For some people, skiing is about the rush of speeding down the well-groomed slopes at your favorite resort. For others, it’s about hiking up the mountain and earning those powdery turns on the way down, and for still others it’s about hitting the terrain park. No matter why or how you like to ski, you’ll need some sweet ski clothing brands to make sure you’ve got your technical performance and style bases covered. These thirteen brands have all made their mark on the ski industry with their innovative, adventure-focused, fun-loving clothing and apparel products.
ORSDEN: PREMIUM SKIING OUTERWEAR
Orsden was founded in mountains of Vermont by a couple of avid skiers. Their goal is to provide premium skiing gear and apparel at a more affordable, accessible price. Their ski jackets and ski pants (in men’s and women’s sizes) both feature their all-weather performance system: 4-way stretch, breathability, waterproof, and insulation. This brand’s products are elegant, technical, and seamlessly translate from slope to lodge bar. Orsden also offers several less technical t-shirts and sweats for aprés ski.
One of Orsden’s ski products I’d like to feature is their Slope Pants. On top of the promise of the all-weather performance system, their Slope Pants include a high, adjustable waistband, hidden hip pockets, laminate and DWR (durable water repellent) finish, rugged cuff guards and stretchable snow gaiters.
CUMULUS: ONE-STOP BRAND FOR TECHNICAL SKIING APPAREL
Cumulus, founded in 1989 Poland, values simplicity and lightness while retaining durability and quality in their ski clothing products. This company is part of the “fast and light” movement revolutionizing the skiing and outdoorist communities. They build their clothing and other products using the best raw materials they can find, specifically to keep you comfortable in harsh winter conditions. They have a variety of down jackets and pants for insulation between your base layer and outer layer, as well as windproof, highly breathable outerwear jackets. This technical cold-weather apparel comes in both women’s and men’s sizes.
One ski product I’d like to feature is the Incredilite Endurance down jacket, built using ethically-sourced hydrophobic goose down and water-repellent Pertex Quantum Pro fabric. This jacket will keep you warm and dry in cold and wet weather conditions, and features flexible cuffs, inner mesh pockets, and an adjustable hood to fit your helmet.
Cumulus also builds winter-minded accessories, like their boot covers and down hats. Cumulus can be your one-stop brand for technical apparel to keep you warm on the mountain.
PEAK TO PLATEAU: INNOVATIVE SKI CLOTHING MADE WITH YAK WOOL
Peak to Plateau was conceived and the high altitude mountains of central Asia where yaks are as common as cows. This brand’s products are made using natural fibers from yak wool; yaks naturally have an impressive insulation system to keep themselves warm in extreme cold environments, and Peak to Plateau uses soft down fiber from their wool to translate this insulation system into amazing winter-ready ski clothing.
There are two of this ski brand’s clothing products I’d like to highlight: the 40 Below Neckwarmer and Pamir Ski Socks. The neckwarmer, made with 17.5 micron yak fiber and 17.5 micron New Zealand merino, is made for technical performance, warmth, and comfort. The classic rib knit style also allows for plenty of stretch and insulation. Likewise, the Pamir Ski Socks are perfect for any style of skiing: midweight, medium cushion, over-the-calf length, also designed for warmth and comfort.
TILL I DIE: HIGH-PERFORMING SKI CLOTHING WITH A GOOFY EDGE
The name Till I Die is pretty intense, but take a look at this brand’s products and you’ll see these folks know how to have fun. Their ski and outdoor apparel are high-performing with a goofy edge. Take their Yardsale long-sleeve; it’s dry-wicking, anti-microbial, UPF 30, and features a graphic design reminding you that failure (a.k.a. a yardsale fall) is part of the process. This long-sleeve is a perfect mid-layer, or a top-layer on warmer ski days. As part of their mission to leave the world a better place and make the outdoor accessible, Till I Die has a listing of events that they run and sponsor to get more people skiing and outside.\
POINT6: UNPARALLELED COLLECTION OF MERINO WOOL SOCKS
Point 6 is a family-owned ski clothing brand based out of Colorado, focused on producing the highest quality base layers and socks using merino wool. Their founding team includes the creators of SmartWool, so you know this brand knows what’s up when it comes to merino products.
Their collection of merino wool socks is unparalleled; you can find socks of all weights, cushions, and lengths to fit your outdoor activity needs. For hitting the slopes and glades, you’re probably looking for something like the Ski Carve Light OTC. These socks use 37.5 technology to supercharge the wool’s natural abilities to attract moisture before it becomes a fully formed sweat droplet, thus maximizing evaporation for top-notch dryness, comfort, and performance. These socks are mid-weight with light terry loop cushioning in the shin and under foot for comfort, warmth, and versatility.
GIVE’R: GEAR FOR ADVENTURE
Give’r is an outdoor lifestyle brand out of Jackson Hole, WY, with the goal of inspiring unrelenting pursuit of adventure. Their high quality clothing and gear are made with the highest quality materials and meant to endure tough conditions.
This outdoor brand’s signature product is their 4-Season Give’r Gloves. These heavy duty, highly durable, 100% waterproof, insulated gloves are perfect for cold days on the mountain. The 4-Season gloves are super versatile and can just as easily perform when you’re splitting logs for firewood or working with heavy machinery. Featured in Outside Magazine’s Best of 2017 and Backcountry Gear Guide Select lists.
Learn more about Give’r from their founder on the podcast, or in our blog post.
