Anyone have a good suggestion for pants that would work well for alpine, water ice, skiing and telemarking? I tried on a pair of Mountain Hardwear pants and they didn't work. Zipper failed while trying them on. Looked at Marmot and they did not seem beefy enough. Weight is not as much and issue as durability, cause I go through stuff quick. Any suggestions would be much appreicated.

Charlie,

Add the Patagonia Super Guide pants to your list to check out. After years of not buying any new pants, I needed some and went with these. I just received mine this week. In the box, they seem kick-ass, but I am homebound this weekend -- so I can't speak from experience.

Rumor has it that last year, they had some first-year issues with the pockets delaminating (they're Arc-Teryx' glued-style), but supposedly that was fixed. They have these key features I was looking for:

- soft-shell that seems 'beefy'/durable
- cargo pocket on both sides (yea! finally)
- built in suspenders
- built in gaiter
- zipper that can zip up or down (key for nature's relief while harnessed)

Second the Super Guides. I think they hold up really well.

I give that a third... as far as the women's version goes anyway - They're fabulous!

Not sure if you can order MEC here or not, but my Ferrata Ultra Pants rock. I got mine in Halifax, the alpine climbing center of the universe. On the other hand, my wife raves about her REI Mistals.

Get two pairs of the cheap REI softshell pants and that will be about the same price. So far so good. I climb, hike, ski in them and they have been pretty good as well. They have quite a selection of sizes in the Clearance room at the Flagship store.

Depending on how much water proof-ness you want in the pants I have a Bomber pair of the Pataguci White Smoke. They are great for skiing and ice on super cold or wet days.......

The Pataguci Stretch Elements are great for longer approaches on alpine or ice routes, in the winter.

The Super Guides work well for alpine in the spring or ice, but don't keep you dry if it's really wet.

I have a pair of each and love them all.......But wind up wearing the Elements the most,

Thanks everyone for your inout! The super guides it is!

Just a head's up if you plan on using the Super Guides for skiing. The gaiter is pretty tight, so depending on your boot and foot size it can be a challenge to stretch the gaiter over the upper cuff. The gaiter on my SGs started to rip after three days of use. Really nice pant otherwise, but not too thrilled in having to ship these back to Patagonia for repair after so little use.

go for the Outdoor Research Exo's pants.
Bomb-E

I have the Arcteryx Gamma MX pants and I like them a lot. I've used them ice climbing and mountaineering and they hold up pretty well (even to errant crampon strikes). They seem like they would be really well suited for backcountry skiing, too.

Anyone know where I can get an inexpensive pair (I don't mind used) for women for similar activities as the original poster?