Cross country ski pants

What you need to know about cross-country ski pants:

Firstly, depending on the type of skier and his sporting level, the pants can be used in different ways. A competitor will mainly use them to warm up before taking them off to do his session in a wetsuit or tights. A skier more focused on leisure and walking will tend to ski with his pants on during all his outings. You must therefore target the type of skier you are in order to find what suits you best.

Secondly, cross-country ski pants are rarely worn as a single layer, and underneath you often wear a coverall or pantyhose. Cross-country ski pants do not have thick linings like alpine ski pants, so they are much thinner and often require the addition of a first layer. For those who only use the pants and do not wear tights, thermal underwear is recommended.

How to choose your cross-country ski pants?

Your choice depends above all on your aspirations as a skier, whether you are in a leisure and relaxation approach to nature, or whether you are in a more performance-oriented approach. There are warmer models than others of course and generally these models have a looser and more comfortable fit for those who do not want a pant that is very close to tights. It is quite easy with the visuals to determine the pant cut, and this information is always formulated in the technical data sheets on our site.

A recreational skier will need a looser, warmer and more comfortable pant that is better suited for moderate intensity skiing. A sporty or competitive skier will choose pants as a second option to be worn on cool days or for warm-up, so will tend to choose thinner, tighter fitting pants. Of course not all models are equivalent and this explains the price differences, depending on the brand, membrane technologies and fabrics may differ, depending on the complexity of the mesh or the level of quality, this generates a more or less important manufacturing cost that will impact the price of the finished product. Some brands work only with polyester, others with polyamide, and others make blends with polyamide and woollen yarns, as at Bjorn Daehlie for example.

Concerning the membranes it is exactly the same, there are several qualities of membranes, several types of fabric treatments, ecological or not, it also has an environmental and financial impact.

The most important thing for you is to define your profile as a skier and what are your aspirations. From this you will have a good basis to choose your cross-country ski pants, also taking into account the financial aspect. And if you don't know what to choose, contact our Nordic advisors, they will guide you towards the most suitable alternatives for your practice.