 Poster: A snowHead
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Having been lucky enough to do quite a few weeks a year rather than just 6 days my ski gear has just been destroyed
Looking for any recommendations for tough kit that will last. ( maybe touring type clothing?)
Gloves, had a pair of leather hestra (looked after and treated every week) now worn through. So looking for tough, good grip, warm and can take liners (got very small hands)
Jacket, got a good insulated one, outside patched and sewn up, not too good in the wet Looking for a tough, waterproof, shell type and the main layer below
Trousers, got good windproof warm ones but not good in the wet and again loads of sewn up cuts and wear to the seems
Don’t mind paying for good stuff that lasts, colour and fashion don’t bother me much
Any ideas welcomed
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Have a look at Black Diamond leather gloves, they are pretty tough.
I've had my Sweet Protection shell trousers for years, and they're still going strong so must be well made too. I always manage to destroy my jackets though (all sorts of brands), so I won't make a rec there.
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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?
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Kjus, Arc’teryx & Spyder all seem to be good in the durability stakes.
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Mountain Equipment Changabang jacket, expensive but worth every penny.
Andy.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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For clothes look at Paramo. My 28 year old jacket is shabby, but still waterproof. Snow Shepheard gloves look durable --- I've just bought some. Cheaper than other brands, can't say how long they will last.
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Can't go wrong with Kinco gloves if you want something tough.
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There’s good - many brands - and then there’s tough. And it varies over time - Montane did the amazingly tough Team6 guide jacket, now discontinued. Peak Performance did the Heli Guide 3L which was tough as old boots. The Heli trousers had Kevlar patches on the bottom as well as great venting etc. My Patagonia guide jacket - the Speed Ascent - has been hammered but looks perfect and performs brilliantly - yep, now discontinued. I think the theme here is that guide-focussed kit from Montane, Mountain Equipment, Patagonia, Peak Peformance, etc tends to use better nylon taffeta fabric (including ripstop), better seam construction and better reinforcement in high wear areas. Feedback is important - I recently fed back to POC regarding some excellent leather gloves with a very weak nose wipe fabric panel on the thumb - rest of the glove perfect - the thumb trashed.
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Surprised that Hestra gloves didn’t make the grade but some people just seem to trash gloves. If you’re one of those people, tough but cheap (like Kinco) is probably the way to go and just treat them as disposable items.
A lot of kit these days is made to be light so probably not as tough as it used to be. I think you just need to accept that trousers will get nicks in them no matter what and keep some duct tape/seam grip around to repair
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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.
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This gear is bombproof. 320 denier fabric. Too heavy for touring, but built to withstand NZ rope tows, which will destroy most jackets in a day.
Doubt it's available overseas but it really is a once in a lifetime purchase in terms of durability.
https://cactusoutdoor.co.nz/collections/snow-gear
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Jnr's instructor's uniform is all Spyder and is still in decent condition. He's worn it 7 days a week for the past 2 months. It bloody stinks now though!
I got a new Peak Performance jacket at the end of last season. It's probably seen 40 days skiing and isn't looking too great unfortunately.
Last edited by Ski the Net with snowHeads  on Tue 21-03-23 13:40; edited 1 time in total
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@hammerite, yep lower range Peak P can be quite delicate despite being expensive.
Ah….stinkiness.
We went out with the local freeskiers. My son loves them. He does complain about the smell though. And indeed they stink.
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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.
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Very pleased with my Norrona Lofoten pants, which I've now had a few years. Very well designed and good quality materials.
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Dakine gore-tex mitts = the best for a cheap price, try Baron or Galaxy models both excellent/tough. Arc'teryx Rush jacket super tough - had mine for five seasons so far... but should last given the price 
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You know it makes sense.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Poster: A snowHead
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| valais2 wrote: |
@hammerite, yep lower range Peak P can be quite delicate despite being expensive.
Ah….stinkiness.
We went out with the local freeskiers. My son loves them. He does complain about the smell though. And indeed they stink. |
No idea if this counts as low range. https://www.peakperformance.com/ie/product/m-gravity-gore-tex-jacket-g78016.html#color=54216&size=42017 I did get it in a sale and paid nowhere near the €600 RRP.
