On ski tours (at least for me), the hardshell jacket almost always spends the entire ascent either in or on my backpack. As I only wear it for the descent, I started looking around for a lightweight model without any frills and ended up with the Alpha FL from Arc'teryx. What was important to me was a robust, high-quality and relatively durable membrane. The Alpha FL also uses Goretex Pro (in contrast to the Alpha SL, which is identical in terms of cut and details but slightly lighter, which uses Goretex Paclite), which promises lasting weather protection.
I can do without reinforcements or ventilation openings in a ski touring jacket, as I said, it is usually in my backpack anyway, and I don't need a snow skirt or a lot of pockets either. So the Alpha FL is reduced to the essentials, it has an adjustable hood, a Napoleon pocket and an elasticated drawstring to tighten the hem a little - that's it. The rather thin material nevertheless proves to be relatively robust. The Velcro fasteners on the cuffs, which initially seem a little minimalist, also work well and are durable. In addition to the low weight, the small pack size in the backpack is also pleasing, a far cry from the heavy hardshell I wear for freeriding (Mammut Alyeska, here go to the review). The color "bamboo" has a nice signal effect and also looks good on photos, and the price of €350.- is still manageable due to the spartan details (at least in comparison with other Arc'teryx Goretex jackets)...
All in all, the jacket has already accompanied me halfway around the world several times in the last year and not only shows no weakness, but is also far from tired...
Here is the Arc'teryx website with more information on the Alpha FL Jacket.
