Question: Down Jackets? Are they good for skiing?

[m185]

I'm pretty new to skiing! I live very far away from snow but since I have 3 kids that were curious about skiing we started in 2007 and now we all love it!

So here's my question - I'm already on my 2nd jacket - the first was a black basic boring jacket but it wasn't warm enough...the 2nd is a fab jacket that I got for my birthday last year but its a bit tight across the shoulder which makes layering difficult (its the old Stella Mcartney Adidas one that is a little trench like).

When we skiied in Japan I was so so so cold I wasn't happy so I thought I'd check out a down jacket. I've found one by Burton that is reasonable (2008) but do these make good ski jackets?

When I skied in New Zealand I rarely got cold as I was able to do more interesting terrain and I seemed to have to work pretty hard...so I'm also worried about being to warm!

Also does anyone know what Burton sizing is like? I usually wear a size 6 US but I very short (just over 5 feet) - so I'll probably look like the michelin man in down but I love the idea of being warm!

Anyone have any thoughts? Thanks in advance!

 

[altagirl]

It depends on the jacket. Some have a waterproof outer layer, and then they would be good for skiing (though warm, obviously). I have a couple that are not waterproof, and those are great as a layer under a shell jacket on cold days, or as a nice apres-ski jacket.

 

[MaineSkiLady]

Burton makes pretty tough outerwear. If it's designated as outerwear, it's probably got a decent waterproof rating of the outer shell. Burton tends to run somewhat big, as it markets the snowboarding crowd more than skiers. But if you "run cold," this is good for layering beneath. Personally, I think down still trumps all synthetic, provided what encases it is sufficiently waterproofed.

Being cold is a deal-breaker for skiing. Don't worry about appearances. Beats being inside! And definitely stay away from the quasi-ski-look designer labels -- as you learned the hard way, they just don't work out. High tech fabrics now are not only waterproof but windproof and breathable. Many of them have labels with ratings for both. The answer to being too warm is ventilation. Pit zips can solve this, easily. I can't imagine how I ever managed without this feature.

Good luck!

 

[valli]

We were just in Big Sky Montana, and and I bought a Lands End kids down jacket that I ended up skiing in every day. It was thirty bucks and I originally bought it just to wear around at night, but it worked well as a ski jacket on cold days. I did have to unzip it a few times after really long mogul runs, but overall I was happy with it.