Flylow Gear Gear Review

Myself rockin' the Flylow Pom beanie at Monarch a few weeks ago....

Due to the combination of a mild injury putting me out for the week (Don't worry I should be good by the weekend), not a ton of snow and the fact that I misplaced my camera connection chord in the process of my recent move (dumbass!), I'm going to finally get around to doing some gear reviews as I've been meaning to do so for a while.
First up, Flylow Gear, a local Denver based backcountry ski and telemark apparel company. This company, started by Dan Abrams (sp?) a few years ago specializes in creating gear that is mainly intended for backcountry skiers, telemarkers and basically people that treat their gear like crap. Kind of a tough lineup of things to accomplish but they seem to do it very very well. Flylow does outsource their construction to China, which is unfortunate and a bit of a negative tick in their direction, but pretty much the only one as far as I can think. Other than that the only major problem with Flylow is that if you ski at Loveland, theres a good chance that all of your friends are going to be wearing the exact same stuff.
First up, to my favorite piece of Flylow Gear, the Chemical Pant:



This pant sports a trim yet loose fit (I use the word trim in regards to the uber baggy gangster rap influenced pants that seem to made by most other ski companies these days), with articulated knees, 3/4 leg zips on the outside of the thigh and knee zips on the inside of the knees. Full gaiter at the bottom of the pant along with additional reinforcement for those of us knee benders that occasionally get our pants caught in our bindings. If your looking for a killer backcountry ski pant that is lightweight and fully waterproof, these pants are the ticket. The articulated knees can easily fit a knee pad, if you've got strap on knee pads you can chuck them on underneath by simply putting them on through the ventilation zips in the pants. My favorite thing about these pants is that so far they seem to live up to the Flylow reputation of being utterly bombproof. They don't seem to be prone to snagging for those of us who like to ski too close to trees (might be changing that habit now...) and so far have shown no durability issues on the many long tours I have taken them on. I also really like the fit of the pants, their slim enough so that they feel utilitarian and responsible when taking them into the backcountry, but at the same time you don't look like your about to scale Mt. Blanc and then ski down to your favorite creperie for apres. The waterproofing seems to have no issues with it as I've used it on several long tours and have not yet had a problem with my butt getting wet, even with doing rescue drills and mucking around in the snow a whole bunch. While I wouldn't say the pants are breathable (full membrane clothing rarely is, no matter what the manufacturer tells you) the second you start to feel yourself working up a sweat, simply reach down unzip your outer and inner zips and voila! it's like the Santa Anna winds are blowing through your nether regions. Unless it's a super warm spring day, I probably wouldn't wear my Chemicals to the resort (I have lots of friends that do on a regular basis, but I tend to get cold easily), as they have no insulation and really are a shell that intends for you to be generating your own heat. The one time I did wear it to the resort I threw on my Icebreaker 320 GT pants layer underneath and was pretty toasty, albeit a little bulky.

Chemical Pants in action!

The only two issues I have with these pants is that with only two side pockets, loads of storage area for on the go items is lacking (ie snacks, candy bars, beacons, repair equipment, compasses, bongs-all those BC esentials) and colors. A cargo pocket might not be a bad idea. The Chemical pant is available in black and brown. If you are hankering for another color, try the Magnum pant, similar in construction, but made with a different core fabric and also available in concrete color. (Side note: I have heard through the grape vine that Flylow had decided to introduce some steezier colors for next season, so if you really like the brightness hold off for a little while.) For the women, check out the Bella Donna pant, same idea, just with a few rhinestones and a girlier cut.
Speaking of next year's offerings from Flylow, I've had a sneak peak at their version of the Tough Guy glove coming out next year.

The old Tough Guy

Basically it's the same workhorse as the old Tough Guy and the Kinkos before that, except that it's a full leather glove. I've got good word that it was designed entirely for the Ridge at Loveland and those extra special days where it's not only windy but it's really really cold too. So far in my own testing these things seem to be holding up to the wind in a bomber fashion. (got to try them out seriously in a ultra windy day at Berthoud this weekend and man was I happy to have them).

Myself and Larry sporting a variety of Flylow apparel from a weekend tour up Jones, see what items you can spot!

Anyways, shop for Flylow Gear, it'll tour like a Carhart and ski like an Arcteryx (for half the price)
www.flylowgear.com

And here's a link to their blog, the winter life (cool stories to be found!)
www.thewinterlife.com