FARM TO FEET: HIGHEST QUALITY MERINO WOOL SOCKS SOURCED AND CRAFTED IN THE US
Farm to Feet’s goal is to create the world’s top wool socks using only US materials, manufacturing, and workers. This ski and outdoor brand uses a unique combination of US merino wool, LYCRA spandex, and nylon materials and design features like comfort compression, seamless toe closure, and cushioning and reinforcement. All of this comes together to produce super comfortable, high performing and practical socks for the avid skier, outdoorist, or weekend warrior.
Farm to Feet offers several ski sock options in men’s, women’s, and kid’s sizes with different features depending on your preferred style of skiing (backcountry, racing, etc). I’ll highlight their Big Cottonwood backcountry socks here; its 3D Active Knit Technology in the shin manages sweat during climb and provides light padding on those earned turns. These socks also have added reinforcing support in ankles and footbed and Wool2 toe box for extra warmth.
Learn more about Farm to Feet from their founder on the podcast or in our blog post.
Hemetic Trading Co: American-made Apparel for the Outdoor Lifestyle
Founded in 2013 in Burlington, VT, Hemetic Trading Co is an outdoor lifestyle brand focused on quality, modesty, and durability. They have a few products that move them into the skiing brand category: their unisex Polartec Thermal Pro Fleece, Winter hat collection, and beer koozies.
A little more on their Polartec Fleece: it’s is lightweight, breathable, and moisture-wicking, making it a perfect mid-layer for the slopes. The fleece also features oversized hand pockets, a chest pocket, a waist drawcord and elastic cuffs to keep the warmth where you want it.
Learn more about Hemetic Trading Co in this blog post.
CLOUDLINE APPAREL: SKI SOCKS FOR HAPPY FEET
Cloudline Apparel is all about keeping your feet happy so you can enjoy your outdoor adventures. This brand uses anti-microbial, dry-wicking merino wool so their socks stay comfortable and fresh through heavy use.
They currently offer two versions of ski and snowboard socks in both men’s and women’s sizes: their Ski & Snowboard Sock – Ultra Light and Ski & Snowboard Sock – Medium Cushion. The Ultra Light is their thinnest available ski sock, designed to keep your feel cool when you’re working hard and warm when you’re chilling after a hard line. The Medium Cushion socks have more cushioning through the whole sock for comfort and warmth. Both socks fo over the calf for max coverage and support.
Learn more about Cloudline from their founder on the podcast or in our blog post.
TREW GEAR: THUMB’S UP FOR FUN-WORTHY SKI GEAR
Trew Gear approaches outdoor gear with a playful attitude; they want you to have a blast on groomers and backcountry lines, and their ski apparel is going to make that possible. Trew started in 2008 with their signature snow bib, designed specifically for the variable weather and environmental demands of the Pacific Northwest. Since then, they’ve gone direct to consumer and expanded to offer outer, mid, and base layers and other ski and ride accessories with two key innovations: NuYarn Merino Wool for mid and base layers and Dermizax stormproof membrane for outer layers.
I’d like to highlight Trew Gear’s Stella ski jacket, made specifically for women. The Stella jacket is a technical, functional ski shell, made with the Dermizax stormproof membrane for ultimate breathability, durability, and waterproofing. The jacket also features articulated construction, extended rear end coverage, an adjustable helmet-compatible hood, underarm zip vents, an ergonomic powder skirt, and a microsuede chin guard. Coming in at 22oz, the Stella ski jacket is lightweight with a freeride fit. ($299)
Checkout our thorough gear review of Trew Gear’s Stella and/or learn more about Trew Gear from their co-founder on our podcast!
TOBE OUTERWEAR: BRINGING YOU THE ULTIMATE OUTERWEAR FOR BACKCOUNTRY SKIING
TOBE Outerwear is a go-to for durable, high quality, technical backcountry ski outerwear. Their jackets, bibs, gloves, helmets, and other clothing and gear are all designed to keep their adventurer warm, dry, safe, and having a blast. Their most unique product is their monosuits; the Ludo Monosuit, which TOBE marks as for the beginner to intermediate crossover user, is a 1-piece 3-layer suit that will perform in backcountry lines, on a snowmobile, and any other winter activity you can think of. The monosuit is lightweight with a 20,000mm membrane, making it 100% waterproof, windproof, and breathable. TOBE adds reinforcements in the knees, inner calf, and leg cuff, as well as a double stitching construction for ultimate durability. ($669.99)
Check out our gear review for TOBE’s NOVO Monosuit V2!
NWT3K: CUSTOMIZABLE SKIING OUTERWEAR
NWT3K (aka Northwest Tech) began with the mission to build a unique, customized ski and snowboard jacket. Once they accomplished that, they’ve expanded to include customizable outerwear for skiers, riders, and mountain bikers. All of their products are built with high quality waterproofing, practical technical features, and a timeless customizable design.
Their Custom Snow Pants are impressive in both style and performance; designed for all-season adventure, NWT3K’s ski pants feature a lightweight fit, 20K waterproof fabric, adjustable waistband, mini-mesh moisture wicking lining, and ski-specific technical features like reinforced cuff insteps and powder leg gaiters. For the powderheads among you, these pants also come with an optional snow bib, ideal for keeping the waist-deep pow on the right side of your outerwear. If you want to be able to customize your ski or board look with top quality outerwear, give NWT3K a look.