The PlanetSKI 2026 Gear Checks: Direct From Canada – #2 Girls’s Ski Clothes

eleventh March 2026

Meet the testers:

JamesKisiaTashieAlexMarie

Between them they’re a mix of ski instructors, journalists, leisure skiers, ski tourers and naturally now we have an area Canadian within the staff – Marie.

We now have already checked out gear and gear in Half One

Heated gloves & socksSkisGogglesHelmetsSki touring poles

Now we end up attentions to clothes.

Particularly ladies’s clothes.

It’s a ladies solely assessment, and we’ll inform you why on the finish of the put up.

Step ahead Marie, Kisia and Tashie…

Helly Hansen W Ridge Infinity Shell Jacket – Tester: Marie

Worth: £700  – HellyHansen.com 

This can be a shell jacket and actually holds up in Canadian climate.

I do know what the climate can do in Canada as I used to be born and raised right here.

After just a few years in Europe I’m now residing again in Calgary full-time and snowboarding at any time when I can.

It feels that Helly Hansen considered all the things {that a} lady will want whereas out within the mountains on this jacket:

Properly-located pocketsVents to assist cool you downStrong waterproofingExtra safety on the shoulders the place a backpack will often rub it offA very comfy match.

Helly Hansen Girls’s Ridge Infinity Shell Jacket & Girls’s legendary insulated bib trousers – PlanetSKI Gear Critiques from Canada. Picture © PlanetSKI

What stood out instantly to me was the match of the jacket.

It’s relaxed sufficient to suit all my layers beneath, nevertheless it doesn’t really feel too boxy.

The helmet-compatible hood is a bonus and is nice to have the ability to pull it up on additional windy days.

The three-layer HELLY TECH® Skilled cloth options the eco-friendly LIFA INFINITY™ know-how, that may preserve you dry & protected within the worst of climate.

And lastly, having the RECCO® reflector is a non-negotiable for me and is a function I worth having when snowboarding all through the Canadian resorts.

The Ridge Infinity Shell Jacket isn’t flashy.

It’s sensible and most of all, a reliable jacket that may preserve you protected when the climate turns nasty.

Stand out options on the Helly Hansen Girls’s Ridge Infinity Shell Jacket – PlanetSKI Gear Critiques from Canada. Picture © Helly Hansen

Helly Hansen Girls’s Ridge Infinity Shell Jacket >>

And right here is the bib pant to go along with it.

Helly Hansen W Legendary Insulated Bib Pant – Tester: Marie

Worth: £200 – HellyHansen.com 

These Helly Hansen bib pants are precisely what the title suggests—traditional, heat, and reassuringly comfy.

They’re the best selection for all-day resort snowboarding when staying heat & comfy is what issues.

Helly Hansen Girls’s Ridge Infinity Shell Jacket & Girls’s legendary insulated bib trousers – PlanetSKI Gear Critiques from Canada. Picture © PlanetSKI

The bib design is great for maintaining snow out and warmth in with out feeling restrictive.

The HELLY TECH® Efficiency waterproof cloth and PrimaLoft® insulation supplies heat for the chilly & windy days, whereas additionally providing leg vents to be breathable for if you’re working a bit tougher.

Even thought the bib pants are comparatively easy, they supply sensible options like massive pockets, adjustable suspender straps and boot gaiters.

Most significantly, they’re straightforward and cozy to ski in.

With a slight stretch to the pant, they transfer nicely regardless of how exhausting you’re turning.

Total, a terrific insulated ski pant which is comfy and sensible regardless of the snowboarding effort you’re placing in.

Helly Hansen Girls’s Girls’s Legendary Insulated Bib Trousers >>

Descente Nice Tech Puff Jacket – Tester: Kisia

Worth: £499 – Ellis Brigham.com

There’s one thing reassuring about slipping into a bit of package that feels prefer it’s been quietly perfected over a long time – and that’s precisely the vibe I get from my black-on-black combo from Descente.

I’m not a ski teacher or off piste skier, I wasn’t born on skis and I don’t leap into deep powder and leap of cliffs on the first alternative.

The terrain park shouldn’t be, er, my terrain.

I wish to ski across the slopes at a slower tempo and savour being within the mountains.

I like good high quality excessive finish ski put on, that is available in at cheap worth.

Beneficiant funnel hood. Descente Nice Tech Puff Ski Jacket & Descente Nice Tech Ski Pants – PlanetSKI Gear Critiques from Canada. Picture © PlanetSKI

This can be a model that’s been honing its craft since 1935, and also you sense that legacy the second you zip up the Nice Tech Puff jacket and insulated ski pants.

Even the arrow brand has a sure understated swagger – purposeful, directional, very “let’s go snowboarding”.

First impressions…. clear traces and smooth silhouette.

