[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] I have had the same ski pants for 20 years and after incurring the fourth small tear last season, I decided it was finally time to replace them. These Obermeyers fit well and move well. I considered Helly Hansen on discount as fit and movement and simplicity and value were my top priorities but needed a thigh pocket for food and snacks (sandwiches and protein bars, deal breaker without storage for these on the pants), especially considering my ancient pants had two thigh pockets (like cargo ski pants). I also was interested in supporting a Colorado business as a Colorado resident. All the water proofing gimmicks and seam seals on higher-featured or more expensive models are not necessary if you are an experienced skier who hardly ever (or never) falls and isn't a full out backcountry powderhound. If you are mostly on-piste and experienced, these will be an excellent value. With all that said, these were excellent in recent use, good mobility and generally forgot they were even there, which is a good sign. No binding or movement restrictions, not too loose, not too tight, generally reserved yet cool-looking style and fit but not making a strong statement of any kind and certainly not garish. I am 6'2", 200 lbs., and have worn 34-34 Levis forever. The large size of these seemed by stated measurements to have too short an inseam for me, but I wasn't sure if I needed an extra 2". So I took advantage of the rare availability of Long versions and ordered a Large Long. It was a touch too long when standing, by an inch or so, but not obnoxiously long and covered my boots really well, going farther down the tops and the back heel, but not completely and certainly didn't touch the skis or bindings. I hiked the pants up a touch and they were better. When sitting or crouching, they were an ideal length. In hindsight, I would like to try the Large and Large Long with ski boots on back-to-back in the store. I suspect a length that splits the difference would be ideal for me, but I also suspect that I am on the cusp between sizes and either would work. If you are 6'3" or taller, probably get the Long version; if 6'1" or shorter, standard version probably works best. If you are exactly either of those sizes or 6'2" like me, you're probably ideally served by trying them on or ordering both and returning one, with the understanding that people of those heights may have more of it in either torso or legs depending on the individual, so it can be difficult to judge without trying them on. I wrote this verbose review because I struggled with selecting Long or regular and searched customer reviews for information on the experiences of others. My thin synthetic base layer went underneath them well, and didn't even notice I was wearing a different setup on my bottoms despite having had worn the previous pants for nearly two decades straight and being accustomed to those. I hope this is helpful. Overall a solid pair of pants that are functional and fit well, and an excellent value. More expensive pants may be marginally better, but there's that law diminishing returns where they won't be proportionally better for the additional cost, I suspect. I have tried expensive pants on in the past and wasn't impressed for the price charged, thus kept delaying my purchase until now.
Read More
