Coming from a warm country with no winter gear? Buy the small personal items (gloves, hats, socks, thermals) in Seoul, and rent the bulky things (jacket, pants, helmet, skis) at the resort.
You're coming from a tropical country and you don't own a pair of winter gloves. Should you buy everything in Seoul, or rent at the ski resort? The answer is a bit of both. Buy the small, personal things cheaply in the city and rent the bulky things on the mountain.
Namdaemun Market, right next to Hoehyeon Station on subway line 4, has dozens of stalls selling cheap winter accessories. Prices are well below what resort shops charge, and bargaining over a few items is normal.
Gloves are the most important purchase. Rental gloves are rarely offered and nobody wants to wear someone else's sweaty pair, while resort shops charge resort prices. Look for gloves marked waterproof, and try them on with your fingers spread. Hats and beanies are cheap in the market and much more expensive at the base. For socks, skip the fluffy cotton "sleep socks" for skiing (they are lovely in your room) and look for hiking socks (deungsan yangmal) or wool blends, which stay warmer when damp.
A ski jacket and pants take up half a suitcase, and you may never wear them again at home. Renting makes more sense. Resort and nearby rental shops rent clothing sets by the day; Yongpyong listed ₩45,000 for an adult jacket-and-pants set for 2025-26, and shops just outside the resort gates are often cheaper. Helmets are cheap to rent, and some shops include them in packages. Skis or a snowboard, boots and poles are always worth renting for a short trip. Our rental guide explains how the shops work.
Before the market, stop at a Uniqlo or a sports shop in Seoul for a thin thermal base layer, such as Heattech, or a merino top. It is warmer and less bulky than cheap generic thermals and lasts for years. This is the layer that does the most work, so it is worth buying properly.
On your first day in Seoul, buy thermals at a Uniqlo, then gloves, a hat and socks at Namdaemun. On your first ski day, rent the jacket, pants, helmet and skis. You stay warm, spend less, and don't have to carry a huge coat back home. For the full list, see what to pack for skiing in Korea, and for modest options, winter clothing rental for hijabis.