Reviews

Eira is a relatively new company that comes from the knowledgeable people behind Ripzone, who wanted to create a freeski-specific outerwear brand to complement their iconic snowboard offering. I naturally became interested in the brand when they signed three of the most talented, hilarious and wild freeskiers in the game (Peter Olenick, Ian 'Chug' Cosco and Joe Schuster), and after seeing them rock the gear first hand for a year I decided it was time to give it a shot myself.

Having started my career in the ski industry working at a big box ski and snowboard shop in Vancouver (Sport Chek) where I satisfied many a customers by suggesting Ripzone, I had high expectations for the Eira Progression Jacket, and it didn't let me down.

With its mild insulation and 15,000mm waterproof rating, this jacket has helped keep me both warm and dry in some of the burliest conditions, while the outlandish yet clean design assists in attracting attention from ski bunnies of all shapes and sizes. It also boasts a ton of pockets, especially on the inside, which was a big win for me, because outside of being cold and soaked, nothing drives me crazier about a jacket than when there's no inside pockets.

Size-wise, I got an XL, and was initially a bit nervous as to whether it would be too big or not (as at 5'9 I tend to fluctuate between a Large and XL depending on the brand), but to my surprise and delight, it fit just right length-wise, although I found the arms to be a bit longer than I would have liked.

Eira is on the up and up (and hitting more and more shops by the day), so the next time you see it on the rack, do yourself a favor and give it a shot, because if the quality of their gear is any indication, they're going to be around for a long time to come.