Sara Segall doesn鈥檛 want to wear flowers, or fur, or anything pink and glittery. But聽that鈥檚 what women have always had to do if they didn鈥檛 want to look like a bro,聽 says this diehard Vermont skier.聽
鈥淢any of the options for women fall into either the 鈥榮ki bunny鈥 or 鈥榦ne of the dudes鈥 buckets,鈥 says the . So in January 2016, she ditched her job with Revlon and founded her own skiwear company,聽. The brand makes jackets and pants for women and men. But the women鈥檚 line聽in particular聽offers something that鈥檚聽rare in the ski and snowboard聽marketplace: outerwear with a feminine design聽that doesn鈥檛 fall prey to gender norms of color and pattern.
Blue, brown,聽and black dominate the women鈥檚 options. What makes them girly is the fit.聽Many ski pants don't take into account women鈥檚 various waist and hip measurements, resulting in either gaps along the belt or too tight through the thighs. The ($200), on the other hand, fit聽without bagging or binding (four-way stretch fabric complements the thoughtful tailoring). They have a聽high-backed waistband that keeps聽my lower back warm when I鈥檓 riding lifts.聽
The ($264) has an asymmetrical front zipper that looks sharp. (It also聽robs聽volume聽from the left hand pocket, which I've now dedicated to lip balm.) The feature I most love is the inset collar: it鈥檚 high and wide enough to let me tuck my nose inside in icy wind.聽
Both the jacket and the pants are filled with a聽polyester insulation that鈥檚 not as breathable as or the other awesomely sweat-dumping materials that have been hitting market lately. Even with the jacket鈥檚 pit zips, these are better for railing groomers than for high-heart-rate powder laps through the trees. The upside? Both are way more affordable than jackets and pants with tip-of-the-spear technology.
And Orsden is growing, says Segall, with new midlayers and line expansions coming for next winter鈥攇reat news for women chasing well-fitted snow gear, sans聽the Barbie palette.