So, most of the ski hills have closed at this point, and you may be thinking that this guide is a bit behind the power curve. We’re all getting our beach bodies ready, right?

We are. But, the end of the season and summer are some of the best times to pick up new ski gear, because everything is on sale! Most companies are trying to dump last year’s stock so they can make room for next winter’s inventory.

So you can get some killer deals on gear for next season if you shop around and are patient enough to let that new gear rest until the snow starts falling in November.

I’ve got some guides for other essential beginner gear, if you want to round out your kit. But today I want to point you in the right direction for one of the most important pieces of ski gear: ski pants.

Ski apparel sort of gets pushed to the back burner when people get into skiing because most figure that any warm clothes will do, and in many cases, they’d be right. However, ski pants are the one piece of clothing that should be purpose built for skiing. Here’s why:

Snow is cold and wet.

That sounds snarky, but it’s the distilled truth of the matter. Being comfortable is a huge piece of the equation when you need to put in several hours of skiing, whether it’s to get your money’s worth of fun out of your lift ticket or to develop your skills.

Most pants don’t repel water, breathe well, or keep you warm enough to stay comfortable for long periods of time. What’s more, if you’re wearing something like jeans, you could actually end up with a cold related injury (frostbite or hypothermia), since materials like denim soak up water and actually start making you colder.

Since your legs get the most contact with the snow, whether you’re falling a lot or not, you want good pants that are going to keep you warm and dry.

So, with this in mind, here’s a great starting point for ski pants:

SAGA Outerwear.

This is a picture of me actually wearing SAGA ski pants while actually skiing in Arizona.

Actually, these are great pants for skiers of any skill level. Here’s why SAGA gear is great for those in need of some decent ski pants:

1.  First and foremost: cost. SAGA gear isn’t outrageously priced, and they have absolutely killer sales. Very few manufacturers offer the sort of seasonal deals that SAGA delivers.
2.  Quality. Even though their prices are great, SAGA makes solid gear. My first pair of SAGA pants is still holding up through season number five (one zipper has broken: on the pocket where I keep my wallet, because I drink so much beer at the end of the day). If you want something better, you’ll probably have to go Gor-Tex, or at least something more expensive.
3.  Options. SAGA makes a full line of pants, with a lot of color and fit options, so you’ll be able to find something that looks cool and functions well.

Image Source

Eventually, you may decide that you want Gor-Tex (because it’s hard to beat Gor-Tex), or that you’d prefer spandex ski racer pants. That’s cool. But for getting affordable, durable ski pants RIGHT NOW, SAGA is at the top of the short list.

If you decide to go with SAGA pants, I recommend getting some wash-in or spray-on DWR (Durable Water Repellant) after a couple seasons. The material retains it’s waterproofing really well, but the DWR finish starts to wear off, so your gear can get waterlogged on wet days. Kiwi makes some spray-on DWR refresher that I find works well for keeping the water off.

It’s a minor complaint, and the DWR will wear off any gear eventually, so it’s a predictable hassle if you keep your gear for a long time.

So, even though it’s summer, it’s not too late to get ski gear (for cheap) that you can wear for a several winters.

When you go, tell them James sent you. They’ll have no idea who you’re talking about, but it’ll sound cool.

As always, I’m not affiliated with SAGA, and they don’t pay me.