The North Face Brigandine Futurelight Jacket

Price: £675

Cast your minds back to a pre-pandemic 2019. It was the year The North Face unveiled Futurelight. TNF’s latest advancement in waterproof technology, it promised to be “the world’s most advanced breathable-waterproof outerwear technology.”

As statements go, it felt like a big one; maybe even a slightly cliched, hyperbolic, bit of marketing spiel rather than something based in reality. Thankfully, the cynical side of our brains were way off the money that time and The North Face really did go on to deliver something of a game changer in the outdoor industry. We’ve loved our experiences with Futurelight and will happily bore the pants off anyone who’s willing to listen to us talk about it.

When the technology is applied to a freeride skiing garment, as is the case with the Brigandine, it leaves us looking at one one of the most technical ski jackets on the market. Named after the armour soldiers from the middle ages would wear into battle, this jacket has been built to go toe-to-toe with some of the most technical terrain and challenging conditions on the planet. The North Face are obviously doing something right with it as it’s a become something of a regular on the Freeride World Tour podium.

This ski jacket is, quite frankly, a bit of a masterpiece. Class-leading breathability, comfort, durability, superb waterproofing and style; it’s got the lot.

This product was selected for our Ski 100.

Read our The North Face Brigandine Futurelight Jacket review.

Rab Khroma Kinetic Ski Jacket

Price: £300 / €350 / $350

When it comes to creating ski jackets for ski touring, comfort, weight, and durability are all major factors in the design process. In the case of Rab’s Khroma Kinetic jacket, somebody at Rab clearly got the memo about all of the above. It’s made from a nicely stretchy, reassuringly tough, and waterproof Proflex fabric that will keep you feeling comfortable through the biggest of backcountry days.

It’s a lightweight offering, this jacket, and has clearly been made with the eat, sleep, and drink ski touring types very much in mind. It’s practical, functional, and, unlike some of its rivals for the crown, won’t cost you the earth. That’s not to say it’s cheap, but it’s certainly more affordable than a lot of the equally high-end ski jackets on the market.

If you’re all about the mountaineering missions, you’ll get good use out of this jacket.

This product was selected for our Ski 100.

Read our Rab Khroma Kinetic Ski Jacket and Pants review.

The North Face Summit Series L3 50/50 Down Ski Jacket

Price: £470 / 520€

Our first glimpse of 50/50 technology came at ISPO 2020 while we were checking out TNF’s Advanced Mountain Kit. A capsule series that represented the highest level of athlete-driven textile development, you could already sense how it would start to drip down into products made with mere mortals in mind.

The unique baffle construction is, without question, the most interesting talking point of this jacket. It features a series of baffles that, when combined with the air permeable face fabric, will help to dump heat when you’re on fast-paced touring missions. Rather than a conventional baffle construction, where the baffles are stitched together collectively, the 50/50 design features a gap between each baffle. This gap allows air, and moisture, to flow freely when you’re going hell for leather on the ascents.

The L3 50/50 Down Jacket combines the warmth of a regular down jacket with the air permeability of a fleece. This means you’re left looking at a highly technical and truly versatile midlayer that can be thrown on, and left on, throughout a day of high-intensity mountain exploration. Give those designers at The North Face a pay rise. They’ve earned it.

This product was selected for our Ski 100.

Read our The North Face Summit Series L3 50/50 Down Ski Jacket review.

FW Women’s Manifest Tour 3-Layer Ski Jacket

Price: £450 / 500€ / $550

Diving headfirst into the crux of the matter, the FW Women’s Manifest Tour 3-Layer Jacket is everything that was good about last winter’s superb Manifest Tour 3-Layer but in a women-specific cut. Yes, that Dermizax EV fabric will deliver, within reason, when you need it to and the whole thing has been made to be backpack and harness friendly for those who want to get out and about in all manner of terrain and conditions. Practicality for the win.

It comes in a nice range of colours and has, according to the wordsmiths at FW at least, been “designed to move fluidly with the body to increase efficiency and comfort.”

Women who ski can wear this FW jacket and move forward through the mountains with confidence.

This product was selected for our Ski 100.

Read our FW Women’s Manifest Tour 3-Layer ski jacket review.

Haglofs Vassi Touring GTX Jacket

Price: £480 / 550€

It sounds obvious but when it comes to ski touring jackets many ski tourers crave something that will be genuinely lightweight, breathable, and protective all the same time. Many of the big ski brands out there understand this assignment, and move heaven and earth to make it a reality. Some, unfortunately, either do not ‘get it’ or just fail to deliver. The Vassi Touring GTX from Haglofs, we’re happy to report, very much serves up what we’ll dub here as simply ‘the dream’.

A lightweight fabric set-up in a looser freeride cut, this jacket represents an oh-so sumptuous fusion of out and out functionality with a fashion-conscious styling. It will, in other words, do the business for you in the backcountry but won’t make you look like a lycra-clad skimo nerd when you’re going large on the in-town après ski session.

No discussion of this top, top, ski jacket would be complete without shining a light on the use of Gore-Tex Active. It’s a waterproof technology that puts an emphasis on being both feathery light and highly breathable on its most fundamental level. You’ll be able to charge about the hill without turning into a sweaty mess thanks to its construction.

If you’re worried that by being lightweight, Gore-Tex Active will fall apart like toilet roll at the first sign of trouble – you needn’t worry. No, it’s not as a bombproof as those heavier jacket layers you’ve mistreated, bashed about, and left festering at the bottom of your backpack for years on end but the 30-denier face fabric on the outside of it means it will stand up well enough to scuffs and scrapes.

