Since heavily insulated jackets are primarily intended for lift accessed skiing and riding there is an expectation that features will be tailored to provide the ultimate in comfort and convenience when on the mountain. Since testers typically only have only one season to test these pieces, durability is determined in part by any obvious fraying, ripping or other signs of reduced durability. With a wide variety of third-party insulating and waterproofing materials available, as well as the recent rise of “in house” proprietary materials being used, it is important to know exactly what fabrics and insulations are being added to each piece in an effort to distinguish what makes one piece better than the next. These specifications tell us what type (if any) and amount of waterproofing or insulation a jacket may have. Testers do all they can to try out every piece on the same day to compare each one in similar conditions and they get out on lots of days to test the jackets in a range from sunny spring days to stormy wintery days to see how they hold up.įor materials, the specifications provided by the brands is often very important. All the pieces were tested over multiple days in a variety of conditions to see how they perform throughout an entire ski season. It’s got a warmth-to-weight ratio on par with down-insulated jackets.Īll the ski jackets and pants reviewed are tested by the same five criteria materials, features, weatherproofness, temperature control and fit/comfort. It was plenty warm even on frigid Jackson days, but breathed well during aggressive riding, and even short bootpacks. The insulation is body mapped, meaning it’s thicker around the torso than in the arms, which saves weight and bulk. If you hate them, a pair of scissors will do the trick.
If you need more pockets than that, consider riding with a backpack. The Highlands jacket sports a healthy eight pockets, two Napolean, an internal media pocket, hand pockets, a pass pocket on the arm and twin mesh drop pockets.
#STRAFE SKI FREE#
At 12 inches long, the pit zips are large, and mesh backed, so you can feel free to ride with them open without funneling in a lot of powder. The Polartiec Alpha insulation is one of the best sythetic insulations for moving moisture, so the Highlands stays relatively dry even when you overheat it on uphill jaunts. The Highlands checks all the weatherproofing boxes with a big hood that’ll fit over a helmet, a long hem line, taped seams, high collar, and wrist gaskets that seal out snow in even the hugest wipeouts (and increase warmth).
It’s made tough so that slashing against a few tree branches won’t bother it at all. The Higlands face fabric is a pretty burly, 3-layer ripstop over a Polartec Neoshell membrane.