What ski pants do I need?

The ski vacation is planned and it's time to figure out what skiwear you still need. You realize that you definitely need new ski pants, but as you have probably noticed there are many different types of pants that are suitable for different purposes.
But don’t worry, we'll help you to find the perfect ski pants for your vacation.

The most common ski pants

The three most common ski pants are:

• Softshell ski pants
• Hardshell ski pants
• Insulated ski pants

Softshell ski pants

These pants consist of multiple layers that are tightly woven together that make the product water repellent, breathable, comfortable, and also very lightweight. Softshell products are ideal to wear during or after skiing as they allow for great breathability and freedom to move. Here, it is however important to keep in mind that softshell pants are water repellent but not completely waterproof. This means that they can leak through if the water pressure is too high.

Hardshell ski pants

These pants are definitely water repellent! Hardshell guarantees that you will stay dry as it is made for fast-changing weather conditions. It is however important to remember that this material has no insulation and therefore offers no additional warmth. For this reason, we recommend wearing thermal clothing underneath when the temperature is low. Oftentimes, a specific membrane is used to ensure that the material is water-repellent and breathable. This membrane contains a thin layer with small holes on the inside of the outer fabric. These tiny holes are too small for water drops, but large enough for water vapor to pass through. In this way, water cannot get in, but water vapor (sweat) can still get out. 

Insulated ski pants

Insulated ski pants have an outer layer which is waterproof and an inner insulated layer. The level of insulation depends on the individual ski pants. The nice thing is that these pants will protect you from the cold and keep you warm.

However, we strongly recommend to additionally have a look at the water column and breathability of the jacket or pants. Each product on the website shows how water repellent and breathable the product is.