Jesse Huffman is a Vermont-based writer, photographer, and video producer.
Ski touring, splitboarding, backwoods cross country skiing; do your pants care what’s going on below the ankles? No, they do not. But if you’re into high-movement, high-effort winter pursuits, you probably wish they did.
The best we can hope for is that apparel designers keep such activities in mind, and luckily, the crack team at Arc’teryx specifically developed the Procline Pant ($399) for all of the above and more. Recently, I put a pair to the test in the backwoods of Vermont.
Relying on Gore-Tex Infinium fabrics to back up the statement, Arc’teryx calls the Procline a “windproof, water resistant, highly breathable softshell pant for backcountry tours.” That sounds perfect for someone who gets real sweaty gliding and climbing and wants to prevent such dampness from turning into a threatening chill (read: yours truly). But can such features be balanced with uphill function and provide protection from blasting weather, not to mention the downhill run?
The Procline was bred in the epic reaches of Canada’s coastal range, but I figured the variable conditions of a good old Vermont winter would be a decent setting to find out.
I got exactly what I asked for. Vermont's winter season started with cross-country skiing, the sort that ranges from lapping a few sticky inches on grass, to powering over crusted-over remains in single-digit, teeth-chattering cold. When the snow finally kicked in for real, we got to roam farther on miles-long kick-and-glide tours through farm fields and hardwood forests. Then I reached for the tele (aka telemark skiing, which uses a flexible boot and disconnected heel) kit, milking the storm for all it was worth, zig-zagging back and forth down snow-covered logging roads.
