There’s a lot of options out there when it comes to which pants you want to wear ice climbing. I’ve written the following guide to help make the decision easier.
So, what are the best pants for ice climbing? Some good choices include:
- The North Face Summit L4
- Outdoor Research Cirque
- Black Diamond Alpine
- Arc’teryx Gamma
- Patagonia Simul-Alpine
- RAB Neo-Guide
- Outdoor Research Iceline
When it comes to ice climbing, there are a few different criteria that you want to consider. One of the main ones is hardshell vs softshell pants, which is mainly a trade-off between durability and breathability. You also need to consider the warmth of the pant, the flexibility they provide, and any additional features that you might find desirable (such as reinforced knees or extra vents).
The Winners
Below are some of the best choices for your ice climbing needs:
The North Face Summit L4: A water-resistant, softshell bank that excels in the flexibility department, these take the top spot in our ice climbing category. They do a little bit of everything: they’re decently affordable, super stretchy, and warm enough to work on even the coldest days.
Outdoor Research Cirque: A lot of ice climbers swear by the Cirque. These lightweight but durable alpine pants are on the bulkier side for a softshell pair, but they provide a lot of comfort and warmth for anyone who wants to get outside.
Black Diamond Alpine Pants: The Alpine is a new design from Black Diamond, meant to replace their classic Dawn Patrol line. Their lighter than some of the other options on this list, but they’ll still keep you dry while dumping any excess heat.
Arc’teryx Gamma: The Gamma’s function as a mid-layer or an outer layer, making them perfect for varying temperatures. The fabric is high-quality and they’re well designed, but they have fewer features than some of the other options.
Patagonia Simul Alpine Pants: Patagonia may be branching out into more casual wear, but the company still knows how to make outdoor gear. These softshell pants are less specialized for ice climbing, but they’ll still serve you well in mild temperatures or on high-output routes.
RAB Neo Guide Pants: The only pair of hardshell pants on this list, the RAB Neo Guides have enough breathability to be worn on most ice routes, plus they’ll offer more warmth than any other pair.
Outdoor Research Iceline: These pants have some of the best features on this list, with the perfect balance between breathability and durability. However, some fit issues have reduced their mobility and cost them some usability.
What to Look for in an Ice Climbing Pant
Before we get into the more detailed section of the review, let’s talk for a moment about some of the things you want to look for in a pair of ice climbing pants. There are a few main criteria to consider:
- Breathability
- Water/weatherproofness
- Warmth
- Flexibility
- Softshell vs hardshell designs
Breathability
Ice climbing is a high-exertion activity, and you’re going to be generating a lot of body heat when you’re up on a route. This is good to an extent, as it will keep you warm, but it can also cause you to sweat. Sweating will actually cool you down, especially once you stop moving. When you’re ice climbing in below-freezing temperatures, that’s obviously not a good thing.
Because of that, you want your pants to be able to breath. This means that they release the heat that your body generates, dumping it into the air around you instead of keeping it trapped inside. To be part of a good layering system, your pants need to have a high degree of breathability.
Water and Weather Proofing
To keep you warm and dry throughout the day, your pants need to be able to withstand everything that mother nature is going to throw at them. That includes water from the ice and snow, as well as any wind that might pick up throughout the day.
The degree to which your pants can keep you warm and dry is, unfortunately, inversely corelated with how breathable they’re going to be; the better a material is at keeping out the weather, the worse it is at releasing your body’s heat. You need to find the right balance between the two.
Warmth
The warmth of your ice climbing pants comes down to personal preference. Some people hate being cold, and so they want a nice cozy pair of pants. Others generate a lot of heat when climbing, so they need to go with something lighter.
One thing to keep in mind is the fact that you aren’t able to do much adding/removing of layers on your lower body, because your boots and crampons make it impractical. Because of that, you need to pick a level of warmth in your pants that will last you throughout the day, even as the temperature begins to change.
Flexibility
When ice climbing, it’s essential that you be able to move your body in the way that you need to. Especially if you’re leading a route, you can’t have anything preventing you from making the moves you want, as this could endanger your safety.
Softshell vs Hardshell Designs
When discussing alpine pants, there are two possibilities: softshell or hardshell. Hardshell pants are your traditional snow pants; they’re bulkier, heavier, and more suited for keeping out the elements. They’ll often be made of Gortex or some similar material that gives them almost perfect waterproofing. This comes with the trade-off, however, that they won’t be nearly as flexible.
Softshell pants, on the other hand, are made of more flexible materials that are designed to stretch and bend. They won’t be as waterproof as a pair of hardshell pants will be, but they’ll allow you to move around more and they’ll provide far better breathability.
The choice of whether you want to wear softshell or hardshell pants mostly boils down to a matter of personal preference. Most ice climbers choose to go with softshell pants for the increased flexibility that they provide. I know a lot of people who go in hardshells, though, and as long as you don’t mind the bulkiness, they can work perfectly well for ice climbing.
The Best Ice Climbing Pants
So, now that we know what criteria you want in a pair of pants, let’s take a look at seven of the best options available on the market right now.
The North Face Summit L4
Price: $250
The North Face produces a lot of street and urban wear, which can sometimes distract people from the fact that they still make some of the most technical and high-performance alpine gear out there.
The L4’s, which are part of their ultra-technical Summit lineup, are a perfect example of this. The pants are made with North Face’s FutureLite waterproof material, which provides maybe the best combination of waterproofness and breathability current available on the market. This allows the pants to keep you warm and dry while preventing any overheating.
Aside from that, these pants are designed with alpine activities in mind. They have reinforced cuffs to lessen the chance of any crampon-related accidents, zipper pockets for storing everything you need, and 12-inch vents on either side to further improve their breathability.
Finally, the slim fit means that you can easily layer them under a pair of hardshell pants when the temperature drops or if you want them for a different activity (like downhill skiing).
The L4’s are on the more expensive end, which might make them less desirable for certain people. If you’re an experience ice climber looking for a solid pair of pants, though, it’s hard to beat these.
Outdoor Research Cirque
Price: $150
These award-winning pants are a favourite within the ice climbing community. Durable and heavyweight enough to work in even the coldest of ice climbing conditions, the OR cirque are designed with long, vertical waterfalls in mind. They come equipped with reinforced cuffs, boot lace hooks, and a slew of other features for performance in mountain conditions.
The Cirque’s straddle the line between a hardshell and a softshell pant. Although they’re technically softshell, with a composite nylon and polyester design, they cut of the pants makes them more similar to most hardshells. This allows them to achieve a looser fit, which can be good if you want to layer them over something, or if you just like the added mobility that it provides. With their wide cuffs, the Cirque’s can even fit over a pair of ski or alpine touring boots.
If the Cirque’s had one downfall, however, it would have to be this bulkiness of design. While some people prefer it, others may find that it gets in the way and impedes their ability to climb. The wide cuffs mean you’re more likely to snag a crampon, while the heavier design might end up being too hot for some people.
That mostly comes down to personal preference, though, and you’re never going to be able to make everyone happy. The Cirque’s are a classic, affordable ice climbing pant that any climber would be happy to have in their closet.
Black Diamond Alpine
Price: $140
I’ve long been a fan of Black Diamond. They’re one of the original equipment manufacturers out there, harkening back to the golden days of Yosemite. They produce high-quality gear, and their prices tend to be affordable.
All of this is true for the Alpine pants. Though less of an extreme cold-weather pant and more designed for shoulder-season adventures, these lightweight softshell will still perform on warm days or long, high-intensity routes.
The Alpine’s are designed with four-way-stretch fabric that keeps these pants light and flexible while still allowing them to stay durable. They’re breathable and light, meaning you won’t be caught sweating on route, although they still carry a surprising amount of warmth.
