Excellent article! It definitely hit a nerve:
Just last week I went to the Patagonia store in Freeport, ME. There was exactly one XXL women's technical ski coat in the store. There were many, many men's high end coats in XXL and 3XL. REI is just as bad, with so many extended sizes for men and very few choices for women in the stores. Why is it that it's expected that large men are active and athletic but not expected that larger women are? Frustrating!
My husband just asked what I was typing so much about. When I read him the previous paragraph he said, "I don't get that at all. Women are much more likely to spend money on that #### than men. And if men are getting new stuff, it's probably bought by women." Lol. Our daughter knew he was looking for a new ski jacket a couple years ago and bought his current coat when she saw a good one while shopping at Sierra.
My current ski coat is an XXL Eddie Bauer. The zippers are falling apart, and I may have to replace them because I can't find a new jacket that I like that fits.
Also, while I'm ranting, many brands with women's larger sizes don't have room for larger boobs.
For my uniform coat I had the choice of men's that had room for my boobs (because classic athletic men have huge shoulders) but was too tight around my hips or women's that fit my hips but was too tight around my boobs. Frustrating!
You can look at the diva east pics from Saddleback to see that while I am nowhere near svelte, my size doesn't make me stand out in a crowd.
And just in case a manufacturer is reading and questioning if people my size
really need quality outerwear, last season I was on the hill 115 days. Today was day 46 this season.