First impression and features
Jacket
When I took the jacket out of the box for the first time, I thought: "Oops, that's a lot of colour." The colours look a bit more vibrant than in the product pictures on the Spyder website. The pink under the arms and on the zips of the jacket in particular is much brighter than the purple and olive green. This colour combination is the only one in Spyder's current freeride collection and is therefore the colour of choice. "Feminine but tough" is how team rider Amie Engerbretson describes the colour spectrum. I can definitely subscribe to this formulation.
I really like the fit of the jacket, as it has a slightly wider cut but still doesn't look oversized. This means that different mid layers can be worn without feeling tight. There are 2 side pockets on the inside and outside, a chest pocket and a pocket on the upper arm and sleeve.
The helmet-compatible hood with integrated Recco chip can be easily adjusted in size in the upper chest area and fits perfectly with the jacket's high-cut collar. This has a second zip with breathing holes. Very practical on somewhat stormy and colder days or when there is a lot of snow on the descent. The three-layer Gore-Tex laminate and DWR provide protection against all these forces of nature. If it does get a little warmer, there are ventilation zips under the arms that make the jacket suitable for ski touring. The sleeves have a Velcro fastener to ensure a seamless fit with gloves.
The detachable snow skirt completes the outfit. However, this cannot be combined with the Spyder dungarees, which I personally don't find necessary, as these are cut relatively high and therefore provide good protection against snow penetration. But more on that later!
Pants
Dungarees. Hmm. Aren't they more for children? Unpacking them immediately brings back childhood memories. Afternoons in the snow in dungarees that definitely had a very experimental colour combination back then and were anything but waterproof. My 5-year-old self only knows 2 conditions in winter dungarees: too wet or too warm.
I was therefore more than excited to repeat this experience 25 years later and see what has happened in terms of technology in this quarter of a century.
The trousers initially make a super sturdy impression and look neatly finished, especially at the seams. The bib picks up on the colour concept of the jacket and is purple except for the zips and the upper side sections. There are ventilation zips on the inside and outside of the thighs to provide plenty of fresh air, especially on spring tours. I really like the large number of pockets. Better too much than too little is the motto here. There is a chest pocket in the bib with a glasses cleaning cloth inside. There are also relatively large pockets on the thighs and 2 outer pockets at hip height. With the exception of one, all pockets have a small hook for keys or similar items and can be closed with a waterproof zip. The waist size of the trousers can be adjusted using Velcro fasteners. The leg cuffs are reinforced on the inside and outside to protect the trousers from sharp ski edges. A rubber snow guard is sewn onto the leg ends to prevent snow from getting in.
So much for the hard facts, but at the end of the day only one question matters: How practical and useful are all these features really? And how does the estate actually perform on the mountain?
Tester and test conditions
I am 1.64 metres tall and weigh 54 kilos. I normally wear a size S in everyday clothes. When skiing, however, I like it a bit breezier, so I tested the Spyder outfit in size M. The jacket fits perfectly and is not too long at the arms or waist for my taste. Unfortunately, the trousers are quite wide and a little too big for my height.
I had the chance to try out the combination from December 2019 to the beginning of January 2020, testing it in the Innsbruck area and in Davos under various snow and weather conditions. As we were all blessed with snow early on this year, I mainly tested the outfit on ski tours, which also included some powder runs.
Test report
When I put the outfit on together for the first time, I quickly realised when I looked in the mirror that you can't be afraid of colours here. So this outfit is definitely something for female skiers who don't just want to let it rip on the mountain in terms of performance.
