Gear Review | Black Diamond Boundary Line Mapped Jacket

First impression

It's probably been about 20 years since I've used an insulated ski jacket, I've got too used to the onion principle with several layers. What's more, I'm not someone who gets cold easily and for years I've mainly been on ski tours, where I switch between different layers of clothing a lot.

However, a lot has changed since then, both in terms of insulation material and processing technology. The Boundary Line Mapped Jacket from Black Diamond is insulated where warmth is needed most, especially on the back and upper arms, while a two-layer construction with mesh lining is used in the other areas. In addition, the innovative Lavalan filling is not only lightweight and durable, but is also designed to make the jacket particularly comfortable to wear.

The jacket has a large, helmet-compatible hood, two nicely insulated hand pockets, a Napoleon pocket, a ski pass pocket on the left upper arm, generously dimensioned ventilation zips under the sleeves and a stowable snow skirt.

It should also be emphasised that Black Diamond pays great attention to environmentally friendly materials, from the wool-based insulation to the environmentally friendly impregnation to the in-house BD.dry™ membrane.  

Testers and test conditions

I am 183 cm tall and weigh about 75 kg. I tested the jacket in size L, which fits well. The cut is rather wide and casual, but not too big either. I go skiing a lot, but am mostly on ski tours. Over the last few months, I have mainly tested the jacket when freeriding (and due to the weak winter when skiing on the piste) in the ski resort, but I also took it with me on ski tours. I also wear it from time to time in the city or on the way to the office.

Overall, I quite like using them in the ski resort, especially on cold days. To be honest, it's a bit too inflexible for me on ski tours, as I like to wear different layers depending on the temperature and wind on the ascent. I therefore only take the Boundary Line Mapped Jacket with me on a ski tour in really cold temperatures.

Conclusion

I particularly like the robust yet flexible outer material and the cut. For me personally, however, the use of an insulated jacket when skiing is limited to cold days in the ski resort; for milder weather and on tours, I prefer several layers of clothing due to the flexibility. Extra points for the use of environmentally friendly insulation, membrane and DWR.

Advantages & disadvantages

+ Robust and crackle-free outer material

+ Pleasant cut

+ Nice and warm

+ Relatively favourable

- Hood quite large without helmet

- Less flexibility compared to pure shell jackets

Details

RRP €380,-

• Breathable, waterproof, fully taped 20,000 mm/20,000 g/m2 BD.dry™ outer fabric with mechanical stretch and our revolutionary PFC-free GTT DWR coating

• Washable Lavalan insulation made from mulesing-free wool, certified and made in Europe, for active, heat and moisture management adapted to the body zones

• Helmet-compatible hood

• YKK Aquaguard two-way zip at the front and on hand and chest pockets

• Lift pass pocket with zip and large mesh throw-in pocket on the inside left for stowing skins

• Underarm ventilation with zip

• Integrated snow skirt on the inside

Here is the link to the Black Diamond website with further information.

The jacket was provided to PowderGuide by the manufacturer free of charge for testing. You can find out how we tested it in our test statement.