Twofer
The big selling point here is obvious: You get both a warm, burly ski shell plus a thick, synthetically insulated sweater that can be zipped in to boost the warmth. Both jackets are constructed with Columbia’s new Omni-Heat lining, a matrix of metallic dots that reflect heat back to the body. The effect is subtle, but it works. Wear both jackets together and you’ve got nearly as much warmth as you get with the Helly Hansen (previous page). But while the inner jacket is simple and uncluttered, the hard shell feels both a bit cheap (especially the exterior fabric) and overbuilt by committee: It has every feature in the book, from handy ones like mesh-backed pit zips and a removable powder skirt to unnecessary ones like a baffling array of media ports. Runs big.
VERSATILITY: 4.5
VALUE: 3
PERFORMANCE: 2.5