Spyder Nordwand Pant ($375)

WHAT IT IS:
Hagen was involved in the design of the pant from the first concept drawings to testing of the finished product. He wanted a pant that he could wear skiing at the hill and for ski mountaineering in any weather. And he wanted to solve a few of his pet peeves -- in particular snow down his pants and accessing his boot buckles. To create a snow-proof gasket around his waist without resorting to restrictive and hot bibs, Spyder stitched a two-inch strip of neoprene just above the belt loops. "The idea for the neoprene waist belt came from a pair of dingy sailing pants I have," Hagen says.

As for his boots, Hagen was looking to rethink the ski gaiter, which seems to stick to boots too well when you want to adjust buckles, but never well enough when wallowing in deep snow. "I was getting really tired of having to pull my gaiter up everytime I wanted to adjust my buckles," he says. "I was also looking for a way of connecting boots and gaiters so there was no way of getting snow into my boots." Spyder's solution: When you put on ski boots, you can slip the power strap through a loop in the ski pants, effectively uniting the pants and boot and leaving buckles exposed below the gaiter. The design is patent pending.

WHY IT RULES:
The rest of the pant is loaded with ski-friendly features. The three-layer, proprietary shell material is highly waterproof and breathable. Two cargo pockets and a back zip pocket make it easy to stash stuff. The bottom hem is reinforced. The cut walks the fine line between baggy enough to not look lame, but trim and articulated for serious mountaineering. And a Recco beacon lies beneath the pant's skin. "We also wanted to have really good ventilation, as both Chris and myself are high intensity skiers," Hagen says. "The solution was to have vents on bought sides of the leg."

The double venting system creates an air flow, like opening a door and a window in a house. Basically, "the Nordwand Pants are perfect for any skier that hates having snow down their backs or in the boots, that likes to ski hard and hike for turns," says Hagen.

WHERE TO FIND IT:
Buy the pants online or find a local retailer at Spyder.com.

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