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December 08, 2008
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The Tuf Gene Jacket (Courtesy of Mountain Hardwear)
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Can you recommend a warm, but cute ski jacket for my next trip to Aspen?
— The Editors
Santa Fe, New Mexico
 Lucky for you, warm and cute ski jackets are not in short supply. Here are three of my favorites for this season:
Mountain Hardwear’s Tuf Gene Jacket ($175) has just enough Western styling to make you feel like a maverick on skis. With an insulated fleece lining that feels like fur, a hood you can snap in place below your chin (so it doesn’t flap around annoyingly), two front patch pockets, and a slightly high-waisted fit, the jacket feels feminine but still rugged. It’s not the most technical piece of clothing Mountain Hardwear makes, but it’ll keep you plenty toasty on a 20-degree day.
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Do you have a question of your
own?
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Cloudveil’s Women’s Hoback jacket ($495) is so bomber that I wore it backcountry cat skiing in Aspen last February. The Gore-Tex shell kept out the snow, while the Primaloft insulation kept me cozy. Plus, it’s got all the technical essentials—pit zips, a zip-out powder skirt, and a zip-off hood—for a long day on the slopes in less-than-bluebird weather.
Looking for something that’s as fashionable as it is functional? Kjus’s Ladies’ Prime jacket ($1,690 kjus.com) may blow your budget, but you’ll look like a Bond girl. The sleek black parka with foil details is made out of 800 fill down and four-way stretch fabric. It’s got Aspen written all over it.
Stephanie Pearson: The Gear Girl
When it comes to gear, contributing editor Stephanie Pearson lives by one rule: What you own, owns you. That's why the skier, hiker, biker, runner, canoe paddler, and sometimes yogini is on an eternal quest to find gear and clothing that will enhance her life rather than make her a slave to dysfunctional stuff. During her seven-year stint as a travel editor at Outside, Pearson received three honorable mentions in The Best American Travel Writing series for stories on Guatemala, New Zealand, and Bhutan. Now that she's no longer in the office at Outside HQ in Santa Fe, Pearson hopes to be on the road more and is always in search of functional and aesthetically pleasing gear that's easy to use or clothing that's elegant to wear. Pearson is based in northern Minnesota and Santa Fe. Her latest adventure was on the fringe of the Amazon Basin in Brazil.
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