Ice trousers

Men's and women's winter sport trousers from Mountain Hardwear

Product

Men's Escape ice trousers / women's Lyra ice trousers

Promise

Waterproof, breathable GORE-TEX Performance Shell trousers that can stand up to the rigours of a backcountry tour. Full side zippers on the legs provide ventilation and slide easily on or off over layers and boots.

Performance

We tested both the women's and the men's 'ice pants' from Mountain Hardwear on a WideWorld trip to Beaver Creek, Colorado. As with all the products we tried that week, we wore these skiing and snowshoeing in snowstorms, sunshine and when the weather turned very cold indeed. And throughout, they stood up the tasks remarkably well. The women's ice trousers we tested were thinner than the men's but these are designed as an outer shell to be worn over thermal layers. They're incredibly easy to get on or off (full zips on the sides of both legs), plus the bottoms are designed to slip over large ski boots. The Gore Tex technology ensures you'll keep the wind at bay and stop the snow from penetrating the fabric.

The men's Escape Pants were a little thicker than the women's trousers that we tested (although there are others in the Mountain Hardwear range). They came with removable, adjustable braces plus zipped, lined pockets for keeping your hands warm. Like the women's ice trousers, these also have zips going down the entire leg line so it's easy to get them off at the end of the day.

Verdict

Gone are the days of sopping wetsuit-style salopettes (remember them?) that refused to dry out by the next morning's skiing session. All you need these days are a pair of thin thermal long-johns, possibly a pair of tracksuit bottoms, and a pair of Mountain Hardwear ice pants. These are lightweight, waterproof, hardwearing, and we love them.