And yes there is a certain aroma around some skiers. That happens to be Jnr at the moment. He does at least take the uniform off and put on normal clothes when he goes out for drinks straight after work.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I bought a Helly Hansen Odin Infinity shell jacket a while ago.
It's pretty well bombproof - I use it for skiing, winter mountaineering and in the summer it goes in my pack for multipitch climbs anywhere from North Wales to the Alps. Not only that, but the Infinity bit means "forever" water repelling outer, no more applying breathable proofer (water still runs off).
Only thing it's missing is an arm ski-pass pocket, though the small one in the chest is perfectly good for this.
Not only that, but it was well under half price from Sport Pursuit (full rrp £500!).
It's bright orange, mind...
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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?
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@hammerite, …indeed that’s not a low range one…jolly nice.
The really tough PP guide focussed jackets are a little more than that, but not by much…
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^^^ i have some Peak Performance Heli Alpine kecks which are at least 10 years old. Done lots of touring, scrambling over rocks etc. A couple of minor repairs but still totally usable
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Yep the 3L Heli stuff is top gear
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I guess pretty much every decent jacket/pants will last 2 or 3 years (of my skiing, which is 100+ days/season). After that it's time to change it anyway. Afterall, does anyone really want to ski with 28 years old ski jacket, which of course still looks like new  . My, a bit biased (due many reasons, but mostly because I get it for free reason), pick is nowadays Scott. They have fairly good stuff with proper Goretex not some noname copies of Goretex, and even if you need to pay for it, it's relatively cheap compared to some Norrona, Peak Perfromance, Haglofs etc. But I don't like insulated stuff, so all my jackets and pants are shell only, with insulation layer under. It makes it easier for maintenance too.
For gloves, definitely Hestra. They last forever and are literally indestructible, no matter what you do with them. But being leather it take a bit of maintenance from time to time.
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I have also been disappointed with the durability of Hestra gloves. New this year are Black Diamond Guide gloves, very nice after 2 weeks. Also worth trying the Deltaplus lifty/guide gloves @ c.£15 a pop you can carry a spare pair.
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@Gordyjh, I find that (as with the OP) somewhat surprising. My first pair of Army Heli Leathers lasted 8 seasons, around 60 days a season, with the obvious exception of the covid year. I think that's pretty acceptable? They're actually still used for snow clearing and such like.
I used to change my gloves at least once a year, due sweaty hands and thus stinky gloves. Removable and washable liners a revelation.
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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.
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The last pair of Hestra gloves I had lasted 9 years and are still usable, the current pair are around 3 seasons in and look basically new.
I generally stick now with Norrona for outerwear as whilst I did have an issue with one jacket after a few weeks skiing, the replaced it under warranty for free and the trousers are still going strong with very few signs of wear after multiple weeks skiing. Expensive but they have an outlet and deals do appear at the end of the season. I also have a lot of Arc'teryx outerwear which is bombproof though becoming more "fashionable" now which does not help the already expensive pricing...
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@DrNo, I am afraid that as far as Norrona goes, I do not have a "Nordic" physique*  Also, I rarely like the colours! Loads of chums ski in it though and it seems to last well.
* I also don't appear to have a "Millet" physique, which is a bit of a pity, as I quite often like their stuff.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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My Hestras lasted about 8 seasons too. I think they were heading towards end of life as the leather on one of the thumbs had worn through and had a tear in. Probably by carrying skis. Anyway, I hastened the need for a replacement by stupidly leaving them on a bus.
The not cheap Oakleys I replaced them with the next morning have been pretty poor in comparison. The have zips around the cuffs and the zips on both gloves have broken. They now only get used on warm days and I’ve gone for snow shepherd instead. So far so good (probably 20 days of use in).
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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.
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Not sure how to release this information, as I love their stuff, but the seams on my jottnar trousers all failed at the same time, after 3 weeks of use. I'm still umming and arhhing about whether to send the offending article back to them.
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@joffy69, send them back ... or at least contact them ...
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You know it makes sense.
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Afterall, does anyone really want to ski with 28 years old ski jacket, which of course still looks like new
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To be fair, I did say it looks a bit shabby..but it still works...
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