Haglöfs Gondol Insulated Pants review: warm yet lightweight ski pants perfect for on-piste action

Haglöfs Gondol Insulated Pants: first impressions 

Haglöfs have a reputation for making good quality gear and its Haglöfs Gondol Insulated Pants immediately feels well put together. These insulated ski pants from the Swedish mountain specialists are lightweight and warm, but how do they measure up to the other entries in our best men’s ski pants buying guide? Read on…

Intended mainly for on-piste skiing, but suitable for backcountry use on colder days, their sheet insulation provides warmth without being bulky. Internal snow gaiters prevent moisture sneaking into your boots, while external Velcro adjustors help dial in the fit and there are belt loops as well. Zippered side vents mean you can dump excess heat quickly. The front pockets are placed on the hip making them convenient for tucking hands into for extra warmth.

For a pair of insulated ski pants the Haglöfs Gondols are fairly trim fitting, with none of the bagginess you get with some warm ski pants. The face fabric doesn’t crinkle and the interior lining is soft enough to have next to your skin if you don’t want to wear full-length leggings underneath. 

A waterproof rating of 10,000mm and breathability of 10,000 g/m²/24h doesn’t put them at the higher end of the performance envelope, however. That said, they should perform adequately for most resort skiing. High-level all-mountain skiers or those going out in truly horrendous weather may want to choose other pants, though.

Haglöfs Gondol Insulated Pants: on the slopes

More and more ski pants these days are weatherproof shells with very little insulation – the idea being you use various base layers and mid layers to dial in the correct level of warmth. 

While that approach does give you more flexibility, when you’re skiing in January or hanging out in very high resorts where the temperatures are likely to be well below freezing, a pair of properly insulated ski pants can be a very desirable piece of gear to have. 

I wore these on a short trip to the Arctic Circle where the temperature reached -11C. With a pair of thermal leggings underneath I was able to be outdoors for most of the day without feeling the chill. In the French Alps they performed just as well, keeping me cozy on long chairlifts in the shade and in gusting wind at the highest point of Val Thorens. 

Articulated legs provide a good range of movement and I found the Haglöfs Gondol comfortable for all-day wear, even without a base layer underneath. Despite being relatively trim fitting I found the synthetic sheet insulation kept my legs warm even on days when the temperatures were well below freezing.

And if conditions do warm up, zippered vents can be opened to cool you down. The waist is easy to adjust using Velcro tabs at both sides. There are two zippered hand pockets that have enough room for a wallet and phone.

At 6’ 5”, I’m on the tall side and the Gondols were long enough in the leg for me, despite not being available with different inseam leg sizes. The flipside is that if you’re on the short side you may find they are too long for you.

A waterproof rating of 10,000mm and breathability of 10,000 g/m²/24h mean that on paper these are outgunned by some rival ski pants that offer ratings of 20,000g/m²/24h or more. My legs stayed dry throughout a sleety day, however, and even skiing hard in variable temperatures I never found my legs getting sweaty. In real-world use these are as breathable and weatherproof as any resort skier is likely to need.

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