Patagonia Snowshot Pants Review

The Patagonia Snowshot Pants are my favorite piece of new gear the season. And that’s despite a simple fact: Pants are the Rodney Dangerfield of snowboard gear; they don’t get no respect. I can usually tear through pants in a few hard weeks but I put these through the Teton ringer and they never came up wanting.

For pants, there are three main things I was testing: temp regulation, waterproofness, flexibility and durability. Patagonia Snowshot Pants nails them all.

“Don’t you hate pants?” – Homer Simpson

Patagonia Snowshot Pants 2L

The polyester mesh lining of the Patagonia Snowshot Pants wicked off the sweat while the 2-layer shell made these into the most breathable pants I’d ever worn, even when chugging full-speed up Glory. For the first time in forever, I never had to fully unzip the pant ventilation zippers except for one bluebird afternoon.

That said, if you’re playing out in the cold, in general, I would 100% tell you to put on an underlayer, especially these, especially if you tend to be a little on the colder side.

This early season has been marked by powerful Pacific flow, dropping heavy, moist snow all over the Tetons. Despite this pelting ranging from hard dry whiteout to wintry mix, not a drop of moisture got through their 2-layer polyester and recycled polyester shell. This is their H2NO Performance Standard at its finest.

Patagonia Snowshot Pants Flexibility

This can be a bit more important for skiers over splitboarders. That said, there’s nothing worse than feeling like your legs are locked up when you go to crank a grab or go split-skiing down short pitches to save time. Plus the adjustable waist and belt loops helps get the Patagonia Snowshot Freeride Pants dialed in a little, as long as the size is at least somewhat close to the size you normally wear.

Finally, durability. It’s still too early to tell how the Patagonia Snowshot Pants will hold up to the beating I put on my clothes. But I took a nasty digger the other day and thought for sure I’d gouged something, maybe nipped open a seam. Nope. I also ran my crampons over the gaiters just to see if the spikes got caught and nothing.

As part of their commitment to saving the environment, Patagonia intends for their gear to last beyond a season, beyond a few seasons. Compared to 90% of the ski and snowboard pants on the market, these just FEEL next-level rugged. They stand behind this so much that Patagonia has their Ironclad Agreement on all their products. That means if they don’t perform the way you thought, you can return them for a repair, replacement or refund. And Damage due to wear and tear will be repaired at a reasonable charge.

Patagonia Pants Sizing

Sizewise, I’ve been a size large for 21 years. I’m large in street pants and sometimes XL. The Patagonia Snowshot Pants feel great but I was swimming in the waist, even with the adjustable internal belt. So apparently a 36 is now medium? Otherwise, these were killer in all aspects.

Patagonia Snowshot Pants Pros & Cons

Pros:

• Excellent temp regulation and breathability
• Outstanding waterproofness and durability
• Flexibility suitable for skiing and split-skiing

Cons:

• Sizing may run larger than expected
• Recommended to wear an underlayer in cold

Overall Impression

Just remember to get it a size smaller than you normally would. Now, you can stop worrying about what pants you want this winter and you can move onto the “sexier” items on your list.  The Patagonia Snowshot Pants ($199.00) got your tail covered.

Related Snow Pants We Tested in the Teton Mountains

1. 1. L.L. Bean GORE-TEX Snow Pants
   2. Black Diamond Stance Belay Pants
   3. Dakine Sender 3L Stretch Pants