It’s easy to get distracted and let your attention shift away from skiing in March and April, but you’d be dead wrong to do that. Personally, spring is my favorite time of year to get out on the snow – it’s like a sweet reward for all of those painfully cold days we suffered through in December and January.

March and April are two of the best skiing months in both the Northeast and West, hands down. The holiday crowds are all but gone, the prices are far lower, and while you shouldn’t count on a big dump at the end of March, skiing in nothing but a base layer on a decent day isn’t a bad tradeoff. But what to wear? Here’s a roundup of our favorite spring skiing pieces in 2010.

Spring Skiing: Shells & Tops

The North Face Men’s Firewatch Jacket
$74 at Moosejaw.com
One of the best things about spring skiing is the liberating feeling of leaving your insulated jacket behind. Even on cooler days in the spring, you can often get by with just a baselayer and a light, water-resistant shell like the TNF Firewatch Jacket. This ultra-light, 100% polyester shell features a tough DWR coating to keep moisture out, and is just enough wind protection when the sun isn’t shining, but temps are still mild.

Arc’Teryx Gamma LT Pullover
$99 at Moosejaw.com
This is the hallmark spring skiing piece – an ultra lightweight, quasi-softshell top that’s really a baselayer in disguise. The Arc’Teryx Gamma LT is comprised of a technical, weather resistant face fabric that can shed a few raindrops and provides some wind protection, but is highly breathable and form fitting.

Spring Ski Gloves

REI Minimalist Gloves
$34, REI.com
Gloves are a tough call on a spring day – when it’s really warm out, they can feel restrictive, but it’s scary to head out without a pair. The REI minimalist gloves are the solution to this problem. This ultralight shell glove is completely uninsulated, meaning that it protects against wind & precipitation, but doesn’t get hot very easily and packs down small enough to fit in a pocket when you don’t need them. At $34, they are a steal too.

Marmot Evolution Gloves
$40, REI.com
The Marmot Evolution gloves are the thinnest, most technically advanced ultralight gloves on the market. With just enough insulating power and DWR to combat wind and drizzle (not rain and snow, though) the Evolution glove sacrifices almost nothing in terms of dexterity, and is also thin enough to easily stow in a pocket. Highly recommended.