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Stay warm, dry and stylish, with our tried and tested pick of the top pants this season
First-time skiers often pay most attention to shopping for a ski jacket while forgetting that finding the best ski pants is every bit as important – especially considering that you’re going to be spending a significant portion of the week sliding down slopes on their backside.
Good ski pants are just as essential for experienced skiers and snowboarders. If you’re heading off-piste in search of deep powder, your lower body is going to be spending a lot of time in the snow, and working up quite a sweat. That means you need legwear that will seal out moisture while keeping you ventilated.
A good pair of ski pants should be waterproof, breathable, unrestrictive, comfortable and have plenty of pockets for things such as your phone, keys, piste map, wallet and snacks.
They can be either traditional trouser style or ‘bibs’, which are loose-fitting dungarees with elastic shoulder straps. Some will even feature zippered mesh panels that can be opened or closed to increase or decrease airflow through the garment. To help you on your quest, we hit the slopes and tested a number of different designs.
We’ve drawn on years of experience on the slopes and inside-out knowledge of technical apparel to assess each pair of pants in fine detail. As always, we aim is include options for all budgets while making sure certain criteria are met across the board. Regardless of price, all the ski and snowboard pants we tested had to be comfortable for a full range of motion, breathable, look good enough to hit the après-ski in style and have ample water resistance for dealing with deep snow. We were also on the lookout for extra features such as ventilation, well-placed pockets and adjustability, for the perfect fit.
Good snow pants are seldom cheap. If you don’t spend a good chunk of cash, you’re probably going to wind up with something that might look half decent but will leave you high and dry (or high and wet) on the mountains.
These reasonably priced pants from The North Face have been a firm favourite on slopes the world over for many years now, and they come about as close as possible to that sweet spot between affordability and quality. They’re a versatile pair of trousers that can handle anything your average resort can throw their way, including mixed weather, scuffs, scrapes and the occasional spill.
The pants are made from The North Face’s proprietary DryVent two-layer waterproof fabric, which does an excellent job of keeping water out while remaining breathable when the going gets sweaty. The fit is loose and comfortable, without approaching teenage snowpark-shredder levels of baggy, and there are ample pockets, zips and vents to help you handle resort days with ease.
Mountain Warehouse is always a safe bet when it comes to acquiring outdoor gear at budget-friendly prices. In addition to affordable hiking boots, waterproofs and fleeces, the British high street brand also makes its own in-house range of ski apparel, including these over-the-shoulder insulated pants with a rather appealing price tag.
Don’t go in expecting a pair of high-performance pants, and you won’t be disappointed. As far as build quality goes, the dusk II pants are not going to be sufficient for heavy riding all season long. If, however, you’re looking for a warm, water-resistant pair of pants that will cover you for the odd week of resort riding once a year, they’re ideal. In fact, the insulation coupled with the low price makes these pants perfect for beginners who are going to be spending lots of time standing around in the cold listening to an instructor, and who don’t want to break the bank for something they might only wear once.
Chances are, H&M isn’t the first store on your ski trip shopping list. However, with the newly launched H&M Move activewear range, you may want to reconsider your itinerary. The Swedish retailer has enlisted the help of Grand Studio – an outdoors design agency that has worked with the likes of Salomon, The North Face and On Running – to help create a range of surprisingly high-quality and accessibly priced skiwear, including budget-friendly bibs.
Cut from a three-layer waterproof fabric, these feature a loose fit for ease of movement, zippered vents to the inner thighs and rubber panels to the inside ankles, to guard against wear. There are two zippered hand warmer pockets, one zip leg pocket and a chest pocket.
Our only complaint concerns the stretch fabric used on the torso and inside the pockets. It feels a little flimsy, and we’re not sure how well it will stand up to multiple seasons of wear. That being said, £169.99 is relatively cheap, where bibs are concerned, and, overall, they are remarkable for the price point. If you’re looking for a full-body option without going secondhand or scouring sale racks, this is as good as it gets.
If money is no object, Arc’teryx’s sabre bib pants have a long-standing reputation as some of the best backcountry bottoms on the market. But don’t let that put you off if you’re more of a resort rider, because, while these pants are geared towards the more extreme side of the snowsports spectrum, they’re more than versatile enough to wear anywhere on the mountain… and in any condition.
This is no cheap pair of pants, but that’s because they feature a full Gore-Tex construction, complete with taped seams, articulated fit and the meticulous attention to detail for which Arc’teryx is famous. To say they’re built to take a beating would be an understatement. In fact, Arc’teryx is so confident in the build quality of its apparel, that it offers a full warranty for the “practical lifespan” of the product.
Features-wise, there are two-way zippered vents to the sides, two zippered leg pockets and a zippered chest pocket. The inner ankles have extremely tough fabric panels for wear, and there’s a zip fly to make toilet trips less of a hassle. As great as all of this is, the lack of handwarmer pockets may put off some people.
These bib pants are part of Oakley pro snowboarder Stale Sandbech’s signature collection. In terms of fit, looks and functional details, they’re hands down the best snowboard specific pants we tested. The only thing that stopped us from listing them as our best buy overall is the £343 price tag.
The pants are loose and comfortable without being clownishly baggy. They have a sturdy contrast zipper to the front, which makes putting them on and taking them off a breeze, and it’s a two-way zip for ease of peeing. Speaking of zippers, all of the zips are reassuringly robust and easy to grab (even with gloves on), and the logo-branded shoulder straps are similarly thick, burly and easy to adjust.
One of our favourite features of these pants is the adjustable leg openings. This is a feature seldom found on snow pants, but one that we always appreciate. It allows the fit to really be dialled in; it stops fabric from interfering with bindings; and, in our humble opinion, it improves the silhouette from a purely aesthetic standpoint. A standout pair of pants from Oakley, if you can afford them.
Burton is one of the best-known names in snowboarding and is synonymous with quality boards, bindings, boots and all the associated clobber you need to hurtle down snow-covered hills on a plank of wood.
The covert pants are a relatively slim-fitting, low-profile option that’ll suit those looking for a good all-rounder with a little bit of extra warmth for those chilly mid-season chairlift rides. They have a thin layer of synthetic insulation that’s lightweight yet warm, without adding too much in the way of bulk, but they’re still breathable enough to handle sweaty runs – particularly when you unzip the mesh-lined vents to the inner thighs.
Our size medium fits around a 34in waist, which is good for layering, and there are Velcro straps just inside the waistband to tighten, if required. The downside of placing these straps inside is it causes the waistband to bunch up weirdly at the sides, but this can be mitigated by simply wearing a belt
Based in the French Alps, this responsible ski and snowboard brand is committed to making snowsports apparel as environmentally friendly as possible. It does this by using recycled and natural fibres, limiting its use of harmful chemicals, and offering an extensive lifetime repair warranty on its products.
These three-layer waterproof pants are designed for big-mountain riding, away from the beaten track. They have a minimalist design, with just one zip pocket to the leg, zippered vents to the outside thighs, and poppers to the ankles, to make getting boots on and off nice and easy. They have a relatively slim fit with an adjustable waist that works really well, and they’re made entirely from recycled and circular polyester.
The North Face’s summit series range is designed to equip serious alpine athletes – people who need the absolute best of the best for big mountain riding. We’re talking jumping out of helicopters in search of death defying lines, as opposed to timidly sliding down green runs for an hour before hitting the après. So, if you’re more likely to spend your days freeriding than dancing on tables at the Folie Douce, these verbier Gore-Tex pants will be right up your couloir.
These top-flight freeride bibs are designed with extreme big mountain riding in mind. The Gore-Tex construction is exceptional, with fully taped seams, horizontal pockets (no more losing keys and phones on the chairlift), zip ventilation, and super-tough fabric at high-wear points on the inner ankles. We love the mad all-over print, too, but, if it’s not to your liking, there is a stealthier black version available.
Our only gripe (and it is a small one) is with the slightly bizarre single-sided adjustment to the shoulder straps. Rather than the conventional buckle adjuster to each side, The North Face has gone with a single strap that runs from the right side, over the shoulder, down the back, over the left shoulder and into an adjustable clasp mechanism on the left breast. We found it a little fiddly to adjust, but it only needs to be once and then you can just forget about it.
In terms of sheer bang for buck, it’s impossible to fault The North Face’s freedom pants. They’re solid all-rounders that can handle everything resort riding will throw their way, and all for a relatively affordable price of £160, for the uninsulated version.
For those looking to spend a little more, Oakley’s Tc gunn Rc bib pants are some of the best snowboard-specific pants we’ve ever used, and we can’t rate the fit and features highly enough.
Meanwhile, for beginners looking for an inexpensive option, Mountain Warehouse’s dusk II ski pants will do the job nicely.
For more snowsport must-haves, read our review of the best men’s ski jackets