All things considered, the Haglofs Vassi Touring jacket carries all the features you need for big days in the mountains and nothing you don’t. It manages to be both minimalist and properly practical at the same time. It will help to keep you comfy, and won’t weigh you down, when you’re working hard on the skin track. It’s a fantastic ski jacket from a fantastic outdoor brand. We like it a lot.

This product was selected for our Ski 100.

Read our Haglofs Vassi Touring GTX Jacket review.

HEAD KORE Ski Jacket

Price: £500 / €550

HEAD were founded back in 1950 by the superbly-named aeronautical engineer Howard Head. Over the last 70 years, it’s fair to say the brand have accumulated a lot of experience in the art of making stuff. Whether it’s skis, tennis rackets, ski jackets, or something else, HEAD always approach things from a starting point which asks ‘how can we elevate this to the next level?’

The IAM (Intelligent Apparel Membrane) is the headline act on the HEAD KORE ski jacket. It came about after the development team at HEAD sportswear tested a bunch of existing membranes before coming to the conclusion that, actually, they could do it better. That might sound like big talk but when you’ve been in the pushing the design envelope game as long as the HEAD lot you tend not to worry much about whether you’ve actually got the cut-the-mustard know-how to deliver.

This product was selected for our Ski 100.

Read our HEAD KORE ski jacket review.

Montec Fawk Ski Jacket

Price: £171 / 200€ / $209

A good level of functionality, wrapped up in a trendy package, at a price that won’t force you take out a second mortgage on your home? Yes, there’s a lot to like about the Montec Fawk. It’s rocking 20k/20k on the waterproofing and breathability front, and has a layer of compact insulation to help matters when the temperature has dropped down well into the minuses.

Considering the ski jacket has a relatively low price point of £171, we’ve been particularly impressed by how durable and environmentally-friendly this product is. In places you’d have expected Montec to cut corners, they’ve actually gone the other way – solidifying those corner with a reassuring and well-intentioned approach.

Take Montec’s Shield-Tec fabric, for example. It’s got a 300,000+ Martindale test score (it’s a fabric rubbing thing), and brings some reassuring durability to the mix. On the inside of the ski jacket, the Dupont Sorona insulation is composed of 60% plant-based fibres and provides top-notch heat retention and regulation for optimum all-day comfort.

This jacket from Montec is an absolute bargain. Be sure to consider it.

This product was selected for our Ski 100.

Read our Montec Fawk Ski Jacket and Pants review.

Ortovox 3L Deep Shell Ski Jacket

Price: £590 / €650 / $680

Founded in 1980 by Gerald Kampel and Jürgen Wegner, Ortovox put themselves on the map when they developed the first double frequency transceiver. It was called the Ortovox F2 and made searching for avalanche victims far more efficient, going on to become the number one option on the market and a genuine lifesaver in the backcountry.

Now, with just over 30 years experience of getting out beyond the resort boundaries and exploring the deepest snow in the mountains, Ortovox are serving up an excellent option for those shredders who live for skiing the untouched faces. It’s called the Ortovox 3L Deep Shell and it really is a very good jacket.

This product was selected for our Ski 100.

Read our Ortovox 3L Deep Shell Jacket and Pants review.

Planks Charger Ski Jacket

Price: £370 / 400€ / $450

Over the years, Planks have built up a reputation as the cool kids on the block; becoming something of a rare British success story in the ski industry. With Team GB’s most rad slopestyle extraordinaire James ‘Woodsy’ Woods representing the brand in recent years like some of wild-haired octo-grabbing king, Planks have increasingly become a business worth keeping an eye on when the next set of winter product launches drop.

Clearly not willing to settle for being a one trick pony by going all in on the hipster park and pipe scene, the Charger showcases a brand – in Planks – more than willing and more than capable of escaping the resort’s outer edges, and mixing it big time in the ‘real’ mountains.

The RIDEdry20 used here is highly waterproof and breathable (20k/20k), and will help to shield the wearer and keep them comfortable when they’re working hard in inhospitable weather on both the ascent and descent.

This jacket is a lovechild of an off-piste mountaineering mindset and a style-focused, ‘must look back-of-the-fridge cool at all times’, approach to shred gear. We’re big, big, fans of this one.

This product was selected for our Ski 100.

Read our Planks Charger Jacket and Bib review. 

Planks ‘No Skiing On Mars’ Capsule Collection

This jacket is less about performance, although it certainly won’t let you down on that score, and more about the story behind it and what it represents. It’s part of collaborative team up between Planks and Protect Our Winters UK, and we like it a lot (not only because of that unbelievably cool space pattern, although this certainly hasn’t hurt its cause either).

Through sales of this limited edition collection, a collection – it’s worth adding – which is made from Repreve recycled yarn, Planks Clothing are hoping to raise £5,000 for POW’s Carbon Literacy program. This program is playing a pivotal role in changing the carbon consumption of individuals and businesses, and is helping POW to fight back against short-sighted and damaging environmental policy. Guided by the eco-brains at POW, Planks Clothing have also pledged to reduce their carbon dependency with the goal of becoming carbon neutral in their crosshairs.

With global temperatures continuing to rise, and no known ski resort alternatives discovered in the solar system, this jacket might be looking to the stars but it’s also very much focused on saving winter as we know it here on planet earth.

This product was selected for our Ski 100.

Read our Planks ‘No Skiing On Mars’ Collection review. 

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