Then there are all of the necessities:* Water resistant zips* Thumb loops* Zipped hand pockets* A roomy inside zipped pocket that swallows cellphone and goggles with ease* A mesh goggle stash* Snow skirt* Underarm venting zips (mesh-backed, prepared for motion – although I’ve but to overheat sufficient to unzip them)* And a neat little zipped pocket on the left wrist – good for carry cross or card if you’re juggling gloves and poles within the queue

Helmet suitable hood, Descente Nice Tech Puff Jacket – PlanetSKI Gear Critiques from Canada. Picture © PlanetSKI

A more in-depth look and it’s all within the element.

That beneficiant funnel hood is a factor of heat and styleWear it down and it morphs into a cosy high-neck warmerPull it up on a stormy snowy dayIt is helmet-compatible, zipping proper up snugly below your chin.

The outer cloth – Aqua Professional stretch – feels supple but severely technical: extremely waterproof, extremely breathable, extremely windproof.

In different phrases, the form of safety you need when the climate turns actually chilly just like the -23℃ days now we have skilled in Canada.

Inside, the HI_LOFT torso baffles pack within the heat the place you want it most, including a delicate, angular design flourish on the identical time.

The remainder of the jacket is generously insulated too, but it nonetheless provides a trim, silhouette.

It’s heat with out bulk.

The Descente Nice Tech Puff Jacket is out there from Ellis Brigham – Observe the hyperlink right here

Descente Nice Tech Ski Pants – Tester: Kisia

Worth: £299  – EllisBrigham.com

I used to be additionally snowboarding within the Nice Tech ski pants from Descente – that carry related technical options because the jacket.

Lower from the identical waterproof, breathable cloth, the four-way stretch actually comes into its personal right here, shifting simply by turns and traverses.

The insulation is lighter by the legs – providing good heat with out bulk maintaining the silhouette clear and flattering.

Their straight-leg is sort of jean-like.

There’s a easy Velcro waist adjuster, helpful belt loops, and its decrease leg zips make boot changes simple.

One small notice: Japanese sizing can run petite, so when you’re hovering between sizes (particularly around the waist), it’s price sizing up.

The Upshot:  Each the jacket and ski pants are thoughtfully designed and, most significantly has saved me heat within the chilly Canadian situations.

The Descente combo is fashionable with out shouting about it, and useful with out fuss.

The Descente Nice Tech Ski pants is out there from Ellis Brigham – Observe the hyperlink right here

Tashie is a ski teacher and a ski tourer.

She ‘did a season’ in Verbier just a few years again working for one of many native Swiss ski faculties.

Final winter she prolonged her ski touring expertise, based mostly in Chamonix for every week with an in a single day in a mountain hut.

However she likes her creature comforts too.

And she or he likes to maintain heat.

Peak Efficiency Girls’s Helium Utility Down Hood Jacket – Tester: Tashie

Worth: £275  – Peak Efficiency.com

There’s a specific sort of pleasure in pulling on a jacket that appears to know precisely what you’re about to place it by.

The Peak Efficiency Helium Utility Down jacket delivers that acquainted reassurance the second you shrug into it – it’s gentle & unfussy.

You understand it’ll preserve you heat when wanted.

Peak Efficiency Helium Utility Down Jacket. PlanetSKI Gear Critiques from Canada. Picture © PlanetSKI

The very first thing you discover is how gentle it’s.

It’s full of premium duck down, nevertheless it’s not cumbersome.

It’s the form of layer you neglect you’re carrying till the climate turns, and also you instantly realise you’re the one one not shivering on a windswept ridge.

What makes it a standout is its versatility.

It’s streamlined sufficient to slip comfortably below a shell on chilly ski days, but I discovered it robust sufficient to put on as an outer layer when the solar determined to grace the slopes.

The Utility model provides just a few considerate upgrades: sensible pocket placements, a barely extra structured silhouette, and sturdiness that feels prepared for correct ski‑touring graft.

Oh, and I really like that it packs up so small and simply matches it right into a pocket.

It strikes with you somewhat than round you, making it preferrred for all the things from early‑morning pores and skin‑ups to après wanderings by snowy resort streets.

Is it the warmest down jacket available on the market?

Not likely, however that’s not its job.

It’s the jacket you are taking if you need heat with out weight, efficiency with out faff, and elegance with out sass.

It’s water repellent and windproof.

I really like this jacket – it’s been my go-to jacket that I’ve been carrying most this winter.

Extra data on the Peak Efficiency Girls’s Helium Utility Down Hood Jacket Right here >>

Now, on the topic on jackets to maintain you need within the chilly Canadian situations right here’s one for upon getting taken your ski gear off.

It’s truly James’s however he has lent it to me.

