When putting on clothes in preparation for downhill skiing, there is one central goal: to prevent getting cold. Naturally, when one puts oneself in a situation that requires remaining in the snow for hours at a time, maintaining an acceptable body temperature becomes paramount. The accepted approach when selecting skiing clothes is to combine garments that will retain body heat with those that will prevent moisture intrusion. One of the most essential clothing items, as one might expect, are the ski pants. No matter what a skier does, at some point her pants are going to come into contact wit snow. Therefore, it is very important that her pants be able to repel water. At the same time, the legs must be kept warm enough that the muscles continue to function, yet scantily clad enough to allow for adequate movement. Clearly, there are a number of prerequisites that must be met when choosing the correct pair of ski pants.



Downhill ski pants, at least those designed for women, fall into two basic categories: those that go outside the boots and those that go inside. Ski clothing, like all other apparel, undergoes fashion trends. If one takes a look at the pants being worn by the female skiers of today, it becomes plain that most of them favor the outside-the-boots style. However, a similar poll taken fifteen years ago would have revealed just the opposite trend. It is probably safe to assume that these two styles will continue to trade off the top spot.

Inside-the-boot pants tend to be very formfitting. These pants are of a comparatively thin fabric, which allows for a greater degree of movement when skiing. However, the fabric is sometimes not completely waterproof, a definite drawback. A waterproofing spray may be used to counter this problem. Additionally, the style of tucking the pants into the boots does create at least one logistical problem. If a person falls down, snow can often become packed into the space between the inside of the boot and the shin. Not only does this bruise the shin while skiing, but when the snow melts, it travels down the pants and into the boot, making the foot cold and wet. To avoid this problem, boot gaiters may be used. A boot gaiter is essentially a piece of waterproof cloth that wraps around the boot and the pant leg, effectively sealing off the boot.

Most outside-the-boot ski pants are noticeably bulkier than the tucked in versions. This bulkiness can hamper movement to some extent. However, the trade off is that these pants tend to be warmer and are often made of completely waterproof materials. The issue snowpack at the shins is eliminated. An additional bonus is the fact that these pants tend to have more pockets, which are always sealable with Velcro or zippers.

It should be noted that the evolution of snowboarding clothes has effected what people are wearing on their legs to ski. Some skiers have adopted the cargo-style pants traditionally used in snowboarding. Such pants are essentially completely waterproof versions of typical cargo pants: quite baggy and possessing multiple pockets. Snowboarding pants also fall under the outside-the-boot category.