The Veda jacket and Vasaki pants are the latest men's models in Salewa's freeski mountaineering line. As a hardshell, they form the first barrier against the elements such as wind, moisture and other inconveniences that you encounter in the mountains. The membrane used is Powertex, which is not only waterproof and breathable, but also very stretchy. Both the jacket and trousers have a super-thin layer of fleece on the inside. This is not a real lining, the fleece is attached directly to the 3-layer material and is really very thin (approx. 1 mm). Nevertheless, this makes the jacket and trousers slightly warmer than pure shell clothing. I have been using the combination of jacket and trousers for just under a month for skiing and touring.
First impression
The combination of Veda and Vasaki is therefore fully equipped clothing for skiing and freeriding, but the combination is also clearly designed for more alpine activities. For example, the jacket has no snow guard, but this is not a problem at all in combination with the trousers, as they are cut very high and snow does not penetrate even in the event of a fall in deep powder.
The jacket has two Napoleon pockets, a ski pass pocket on the left forearm and two normal pockets, while the trousers have two normal pockets, a pocket on the back and a patch pocket on the left thigh (which is probably more for style than function). For ventilation, the jacket has small ventilation zippers on the upper arms and even smaller ones on the sides of the torso, while the trousers have long side zippers, which also allow them to be worn with shoes. The trousers naturally also have integrated gaiters and an additional option to adjust the width via zippers in the shoe area. The jacket has elasticated cuffs with thumb holes, which can be worn under gloves and prevent the sleeves from slipping. Of course, all seams and zippers are sealed, and the latter are also usually backed.
Not least, the jacket and trousers are of course color-coordinated, so there should be no doubts about the style, at least if you like purple and orange...
Practical test
So far, the combination has cut a fine figure for freeriding, touring or the obligatory day on the slopes. I would like to emphasize once again the stretch properties of the material, which do not hinder movement in any way, despite the rather tight cut of the combination in my case. The breathability also seems very good to me, and after the admittedly limited testing time, there is nothing to complain about in terms of workmanship and waterproofness.
I only wear one layer of ski underwear under the trousers and ski underwear under the jacket, plus a thin fleece or a back protector. I wasn't cold even at -13°C and in windy conditions.
The hood of the jacket is well designed, it sits close to the head and moves well, but it only just fits over my ski helmet, so my head can't really move freely (I wouldn't know when I wanted to pull a hood over my helmet). They fit well over a climbing helmet.
The high-cut pants are very comfortable when freeriding. Not only do they keep your kidneys etc. nice and warm, they also prevent snow from penetrating. When touring, the pants are unusually warm. The small "bib" cannot really be folded away and it gets very warm on the ascent, especially on warm days.
The 2-way zipper is also good, allowing the climbing harness to be worn under the jacket where it does not get in the way of the hip belt of the backpack.
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I miss a 2-way zipper on the jacket, which would make it easier to wear a climbing harness under the jacket. As the jacket is cut quite tightly, the harness goes well over the jacket, but when changing from ascent (jacket in the backpack) and descent this is still a little annoying.
I haven't missed a snow skirt yet. I simply pull the jacket together at the bottom and the high-cut trousers do the rest. Even when I do a somersault in deep powder, no snow gets in.
In terms of fit and size, the rather alpine cut should be emphasized. I'm 183 cm tall, rather slim at around 70 kg and wear a size M in both garments, which fits me well, albeit with a rather tight, alpine fit. There's nothing baggy here, not even a wide cut. Size L would also fit me quite well, but would be a little wider. In principle, I would recommend L to anyone who is noticeably taller or wider than me, I'm more of an upper limit for M.
In conclusion, it should be noted that the jacket is probably also recommended for summer alpine tours or as rain protection when trekking, of course I have not yet tested it for these activities, perhaps the ventilation openings are a little undersized for this, but they should definitely be sufficient for skiing. The trousers would probably be too warm for me for summer activities, but that could also be due to my nature (I generally don't freeze much, but sweat a lot and quickly, especially on ascents).
Conclusion
Great combination for all types of skiing on and off-piste as well as far away from civilization. High-quality material, good workmanship as well as a great cut and good details will leave hardly anything to be desired, for me personally the pants are probably only a little too warm for spring tours in high temperatures. On a positive note, it should be noted that the garments are priced at € 449 (RRP Veda jacket) and € 399 (RRP Vasaki trousers), which is rather affordable by today's standards compared to similarly high-quality models from other manufacturers.
