Soft shell jackets for skiing

[CwmRaider]

I quite like Fjällraven, i have a Keb Jacket, a Singi Anorak and an Anorak no. 8. The Singi was bought used like new at less than half price, the No. 8 on sale at 40 % off, and the Keb jacket at retail price.
I never wax mine.
The Keb is not windproof under the arms and behind the back. In windy conditions it works great with a backpack. It's pretty lightweight.
@GrimSurfer Pulling on the Anorak no. 8 feels like donning a suit of armour. It's relatively heavy, has an obscenely great hood (even bigger and better than the Keb). It sizes pretty big, i usually wear XXL (including the Keb jacket) and got an XL but an L may have been better depending on what's worn underneath. Perhaps a loose fit has advantages also. I wear mine also for biking to work in windy conditions in the winter and for fieldwork in the Arctic. I think it's biggest drawbacks are the retail price and the lack of Velcro tightener for the sleeves, there are two press buttons and they both are not perfect.
The Singi is somewhere in between. The hood is the smallest of the three but has a faux fur edge which keeps the wind out of the face. I think it is maybe slightly redundant between the Keb and No. 8.
Note that if you expect polycotton à la g1000 to be waterproof you'll be disappointed. It will keep you dry in light rain for a short while if waxed. That said they are excellent when temperatures are below freezing whatever conditions. And in a drizzle i prefer to not wear Goretex regardless.

Underneath, wool. My favorite is Woolpower, a brand with production in Østersund, Sweden. The name of the seamster or seamstress can be found on a label stitched inside the garment, which gives it a personal touch. The 400 weight zip sweaters are my favorite. I have 600 as well but i think wearing more layers is better than thicker layers.

[tkarhu]

@lilcliffy I too can't imagine wearing anything except the most breathable items (i.e. wool) due to sweat. That jacket looks good but too much polyester for my liking, can't see it breathing enough for me.

For breathability, a polyester weave is very similar to woven cotton in my experience. Densely woven synthetic material is just great, it keeps wind out but breathes. I would look at weight and fabric construction more than material. A 300-400 g woven jacket could be great, what others suggested here.

My skiing pants are Fjällräven polycotton, but for tops I use synthetics because they wick moisture more effectively. Yet I do appreciate, when people choose natural materials.

[mca80]

For breathability, a polyester weave is very similar to woven cotton in my experience. Densely woven synthetic material is just great, it keeps wind out but breathes.

That has not been my experience at all, but I guess everyone is different. Even the slightest activity wearing just a wool tshirt and a polyester overshirt shirt causes my tshirt to become drenched in sweat. I donated the couple Columbia and Patagonia shirts I once had. To each his own.

[GrimSurfer]

I quite like Fjällraven, i have a Keb Jacket, a Singi Anorak and an Anorak no. 8. The Singi was bought used like new at less than half price, the No. 8 on sale at 40 % off, and the Keb jacket at retail price.
I never wax mine.
The Keb is not windproof under the arms and behind the back. In windy conditions it works great with a backpack. It's pretty lightweight.
@GrimSurfer Pulling on the Anorak no. 8 feels like donning a suit of armour. It's relatively heavy, has an obscenely great hood (even bigger and better than the Keb). It sizes pretty big, i usually wear XXL (including the Keb jacket) and got an XL but an L may have been better depending on what's worn underneath. Perhaps a loose fit has advantages also. I wear mine also for biking to work in windy conditions in the winter and for fieldwork in the Arctic. I think it's biggest drawbacks are the retail price and the lack of Velcro tightener for the sleeves, there are two press buttons and they both are not perfect.
The Singi is somewhere in between. The hood is the smallest of the three but has a faux fur edge which keeps the wind out of the face. I think it is maybe slightly redundant between the Keb and No. 8.
Note that if you expect polycotton à la g1000 to be waterproof you'll be disappointed. It will keep you dry in light rain for a short while if waxed. That said they are excellent when temperatures are below freezing whatever conditions. And in a drizzle i prefer to not wear Goretex regardless.

