Lycra suits are not just a fashion trend. While it's true you may be seeing more and more skiers at the trailheads looking sleek, that's just a side effect of race suits being perfectly optimized for ski mountaineering. The Contest Suit from CAMP is a great example, with special pockets for skins, gels, and even an avalanche transceiver. And of course you can be sure that a suit designed for racing will have many ventilation options while being reinforced in all the right places. And yes, there is even a special access zipper for when nature calls. Don't forget to flush!
- Lightweight Lycra construction is flexible, breathable, and double layered on the knees for warmth and durability.
- Mesh backing helps regulate your temperature and dump moisture around your backpack.
- Kevlar reinforced cuffs resist tears so you can worry less about crampon mishaps.
- Reinforced elastic stirrups fit securely around your ski boots so your pants don't ride up when booting through powder.
- Dedicated slots for boot buckles are compatible with all the popular one-motion buckle / lock systems.
- Two exterior chest pockets for skins and another for gels or a camera so you don't need to access your pack.
- Interior pocket for an avalanche beacon, easily accessed in a pinch via a full length chest zipper (which opens up or down)..
- Two additional layers of separated interior space in the abdomen help keep you organized and moving efficiently.
- Tiny ventilation holes underneath the armpits release heat before it builds up.
Sizing is Euro, so XL is more like an L around these parts.
| Specifications | |
|
Weight |
471g [M] 492g [L] |
| Ventilation | Mesh back, underarm holes |
| Hood | No |
| Pockets | 1 chest for skins, 1 chest for gels, 3 inner stomach |
| Cuffs | Stirrups & buckle cutouts |
| Specs Verified | Yes |
| Design | |
| Fit | Race tight |
|
|
Lycra with kevlar reinforcements and mesh panels |
| Skimo Co Says | |
| Usage | Racing, efficient touring |
| Notes | Well ventilated, convenient boot buckle holes, "nature calls" access |
| Bottom Line | Perfectly optimized for ski mountaineering |
Questions & Reviews
Very strange that they do not publish sizing guidelines.
I've been out in this twice so far. I'm used to skiing in midweight soft shells (Patagonia guide pants & jacket, or things like that). I never felt those were restrictive, but I really noticed being able to move more freely. Somehow it just felt "right" to be heading up the hill wearing the suit. Breathability is excellent, but given the conditions I always wore an additional layer on top (Nano Puff when it was 5 degrees, Piton Hoody (which is awesome, by the way) when it was 20 and very windy). The combo proved very comfortable both days.
The other great feature is the pockets. It will take me years to figure them out, but the big skin pockets on the outside of the suit are great. Much better than trying to jam skins into generic shell pockets. I'd been afraid they would only fit full-on racing skins, but there's plenty of room for the full-coverage skins for my 163cm Hagan Cirrus skis. We'll see if it works with the skins for my 100mm-waist skis.
I haven't sorted out the cuff arrangements yet. I wish it came with an instructional video! I'll report back when I work on that.
Oh, I do wish it said "ski" instead of "camp". But other than the appearance, I already want to wear this every time I go skiing, even though I'm old and slow.
Thanks!
Dave
I'm the opposite, so I wonder if I should go with medium. Dave, do you mind measuring the inseam on the small? (jbo, do you mind measuring the inseam on the medium?)
I'm in Canada, so if I can avoid shipping the wrong size back and forth, that would be ideal... Thanks for your help!
I do feel like my legs could be lots longer and this would still fit, but if my torso was any longer I'd be in trouble.
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