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Anybody who’s ever skied with me, notably within the backcountry, is aware of that I am a diehard fan of hardshell jackets and pants. Merely put, after I’m out within the components, I wish to be protected against them. For essentially the most half, the marginally stiffer and “crinklier” materials utilized in hardshell kits (eg. Gore-Tex Professional) do not trouble me, and I a lot choose the additional safety they have a tendency to grant.
However, many (most?) backcountry skiers are inclined to choose to additional breathability and stretch {that a} softshell package grants. I respect if you happen to actually need that sort of efficiency, however regardless of being from throughout the pond, I am really not a fan of the “euro” match (which means skinny all the pieces). Name me the style police, however I simply do not suppose you look cool. That being mentioned, I have been onerous pressed to discover a softshell package that really appears and appears like a freeride package–till Out of doors Analysis dropped the brand new Cloudchaser 3L jacket and bibs.
A part of a limited-edition fall 2025 drop, the Cloudchaser 3L is objective constructed for backcountry freeride skiers. It is available in a full measurement run for each women and men, with 4 colours to select from in every minimize.
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Out of doors Analysis Cloudchaser 3L Package Specs
Sizes: XS, S, M, L, XL (males’s & girls’s)Match: Relaxed fitMaterial: Pertex® Protect 3L Males’sColors Accessible: Aurora/Black, Lingonberry, Atlantic, BlackWomen’s Colours Accessible: Summit, Oyster/Sable, Rainforest, Lingonberry
Sizing and Match
Prior to now, discovering extraordinarily breathable and stretchy backcountry ski attire has traditionally led me to tight becoming “Euro-style” attire, and Out of doors Analysis appears to have taken discover and bucked that pattern with the brand new Cloudchaser Package.
Each the jacket and bibs fall onto the roomy facet of the spectrum, although I am certain most members of newschoolers.com wouldn’t name them saggy. We’re not speaking XXXL Tall-T saggy, however as an example they fall squarely into the “trendy freeride” match paradigm.
I am 6’0″ 195lbs, and opted for the XL, as I most frequently do with manufacturers like Patagonia, Arc’teryx, Mountain Hardwear, The North Face, or the like. I’d say that it suits true to measurement, and resulted within the roomy match I used to be on the lookout for, with loads of room for layers beneath and no constrictions wherever.
In The Discipline
Backcountry ski touring could be fairly demanding in your tools, most of all outerwear. When you’re going powder ski touring, odds are you will be skinning uphill in a storm, managing moisture each on the in and out. Relying on whether or not you reside in chilly, dry local weather (like I do within the Tetons), or a a lot wetter and hotter environ (just like the PNW), your selection of drugs will differ. Many backcountry skiers in drier climates go for extra breathable softshell kits, whereas those that ski in heavy, moist snow will typically go for the heaviest-duty waterproofing obtainable. The brand new Cloudchaser 3L jacket and bibs would possibly cut up that distinction higher than every other package I’ve tried.
With the much-hyped launch of Gore-Tex’s new PFAS-free ePe membrane final yr, I might forgive you for forgetting about all the opposite waterproof/breathable materials on the market. For the Cloudchaser package, OR selected to construct each the jacket and bibs from Pertex Protect 3L, one of the storm-proof softshell materials on the market. Good selection, in my view. It is stretchy, strikes with you in all instructions, and retains you fairly rattling dry.
Outsized zippered pit vents make it straightforward to dump warmth when on the skintrack.
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The jacket is constructed with options present in most freeride jackets: a powder skirt, an outsized hood, zippered pit vents, inside drop pockets for skins, and a easy three-pocket structure on the outside. Regardless of it being marketed as a “backcountry” package, I am stoked there’s nonetheless a zippered elevate go sleeve on the left wrist.
On the bibs, the pocket structure is equally properly thought out, with two symmetrical bib pockets, plus two thigh pockets, a of which include a sewn anchor level for an avalanche beacon. For my part, these pockets might be a bit increased on the thigh, however that is simply private choice. Each legs function zippered exterior vents that open absolutely (no mesh)–the precise leg zipper opens all the way in which to the bib to perform as a rest room flap. The again of the bibs additionally options a way more breathable mesh proper the place a backpack would hit, serving to to alleviate that dreaded lower-back moist spot.
From a breathability standpoint, the Pertex Shielf 3L beats Gore-Tex fingers down, even with a baggier match. Most waterproof/breathable membranes work higher the nearer they’re to your pores and skin (extra vapor stress and fewer distance for moisture/vapor to cowl that method), however this one nonetheless wins. Nonetheless, it isn’t fairly as waterproof as one thing like Gore-Tex Professional–so if you happen to ski within the rain, or need one thing to simply completely delete the weather out of your expertise, it may not be your best option. For many high-output ski touring days, particularly in drier climates, the Pertex Protect 3L cloth is a wonderful possibility.
Whereas I like the development, match, and options of the jacket and bibs, the one main disadvantage I discovered is that the jacket shouldn’t be notably compressible or packable. I spend quite a lot of time touring uphill in a baselayer or midlayer, with my shell stuffed inside my backpack. The Cloudchaser 3L is much less compressible than most backcountry-oriented hardshell jackets I’ve worn. It is also fairly a bit heavier. Maybe a detachable powder skirt might assist treatment this? Given the truth that it is an especially breathable softshell jacket that can doubtless keep on whereas uphilling, that is not a deal-breaker, however it’s value noting.
What Sort Of Skier Is The OR Cloudchaser Package Greatest For?
When you’re a diehard backcountry freeride skier who’s on the lookout for softshell efficiency with a contemporary (learn: not-tight) match, and prefers lengthy days on the skintrack to using chairlifts, Out of doors Analysis’s new limited-edition Cloudchaser 3L package is for you. That is the reply for these of us on the lookout for that excellent in-between package for high-output days with out trying like a skimo athlete. It is available in a wide range of colours, a stylishly saggy freeride match, and has the correct amount of pockets, vents, and different options (not too many!) to maintain issues minimalistic for large days within the snow.
