Reviewed by Andy Cochrane for Adventure Sports Network
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Midway through the third lap of the day, a 1,500-foot climb from the valley floor to the aspen-laiden saddle, I stopped for a snack.
This otherwise forgetful moment is flagged in my brain, because I looked down and realized that I was comfortably dry, despite steady snowfall all day.
For those uninitiated to backcountry touring, this may sound like an odd thing to care about. For those familiar with typically sweaty slogs up skin tracks, this may help inform your next ski-touring upgrade.
I was wearing my standard bibs and long underwear bottom, but for a full week I swapped out my top layers for new ones from Voormi, made from wool and natural fibers.
In addition, and somewhat skeptically, I left my hard-shell jacket at home and instead toured with a soft shell with a waterproof finish: the Voormi Men’s Inversion Jacket.
I was curious to see if this system would sufficiently keep the moisture off while letting my body breathe better on steep climbs. It worked better than nearly all synthetics I’ve used, allowing me to ski both uphill and down without changing layers. It also made transitions faster and kept my pack lighter, two additional bonuses. On a colder or windy day this strategy might not work, but for our 20-degree tour, it was perfect.