How Old Is Your Ski Stuff

We'll just have to differ in our opinions then; I wanted a new jacket and trousers, was prepared to pay a fair bit for them but was left very disappointed by the North Face's 'build quality'. Couldn't see their latest offerings lasting half as long as the shell jacket. That's not snooty, just an honest opinion based on 40+ years of ski trips!

I bought my under trousers and tops about 15 years ago for my older daughter but she doesn't ski now so I wear them.

My ski boots are 5 years old, and so are my ski socks and gloves.
I think I've had my helmet and goggles 4 years.
My current ski jacket is 2 years old, and my ski trousers about 3 years old.
I don't have my own skis.

It's all cheap stuff apart from my boots.

TNF became like a GAP in the last 10-11 years. Their summit series are good enough but being their "technical" line don't touch the likes of Mammut, Arcteryx, Norrona etc., though the difference is somewhat reflected in the price. Anyway for a bit of skiing on holidays their kit does the job and is a fair value for money, especially if you get it on sales, but that's about it. Oh, and at least in their ladies line their stuff come in 3 lengths - short, regular and long, which is useful as I find some NA brands believe that if you need an XS then you must be no taller than 5' - probably true over there, but still not true in Europe.

Basically I believe in two approaches - either to buy the cheapest you can find (especially in the beginning when money is better spent on lessons then on latest gear when all you need is something to keep you warm and dry on slopes), trash it and throw it away with no regrets or to buy the best you can afford. I tried both (started with most stuff borrowed from my BF sister) and using the second approach now, but on 70 days a season it doesn't really matter for me how much I pay (as long as I can afford it) as I get a really good wear out of my kit. My old shells have been retired after 3.5 seasons and I use it for touring as it's still waterproof, just colours faded, but 3.5 seasons is almost 250 days on slopes, so I definitely got my money worth and the fact that it's still very useable proves to me that technical stuff is worth its price tag + the price tag of Nikwax. I am not sure if it's worth buying top of the range for infrequent use - on one hand it will last really long time, on the other hand you will probably get bored with it and will want something new after few years anyway and then feel guilty:) What should be avoided is buying cheap stuff (not discounted on sales) but with expensive care - this is just plainly silly to me to by a 40-50 pounds jacket which is "dry clean only". At this price it should be washable even in a dishwasher :)

LOTA wrote:I'm not snooty about these things and have a North Face shell that's 20 years old and still in excellent nick. At either end of the scale, I also have kit from Decathlon and an old SOS jumper that cost the earth but still looks the business. North Face used to be top notch with credibility. Used to be serious, good quality mountain gear. Now just a high street label - was in one of their shops a couple of weeks ago and the ski gear was tatty, to be honest.

Sorry mate, I am with Snapzz on this one. I have had a lot of TNF gear over the years and it has always been a) technically sound b) well made c) totally fit for purpose d) smartly designed e) value for money

I know its not Kjus, Colmar, Norronja or Haglofs, but I can't afford their silly prices and TBH I find TNF gear is on trend and fits me perfectly. In honesty, I found older TNF stuff ugly previous to about 10 years ago, they have got their branding imaging and quality just right for mid range pricing if you ask me.

Yes its all subjective. And some of the more recent colour ranges have not been to my taste, but they do a far wider range than you stumble across on the high street, and I also agree that some of the more "fashionable" high street stuff is probably not what I would buy to ski in, but TNF do make extremely good quality jackets, fleeces, soft shells and sallopettes which if you shop around you can pick up for decent prices.....especially in America.

Have to same somewhat agree with LOTA. If you are using your gear a lot I would not look past Arc'teryx, Patagonia or Marmot. Much better design, cut and durability. Things like the hoods fitting properly over helmets, enough space around neck to enable you to zip up even with several layers on and enough space in arms that jacket doesn't ride up if your have your arms above you (major pain if wearing harness) all make a big functional difference if you want technical gear. One item I would compromise on is a duvet/down, if you ever have one of these as a sort of emergency/belay layer in your bag then realistically you want to be able to put it over the top of everything. They are not really designed for that and hence get wrecked. Nice to have a proper micro one for under your shell though. Of course if you are doing a bit here and there then almost anything will work and companies like Quechua often have great items. No idea about TNF, never really thought about buying something from there as they sit in a middle ground which is not very useful for myself.

Boots - only 2 years - need more scuffing up
Helmet and goggles - must be about 4-5 years - helmet a bit scuffed and missing a vent slide after using it as a brake after fall on ski cross course
Salopettes - women's size 16. 3 years old. Bit tatty and a bit big around the bum.
Jacket - Quiksilver. 6-8 years old. £20 in end of season sale. Blinking brilliant.
Thermal leggings and t-shirt - 1980s or 1990s, I think

Good discussion about ski jackets.

I think of my jacket as a cupboard ~ Wax, sun lotion, season pass, valley bus pass, insurance card, mobile, woolly hat, camera, hankies, goggles, sun glasses case, piste maps, water colour pad, pencils. One pocket must be large enough for the water colour pad. Other contributors will have other items, perhaps being a regular user of lipstick...

Agree with Verbier SB, about usage but would add to it. VB's point about number of weeks skiing in a season is valid. Mine has reduced since my ski buddy passed on, but is still around 4/5 weeks a year.

There is however, another wear factor. An average regular intermediate may ski say 15/30km/day. I might normally attain 70/80km/day, cruising. Hence the jacket hit, (zip/unzip/open/close etc) might be 3 times as much.

The net effect of a high usage skier on their equipment might be around 7/10 times that of a one/two week per year skier. Hence there is a different discussion going on between the tourist end and the season/semi-season skier.

One recent failure in my gear is my Reusch gloves. Previously, had great lifetime, but now the right glove has lasted only two seasons.


On the NF discussion, I never look at the brand, only at the manufacturing quality, stitching, lining quality, pockets, plus other qualifications. It is not difficult to eliminate NF.

I generally buy my jackets and skis in Austria, in March.

"It is not difficult to eliminate NF"

What does that mean, Dave, if I dare to ask?