Looking to upgrade my ski wear and wanted to hear people's opinions on the best high performance brands. I'm going to be doing seasons in Japan and Canada in the next couple of years so am expecting low temperature, humid weather and will be doing a lot of touring and hiking as well. What do you think?
Feb 7 2016 6:12PM
https://www.norrona.com/en-GB/Products/5000-14/6750/lofoten-gore-tex-pro-one-piece-suit-mw/
This is what I would get if I had unlimited cash for top end gear^
Norrona, Bergans and Arcteryx all stand pretty equal in my mind though.
Feb 8 2016 3:18AM
If you're going to be doing a lot of hiking and touring you should consider looking for a nice soft shell or hybrid, they breath night and day better than anything Gore-Tex or eVent. eVent breathes better than Gore-Tex. Ultimately the Gore/eVent shells are relatively the same, assuming you're comparing the same type of gore fabric (IE Gore-Tex pro vs Gore-Tex pro) with regards to performance, you're mostly picking a brand based upon the cut that fits you the best. From personal experiences, Patagonia fits tall, ArcTeryx fits narrow, and The North Face fits short. Also, if you're planning to be doing a lot of touring/hiking a good mid layer(s) will go a long way.
Feb 8 2016 11:17AM
IMO, Arc'teryx, Patagonia, Norrona, and now Black Diamond make the best high end outerwear for skiing. I would highly reccomend getting softshell pants, I have a pair of Patagonia pants that use Polartec Powershield fabric and they are perfect- never wet out (although I haven't used them is slushy spring snow) and I never overheat in them, plus they're stretchy and durable. Both Arcteryx and PTG came out with softshell/hardshell hybrids, which I think would be a good idea to look in to. Any fully waterproof/breathable shell (GTX, Event, etc...) is gonna be hot on the way up, but is nice because no water will get in from the outside, so it's just gonna be a decision based on breathability or waterproofness. My recommendations would be the Arc'teryx Lithic Comp kti and the PTG Reconnaissance kit.