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Opinions on Ski Clothes for Short Guys

post #1 of 27
1/6/08 at 1:04pm
Thread Starter 
Ok, so I'm a 5'6" 140 lb athletic male who can't catch a break with the stylish ski clothes. Jeans I usually wear a 32-31 waist with 30 inseam. For example, I loved the Arc'teryx Sidewinder AR Jacket (in the slammin' yellow color), but even it's "small" version ran a tad too big. The bottom of it just went past my waist a bit too much. I would like a ski jacket to sit near my waist as this makes it look better in my opinion and won't be awkward to move around in. I'm not superficial, I promise!

So can any other short guys weigh in on this? Have you found a brand of good looking ski gear, yet tough in the elements that fit great? I'm buying this jacket for expert hiking purposes as well, so it needs to be functional, not JUST stylish. I hear North Face jackets usually fit short so I can go to a local REI and try some on. Any other opinions would be greatly appreciated (including ski pants as well), thanks!
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post #2 of 27
1/6/08 at 2:55pm
I'm pretty short also =D

The jacket I have found to be perfect for me is the Burton Ronin. It's a little bit puffy but fits perfectly.
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post #3 of 27
1/6/08 at 3:14pm
I am 5'8" about 153 lb but my inseam is 29". Hence, my spinal length is somewhat normal but my legs are stumps. I have had good success with Patagonia and ArcTeryx.

I wear an ArcTeryx Fission LT, which is a waist cut. Not too long and not too short (I'd rather be longer than shorter to keep it from riding up). I also have a Patagonia softshell jacket (model?) that is a decent length.

My problem is finding pants. Arcteryx and Patagonia are the only decent garment vendors that make ski pants in a short cut. I HATE having baggy excess material gathering around my calves & ankles! I have a pair of Patagonia skipants made of Gore-Tex XCR that are sweet.
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post #4 of 27
1/6/08 at 4:42pm
I'm about 5'7" and had the hardest time finding pants as well. Then I found these Burton Cargo "Short" pants and they're perfect. I ordered them from these guys and they came in no time. The link shows 3 different colors on the top row.

http://www.moda3.com/store/advanced_...5ae97c2559eb10
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post #5 of 27
1/6/08 at 4:59pm
My dad is barely 5'7". He's had pretty good luck with jacket length in Patagonia & Arc'Teryx. Some of the Cloudveil Jackets are cut short as well, like the Zero-G (insulated soft shell) and Headwall.

Pants-- Patagonia works OK for him, and he'll go to the local outdoor tailor to get others shortened. I do as well.
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post #6 of 27
1/6/08 at 5:25pm
At 5-7 and around 170 lbs with a 33 waist and a 28 inseam.....I feel your pain.

I just located two pairs of North Face short warm-up pants that are just about perfect length...one was fully insulated one light insulated......I grabbed both.

Rip Curl, North Face, Spyder and Columbia make jackets that fit small athletic guys with style.
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post #7 of 27
1/7/08 at 10:48am
Another option is to go with women's size. Not all ladies style are exaggeratedly cut for the female body. I normally wear a short with 34-36 waist. I picked up (and have been wearing) a pair of W-L black Gore-tex XCR shell a couple of years ago from a close out. They fits me perfectly. If they don't stand out as women's pants (in style, color, fit, etc.), no one has to find out. *shhh*
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post #8 of 27
1/7/08 at 10:50am
I'm 5'6 and my feet didn't reach the ground 'til I was 13
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post #9 of 27
1/7/08 at 1:30pm
5'6" 145lbs. 30in waist so I hear ya. I have mens arcteryx beta ar jacket and it is a bit long in the waist but not bad. For pants, I agree with the womens size recommendation for two reasons. My womens large black arcteryx theta pants fit great. 32in waste and 29.5 inseam. Secondly, womens large stuff goes on sale for cheap. I picked up the pants for $110.00, IIRC they were $400 normally.
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post #10 of 27
1/7/08 at 2:32pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by TheJudge View Post
Secondly, womens large stuff goes on sale for cheap.
Thanks for pointing that out. I would stretch to say that all womens SKI stuff go on sale for a much steeper discount and more often. When they are being closed out, there are many more styles and sizes to choose from. Ironically, that is not quite true for everything else that is targeted for women.
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post #11 of 27
1/7/08 at 10:57pm

One word (maybey 2)

Mountain Hardware
I like their gear but @ 5"9 all their jackets are slightly short on me. Not that style means anything to me but if it does to you, you'll stand out from all the city folk in their north face jackets. N/O jus sayn
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post #12 of 27
1/10/08 at 12:42pm
Thread Starter 
Wow, thanks for all the replies guys! Some useful information and yeah wearing the women's sizes is an option, but lord if I don't feel goofy doing that. I general, Men's smalls usually do just fine, it's just for ski wear I'm seeing this problem.
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post #13 of 27
1/10/08 at 12:51pm
I'm skiing in Halti stuff right now and that seems to be working out nicely. I have smalls in the coat and pants (Pallander models I think). I'm 5'7" 160lbs. The only thing I have to do is cuff the pants under so I can get at the top buckles on my boots because I un-buckle on every lift ride.
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post #14 of 27
1/10/08 at 2:29pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by p-roxie View Post
Wow, thanks for all the replies guys! Some useful information and yeah wearing the women's sizes is an option, but lord if I don't feel goofy doing that. I general, Men's smalls usually do just fine, it's just for ski wear I'm seeing this problem.
I am only talking about arcteryx black goretex ski bibs. You make it sould like we are all cross dressing here. "Not that I am saying there is anything wrong with that if it works for you."
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post #15 of 27
1/10/08 at 2:30pm
Just a suggestion to you vertically challenged guys, I would imagine jackets are not a problem just the pants. How about lady's ski pants? Provided you don't get pink with flowers who would know?

