As leisure activities go, skiing has a pretty high barrier to entry.
Let’s face it: unless your parents were kind enough to whisk you off to the Alps every Christmas when you were a child, imprinting upon your pliant young mind the muscle memory required to stay upright while sliding down an icy hill with your feet strapped to two sticks of teflon-coated carbon fibre, chances are you’re going to spend the first couple of days of your holiday lying face-down on the nursery slopes.
None of this is helped, of course, by the fact that we Brits can’t exactly pop out for an afternoon ski. It’s nothing like going for a jog, which it’s possible to do just about anywhere and with minimal kit.
No: you need a large mountain, ideally one that’s coated with a thick layer of fresh snow. You also need stuff. Lots of stuff.
The one thing this jacket can’t do is make you any better at skiing
Planning a ski holiday means diving into a world of merino baselayers, thermo-welded seams, four-way stretch salopettes and triple-layer Gore-Tex; it doesn’t just require mastery of a strange new lexicon, but familiarising yourself with a roll-call of specialist brands: instead of Prada, Saint Laurent and Acne Studios, think Aztech Mountain, Bogner, Fusalp and Moncler Grenoble.
The latter – a technical, ski-focused diffusion line from the down-filled jacket specialist, Moncler – is responsible for the emerald-green Gollinger jacket seen here, which comes in the brand’s signature resin-coated nylon laqué finish and boasts a breathable waterproof membrane, quick release MagZips and heat-sealed seams.
Which is another way of saying that it does an excellent job of keeping you warm and dry, all while looking rather sharp, too. Regretfully, the one thing it can’t do is make you any better at skiing. If that’s an issue, perhaps it’s best to follow the example of the gentleman shown in this photo and just sort of stand there instead.
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For more info, see Mr Porter