Underneath, wool. My favorite is Woolpower, a brand with production in Østersund, Sweden. The name of the seamster or seamstress can be found on a label stitched inside the garment, which gives it a personal touch. The 400 weight zip sweaters are my favorite. I have 600 as well but i think wearing more layers is better than thicker layers.

Good to know about the No. 8, as I’m between a M and L in a jacket. Agree, the buy-in is a bit steep.

A 600 sweater would kill me skiing. Ha ha. If it’s colder (-10 to -18), I’ll wear one of my Icebreaker 260 half tip turtlenecks and be good to go. If it’s colder than that, then maybe a 120 under my 260. But I’ll be drenched at the end of my session.

I could sure see wearing a 400 Woolpower on the coldest days though. I love that brand.

[wabene]

As per this forum I just tried out my very thin softshell an OR Ferrosi and it was great! I felt it was very breathable and will be my go to shell. Thanks guys, I got this thing for *free* from my closet

[Stephen]

I think one thing all this discussion illustrates is that a lot of this comes down to the person and the conditions.
On one end, you could have someone who runs cold, is skiing in a dry climate, and skis at a moderate pace.
On the other end of the spectrum, you could have someone who runs hot, is skiing in humid conditions, and skis at a faster pace.
And, all the combinations in between.
The first is going to have very little problem with perspiration and breathability.
The later, much more so.
Which is going to influence preference, selection and recommendation.

Then there are the various fabrics.
There is the technical side*, and say the environmental(?) side to material selection equation.
*(Measurable weight, moisture absorption, waterproofness, air permeability, etc.)
I’m not going to argue any of those selection criteria.
But some is based on facts, and some on personal choice.
Whatever works for you is great.
Synthetics often seems like the easier choice — more mainstream, more options.
I do love my Icebreaker base layers, but even they rely on some synthetics, at least so far.

As for the slings and arrows, gee wiz, can’t we just leave all that to Fox and CNN?
Maybe count to 10 before hitting the “Submit” button.

[lilcliffy]

I’ve been looking at the Fjallraven Anorak No. 8. Kinda pricey at MSRP, but I’d have a go if I see it on sale.

The Anorak No 8 is incredible- I use it as a field jacket. One could certainly use it for ski touring, but as Roelant stated, it is quite heavy.

The No 8, at recommended size, fits like a poncho. I sized down so that it fits more like a jacket.

How’s the snow out your way @lilcliffy ?

Snow is decent- not great. We have about 30 to 40cm of refrozen, consolidated base in the open- ~1m in the woods. A bit of fresh snow everyday- excellent trail skiing.

We have had an incredible amount of precipitation, but it has been mixed with rain so our hero snow has been temporary.

However- not going to complain about excellent trail skiing!

There is no snow at lower elevation and further south (e.g. Fredericton).

My home base is 200m higher and 50km north of Fredericton.
Elevations and verticals increase to the west and north.
But the snowfall is greatest in the snowblet that starts in Stanley and runs north to the Gaspe (e.g. there is more snow here than in Carleton County to the west of us).

[lilcliffy]

@lilcliffy I too can't imagine wearing anything except the most breathable items (i.e. wool) due to sweat. That jacket looks good but too much polyester for my liking, can't see it breathing enough for me.

G-1000 is a cotton-polyester blend- completely breathable. I wax the hood, shoulders and forearms.

[corlay]

G-1000 is a cotton-polyester blend- completely breathable. I wax the hood, shoulders and forearms.

question: I assume once an area is waxed, it is no longer “breathable”, correct?

[mca80]

G-1000 is a cotton-polyester blend- completely breathable. I wax the hood, shoulders and forearms.

question: I assume once an area is waxed, it is no longer “breathable”, correct?

Correct. With caveat. Depends on type of wax/oil used. For most, moisture permeability will be greatly reduced, which works both ways obviously. I prefer as light a coat as possible, in specific areas, and preferably a treatment that is not so much waterproofing as water repelling (and probably less repellant than what comes on most high tech poly gear).

Certain treatments will allow vapor transmission but cause something like rain to simply roll off. It isn't a perfect system but I think it works well in my experience.

And kudos to @Stephen for pointing out how so much of this depends on context, individuals, environment, etc.