It’s from Montane:

PlanetSKI Gear Critiques from Canada. Picture © PlanetSKI

I don’t suppose I’ll be giving it again to James and may ‘accidently’ pack it in my suitcase after I depart Canada. 😉

Now right here in Canada it’s all very nicely feeling and looking fashionable along with your essential outer layers, nevertheless it all begins from the foundations – the bottom layers.

They must be heat and so they must be comfy.

Smartwool Girls’s Traditional Thermal Merino Base Layers – Tester: Marie

SmartWool.com

If you’d like base layers that really really feel good towards your pores and skin, Smartwool’s Traditional Thermal Merino set is a stunning little bit of package to put on.

Both on the ski hill or to maintain you heat whereas wandering round city.

Each the bottoms and the colorblock crew high are created from delicate, medium-weight merino wool.

Thermal base layers from SmartWool.com on this hyperlink >>  

 

Smartwool Girls’s Traditional Thermal Merino Base Layers – PlanetSKI Gear Critiques from Canada. Picture © Smartwool.com

 

Smartwool base layer-top – PlanetSKI Gear Critiques from Canada. Picture © Smartwool.com

They’re extraordinarily cosy and really feel very delicate in your pores and skin, in contrast to different thermals I’ve worn which generally can really feel scratchy.

As a result of it’s merino, there’s a pure resistance to odours which I discovered to be an actual bonus when happening multi-day ski journeys.

(James take notice – subsequent time we do a street journey to Revy and Kicking Horse you NEED to take a second set of base layers, or maybe get a few of Smartwool’s merino gear.)

What I respect most is the temperature regulation.

The merino fibres preserve me heat on the lifts, however assist wick any moisture after a tough run.

The match is cosy sufficient to be comfy below all my different layers, however not too tight that you simply really feel squished.

They usually supply their thermals in lots of different colors when you want one thing a bit extra delicate as nicely.

Smartwool provides dependable, on a regular basis base layers that present a terrific basis for winter actions – and I’ve truly gone and purchased myself two extra pairs after testing these out.

Observe this LINK to Smartwool base layer High >>

Kisia is again with extra of her favorite outer layers.

Helly Hansen Girls’s Alphelia LIFALOFT™ Ski Jacket – Tester: Kisia

Worth: £480 – HellyHansen.com

I’ve additionally been testing the Girls’s Alphelia LIFALOFT™ jacket from Helly Hansen.

A reliable piste associate that has been equally comfortable heading out for skinning up or a snowy stomp in snowshoes.

Extra of the snowshoeing later.

Helly Hansen Alphelia Lifaloft Ski Jacket & Avanti Ski Pants & Smith Vantage 2 Ski Helmet – PlanetSKI Gear Critiques from Canada. Picture © PlanetSKI

It blends HELLY TECH® Skilled safety with LIFALOFT™ insulation by Primaloft®, leading to a jacket that’s gentle, correctly heat and pleasingly breathable.

Additionally it is waterproof, windproof and seam-sealed, shrugging off chilly climate with out feeling cumbersome – and packs down neatly for packing.

As you’d count on, the detailing is spot on:

Adjustable (and removable) helmet-compatible hoodPowder skirtA delicate fleece chin guard that could be a welcome luxurious on chilly chairlift rides

There are many pockets – together with a LIFE POCKET+™ effectively sustaining my cellphone’s battery energy on chilly days, ski cross pocket and cosy thumb loops – plus RECCO® for added peace of thoughts.

Helly Hansen Alphelia Lifaloft Ski Jacket & Avanti Ski Pants – PlanetSKI Gear Critiques from Canada. Picture © PlanetSKI

See extra right here: Helly Hansen Alphelia Lifaloft Ski Jacket >>

Helly Hansen Girls’s Avanti Stretch Pants – Tester: Kisia

Worth: £260 – HellyHansen.com

Paired with it, the Girls’s Avanti Stretch Pants preserve issues smooth and useful.

Mid-to-high rise with Velcro waist adjusters and belt loops.

They’re lower from a softshell stretch cloth that strikes superbly whereas providing water resistance.

A brushed fleece lining provides leg heat with out weight or bulk, and sensible touches:

Snow gaitersReinforced hemsZipped hand pocketsRECCO® reflector

It’s a sophisticated, piste-ready ski pant.

Outcomes: Clear, succesful and quietly technical – simply how good ski package needs to be.

Ultimate for snowshoeing spherical Lake Pyramid close to Jasper

Helly Hansen Alphelia Lifaloft Ski Jacket & Avanti Ski Pants – PlanetSKI Gear Critiques from Canada. Picture © PlanetSKI

Helly Hansen Alphelia Lifaloft Ski Jacket & Avanti Ski Pants – PlanetSKI Gear Critiques from Canada. Picture © PlanetSKI

See extra right here: Helly Hansen Avanti Ski Pants >>

Sorel Torino V WP Snow Boot – Tester: Kisia 

£150 – Sorel.com additionally out there from EllisBrigham.com

By no means has a pair of snow boots been so welcome because the arrival of the Torino V WP Snow Boot from Sorel.

