PlanetSKI Gear Review #1 Winter 24/25

13th November 2024 | Alf Alderson - Gear & Equipment Editor

In our first gear edit of the season Alf Alderson checks out Peak Performance & Helly Hansen clothing and ski touring backpacks. NEW

PEAK PERFORMANCE EDGE INSULATED JACKET £375 www.peakperformance.com

The Edge is a lightly insulated two-way stretch jacket which works well for both freeride and piste skiing.

It comes with an unusual, innovative feature in that the lower sleeves, beneath the elbow, can be zipped off for added comfort in warm conditions.

Each sleeve is also embroidered with ‘Right’ and ‘Left’ to make sure you don’t put them back on the wrong way round; quite how much use most people will get from this feature I’m not sure but it’s a nice little add-on.

The Edge has quite a loose fit and comes with a generously sized, insulated and fully-adjustable helmet-compatible hood.

Below sits a nice, high microfleece-lined collar, so the wind and snow ain’t getting in here easily.

The weather is also kept on the outside by the jacket’s breathable, windproof and waterproof fabric.

It is fully seam-sealed and also treated with PFC-free DWR (durable water repellent), along with wrist gaiters and adjustable cuffs and hem.

Two good-sized outer zippered pockets along with a zippered ski pass pocket, an inner stretch stash pocket and security pocket provide plenty of storage space.

There’s no powder skirt nor pit zips, but if you can live without them the Edge should serve you well for most in-bound ski adventures.

VERDICT: A versatile, well-made and reasonably priced ski jacket from Peak Performance.

Mens Peak Performance Edge Insulated Jacket £375 – image © Peak Performance

PEAK PERFORMANCE EDGE INSULATED SKI PANTS £320 www.peakperformance.com

Designed to go with the Edge jacket, these lightly insulated pants have a relaxed and articulated fit for great comfort and freedom of movement.

Made of a two-way stretch fabric that is fully seam-sealed, wind- and waterproof with optimized breathability.

They feature a Velcro-adjustable waist plus belt loops and cargo pockets on each leg.

They fasten with press studs, and the right-hand pocket has a useful inner mesh phone pocket; note that there are no hand or rear pockets.

There are generously-sized, tough Cordura reinforcements at the hems along with snow gaiters on what are a fairly basic but very comfy pair of ski pants.

VERDICT: Good looking, comfortable ski pants that have the added benefit of being insulated.

Peak Performance Edge Insulated Ski Pants for men £320 – image © Peak Performance

HELLY HANSEN ODIN BACKCOUNTRY INFINITY SHELL SKI PANTS £450 www.hellyhansen.com

Aimed firmly at the backcountry touring crowd (as the name suggests), the Odin Backcountry Infinity Shell Pants are supremely lightweight and breathable.

They offer great freedom of movement; but you’ll need to wear a layer under them in all but the warmest conditions, as they offer minimal insulation.

Built from Helly Hansen’s latest incarnation of their well-established, waterproof/breathable LIFA INFINITY fabric.

The pants are nevertheless robust despite their light weight and will take plenty of stick.

Features include:

An integrated, removable lightweight belt,
Two zippered thigh pockets, one with a handy D-ring for your beacon,
Smart construction including articulated knees
A crotch gusset for added comfort, and
Full-length thigh ventilation zippers for excellent cooling on ascents as well as ease of taking on and off over ski boots.

You also get a reinforced insteps on the bottom hem to resist ski-edge and crampon tears.

Plus, of course, snow gaiters – pretty much everything you need in a pair of backcountry ski pants and nowt you don’t.

VERDICT: Super lightweight, very comfy ski pants specifically designed for ski touring.

Helly Hansen Odin Backcountry Infinity Shell Ski Pants £450 – image © Helly Hansen

HELLY HANSEN ELEVATION INFINITY SHELL JACKET £680 www.hellyhansen.com

Helly’s Infinity shell jacket is a pricey bit of kit, but it does have all the essential features any serious skier is likely to require in a ski jacket.

Helly Hansen likes to point out that it was ‘built with input from professional ski patrollers’.

It features the extremely waterproof/breathable and eco-friendly LIFA INFINITY PRO membrane to provide long-lasting water-repellent performance without the use of chemicals.

The loose cut means it is extremely comfortable and easy to layer up beneath.

The adjustable, helmet-compatible hood gives great protection in foul weather, further assisted by the jacket’s high collar with snug brushed tricot chin guard.

It comes with just the right array of pockets.

Two zippered chest pockets (the left of which features PrimaLoft Aerogel insulation to help preserve battery life on your beacon or phone),
Two zippered hand pockets,
A zippered lift pass pocket on the left sleeve
A small zippered internal security pocket which sits above a generously-sized mesh stash pocket.

Additional features include wrist gaiters, Velcro adjustable cuffs and an adjustable hem, but there is no powder skirt; that said, I always find these to be of limited use.

VERDICT: A good-looking, rugged shell jacket with well-designed features throughout – but at a price.

Helly Hansen Elevation Infinity Shell Ski Jacket £680 – image © Helly Hansen

LIFESYSTEMS DUAL-PALM HANDWARMERS £34.99 www.lifesystems.co.uk

If you get cold hands – which can make a misery of your day’s skiing – these nifty little handwarmers from Lifesystems could be a game-changer.

What’s more, they also have a power bank feature, so your phone or transceiver can be recharged on the go should it require it.

The handwarmers have a split magnetic design which allows you to warm both hands without having to have them next to each other.

This also makes them easier to stow in a pocket or backpack.