I'm 5' 11" but I have two ladies XXL H/H fleeces and my Reusch race gloves are ladies XL...they look no different and fit great. No one would ever know.
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post #16 of 27
1/10/08 at 3:28pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Richie-Rich View Post
...they look no different... No one would ever know.
Heh... Thats what you think. No one ever told you?

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post #17 of 27
1/10/08 at 4:45pm
I believe Marker and Spyder offer pants in "Short" length--probably other too.
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post #18 of 27
1/10/08 at 5:08pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by RiDeC58 View Post
I believe Marker and Spyder offer pants in "Short" length--probably other too.
I wouldn't trust what Spyder tells you when it comes to sizes. Great products but it's just that you cannot tell what fits until you try it on. No consistency at all.
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post #19 of 27
1/11/08 at 1:20pm
I'm 5'10 but with a 31 inch inseam. I bought a pair of Spyder Force insulated ski pants and in the medium they probably have a 30 inch inseam and were too short (luckily they were also too small, the large fit just nice). I would think the smalls would be even shorter...
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post #20 of 27
1/11/08 at 3:39pm
www.BeyondClothing.com. Everything is custom made to your measurements so the fit is perfect, or they keep tweaking it until it's perfect. The cost is phenomenal, too. I'm expecting delivery on a new Cold Fusion X soft shell that starts at $199 and totaled $270 with the various options I added on. Hopefully it will be here next week and I can report on how killer it is. Reviews are a bit hard to come across, but some patience and smart Googling with show a lot of people love their stuff. Even the Navy Seals and researchers in Antarctica are rocking Beyond's stuff. They do all sorts of custom clothes too: jackets, pants, layers.

BTW - I realized I just sounded like a marketing person on Beyond's payroll. Sadly I am not, because they seem like a really cool company to work for. I'm just an average Joe who was blown away by the options and price.
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post #21 of 27
2/5/08 at 10:02am
I'm 5'6'' 130-135lbs...depending if its night or morning and weekend/weekday

I also always have a hard time finding clothes to fit me properly. Winter gear is worse since small is sometimes too small and medium is too big. or small is sometimes too big (yes..i've looked in childrens and their stuff is all too small)

I have the TNF Freedom shell pants in small, and yet they still kind of long.

However, I just bought an Arc'Teryx Theta AR in small yesterday, and with all the draw strings, you can make it fit perfetly for you. It also is designed for an athletic build, so it has a skinny profile and larger in the chest region which is nice for thin/short atheletic guys.

I also tried on the Theta snowpants and they fit much slimmer too and makes it look much less baggy than the TNF pants
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post #22 of 27
2/5/08 at 12:09pm
With a 30" inseam, a "normal" medium pant that fits my waist is long enough to cover nearly the entire bottom of my foot when I'm standing up. My pant right now is by Slalom - I think it's Sports Authority's house brand? Not sure what I'll do if those wear out, but there are some good suggestions in this thread.

Finding a fleece midlayer hasn't happened yet, though. And I have lots of extra silk base layer bunched up just below my knees, too. Sigh.
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post #23 of 27
2/5/08 at 12:25pm
I noticed that the Arc'teryx theta pants have a nice slim profile and the ends don't flare out like the TNF ones....anybody ever try the theta pants?
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post #24 of 27
2/5/08 at 1:04pm
I'm 5'7" with a 29" inseam, 38" waist. Jackets have never been a problem, pants are a different story

If you wear shell pants as I do, there are a few manufacturers (like Marker and Patagonia ) that make short versions, but finding them is a challenge, more so if you don't want to pay full MSRP.

I just buy the regular length and having them altered. Maybe I lose the little snap at the bottom, but I don't miss it.
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post #25 of 27
2/5/08 at 8:15pm
I'm a close match...5'7" 140, also wear 32/31 waist, 30 inseam. Not sure how heavy of a jacket you had in mind. I have a mtn hardwear G50 softshell, it is fantastic, but it is a light jacket, no insulation. I wrote a review of it last year on this site. Its the first jacket I ever owned that didn't feel long on my waist. I have a medium. I also had the sleeves hemmed, I was surprised a tailor could do it with the internal cuffs, but it came out great, for only $15. Here is a link with a pic (not of me). http://www.zappos.com/n/p/dp/21786796/c/3.html
Just watch though, some mt hardwear are cut differently. I had tried a windstopper fleece, and for that I was a small. I think the alchemy is cut bigger than the G50 too.
As for pants, this year I got the North Face freedom pant in med short. I love the fit for me, but they are cut a little baggy, and they would probably fit a 33 waist a little better. The tabs allow for a decent amout of adjustment, so a small is possible. Length is pefect.
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post #26 of 27
2/6/08 at 9:44am
ever consider a heel lifter in your boot?
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post #27 of 27
2/10/08 at 1:16pm
Anybody ever try Dainese ski gear? It's what I use for motorcycling, and their pants fit me perfectly. Makes me wonder if their ski stuff would fit those of us with shorter legs, as well.
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