and you stop for lunch somewhere on or off the mountain, the glare of the sun is almost intensified by the shine of the ice and snow.

You can also keep them pretty safe by popping them in your ski jacket, and perhaps that's a little more incentive not to fall on the piste.

There's nothing worse than skiing with bad visibility in my opinion. One reason can be bad weather and heavy snow, but more commonly for people with longer hair, it's having strands of hair get into your goggles.

With that in mind, I always try to put my hair in a braid or a low ponytail, with clips for any annoying layers that tend to slip out underneath my helmet. Like many people I know, I also tend to lose my hair ties super quick so have decided to buy a new set for the upcoming ski trip. Hopefully, I'll come back with at least one.

For some reason when I was younger, I thought mittens were "uncool." Thankfully, my angsty teen phase is long gone because I honestly cannot recommend mittens over individual fingered gloves enough when it comes to skiing or spending time in colder weather.

When your fingers are separated, it's much easier for them to lose circulation and get uncomfortably cold. Ultimately, my priority on trips like these is being comfortable, not looking stylish — although I've come to think of mittens as pretty cool.

Sauna is a traditional part of the ski culture in Austria, and while I know it's commonplace for people to go naked or with a towel, I'm very much a bathing suit or bikini wearer in these circumstances.

I'm not 100% sure I'll be needing one where I'm staying in Austria but it's always better to be safe than sorry, so I've decided to bring one swimsuit just in case.

Long johns, which are essentially thermal-like base layers comprising of tights and a long sleeve, are great options to wear underneath your pants and ski coat. But in my experience, thermals can be somewhat overpriced and, if your ski coat and pants are decent enough, you can get away with wearing normal yoga pants and turtlenecks.

I'm a big turtleneck fan so I've got four to pack and will supplement the other days with long-sleeve shirts and one thermal long-sleeve shirt I've had for a while.

Now I'm basically packed and ready to go, I'll be heading off for 10 days in Austria. While I'm there, I'll also be checking out Lech, a nearby resort frequented by European royals including the Dutch royal family, according to Royal Central. It's also where Princess Diana brought Prince Harry and Prince William as kids in the 1990s and will be recreated in the next season of The Crown, the Daily Mail reported.

If you have any questions about either resort or European ski culture in general, feel free to send me an email at mnoyen@insider.com.