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When you’re ready to hit the slopes—or just want to look like you are—the very best ski jackets on the market offer up a near-perfect blend of scintillating style and peak performance. After all, skiers and snowboarders face extreme conditions on the slopes, taking on fresh snow, icy winds, and heart-pumping adrenaline with every turn. The jackets they wear, then, should be water-resistant, windproof, and breathable. They should come complete with big ol’ hoods (like, big enough to fit a helmet), plenty of pockets, and a decent amount of insulation stuffed within their modular hard- or softshells. The last crucial element? They also need to look sick—otherwise, what was the point of putting yourself at risk?
The Best Ski Jackets Shopping Guide
Don’t get us wrong, though. You don’t have to actually snake your way down a powdery slope just to partake in the fun of men’s ski jackets. Like, when’s the last time you wore a pair of Vans to do a kickflip? Yeah. Thought so. That also means you don’t have to do the whole Gore-Tex getup, either, because the dopest ski jackets will transcend their origins. Layer one with a chunky sweater and some faded jeans, or a pair of baggy-as-hell corduroy pants and clogs. Whether you’re touching down for fashion week like Frank Ocean, lighting up the arena like Aminé, or just zipping around town to do your silly little errands on a crisp February day, the best ski jackets will amp up your style all winter long.
Wherever you choose to wear yours, we’ve got 17 of the absolute best on the market here for your shopping pleasure. Carve on, dude.
The Best Overall Ski Jacket
Long before TikTokers began wearing their jackets in the shower, Arc’teryx earned a cult-like following (and a spot on GQ’s Quality List) for the advanced functionality and uncompromising quality of its outdoors gear. The Rush jacket is an exemplar of that performance-minded excellence, slickly engineered with a windproof and waterproof Gore-Tex shell, taped seams, heat-sealed zippers, pit zips for ventilation, a helmet-compatible hood, a powder skirt, and on and on and on. Arc’teryx makes the Rush jacket in both a weathproof shell and an insulated version which uses toasty Primaloft material to keep you thawed through any blizzard. If you’re hoping to conquer a black diamond and look damn good doing it, either version will serve you very, very well.
The Best Budget Ski Jacket
Let’s not kid ourselves—skiing ain’t cheap. You’ve got skis, helmets, gloves, and ski passes, not to mention all the gas it takes to drive to the slopes. And then there’s all the apres-ski activities! So why not save dough where you can? Penny-pinching doesn’t automatically mean you’re sacrificing on performance or style, thankfully. Enter L.L.Bean and it’s nifty 3-in-1 Trail Model jacket. It comes in at under $250, and it’s the triple threat you’re looking for: the shell is completely waterproof and comes in a quartet of solid colors, the removable insulated jacket is fortified with Primaloft warmth, and you can wear them separately or combine them together and become the Megazord of the mountain.
The Best Ski Jacket With Serious Designer Cred
Moncler makes some of the most luxurious outerwear around, and you’d be ballin out of control with any of its luxe jackets. But for the truly flexy, its fashion-forward Moncler Genius line is the ultimate neckbreaker. The Genius label is Moncler’s playground for collaboration and taps select designers to create truly showstopping pieces like this badass puffer made with Matthew Williams’s 1017 Alyx 9SM label. The sleek, shiny black ripstop contrasts with the overstuffed down baffles and Williams’ signature rollercoaster buckle at the neck. Unless you’re a real pro in the powder, you probably don’t want to take a chance wearing this to go skiing. Buuut when you’ve got the cash to splash on this grail, you might be able to afford that chance, after all.
The Best Adaptable Ski Jacket
Given the way the environment has been trending lately, knowing exactly how much to layer up for a day on the slopes can be…tricky. That’s where this three-in-one jacket comes in. It’s comprised of a weatherproof outer shell to protect you from the elements and a toasty detachable insulated layer which can be worn in tandem or separately, giving you a ton of flexibility in varying conditions. They also come in a vibrant range of colorways to help you brighten up even the bleakest winter days.
The Best Eco-Conscious Ski Jacket
Picture Organic cares as much about sustainability as they do the slopes. Their inuslated jacket hits all the requisite ski jacket marks: underarm vents, generous chest pockets, pass pocket, an attached goggles cleaner, and adjustable hood, hems, and cuffs. But where it gets really sweet is the hardshell itself which uses a combination of recycled polyester and bio-sourced polyester made from repurposed sugarcane waste. The material is then combined into a breathable yet waterproof two-layer fabric and then coated with an eco-friendly, PFC-free DWR coating to make sure you stay drip dry all day long. On top of that, the cozy insulation is made from recycled synthetic down material. Mother Earth is proud.
