Price Jacket: £270
Price Pants: £225
Waterproof / Breathability: Water column of 10.000mm / 10.000 g/m2/24h
Sizes: XS, S, M, L, XL, XXL
Buy Columbia Highland Summit Ski Jacket: £270 from Columbia.co.uk
Buy Columbia Highland Summit Ski Bib Pants: £225 from Columbia.co.uk
Pros:
- Easy to layer underneath
- Stylish drop-hem on the jacket
- Omni-Heat™ Infinity Warmth
- Good storage
Cons:
- Bulky fit
- Plentiful pockets are a little small
Columbia Highland Summit Ski Jacket and Highland Bib Pant Review: Intro
Columbia Sportswear is known as a trustworthy and practical brand, which has been making reliable, accessible outdoor gear since 1938. While the brand may be less vocal than others about its efforts to lower environmental impact, or its endeavours to create gear for technical mountain ascents, it has been focussed on innovating, creating its own waterproofing and insulating technologies for all outdoor pursuits. The Omni-Tech waterproof and breathable membrane was first developed in 1991, and has allowed the company to create competitive waterproof gear without the constraints of fabric package brands like GORE-TEX.
Columbia’s kit is typically good value and good quality, and the Highland Summit Jacket and Bib Pants essentially epitomise just that. Practical, durable and get the job done without totally breaking the bank, built with their proprietary heat reflective and waterproof fabric technologies.
Who are the Columbia Highland Summit Jacket and Highland Bib Pants aimed at?
With a name like Columbia Highland Summit, you’d be forgiven for mistaking this suit as the perfect gear for scaling and skiing Ben Nevis. While you’d likely be toasty at the top thanks to the suits’ Omni-Heat Infinity tech and insulation, this jacket and bib pants combo are more suited to the enthusiastic resort skier who’s happy to brave plummeting temperatures and snowy days.
Columbia Highland Summit Ski Jacket and Highland Bib Pant Review: Materials
Perhaps the most exciting part of this suit is its gold lining. Columbia’s Omni-Heat Infinity lining technology, originally inspired by NASA’s space blankets, is built with a lightweight, metallic agent designed to reflect heat. So, while you might feel like you are twinning with the James Webb Telescope, you should stay warmer for longer on sub-zero, deep-winter days. The lining reflects radiant body heat back towards you and the dotted pattern not only looks dazzling but allows the fabric to breathe and slides easily over layers.
Both the Columbia Highland Summit Ski Jacket and Highland Bib pants are lightly insulated with durable, breathable, 85% recycled, synthetic insulation and built with Columbia’s original proprietary technology – Omni-Tech. This 2.5-layer waterproof is engineered with a thin PU membrane that keeps rain and snow out but allows moisture vapour from your body to pass through. The fabric has a soft and supple feel and worked well keeping me dry in both light rain and snow.
Columbia Highland Summit Ski Jacket and Highland Bib Pant Review: Style, Fit and Features
Both the jacket and bib pants have a roomy fit, and while neither have the most flattering cut, they do have extra room for plenty of layers and accommodate for hips. I liked the jacket’s length and the drop hem that neatly covered over the back of the hips. At 5ft 5, I often find some ski pants to be a bit on the long side, but these bib pants are a great length and don’t trail on the floor. They also have poppers at the waist to cinch-in the fit and a couple of poppers on the lower leg to fit over ski boots if necessary.
Ventilation is well provided for with two-way pit zips on the jacket and two-way zips on both sides of the bib pants (also ideal if you need a comfort break and don’t want to completely de-layer). If you like to ski or snowboard without a backpack, both jacket and pants have good storage with a range of pockets; two hand pockets, two chest pockets, an internal dump pocket and zipped pocket, and a lift pass pocket on the jacket, and two thigh pockets and a chest pocket on the bibs. The pockets are all lined with a soft, brushed fabric and although they are a little on the small side but there’s ample space for essentials like keys, phone, sun cream and maybe a small water bottle.
On deep, snowy days, the stretchy snow gaiters will easily keep the powder out and the jacket’s cuffs are worth a mention here too – they are super comfortable, soft, and stretchy sliding easily under gloves for that sealed-in feel. The jacket has a helmet-compatible, adjustable, insulated hood that fits well over a standard helmet, and although the low collar is not especially protective, it does make for an easy-head turn and won’t rub on your chin or neck.
The suit has a few other smart features including a stretchy snow skirt, a chest popper to hold the jacket shut if you want to let the front zip down and dump some heat, and there’s good articulation throughout for easy movement. The bib pants also have a hand warmer pocket on the chest and easily adjustable, chunky elastic braces with a clever elastic strap that will stop them getting tangled (sometimes the best features are the simplest!)
Columbia Highland Summit Ski Jacket and Highland Bib Pant Review: Verdict
Practical, warm, and thoughtfully designed with a bunch of clever features, the Highland Summit Jacket and Bib Pants (if confusingly named) are perfect for resort skiing and snowboarding in the depths of winter. The suit is perfect for braving cold temperatures (or for people who run cold) and will stand up to wild weather and snowy days, just don’t expect them to breathe especially well for sunny spring skiing.
Buy Columbia Highland Summit Ski Jacket: £270 from Columbia.co.uk
Buy Columbia Highland Summit Ski Bib Pants: £225 from Columbia.co.uk