They have a simplistic design, with two front pockets and one thigh pocket— just enough to carry your phone, keys, and maybe a snack on route. The cuffs are well-fitted and slim, although they don’t have any reinforcement to protect against crampon points.
The Alpine’s one flaw is that they won’t work as well in areas that experience really cold temperatures, because of how lightweight they are. This problem can be solved by throwing a pair of hardshell pants over them, although this will decrease their breathability.
Arc’teryx Gamma
Price: $150
No gear review list is complete without something from Arc’teryx. This Canadian company designs some of the most cutting-edge gear out there, and it’s hard to go wrong when you purchase from them. Such is the case with their Gamma pants, which are another classic within the ice climbing world.
Like most things made by Arc’teryx, these pants have a minimalist design, high-quality features, and top-of-the-line performance. They’re a fairly simple softshell pant, with three pockets (front and one tight), a lightweight belt, and drawstring cuffs that allow you to tighten or loosen them as you wish.
Similar to the Alpine’s, the Gamma’s are a lightweight yet durable option. They’re not going to serve you well in super cold environments, but they’re sleek enough that you could fit them under a shell if you wanted to.
Patagonia Simul-Alpine
Price: $130
Patagonia continues to produce quality gear, with the Simul Alpine pants being no exception to that rule. Like most of the other pants on this list, these are a softshell, flexible design, meant to provide flexibility and breathability while still retaining some water resistance.
At first glance the Simul-Alpines look similar to the Gamma’s or the BD Alpines, but they have a few more features to them. The fabric around the knees actually its own separate piece of cloth, stitched on with seams at the calves and mid-thigh. This allows for great flexibility when you’re bending your leg, which is essential for ice climbing (where you spend a good deal of your time crouching).
Another benefit of these pants is the fact that you’re buying from Patagonia. Not only do they have their rock-solid guarantee that will get you free repairs for the lifetime of the product; you also know that it will be ethically soured and built with sustainability in mind.
RAB Neo-Guide
Price: $300
You can buy them at: https://shop.epictv.com/en/technical-trousers/rab/neo-guide
The only hardshell pants we have on this list, the RAB Neo-Guide is one of the best options on this list for anyone who spends prolonged periods of time in cold weather. Designed to carry over some of the flexibility and breathability of the softshell pants while still retaining the waterproofing of a hardshell, it’s a pretty solid hybrid.
The Neo-Guides are designed to be worn over your baselayers for a variety of activities, from Scottish-style mountaineering to resort skiing. They have reinforced cuffs, elastic suspenders, and a baggy-fitting design that allows for some freedom of movement.
If you’re looking for the lightest pair of breathable pants to take on your ice climbing adventures, these pants might not be for you. If you just want to hang around the crag and climb a few WI-4’s, while staying warm during the belay, these are a really good option.
Outdoor Research Iceline
Price: $250
You can buy them at: https://www.outdoorresearch.com/us/mens-iceline-versa-pant-268079
The Iceline’s came so close to being the perfect ice climbing pant. They’re a high-quality but flawed piece of gear that, despite their shortcomings, deserve to be mentioned on this list.
They deserve that because, in almost all respects, the Iceline’s are engineering for climbing: they’re lightweight but warm, stretchy but waterproof, and breathable enough for even the most challenging of climbs. They have reinforced knees and cuffs, protecting the most vulnerable part of the boot and meaning that these pants will last you longer.
The Iceline’s fatal flaw, however, is the fact that Outdoor Research failed to make them fit correctly when they designed the pant. Review after review has described these as an excellent ice climbing pants that’s too narrow in the knees, too tight on the calves, or too baggy around the waist.
If you can find a pair of Iceline’s that fit you, I would highly recommend you consider purchasing them. For the majority of people, though, it seems that we’ll have to wait for Outdoor Research to redesign these.
