Ski Pants

Ski Pants - Comfortable and cozy pants from Armada, Dakine and more
Ski Pants are one of the most important pieces of gear for an enjoyable day out on the slopes. You want to make sure that your pants have everything you need - waterproofing, warmth and fit top that list. At L9 Sports, we carry pants for warm spring days and frigid stormy winter days, and some that work great all the time. For example, zip vents in the pants can turn super insulated pants into a light cooling pair. Some features you should look for include the fabric, the waterproof/breathability ratings, and the insulation.


Pant Fabrics
Everyone wants pants that are sealed up tight to keep out the cold and snow, but they also want them to breathe, so they don’t feel like they’re stuck in a greenhouse. Luckily, fabrics that do both exist, and most pants available at L9 incorporate these materials. Gore-Tex, AdvancedSkin and infiDRY (among others) are waterproof AND breathable. The description of each pair of pants will explain the unique fabrics those pants feature.


Waterproof and Breathability Ratings
The industry has developed special ratings to help you understand your pants’ ability to repel water and let air through. The waterproof rating is measured in millimeters using a Hydrostatic Head test. In this test, the fabric is pulled tight under a 1 inch diameter sealed tube of water. Then it is watched over the course of a day to determine how many millimeters of water the fabric can withstand before it soaks through.

The breathability rating is measured in grams, and specifically looks at how many grams of water vapor can travel through the fabric. It is measured by testing how much water vapor can move through one square meter of fabric, from inside to out, in a day.

Pant Insulation
Some pants are like a portable furnace, while others act more like a thin wall between you and the elements. Insulated pants have all different kinds of insulation, including Goose Down, and a number of synthetic insulators. Non-insulated pants are preferred by many skiers because they are versatile. You can wear nothing but a base layer and your ski pants, or you can layer up to stay warm. Often, these pants have better breathability ratings than insulated pants as well. If you aren’t sure if the pants you’re looking at are insulated or not, remember to read the description. It will usually let you know.