 Poster: A snowHead
|
@GearGenie, I hate those sideways opening zips and I'm not sure what you're on, that model totally looks like a ski jacket.
You wouldn't catch me wearing that down the King's Road on a Saturday!!
|
|
|
|
|
|
GearGenie
GearGenie
Guest
|
|
Ahahaha my winter coat is totally an older version of that jacket, which was what I mean... but for like walks and bike rides etc. not for going out, so yeah, fair point!
|
|
|
|
|
|
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
|
|
I think that Montec gear is aimed more at Shoreditch Hipsters, but my daughter has bought some and I'm now very impressed!
Last edited by Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see? on Sat 31-12-22 16:26; edited 1 time in total
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
Hi and welcome.
I think you are over thinking this a lot! You've also left out the most important bit- your budget (although you have hinted at it with the brands you are considering).
Snow skirts- a red herring really. Only really an issue if you are going to be in powder- which you won't be as a beginner. Even then lots of people use jackets without them in powder.
Layers- depends. Some people run hot, others cold. I run hot so unless it is super cold I tend to only wear a long and short sleeved thin merino base layer and an insulated vest of some sort under my shell. I used to wear a fleece but this just made me tired and sweaty. But- you are a beginner and so will be standing around a lot. Unless you are going somewhere where it will definitely be super cold (e.g. Alberta) I'd think that what you suggest will be fine. If you have an extra layer of some sort all the better- insulated vests are very versatile.
Off the snow- it is really up to you. Plenty of people wear jackets they wear skiing for other things.
I've just looked at the jackets that you have been thinking about- they are all super technical and with prices to match (£5-600). If you have the money- why not? If these will be a bit on the very expensive side then perhaps you should look at something (almost anything) else. Other than fashion there is no real reason to ski in anything other than a string vest, woollen shirt, oiled wool jumper, a tweed jacket and a cravat (I'm only half joking). I think the point I'm trying to make is that the exact sort of jacket really doesn't matter at all.
There is a (high) risk of looking like you have 'all the gear but no idea'. This is an almost uniquely British phenomena, whilst some European novices might be seen in expensive 'designer' ski gear- that will be non-technical fashion type ski gear, whereas there are legions of British novices kitted out as if for the Freeride World Tour (usually in Chamonix) it is a bit silly and frankly looks ridiculous. If money is an issue ( I have no idea if you are a single merchant banker on £500k plus bonuses or a student) then much better to spend (much much) less on gear and the remainder on more skiing with as much tuition as you can afford.
At the other end of the price spectrum; Dare2, Decathlon. Anything from around £50-150.
Technical but not a big brand- Alpkit- hardshell (Definition jacket) or OHiro insulated jacket approx £200-250. Alpkit stuff is excellent, I like it so much I bought the company (ok some shares in a Crowdfunding offer).
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
| ed123 wrote: |
Hi and welcome.
I think you are over thinking this a lot! You've also left out the most important bit- your budget (although you have hinted at it with the brands you are considering).
Snow skirts- a red herring really. Only really an issue if you are going to be in powder- which you won't be as a beginner. Even then lots of people use jackets without them in powder.
Layers- depends. Some people run hot, others cold. I run hot so unless it is super cold I tend to only wear a long and short sleeved thin merino base layer and an insulated vest of some sort under my shell. I used to wear a fleece but this just made me tired and sweaty. But- you are a beginner and so will be standing around a lot. Unless you are going somewhere where it will definitely be super cold (e.g. Alberta) I'd think that what you suggest will be fine. If you have an extra layer of some sort all the better- insulated vests are very versatile.
Off the snow- it is really up to you. Plenty of people wear jackets they wear skiing for other things.
I've just looked at the jackets that you have been thinking about- they are all super technical and with prices to match (£5-600). If you have the money- why not? If these will be a bit on the very expensive side then perhaps you should look at something (almost anything) else. Other than fashion there is no real reason to ski in anything other than a string vest, woollen shirt, oiled wool jumper, a tweed jacket and a cravat (I'm only half joking). I think the point I'm trying to make is that the exact sort of jacket really doesn't matter at all.
There is a (high) risk of looking like you have 'all the gear but no idea'. This is an almost uniquely British phenomena, whilst some European novices might be seen in expensive 'designer' ski gear- that will be non-technical fashion type ski gear, whereas there are legions of British novices kitted out as if for the Freeride World Tour (usually in Chamonix) it is a bit silly and frankly looks ridiculous. If money is an issue ( I have no idea if you are a single merchant banker on £500k plus bonuses or a student) then much better to spend (much much) less on gear and the remainder on more skiing with as much tuition as you can afford.
At the other end of the price spectrum; Dare2, Decathlon. Anything from around £50-150.
Technical but not a big brand- Alpkit- hardshell (Definition jacket) or OHiro insulated jacket approx £200-250. Alpkit stuff is excellent, I like it so much I bought the company (ok some shares in a Crowdfunding offer). |
I don't really have a budget, but if I did decide to spend big, it would need to be a multi-use jacket, rather than something I'm not going to wear at home in the rain etc. I had been looking at the earlier mentioned ones simply because they showed up on various ski jacket ranking articles I had perused, whilst also looking quite nice. I really have no clue about the real world meaning of all the waterproof and breathability stuff, but I would like to stay bone dry after however many falls and potentially some snowfall, so that is why I had been aiming for the top level stuff!
