Testing awesome Columbia gear in icy conditions

Only the best gear is good enough for such harsh conditions! ❄️

Curious?

42° 48′ 16” N
140° 41′ 14” E
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Luckily, we had the opportunity to test Columbia’s apparel during our 3-week ski trip in Japan. This product review will be focusing on the OutDry Ex Diamond Down Insulated Jacket, which uses a new technology that we have personally never seen before.

The OutDry Ex jacket was worn during the whole time (on the slopes but also in the evening when walking around) while staying in the mountain area. Besides super nice and sunny weather in Nozawa Onsen area, we encountered the following weather conditions on the Northern island “Hokkaido”:

Especially harsh conditions in the Niseko ski resorts – ranging from -9 to -19°C during the day. Some gondolas and top lifts were often on hold due to the windy weather conditions.
Night skiing, it went down to more than -20°C
Uninterrupted snowfall during one week (average snowfall in Niseko 15.1 meters)
Heavy winds (thank god they have these because, without the cold Siberian winds, Niseko powder-snow wouldn’t be what it is)

So what to do when the mercury drops and the icy wind picks up? The trick is to get the best gear out there which keeps you dry & comfy in stormy and snowy weather. And honestly, we believe the OutDry Ex Down jacket offers everything (and even more) you need in order to spend a fantastic day in such harsh conditions.

So let’s have a look at the features, that we believe every ski jacket should have and that we have also found in the Columbia OutDry Ex Down jacket:

A waterproof, breathable fabric. This is probably the best feature of them all because OutDry™ Extreme is Columbia’s waterproof and breathable fabric technology that has a waterproof layer on the outside and soft, wicking fabric inside. So the membrane on the outside really kept us dry, and the goose down kept us warm.
An attached and adjustable helmet-compatible hood that protects you from snow and wind
Underarm ventilation zips: you’ll be sweating a lot, because powder skiing is way more physically demanding than skiing on the slopes. So let that fresh air in sometimes.
Extremely light: The jacket is so super light, which is necessary when traveling with the complete ski gear across the globe from Switzerland to Japan.
Extremely warm: The jacket has 800 fill power (Bauschkraft in German) and a water-resistant Goose down insulation. Especially the 800 fill power is proof that Columbia is only using the highest quality goose down out there. And talking about high quality down: it is also notable to mention that Columbia is committed to only use RDS-certified down and feather for their products. If you want to know more about the Responsible Down Certification in general, check out this link.
It features a snap back powder skirt, which is absolutely essential when spending the whole day in powder. I was particularly thankful for it when I was wiped out in the deep snow several times.

So after almost 3 weeks of use, we conclude that the OutDry Extreme Columbia jacket has proven to be a fantastic piece of outdoor gear that fulfills all the needs of a backcountry skier due to its OutDry technology and its additional features.

As you’ve read in the previous post, ‘Tested Tough’ isn’t just an ad campaign or tagline, it’s the promise from Columbia to produce awesome and great outdoor products. And we have definitely tested their product tough!

Sking day and night! We also enjoy the magic of night skiing, because Niseko boasts some of the best night skiing in Japan. And OutDry even kept us warm during night