There are three heat settings which are indicated by a LED display, so you can adjust the hand warmers to the ideal temperature for you and the conditions you’re in.

They warm up within a few seconds at the touch of a button to deliver heat for up to nine-hours and they can be recharged from either the mains or via the supplied USB cable.

VERDICT: A neat and simple solution to cold hands – the idea stocking filler this Christmas!

Lifesystems Dual-Palm Handwarmers £34.99 – image © Lifesystems

GREGORY VERTE 18 DAYPACK £140 www.gregorypacks.com

This lightweight daypack has some great features designed specifically with winter use in mind.

Such as the insulated hydration harness sleeve which uses closed cell foam to help keep hydration hoses from freezing – very useful considering how important it is to keep hydrated at altitude.

In addition, you can attach your hydration bladder quickly and securely in its sleeve using the pack’s ‘Speedclip’ hanger.

Obviously, as a winter pack there’s a storage compartment for avy gear.

Tthis is on the front of the pack for quick access, behind which sits the main compartment, accessed by a full-length zip so you can easily get to all your kit.

A side zippered pocket provides secure storage and allows easy access while riding a chairlift, and there’s also a top zippered stash pocket.

I particularly liked the elasticized hipbelt, which stretches to allow for a super-comfy carry and uninhibited movement, but comfortably tensions to your body to provide support.

It’s actually been designed like a goggle strap to eliminate webbing tails flapping about, and the shoulder strap webbing is also contained, both helping to avoid hang-ups on chairlift rides – not a good thing, as I can attest from personal experience.

Other ski-specific features include a snow shedding back panel, and a ski/snowboard carry system which has the options of diagonal carry or A-frame.

You can also lash a snowboard or snow shoes to the front carry system.

VERDICT: A thoughtfully-designed pack with stacks of features specifically incorporated for skiers.

Gregory Verte 18 Daypack £140 – image © Gregory Packs

HELLY HANSEN ODIN AT40 SKI TOURING PACK £190 www.hellyhansen.com

The Odin AT40 has been designed specifically for longer ski tours, hence the 40-litre carrying capacity and its wire frame for improved stability.

It’s constructed so you can quickly remove your skis and securely attach them to the pack diagonally without taking it off.

If you’re not in a rush chances are you’ll decide to remove the pack to attach your skis simply because it’s easier.

This also gives you the option of attaching your skis in A-frame configuration.

A front avalanche safety pocket features built-in slots for stowing your probe, shovel, and shovel blade, as well as a mesh zippered pocket for other essentials.

A dedicated ice axe attachment points and a helmet holder are located on the front panel.

The main compartment is accessed by a huge zippered top lid and/or what Helly Hansen described as a ‘trapdoor’ zippered back panel.

This allows you to also open the bottom of the pack for easy access to stuff at the bottom.

Amongst the heaps of other useful features are:

A zippered pocket on one side of the hip belt
A webbing gear loop on the other
A zippered side pocket
A Recco reflector

For those emergency situations there’s a bottle opener incorporated into the ski carry carabiner clip – essential!

VERDICT: For big days out or multi-day ski touring trips the Odin AT40 is well worth checking out.

OSPREY FIRN 18 DAYPACK £140 www.osprey.com

The Firn is aimed at skiers who want to move fast on their backcountry jaunts, featuring as it does a vest-style fit.

This allows you to access a drinking bottle/phone/skins and other bits and pieces via elasticated pockets on the straps.

You can easily access the lower part of the main compartment whilst wearing the pack via side pockets.

As well as even being able stow/remove your skis if you’re ambidextrous enough using the Firn’s ‘lasso’ system.

It’s a good idea but I have a feeling most people will end up taking the pack off to get at their skis unless they really are in a tearing hurry.

The vest-style fit means that the Firn sits snug against your body giving a very stable carry.

The main compartment is split so you can store avy gear at the rear and the rest of your stuff in the front, although there’s no storage facility for a drinking bladder.

There’s also a zippered mesh security pocket.

Other features include:

A top compression strap which doubles as an ice axe stabiliser
A reinforced ski loop with garage
Dual axe/pole attachments
A detachable helmet holder

All of which adds up to a lot of very useful technical features on this little pack, which is ideal for fast and light day trips.

VERDICT: A neat little daypack which is crammed with practical features.

ACTIVO P1 DIGITAL AUDIO PLAYER £399 www.activostyle.com

If you like to travel with your music (who doesn’t?) this über-cool digital audio player (DAP) is well worth checking out.

Manufactured by South Korean audiomeisters Astell & Kern, the Activo P1 provides up to twenty-hours of superb high-quality music playback with no loss of quality.

It will almost certainly enhance your listening experience to the point where you hear notes and sounds previously missed on your other playback devices.

It also means you’re not sacrificing your phone battery to listen to your music.

It has a beautifully simple and stylish design, and uses an intuitive system of triangles, circles and squares for the deliberately simplified user interface.

Even first-time users can get to grips with the P1 quickly and comfortably.

Features include:

Dual-band Wi-Fi
A pre-loaded Google Play Store, allowing you to download and install the most popular music apps to stream from your favourite platforms,
64GB of internal memory with microSD support for up to 1.5TB for downloading from streaming services, or uploading from your personal library, so you don’t need to worry about storage space.

It’s also designed to be customisable, with a wide range of personalisation and sound profile options.

This includes useful little touches like the control buttons on either side of the player being shaped.

Users can tell the difference between each button by touch alone, although to be fair that won’t work if you’re trying to operate the P1 in ski gloves.

That said, you’re almost certainly going to have to remove your gloves to use it.

Additional tech features of the Activo P1 include: