On the face of it the Salomon Icefrost jacket is a fairly simplistic ski jacket; warm, waterproof and colourful, it's almost retro in that sense! But as you'd expect, Salomon's quality and attention to detail elevates the jacket in almost every regard.
The membrane is Salomon's proprietary 20k/20k waterproof/breathable AdvancedSkin Dry and the insulation is AdvancedSkin Warm. These quality specs are backed up by fully sealed seams, a removable hood (which isn't helmet compatible) and a snow skirt, plus nice big cuffs which will go over bulky gloves or cinch down to tuck under gauntlet-style gloves.
Frankly I wanted to hate the Icefrost jacket but simply couldn't. Partly the colour put me off (cherry tomato - actually sickly orange) but various options are available, and in any other colourway it's undeniable that the Icefrost could be a very useful all round winter coat. The lovely soft face fabric helps in that regard - it's much less rustly than more obviously-tech-focused jackets, and that's a big factor in value.
And when I put it on I felt like it was hugging me. So how can I be mean to it? It's cosy as hell without being overly bulky. It's not light at 1100 grams (you'd probably wear it on the plane rather than take up baggage allowance!) but the fit and comfort is excellent. "The clean lines of a freeride jacket" is a vague-sounding phrase, but if it's shorthand for a long, relaxed fit, with good bum coverage, then Salomon have nailed it. It's probably borderline too warm for real backcountry use, but for an all-mountain freerider the Icefrost ticks a lot of boxes.
A bang-up-to-date classic.