From this thread and some further reading, it seems like most offerings will probably achieve this for my intended use, at least for this trip? I was probably mistakenly thinking that you needed the top of the line weatherproofing to avoid getting damp/cold. I remember being fairly well protected on my last snowboarding trip with my old Oakley jacket, but I've no clue what level of protection that even had at the time, it was from 2006 or so 
I'll see what kind of things are on offer come Boxing day, maybe I'll get a nice deal on the more pricey stuff, or I could just stick to something cheaper and just use it for ski trips. Thanks again for all the advice!
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
|
@Blacky, staying bone dry if you are being reasonably active is a bit of a pipe dream with hard shell jackets IMO.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Spend big on actually going skiing and tuition. The rest is froth. I think that the top end gear is really sold on fantasy and dreams (and why not- I have lots of ski fantasies). But the way to make those dreams come true is to go skiing and get tuition - rather than buy the gear that the chosen few use.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@ed123, yep - I remember one trip where my 80s “fashion” ski jacket was so porous I ended up wearing a waxed jacket underneath. And most of my layers were cotton.
Wouldn’t choose that now but I survived to tell the tale 
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
|
|
|
|
|
|
I'd like a new Jacket too...
I must admit the colour is the most important item for me.
I've never found that the hood on the jacket to have any use at all.
Pocket on sleeve is handy.
(As long as the colour is right)
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
|
Seriously just get a flannel shirt and a can do attitude to survival. It will be fine and you will look like a grizzly old local
|
|
|
|
|
|
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
|
|
|
|
|
|
| hang11 wrote: |
| Seriously just get a flannel shirt and a can do attitude to survival. It will be fine and you will look like a grizzly old local |
It works for hang11…
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
| Arno wrote: |
| @Blacky, staying bone dry if you are being reasonably active is a bit of a pipe dream with hard shell jackets IMO. |
Very true IME.
For pure functionality it's very hard to beat pertex & pile (e.g. buffalo). It's never going to win any fashion prizes, but it lets you:
1) add insulation without removing a shell (a downside of "conventional" layering is the need to remove the shell before adding/removing layers)
2) vent all the way to skin, so you remove sweat at source
3) wash it on a normal wash, without expensive treatments
4) repair it with tape or needle and thread
It's as multi-use as you can get. I've used it on multi-month wilderness expeditions on foot, bike and even canoe in some pretty inhospitable places, and still often use the same 25-yr old gear for ski touring today. It's held together with repair tape, so it fits in well in Chamonix.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
@snowdave, "fits in well in Chamonix"
Gucci sell repair tape?
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
|
@snowdave, I have a soft-shell with polartec alpha fleece which works similarly I think - great piece of kit
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
If I’m not in a flannel shirt, I have an awesome polartec alpha hoodie with no outer face material, weighs 90g and adds no heat at all on its own and super breathable but then I chuck a light pertex soft shell over the top and it s a really warm combo. It’s my go to for uphill walks. Polartec alpha is good stuff. Cheap too.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
|
I personally wouldn't hit the slopes in anything but Bogner...
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
|
I have the Arc' Rush - been brilliant (five years and counting). Never used the snow skirt; never needed.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
| Arno wrote: |
| @Blacky, staying bone dry if you are being reasonably active is a bit of a pipe dream with hard shell jackets IMO. |
Maybe not too clear, but I meant in terms of from the snow/external stuff when I said that, do you mean that that notion is a pipe dream, or that you will always sweat to some extent?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@Blacky, always sweat to an extent
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| under a new name wrote: |
@snowdave, "fits in well in Chamonix"
Gucci sell repair tape? |
Still plenty of duck tape at my end of town! Maybe at the posh end there’s more gucci on display
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
|
@snowdave, titter. Comment somewhat biased by this years xmas crowd who are clearly more -gucci than pata- … 
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
|
|
|
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
|
| tangowaggon wrote: |
| The powder skirts main usefulness is to reduce the cold draughts coming from the bottom of the jacket |
+1
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Raceplate wrote: |
| tangowaggon wrote: |
| The powder skirts main usefulness is to reduce the cold draughts coming from the bottom of the jacket |
+1 |
But reduces ventilation.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
Most useful features are:-
Lift pass pocket left upper arm
Chest pockets each side rather than the ones lower down
Pit zips
Never used the powder skirt on them once
Helmet compatible hood
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
That’s the great thing about a flannel shirt - just tuck it into your pants if it’s a bit draughty
|
|
|
|
|
|
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
|
|
@hang11,
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
I’m in the exact same boat; did a bit of research and ended up ordering the north face Silvani jacket: I figured it’s good for skiing down to -10 with a fleece & merino base layer that I already have, it has the skirt which is good as I’ll likely be on my back a lot and all the other ski features. If I end up being cold I can add a down mid layer (also already have one).
I was going to get a regular non ski shell but the guy in the shop said not to as they will ride up on the skis.
Also for town / dog walking / cycling it’s a nice pullover design with longer length so can use it over whatever you’re wearing (hopefully even a suit!) or have it stashed in a rucksack otherwise it’s just a plain raincoat so should get plenty of use even if I hate skiing.
Student discount took it to £180. Probably only works if you like the half zip style.
Also ended up finding some insulated ski trousers in tkmaxx for £50, merino from m&s and it’s basically £80 spent on ski specific stuff… definitely not the end of the world if I hate the sport. I think definitely check tkmaxx; I was very close to buying a peak performance goretex with the built in avalanche beacon but thought it’s probably overkill
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ
