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Best ski clothing brands for hitting the slopes in style
From The North Face to Osprey, these brands impressed our tester
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Winter will soon be upon us. If you’re heading to the slopes this year, it’s time to start thinking about your kit. In recent years, several wonderfully innovative brands have set up shop, producing incredibly hi-tech gear for skiers and snowboarders, leaving them spoilt for choice. So, if you’re wondering which brands are worth investing in, you’re in luck, as we’ve rounded up our favourites.
From Picture Organic Clothing – a brand known for its sustainable, on-trend gear worn by some of the world’s top skiers and snowboarders – to brands such as The North Face, Helly Hansen and Columbia that continue to produce top-notch gear with incredibly technical specifications, our comprehensive guide covers a range of styles and budgets.
A number of wallet-friendly brands make brilliant gear for skiers and snowboarders, at prices that won’t break the bank. We’re particularly impressed by Mountain Warehouse’s ski gear for children – after all, there’s nothing worse than forking out extortionate amounts on a jacket or trousers your little darlings will soon outgrow.
Meanwhile, if you’re looking for gear that will keep you warm in the coldest of climes, we’ve got a few tips relating to the lingo. Items that have PFC-free DWR refer to ones with a durable water-repellent treatment free from nasties. You may also see ski jackets and trousers with built-in Recco reflectors, which can be best described as a passive transponder that can help rescue teams find you in the event of an avalanche. Bluesign accreditation, held by a growing number of skiwear brands, signifies items have been produced in a resource-conserving way, with reduced impact on the environment, while Gore-Tex is the holy grail when it comes to toughness.
Features to look out for include flatlock seams to reduce chafing, zippered vents in areas such as armpits, to aid breathability, and, when it comes to insulated products, PrimaLoft filling is an incredibly hi-tech synthetic alternative to down.
Now you’re up to speed, keep scrolling to discover our pick of the best brands for skiers and snowboarders.
How we tested
As former snowboard instructors and chalet staff, our tester has enjoyed entire winters in the mountains, much of which were spent on the slopes. Our reviewer has gone through more goggles, ski jackets, ski pants and thermals than most people have had hot dinners. With a soft spot for far-flung locations, such as remote ski resorts in Sweden, as well as big hitters such as Tignes and Verbier, our tester knows what to look for when it comes to ski and snowboard kit that can handle the gnarliest snowstorms, the biggest mountains and the scariest descents.
The best ski clothing brands for 2024
Picture Organic Clothing
Best: Overall
Want to stand out on the slopes? Picture, which makes clothing for skiers, snowboarders and surfers, might just be the brand of your dreams. There’s nothing about this brand we don’t love, whether it’s the ultra-bright colours, the oodles of tech and the attention to detail when it comes to fit, as seen on products such as the bestselling 3L xpore jacket (£459, Snowleader.co.uk). We love that this jacket has a longer cut at the back (no more numb bums on cold ski lifts) and we also like the abundance of pockets.
What really sets this brand apart, however, is its openness – based in France, Picture produces most of its kit in China and Turkey, only using factories that have Fair Wear certification, and consumers can read about every aspect of Picture’s production processes – whether relating to material costs, packaging policies or carbon emissions – on its website.
Osprey
Best: For backpacks
Osprey produces a huge range of backpacks, many of which are perfect for skiers and snowboarders loaded with accessories. You’ll find bags featuring pockets for avalanche tools and GPS devices, and elasticated lassos to lighten the load when you’re carrying skis or a snowboard. This is also a brand that scores highly in the sustainability stakes, embracing eco conscious fabrics and opting for water-repellent treatments that are free from nasties. The best bit? These are still some of the toughest bags around – and we speak from experience, having lugged their bags halfway around the world. Currently, we’ve got our eyes on the 18l firn 18 backpack (£140, Osprey.com), with its funky colour schemes. We’re also huge fans of its accessories, which include rain covers, packing cubes and hydration reservoirs.
Rab
Best: For ski pants
Rab was founded in 1981 by Rab Carrington, a Sheffield explorer with a weakness for gruelling expeditions through Patagonia. His goal was to create brilliant gear for mountain-lovers. Today, the brand’s products include everything from camping kit to ski and snowboard gear (its most popular products include the women’s Khroma volition Gore-Tex ski pants (£390, Rab.equipment), which feel wonderfully lightweight, despite the use of two-layer Gore-Tex and PrimaLoft silver insulation).
The brand is known for its top-quality kit that relies heavily on recycled materials and shuns nasties such as fluorocarbons. It also enables customers to get the most out of their kit, by helping them understand technical features, materials and specifications. The brand does this via its Rab Lab, an info-packed website that delves into the science behind the swag. Why can’t more brands do this?
The North Face
Best: For a wide range of products
North Face’s gear has been worn by skiers, snowboarders and mountaineers since the Sixties, but it hasn’t rested on its laurels. Almost 70 years after it was founded, The North Face has become the go-to brand for everyone from expedition leaders and mountaineers to skiers and snowboarders, and its products range from bags and base layers to highly technical ski and snowboard jackets.
Choosing a favourite The North Face product is akin to being asked to name a favourite child, so, we’ll simply say this: if you’ve never tried the brand’s base layers, give them a go. Famous for using a precision-engineered combination of materials, such as polyester, elastane and FlashDry fabric, these garments provide unbeatable sweat-wicking while still offering breathability.
Smith Optics
Best: For goggles
Ten years ago, helmets were few and far between on the slopes, but Smith’s headgear is so stylish you can’t help but wonder why we didn’t embrace helmets much earlier. It’s also a brand well ahead of its time when it comes to eyewear – it was one of the first to launch goggles with magnetic frame systems (magnets affix the lens to the frame, allowing lenses to be swapped quickly when the weather changes), and its lenses and frames come in a dazzling range of colours.
The brand’s goggles are also known for their ergonomic fit, and, while many brands that produce goggles designed to be worn over spectacles don’t appear to place much priority on aesthetics, Smith’s spectacles-friendly options are some of the most stylish you’ll find, with a shape that somehow has plenty of room but still hugs the head in all the right places.
Vallon
Best: For sunglasses
Vallon’s headquarters are in the Swiss ski resort of Verbier, so, you can rest assured this is a brand that knows a thing or two about life in the mountains. Hero products include the heron glacier sunglasses (£85, Vallon.com), which have side shields for unbeatable protection in the fiercest of snowstorms, while the brand’s stylish goggles are also worth checking out. However, this is an incredibly versatile brand, and we’re suckers for the sleek simplicity of models such as the June sunglasses (£68, Vallon.com), which are compatible with ski helmets, have 100 per cent UV protection and a high-gloss acetate frame, which hugged our face in all the right places.
Columbia
Best: For durability
This is a brand with serious bragging rights – it’s kitted out US, Canadian, Brazilian and Ukrainian freestyle ski teams, and has trademarked more tech than you can shake a ski pole at, whether it’s Omni-Heat (dots that reflect heat to trap warmth) or Turbodown, which uses both synthetic insulation with natural down. The brand’s range of products spans everything from gloves and gilets to ski pants and jackets. Standout products include the cirque bowl ski trousers (£135, Columbiasportswear.co.uk), which have plenty of room to move (thanks, partly, to adjustable waist tabs and articulated knee zones) and Omni-Heat tech, for impressive heat retention.
Mountain Warehouse
Best: For value
Mountain Warehouse, founded in 1997 and known for its wallet-friendly price points, sells products from other brands alongside ones designed and produced in-house, and its wide range of own-brand essentials – such as jackets, ski pants and thermal gear – make it a one-stop shop that has long been a hit with families. The huge range of colourways will please style-savvy youngsters taking to the mountains for the first time, and the brand’s always been popular with those keen to stand out on the slopes, without spending eye-watering amounts of cash. The snowdrop printed kids’ ski jacket (£34.99, Mountainwarehouse.com) is a great example. Features such as easily adjustable cuffs and a generously sized snow skirt keep kids warm and dry, while the cloud-like fleece lining takes comfort levels to the max.
Montane
Best: For jackets
Montane is a brand that just does everything extremely well. Known for durable waterproof and windproof products that feel fabulously lightweight, Montane is a brand beloved by explorers – its gear has been worn by everyone from British Antarctic Survey researchers to British mountain rescue teams. We’re also huge fans of its base and mid-layers – items you can simply throw on when a little extra warmth is needed, for everything from apres-ski sessions to walking the dog. For the protium lite hooded fleece jacket (£90, Montane.com), Montane’s approach was to use the most hi-tech fabric (in this case one with a gridded pattern to trap heat) but to simply use less, resulting in a ridiculously light garment that still provides all-day warmth.
Helly Hansen
Best: For hi-tech gear
It’s hard to beat Helly Hansen when it comes to technical wizardry, and that’s been the case since this Norway-based brand was founded in 1877 by captain Helly Juell Hansen. Today, it’s a brand that caters to every type of customer – yes, its kit has been worn by the world’s top skiers, but there’s also plenty on offer for skiers and snowboarders who are simply watching the pennies but don’t want to compromise on quality. A case in point is the women’s blizzard insulated pants (£140, Hellyhansen.com). A PFC-free DWR treatment keeps dampness at bay, and we loved the ultra-grippy boot gaiters, designed to ensure the bottoms don’t creep up and allow snow flurries into our ski boots.
Buff
Best: For accessories
Barcelona-based Buff was founded by Joan Rojas, who wanted an accessory that would protect him from the sun, wind, and cold as he toured Catalonia on his motorcycle. His solution was a seamless microfiber tube. Wear one and you’ll be a convert for life – they’re ultra-soft, wonderfully stretchy and fabulously versatile, and won’t just keep your neck warm, but can be unrolled to provide extra insulation for the face, too. Plus, inner bands wick away sweat while helping to keep the buff in place. Buffs are also incredibly sustainable – the brand, which achieved carbon neutrality in 2023 and powers all of its facilities with renewable energy, relies heavily on recycled material, including plastic bottles.
The verdict: Ski clothing brands
Picking a favourite brand is like being asked to choose a favourite child – they’ve all got their unique attributes and USPs. That said, we can’t help but highlight Picture Organic Clothing as a brilliant example of an innovative brand with a laser-like focus on sustainability; Helly Hansen for uncompromising toughness; and Rab for cranked-up comfort.
For more ski-season must-haves, check out our guide to the best base layer thermals for men and women