When its snorkel deep and the blower powder begins to penetrate your low slung ski pants leaving you a little damp around the equator, then it's time to reach for the Burton Freebird pant.
The high bib Freebirds are designed for big days with deep powder but there's enough venting options for less full-on snow days where a short, sweaty hike may be required to find your secret stash.
With deep chest and thigh pockets there's great storage options for gloves, a transceiver and some energy bars. The thigh vents are sealed with waterproof zips as are the leg pockets while the inner thigh vents and chest pockets are covered with storm flaps and lighter zips.
The lack of a heavier protective ankle material suggests that this is more of a snowboard pant than a ski pant and not really suitable for touring or splitboarding (unless you're uber careful with your edges and crampons). The lack of true leg articulation further suggests that this is an inbound pant designed for blower days rather than a high mountain pant for those deeper more remote expeditions.
If this matches your motivation and style, then it's game on. The quality of construction and the style and comfort of the Freebirds sets them right at the top of the bib tree for us this winter. They're well constructed, funky and more than capable of dealing with the demands of the deepest of deep Japanese powder days. The question is will you be able to keep up?
