Hardshell

The relatively young but already well-established PYUA brand is not only worth a look because of the practicality of its garments, but also because of its strong focus on sustainability.

The Swiss outdoor outfitter Mammut and the Swiss freeride pro Jérémie Heitz have jointly developed a hardshell combination especially for freeride use. Top materials and sophisticated features promise a lot. We have tested whether the combination delivers what it promises in practice.

The rumor still persists that clothing with GORE-TEX or similar membranes should be washed as rarely as possible, but the opposite is actually the case: sweat and dirt impair breathability and skin oils can shorten the life of the seam tapes or the laminate.

In recent years, many freeride suits have become thinner and lighter. Three-layer jackets and trousers are now state of the art. However, anyone who really pushes their outfit to its limits, e.g. by climbing on the rocks, will certainly have had a cut or two in their clothing. The Vertic series from Scott shines here with its very robust material and stylish look.

With the Sanction jacket and Turret trousers, the well-known ski clothing company from Boulder, Colorado, is offering a high-end freeride outfit that is designed to meet the standards of today's hardshell ski outfits. In addition to the Solitaire GTX Pro Shell for women, we have also tested this outfit for men for you this season.

The Sentinel AR hardshell jacket from Arc'teryx is lined with a thin flannel lining and "was designed for freeriding tours". The cut and features combine to provide optimum freedom of movement, breathability and protection [...]". Read the following lines to find out whether we can confirm this in our test report and what experiences we had with the jacket.

The Canadian manufacturer Arc'teryx has been impressing the European market for many years now with its high-quality outdoor equipment, which shines with high-quality materials and excellent workmanship. With the further development of the Sabre Jacket, the likeable Canadians once again deliver an all-rounder with "one for all" potential. We tested the jacket extensively for you last season.

A third layer jacket with merino wool sounds a bit strange at first. On closer inspection, however, you realize that the merino wool is only used on the inside. On the outside, the jacket shines with the high-performance Dermizax®EV membrane from Toray with a water column of at least 20,000 mm and is therefore permanently wind and waterproof.

When looking for a hardshell for ski touring and freeriding, sometimes you can't see the wood for the trees. To make your decision easier in the future, you can read a test report on the Arc'teryx Rush Jacket in the following text. In addition to the best weather protection and a sophisticated design, it also promises a high level of robustness. Whether the Canadians are promising too much with this jacket or whether it has what it takes to become your new favorite piece - we have tested it for you.

The outdoor clothing market is highly competitive and there are countless companies that want a slice of the (ever-growing) pie. Openwear is a small start-up company that has taken a slightly different path to the big players in the industry.

The small Swiss company PENGUIN has been promoting ski and snowboard clothing with a focus on functionality and robustness for several years. The Swiss company's motto is: by freeriders for freeriders. For this reason, particular emphasis is placed on ensuring that the clothing can withstand the rigors of daily freeride adventures.

With the Storen series, Bergans is launching ski touring and mountain sports products on the market that are characterized by low weight and high functionality thanks to 3-layer, particularly thin Dermizax®NX. The aim is to focus on the essentials. I was able to test whether the advertised properties actually apply in outdoor use.