What kind of clothing do I need?

A couple people now have asked questions about this, so I feel it's worth talking about. I'll also be adding this bit to the website at some point.

What kind of clothing will I need?
Weather, as we all know, is unpredictable. And mountains only make it that much more difficult. It's hard enough to know what it's going to be like tomorrow, forget about a few months from now. Sometimes at Copper, the weather is different on one side of the mountain than it is on the other. I've taken February ski trips where I've skied in as little as a pair of jeans and a long sleeve shirt to being bundled up to almost Michelin-Man proportions. So it's impossible for me to tell you what you will and won't need. That being said, I can tell you the mantra is "be prepared."

The essentials:
These are the things I believe you will need regardless of conditions. If you don't have them, get them.

• Ski Socks - A good pair of ski socks should be thin, lightweight, snug, and go at least halfway up your lower leg. You can get these at most sporting goods stores. Don't let the thin thing fool you. Thinner is often much much warmer than thicker when it comes to ski socks. An important question to ask when buying them is how dry will they keep your feet/legs. Dry is good, wet is bad.
  
• Long Underwear - Again, these don't have to be thick to be warm. I've had a pair for years that you can pretty much see though once I put them on (keep those dirty thoughts to yourself), but my legs have never been cold in them. Check your local sporting goods store to see what's available.
  
• Head Covering - If you don't have something to cover your head, go get something now. Anyone who skis without covering their head is insane and just begging to be cold and miserable. It doesn't have to be much. When the weather's nice, I usually just wear a bandana. In colder weather ski hats are nice, especially ones that will also cover your ears. Wool is warmer, but it itches like crazy unless you're special. If you plan on wearing a baseball hat or anything else with a brim that might catch the wind, invest in a hat clip. It's a little cord with gator clips on either end...one for your hat and one for your coat.
  
• Sunglasses/Goggles - In case you haven't skied much, let me clue you in on something. When sunlight bounces off of snow, it gets bright. Very bright. Bright enough that you can get sunburns on your cornea if you don't protect your eyes. I understand it's quite the opposite of fun when this happens. Not to mention the winter winds will dry your eyes out in a heartbeat if you don't have them covered...which sucks twice as much if you wear contacts. Goggles are as good or better than sunglasses in every way I can think of except one. That is, on a warm day they can get hot and uncomfortable. Still, it's almost worth the tradeoff. If you do decided to ski with shades instead of goggles, make sure they thoroughly cover your eyes and don't let a lot of extra wind in around the edges. Also, invest in sunglass holders.
  
• Sunscreen - Not exactly clothing, but while we're talking about all this it's close enough. Sun from the sky + reflected sun from the snow + thin atmosphere due to elevation = crispy critter if you don't protect yourself. Don't believe me? It's now December and you can still see the "tan" lines from where I got burned on my arms when I left them exposed to the sun all day on the mountain last February. And if you think a cloudy day will make any difference, you ain't thinkin'. No matter the conditions, you should be applying sunscreen twice a day at least. The moisture will also help you avoid windburn. Oh yes...there is such a thing.

The almost-essentials:
These could technically be essentials, as skiing in socks, long underwear, a hat, and goggles would be silly, even with sunscreen. But there's always a chance that, depending on conditions, you may or may not actually need any given item on this list.

• Snow pants - again I'm going to stress here that heavier is not always better. The two questions to ask yourself with snow pants is are they comfortable and will they keep me dry if/when I bail? If yes, then they're good. Again, check your local sporting goods store to see what they have. If you're not sure what you need, don't hesitate to ask. And before you buy them, try them on! The last thing you need is to get all the way out here to Colorado and then find out Friday morning that they don't fit. I would recommend trying them on both with nothing else on your legs as well as over a pair of sweatpants or something.
  
• Winter Coat - This is pretty self-explanatory. You should have a winter coat with you. Like with the snow pants, the important thing is that it keeps you dry. Dry = warm even on cold days. Also make sure that when you zip it up all the way it's snug enough that wind isn't going to be rushing down the neck or up under the waistline. Adjustable waists and wrists are always a plus. Try it on over a t-shirt and something heavier like a sweatshirt.
  
• Ski/Boarding Gloves - Same rules apply. Above all else, make sure they'll keep your paws dry. This goes double for you knuckledraggers boarders since your paws will be touching the ground much more frequently. If you're a skier, make sure the fingers are flexible. It makes it easier to grip and hold onto your poles. I don't recommend mitten-style gloves for anyone, but that's my own personal preference. Admittedly they can sometimes be warmer because they envelope your whole paw instead of separating all the parts. Adjustable or elastic wrists are good.

Everything else:
These are other things that would be good to have, but are mostly at your discretion. You definitely don't need all of these. It should be obvious which items on this list can be substituted for others.

• Athletic Undershirt - I really like the stuff by UnderArmour. It's snug, it's lightweight, it keeps you dry, and it's warm.
  
• T-shirt - Long sleeve, short sleeve, or one of each.
  
• (Mock) Turtleneck
  
• Sweatpants - For under your snowpants if long underwear isn't going to be enough.
  
• Jeans
  
• Earmuffs/Headband/Other ear cover

If anyone else has anything to add, feel free to comment.

Also note that all this applies only to what I think you should be wearing on the mountain. With the exception of your coat, I wouldn't plan on wearing any of the same things when you're not skiing. All off-mountain wear should be considered separate. Why? Because you want to let this stuff dry overnight before you go off using it again.