Ski Outfit: Dressing for the Mountain, From Shell to Base Layer

The Italian expedition that reached the summit of K2 on 31 July 1954, with Achille Compagnoni and Lino Lacedelli making the final climb, was equipped with quilted down jackets from Moncler. The company was only two years old then. René Ramillon and André Vincent founded it in 1952 in the mountain village of Monestier-de-Clermont, near Grenoble, and the name is a contraction of that village. I start there because mountain clothing has always been a system, never a single coat, and right now it is having a very public moment. Vogue reported in January that ski season is becoming a key selling period for fashion, with Moncler Grenoble among the performance lines driving it. Moncler then showed its Grenoble Fall/Winter 2026 collection in Aspen on 31 January, setting ski wear next to knit cardigans and sweaters for après. Grenoble itself debuted in New York in 2010 as a modern version of the original technical clothing, built for use on and off the slopes. That is the idea I am following here, from the outer shell down to the layer against your skin. First up are the outer layers. The Moncler Grenoble fleece-trimmed quilted shell hooded down ski jacket is the serious one, and the green Polartec fleece gilet is the easy one. Aztech Mountain's Hayden hooded ski jacket sits between them. Wear a gilet over a mid-layer rather than on its own. What I would skip is the Canada Goose Horizon rain shell if you are headed somewhere cold and dry, because a rain shell is built for wet weather.

Canada Goose gets two grids in this edit because it has the range. The company traces back to Metro Sportswear Ltd., which Sam Tick founded in Toronto in 1957, and it is best known for durable parkas and the Arctic-map logo. This grid shows what it does beyond the parka. The HyBridge slim-fit merino wool and quilted shell down jacket in navy is the one I would reach for first, because it can go from a chairlift to a train platform without looking like gear. The Chilliwack wool-blend fleece hooded jacket in navy is the casual option, and the Beaumont cotton-canvas hooded jacket in green is for the village rather than the hill. Moncler Grenoble's red logo-print fleece ski jacket is the loud one, and I like it for exactly that reason. My test for any of these is to zip it to the chin over a thick knit and raise both arms. If the hem rides above your waistband, size up. What I would skip is the red Ledger gilet if you want your upper half to stay quiet, since it will be the first thing anyone notices.

This is the grid that decides whether your day is any good, and it is the least glamorous one. Falke began in 1895 in Schmallenberg, Germany, when a roofer named Franz Falke-Rohen knitted in the off season. It is still family-owned and best known for socks and hosiery, and it added sportswear in 2015, so the half-zip ski base layer in black comes from people who have thought about fibers against skin for a century. Houdini has made outdoor clothing in Stockholm since 1993 and never blends natural and synthetic fibers, which is why I like the Alto Woolly Treemerino half-zip mid-layer in black. Kjus was started in 1999 by the Norwegian ski racer Lasse Kjus, and its Freelite knitted base layer in navy has that racer's logic of function before fashion. Then there are the Fusalp Flash II salopettes, from a house founded in Annecy in 1952. Keep the base layer snug and the mid-layer loose. What I would skip is the white Sease Runner mid-layer for a day with lunch on the mountain, because it will not survive the chili.

Small things carry a lot of weight on a mountain, and this is where the edit gets a bit of attitude. The Celine acetate ski goggles in black come from a house founded in Paris in 1945 as a made-to-measure children's shoe shop, and Hedi Slimane's 2018 arrival brought its first menswear. TOM FORD's mirrored goggles are the sharper pair, from a brand announced in April 2005 whose frames carry the metal T hallmark. Kjus makes the leather and shell gloves in gray, which suits a label started by a ski racer. For the bag, the Db Snow Pro ripstop backpack is from a Norwegian brand founded in 2009 by the freeskier Jon Olsson and engineer Truls Brataas, and the company was originally called Douchebags. Pick one beanie and let the goggles do the talking. What I would skip is the Moncler Grenoble ribbed virgin wool beanie if you ski in a helmet all day, because you will only wear it off the mountain.

What I like about this edit is that it reads best from the inside out. Start with a base layer you trust, whether that is Falke, Kjus or Houdini, because everything else sits on top of it. Add a mid-layer you would be happy to wear alone in the lodge, then the shell or down jacket that matches the weather, and finish with gloves and goggles. That order matters more than the labels. Moncler Grenoble has the strongest claim to the whole system, but Canada Goose, Aztech Mountain and Fusalp all make pieces that earn a spot in it. If you are building the kit slowly, buy the layers closest to your body first and the jacket last, because you will wear the base layer on every cold day and the jacket only on some of them. Keep the colors close, say navy, black and one bright piece, so that every layer works with every other. Mountain clothing looks best when it looks like it has been used, so take it out and get it a bit scuffed.

Once the layering order is settled, the jacket is where you can have some fun, and this last rack is mostly down. Canada Goose has the Hybridge Lite and the Lodge, while Moncler offers the Gui down gilet for days when you want free arms. Polo Ralph Lauren makes two Hawthorne jackets, one quilted and one in ripstop, and Herno, Orlebar Brown and Mackage each add a different texture, from waffle-knit wool to corduroy. Under any of them, the Moncler Grenoble jersey tee and the CELINE wool sweater do the quiet work, and the Brunello Cucinelli shell cap covers the walk to the lift. What I would skip: the Mackage Cohen corduroy down jacket for a hard day of skiing, since it looks better in the village.