The Vaude Backbowl Pants are made for long days earning your turns ski touring. They're built with a stretchy 3-layer fabric, and Cordura reinforced lower legs.
The Backbowl ski pants have got a much lighter feel to them than your average piste or backcountry pants, the material is thin and light and amazing supple for a ski pant with a fully waterproof membrane. We used the Backbowl pants in some heavy snow conditions which turned wetter as the day went on and while my jacket wetted out in high abrasion areas around the shoulders and cuffs the Backbowl pants stayed dry throughout. The freedom of movement in these pants is fantastic, you can barely feel them on your legs. The fit is perfect for ski touring and split boarding, there isn't too much loose material to catch and snag on things but there's enough room for layering and moving, there's also a fair amount of stretch to keep things as supple as possible.
Obviously being quite a thin shell pant, you'll need to have suitable heavyweight base layers underneath on colder days, but the material at least keeps the wind at bay and is comfortable next to the skin on balmy spring days where a base layer might be overkill.
The chunky Cordura instep is robust but doesn't add too much weight and is stretchy like the other fabrics used.
Although not a bib we didn't have any problems with the tricky base layer/pack/pants/jacket combo that can so often be a pain to maintain with everything moving about as the day goes on. The waistband is soft and comfortable and has a Velcro tightening system so you can stay streamlined by leaving the belt at home.
The front pockets are well placed half way down the front of the thigh, ideal for quick access to maps and other small items and the side vents are easy to operate, allowing you to quickly dump excess heat between climbs and descents.
Vaude are true pioneers of green and sustainable manufacturing and the Backbowl pants receive their coveted Bluesign standard for environmental protection, consumer protection and occupational safety, we doff our hats to them for making such a genuine effort to reduce their impact.
Overall, we absolutely love the Backbowl pants, they perform exactly as intended and are possibly the most comfortable fully weather-proof ski pants we've ever worn.