It’s a snow boot constructed for correct winter situations — the sort with slush, snow and really icy pavements and icy carparks that we’ve skilled in Canada.

The waterproof safety comes through an OutDry membrane, teamed with a trendy suede higher and it has a coated leather-based mudguard that saved my toes dry in on a regular basis situations.

Sorel Torino V WP Snow Boots – PlanetSKI Gear Critiques from Canada. Picture © PlanetSKI

Sorel Torino V WP Snow Boots – PlanetSKI Gear Critiques from Canada. Picture © PlanetSKI

Inside, 200g artificial insulation and a microfleece lining ship reliable heat, whereas the faux-fur cuff seals in heat round my ankle for additional consolation – and so they definitely saved my toes comfortably heat with no need additional pairs of socks.

There’s loads of different fashionable and sensible add ons – sturdy metallic D-rings for lacing and a heel pull tab make them straightforward to get on and alter.

The sturdy leather-based overlay and its chunky moulded rubber midsole and outsole griped completely on snowy and icy floor.

Sorel Torino V WP Snow Boots with chunky sole – PlanetSKI Gear Critiques from Canada. Picture © PlanetSKI

Underfoot cushioning from the EVA insole improved consolation for all-day put on.

Upshot: The Torino V WP Snow Boot is one in every of my high favorite objects of package I’ve worn and examined this winter.

100% Fashionable and Practical  ✅100% Cosy heat  ✅100% Waterproof ✅100% Grippy on ice ✅100% Hardwearing ✅

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The Torino v WP Snow Boot is out there from Ellis Brigham on this hyperlink 

Now, it might appear odd to not be testing Canada’s most well-known model whereas within the county – Arc’teryx.

Or to listen to from James and Alex about clothes – “The place’s the assessment on males’s clothes?”, we hear you ask.

We have been going to have a full assessment of some the Arc’teryx package for males.

Alex is aware of its merchandise nicely and was trying ahead to placing some Arc’teryx gear by its paces.

It’s his model of selection.

PlanetSKI Gear Critiques from Canada. Picture © PlanetSKI

James was going to assist out too, although it needs to be mentioned he’s extra curiosity in gear and gear, than clothes.

Sadly the supply of things was delayed and we didn’t obtain them in time earlier than our departure from the UK again in December.

We tried to get some from the corporate whereas in Canada, however to no avail.

Subsequent time.

Within the third and closing Planet ski gear evaluations from Canada we have a look at just a few Odds ‘n’ Ends which have enhanced our time in Canada.

PlanetSKI Gear Critiques from Canada. Picture © PlanetSKI

Stabil Mid Cleat – PlanetSKI Gear Critiques from Canada. Picture © PlanetSKI

PlanetSKI Gear Critiques from Canada. Picture © PlanetSKI

Do verify again…

Gear evaluations fr0m Canada – Picture  © PlanetSKI

The exams have been carried out in a number of resorts throughout Alberta and British Columbia: Sunshine Village, Lake Louise, Mt Norquay, Nakaska, Revelstoke, Kicking Horse and Marmot Basin.

We now have not been evaluating related items of package, however somewhat we’ve skied with dozens & dozens of things, then chosen those that we expect are price reviewing and telling you extra about them.

Some haven’t made the grade, others have.

They’re all objects now we have used on a day-to-day foundation across the mountains right here in Canada in our 2-month keep.

We’re telling you why we like them, and what downsides they could have.

We enthuse full on after we really feel the gear is good.

Resort Critiques/Experiences:

Rolling Weblog:

Final season’s gear assessment got here from Japan:

The PlanetSKI staff in Japan. Picture © PlanetSKI.

We’re pondering the place PlanetSKI will probably be based mostly for an prolonged interval subsequent winter – for gear exams, experiences and all the remaining.

We like to pick out ski areas which have a lot extra to supply than folks suppose.

Not simply the snowboarding, however the entire winter expertise.

We’re provisionally considering Norway.

A rustic we love.

PlanetSKI in Norway. Picture © PlanetSKI.

Watch this house…

PlanetSKI – No 1 for digital ski information

Your digital platform for ski information, resort data, journey, gear rental, sport, cash saving offers and all the things related with snowsports – web page, social media & extra

PlanetSKI: No 1 for digital ski information

Your digital platform for ski information, resort data, journey, gear rental, sport, cash saving offers and all the things related with snowsports – web page, social media & extra.