At the heart of any snowboarder’s arsenal is a high-performance jacket that can meet the demands of the mountain while maintaining peak chic.
The Annok W Snow Jacket (Photo: Dope Snow)
Headed for the slopes this season? You’ll need to make sure you have a purpose-specific ski and snowboard jacket in tow. The best brands offer jackets made from high-tech fabrics that combine waterproofing with breathability to provide comfort and protection against the elements, as well as special features like powder skirts, goggle pockets and safety mechanisms. Style is an important component too, and many brands now offer women’s jackets in a wide range of colours, patterns and silhouettes. To help make the task of choosing a jacket a little less daunting, we’ve picked out several standout brands that deliver on both functionality and style.
Dope Snow
Set up in 2006 by two brothers frustrated with the lack of options for shredding the slopes in their native Sweden, Dope Snow has grown to become one of the world’s favourite suppliers of outdoor clothing and gear. The brand is renowned for its bold designs and high-performance functionality, particularly when it comes to premium-quality snowboard jackets. There’s an astonishing range of jackets for women to choose from, available in a wide range of colours, patterns and insulation, from shells to heavily insulated numbers. The Blizzard W and Adept W, which both feature storm guard hoods, underarm vents and handy lift pass pockets, are best-sellers.
Helly Hansen
Women’s Alphelia LIFALOFT™ Ski Jacket (Photo: Helly Hansen)
Helly Hansen is a stalwart in outdoor apparel and hard to beat when it comes to staying warm and looking chic on the slopes. With over 140 years of experience creating cold weatherwear, they know what they’re talking about when it comes to gear that is impermeable to snow, waterproof and breathable. While they don’t offer women’s jackets specifically designed for snowboarding, their wide range of ski jackets tick the boxes for both technical features and style. Jackets made with LIFALOFT insulation retain heat while remaining lightweight and comfortable during the most intensive activities, while the H2Flow temperature regulation system provides snowboarders with versatility and comfort in changing weather conditions.
Find out more at HellyHansen.com
Burton
Founded in 1977 in Vermont, Burton is synonymous with snowboarding. The brand sells everything from boards to boots, including an impressive collection of women’s snowboarding jackets. The range includes softshell, GORE-TEX and down jackets in a wide variety of styles and colours. Insulated jackets like the Prowess and Jet Set offer warmth in colder climates, while shell jackets like the K 2L GORE-TEX Upshift are lightweight and versatile. For those intending to go bigger and higher than most, Burton’s technical jackets include specialist features like snow skirts, goggle pockets and RECCO reflectors for off-piste boarding.
Roxy
Meade Technical Snow Jacket (Photo: Roxy)
Roxy started life as a surf brand, the brand has made waved for its cold weather wear too. Designed to be “fun, fashionable, functional and free-spirited”, Roxy has carved a niche in the snowboarding scene by catering specifically to women with clothing that blends high-performance features with stylish designs. Jackets showcase unique prints, sleek cuts and stylish details like faux fur hoods for serious peak chic, while packing in technical features such as waterproof and breathable materials. Suitable for both on and off-piste adventures, the brand currently offers around 50 different jackets with varying levels of waterproofing and breathability.
The North Face
The North Face is just as likely to be sighted on the high street as it is on the slopes, but that’s no reason to turn your nose up at this household name. The brand boasts jackets with top-tier insulation, made with cutting-edge materials such as GORE-TEX and DryVent and integrated with advanced technologies like PrimaLoft and ThermoBall. Fabrics are breathable and offer advanced waterproofing too. There is a wide range of jackets to choose from, each built to withstand the rigours of the mountains and tailored to the needs of boarders. Plus, unlike so many outdoor brands, The North Face understands that performance doesn’t have to come at the expense of style.