Who makes the best snow skiing clothing?

Question

Who makes the best snow skiing clothing?

Answer 1

My fav is Sporthill. The 3SP fabric is very warm, wicking and windproof.  For XC (which I do) a very light jacket is used. Wicking to keep dry is very important.

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Answer 2

spider

but its not cheap

Answer 3

There is something REALLY wrong with being able to buy ski clothing at a department store.

Personally, out of all of my ski gear, the only thing I own that is made by a ski clothing maker is one pair of ski pants I have from Obermeyer. Just about everything else is a multi-purpose garment.

I've owned jackets from Columbia, Red Ledge, Precision Mountaineering, LL Bean, EMS, and Marmot. My LL Bean jackets (all three of them) take a beating and keep me warm. I've had some problems with the Precision Mountaineering jacket (which, by the way was the one with the highest MSRP!) So...so much for cost = quality. I worked for EMS for a while, so I used to buy their stuff because it was really cheap for me to do so. I don't work for them anymore, but still buy their stuff because I can almost always count on it to not fail.

Pants: I have three pair of ski pants. One from EMS...very good, keeps me dry and has a good fit. The previously mentioned Obermeyer pants only see the light of day when it is butt cold...like -0F cold. The other shining star are my cheap, ($99) CAMPMOR bibs....that's freakin' right....CAMPMOR. I've had them since 1999 and they've done everything from backcountry skiing in Colorado, winter mountaneering in the Adirondacks, mis-adventures while snowmobiling, and several seasons of instructing, making snow, and running lifts. Now that's not to say they haven't seen the repair shop a few times, (twice) but they refuse to die. (The Sheeple who swear by The North Face are idiots. Only the pro-line North Face stuff is any good...and they don't sell THAT at Nordstrom's.)

Gloves: I wear OR Pro-Ice mitten shells with Manzella Gore Windstopper N2S liners...on really cold days I wear a fleece liner...doesn't matter from where. The shell from OR is what matters. Also...A company called Tough Duck makes the best freakin' gloves. Leather palm, thinsulate liner, and waterproof...about $25 and a h**l of a lot better than Mountain Hardware's Snowpro gloves (I destroyed one of those $80 gloves in about two days.)

Any jacket made with Gore Windstopper or Polartec Windbloc will serve as a good mid-layer or even a top layer if you feel like skipping a shell.

Headwear: If you are a sans-helmet person...OR makes some great Windstopper hats, Turtle Fur hats are good too.

Answer 4

I'd recommend Columbia!

Answer 5

it REALLY depends what you want to spend, and what you're style is. Some people ski in clothing made only for skiing. The best of that is probably Spyder or Karbon. It's pretty expensive. Others prefer gear that is general cold weather gear, but can be used off the slopes.  The best of that is probably Arcteryx. it's also pretty expensive.

The next level, which is absolutely great but not as expensive, includes brands like marmot, mountain hardware ( my personal favorite), patagonia and north face. Just a bit below that are brands like Columbia, Stryke, EMS and LL Bean, which are also perfectly fine.  

All of these brands will give you clothing with many years of use, depending on what you use them for.  The higher priced stuff is pro quality (I believe Spyder outfits the US ski team), but unless you're very advanced, you probably don't need it.

Answer 6

Ummmmm well personally I like the north face they are really good you can buy them at nordstrom for like one hundred and sixtey five dollars but trust me its worth it