Ski Fashion - Help

[closetmess]

I'm finally at the stage of my life where I can get back to skiing after racing and instructing up until my late teens. I just bought Vail's Epic Pass (6 resorts, unlimited skiing for $600) and plan on spending a few weeks in Colorado and a week in Quebec this year which is pretty good considering I live/work/play in Toronto's concrete jungle.

So my question for my fellow skiers is this - what is fashionable right now in the ski world? I need a new jacket and pants and have no clue where to start - I'm in my late 20s so I'm past the baggy camo look but am not really ready for the Austrian ski team outfit either...any links, advice, or general guidelines as to what's stylish right now would help a lot.

 

[Wes Bourne]

Dunno about ski fashion, but... http://www.styleforum.net/showpost.p...&postcount=108

 

[Phlexrayon]

My advice ... walk up to Sporting Life or Sign of the Skier (both up near Yonge and Lawrence). It's ski fashion you're after, so ski shops would be a perfect start.

 

[ajv]

I spend about 40 to 60 days on skis every season, in a pretty cold environment (around Chamonix) and I love what Peak Performance makes, technically speaking and from the style point of view.

Have a look at the link :

http://www.peakperformance.com/

 

[ld111134]

Most of what I see is all over the place, and I've skied in Europe, Colorado and Utah over the past few years. A lot of the "pros" that I know (patrollers, people who work for the resorts and ski pretty much every weekend) wear fairly simple stuff from Arcteryx, Descente, Marmot, etc. Europeans tend towards more fashionable stuff.

 

[closetmess]

Originally Posted by Phlexrayon

My advice ... walk up to Sporting Life or Sign of the Skier (both up near Yonge and Lawrence). It's ski fashion you're after, so ski shops would be a perfect start.

I am aware of where to cop the goods, just wondering what I should be looking for. Advising me to "just go to Holts for a suit" isn't really helpful in picking one out...

 

[unjung]

Originally Posted by ld111134

Most of what I see is all over the place, and I've skied in Europe, Colorado and Utah over the past few years. A lot of the "pros" that I know (patrollers, people who work for the resorts and ski pretty much every weekend) wear fairly simple stuff from Arcteryx, Descente, Marmot, etc. Europeans tend towards more fashionable stuff.

I snowboard, but I try to have a riding wardrobe that's more staid and functional... my pants are a little "snowboardy" but I bought a good black jacket this year that is functional, unembellished and should work for a few years. The only issue with snowboarding is that you will be default end up with slightly baggy pants since they have to fit over the boots, and boot cut would look ridiculous.

 

[Wes Bourne]

Originally Posted by unjung

I snowboard, but I try to have a riding wardrobe that's more staid and functional... my pants are a little "snowboardy" but I bought a good black jacket this year that is functional, unembellished and should work for a few years. The only issue with snowboarding is that you will be default end up with slightly baggy pants since they have to fit over the boots, and boot cut would look ridiculous.

Actually, there have been several different fits in snowboard outerwear for the last few years, ranging from full-on foodcourt gangsta baggy to much more fitted for all the hesher kids. An example of the latter would be Burton's Stroker pants: http://www.burton.com/mens-snowboard...gid=mens-pants

Fwiw, some brands offer outerwear that's even more fitted than that ^.

 

[makewayhomer]

my ski experience has always been

"there is nothing more fashionable than being comfortable/dry/warm"

I wear very simple high quality goods from Marmot & Patagonia mostly. lots of black, though I kind of like light colored pants if you want to stand out a bit

 

[darnelled]

I was skiing in CO last season and the slope styles were about the same as my previous trip 10 years ago.

Find something that fits and looks good to you, then buy it new for half price on Ebay. That's what I did for my 5 yo.

 

[CrackedCrab]

Go to Gorsuch and get some Bogner gear.

 

[UserNameToronto]

Avananche makes gear for the CSIA (Canadian Ski Instructors Alliance) and many ski schools. They're Canadian. I have 2 full outfits from my ski pro days (one circa 1996, the other 1999). The latter still looks current.

Sometimes you can find ski schools that are getting rid of uniforms--they're quite inexpensive and high quality.

http://www.avalancheskiwear.com/eng/...ofilCorpo.html

 

[jaiman]

Orage makes really nice stuff, www.orage.com and they are a Canadian company as well.

One thing that will probably have changed since you last skied is the number of people who wear helmets now. From my small racing background, I developed a love of helmets in highschool, but back then (mid to late 90s) would never wear one when not racing. Now it seems like everyone is wearing one, myself included. Warmer than a hat and keeps you from being Bono'd.

I'm in Toronto as well, and higly recommend Skis and Bikes in Missisagua (Dundas St, iirc). They have a fairly good selection of stuff, generally better prices than Sporting LIfe and their bootfitters are fantastic.

 

[Wes Bourne]

Originally Posted by jaiman

One thing that will probably have changed since you last skied is the number of people who wear helmets now.

+1. And that's a good thing.

 

[JohnGalt]

If ever there is a way to look like a eurotrash noob it is by worrying about "fashion" on the slopes. Get some good stuff that will keep you warm and dry. You should know better.