In article ,
Christopher Mooney wrote:

On the money question, I am not too keen on spending too much of my
disposable income on items I may not ever use again. I understand the
bibs thing, but gloves, goggles, long johns, etc that can be used
again with or without skiing is more palatable.

You can rent much of that stuff. Most rental places will rent you a bib
for anywhere from 70% to 99% of what it would cost you to buy one.
Alternatively, start keeping your eye open for ski swaps in your area,
sniff the thrift shops. Or ask your skiing friends if they have any extra
gear they might loan you. Most of us have surplus ski clothes that, um,
seem a bit snugger than when we bought 'em.

I don't know what other use there is for goggles--bike commuting, maybe--
but they're probably not essential for day 1, unless the weather's really
crappy, or you're skiing in the pacific northwest USA. If it's not
snowing and it's sunny, sunglasses may be sufficient.
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Eric Holeman Chicago Illinois USA