Eddie Bauer has a long and impressive heritage of equipping some famous expeditions but has lost a lot of its prestige over the last decade. With the 2009 introduction of the First Ascent line, I believe they have made a phenomenal return to high-quality expedition-ready apparel. They have worked with mountain guides and professionals to [...]
The Civetta Jacket from Mammut is more than your standard ski jacket. For instance, the Civetta jacket is extremely versatile for those that are seeking to head out into the backcountry-sidecountry-or stay in-bounds, because with the Civetta you get three jackets in one. The outer shell features Pontetorto® No Wind® that acts as a windblocker; [...]
Following in the footsteps of the Nano Puff, Patagonia has come out with the Nano Storm this season. I have been wearing the standard Nano Puff for about a year now and it has been a go to lightweight insulated jacket for a number of activities. I have worn it as my baselayer while skiing [...]
With the Free Skier in mind, Mammut introduces the Alagna jacket this season with a bang. This jacket is a lightly insulated Gore-Tex softshell that is nice by itself on warmer spring ski days yet has plenty of room for warmer base layers and 2nd layers for colder days. I’ve been testing out the Mammut Alagna Jacket [...]
A stylish jacket that gets you second looks in the high-country will ultimately end up tossed aside if you’re constantly asking yourself: “what were the designers thinking? Do they even play in high alpine environments?” The Marmot Cat Track Jacket will leave you convinced that the designers spend more time playing in powder and ducking [...]
Eddie Bauer has a long and impressive heritage of equipping some famous expeditions but has lost a lot of its prestige over the last decade. With the 2009 introduction of the First Ascent line, I believe they have made a phenomenal return to high-quality expedition-ready apparel. They have worked with mountain guides and professionals to [...]
Columbia’s new line of thermodynamic items looked a little, well… spacey. It looked as if it could be turned inside out and used as a halloween costume much more so than as any type of active wear. We are happy to report that we were ENTIRELY wrong. While the interior may just be a little [...]
If you are looking for a jacket that has all the bells and whistles needed for a full day at the resort, look no further. Obermeyer’s Kennedy jacket is packed full of features, including the RECCO Avalanche Rescue Reflectors to assist on mountain rescuers equipped with the RECCO rescue system track you down if something [...]
Helly Hansen’s Women’s Verglas 3L Jacket features top notch fabric that provides ultimate weather protection. The Verglas 3L feautres HH’s Helly Tech R O2 that comes with the highest waterproof and breathability rankings; with 20,000m waterproofness and 20,000g breathability. You get all of this weather protection in a super light-compact package that can be easily [...]
With a long history of making outerwear for snow skier’s, Oberymeyer introduces the all new Falcon Shell winter ski jacket. The Falcon Shell is a ski jacket that has features coming out of its ears(or pockets). Although lots of features sound great, I first find it to be important that the main functionality of a [...]
Versatility is an extremely important quality for a jacket to have. The North Face Eurus Jacket has this quality and many other excellent features. The Eurus is a new jacket within TNF’s Summit Series collection and is designed for aerobic alpine adventures and received approval from some of the most extreme outdoor athletes. I have [...]
The Miwa Down Jacket by Mammut is packed with 750 fill goose down. This translates into extreme warmth that is highly compressible. We have been wearing the jacket by itself in temps well below freezing and have been pleased thus far and are excited to see how the Miwa performs when winter really starts to [...]
If you loved your Mountain Hardwear Phantom jacket, you are going to love the Nitrous Jacket. The Nitrous Jacket, available for men and women, packs the same amount of great warmth as my ‘ole favorite, but weighs even less and packs down even smaller. Plus, the Nitrous has some style to it with a subtle [...]
If the whole going green craze has your number but you don’t want to sacrafice on quality and performance, the Helly Hansen Ekolab Recycler Jacket might just be for you. The Ekolab Recycler is a 3-layer waterproof breathable shell that is made of 100% recycled bottles. It comes with water resistant pit zips, taped seems, [...]
When a company names a product Ultimate, immediately the performance bar is set pretty high. Mammut’s Ultimate Hoody is pegged as wind-proof yet breathable softshell jacket that can just about do it all. In my testing I found that this softshell delivered on every promise. The fit is close to the body, perfect for alpine climbing, [...]
Finding a good shell these days isn’t hard to do with a number of brands making quality products. Finding a great shell on the other hand is a little harder to come across, the Sierra Designs Mantra Fusion is a GREAT 3-layer shell. We tested this shell out while skiing, snowshoeing, hiking, dog walking, and [...]
The Melt Jacket from Obermeyer continues the company’s mission to provide great outwear for the slopes. A good mix of style, technical features and plenty of pockets, this jacket is perfect for a day on the hill. In my testing, the first thing I noticed was the fit. The medium was a little on the [...]
Whether you’re dropping big turns in the backcountry, running on a cold day, summiting a 14er, or trying to blend in with the crowd while in Vail, the Arcteryx Venta AR Jacket will meet your needs, and then some. The Venta AR is composed of three different Windstopper fabrics that combine to keep cold breezes [...]
The Cloudveil Spacewalk Jacket is a PrimaLoft insulated softshell that is an excellent performer whether you’re out for a day on the slopes, an afternoon snowshoe, or just staying warm while in town. The Spacewalk is part of the Cloudveil RZ series, which encompasses products that are not super technical, but handles the job for [...]
The Patagonia Reconnaissance jacket is a great winter jacket that keeps you warm while skiing and snowboarding in temperatures down to -25 F and won’t overheat you in mid 30′s or 40′s F. With a 45% recycled Primaloft liner, the Reconnaissance jacket keeps you plenty warm while dropping big turns on the ski’s or shredding [...]
We’ve been testing out the Obermeyer Progress Jacket over the past few cold winter months and are very impressed with this jacket. The Progress Jacket is longer than most jackets on the market, giving you complete coverage weather your trying to stay warm and snow free on the slopes our out running winter errands. The [...]
Salomon’s Vibrant Jacket is an attractively styled and remarkably fitted piece of skiwear. The Vibrant Jacket is made using Salomon’s own climaPro Softshell fabric and features actiLOFT insulation and a subtle overall pattern. Its climate management and ease of movement gave its testers warm and comfortable days on the slopes with temperatures varying from the [...]
Patagonia’s Reconnaissance Jacket is a dream for winter’s chill. The jacket is soft and highly compressible while delivering unbelievable warmth and comfort. We tested the Reconnaissance on many Colorado ski days and on long cold walks with the dogs. We loved the combination of soft shell on the outside and cozy PrimaLoft Eco insulation on [...]
