i now own 4 pieces of icebreaker base layer, and countless other brands. These are the best—they're comfortable, wear well, wash easily. they don't retain odor and they're very nice looking garments. Yes, they're expensive. I think you get more than enough value out of them.

This is my second pair of icebreakers but the legless ones arrived too late for my last big trip. While i can't yet evaluate the shorter version, i can tell you that i LOVE wearing the other pair i have. They keep me warmer than my synthetic base layer, don't smell, are very comfortable espec around the waist. Basically i don't feel like I'm wearing an extra layer. Some static buildup but much less than synthetic. They wash well and hang dry about as fast, too.

Summary: super warm, super plush. spend the money!

I found the synchro well made, but the collar was uncomfortable on my throat.

This lens is remarkable in flat light. The light is too much on bright days.

The jacket is hard core with all the bells and whistles (including stays on the collar for the wire from my mp3 player to my helmet) and is made of very durable material. I bought it because I liked the square cut, which allows me to wear additional layers when it's very cold — I have low body fat. It is well made, with detailing most other shells forego. Pockets are thoughtfully designed and accessible; especially the pocket on the left forearm. Waterproof, flat zippers are excellent along w/ zipper garages.

Less functional is the window through which one could view a watch, were it worn atop other layers. This jacket does have a few downsides: the extra room afforded by the square cut means that I have to use the powder skirt and the draw strings to stop wind entry from the bottom; these features COMPLETELY STOP the unwanted breeze. Compared to other shells this one weighs more because there are a great many material panels requiring many taped seams. But the jacket moves well with the body as a result. I wish the hood was permanently attached.

These are incredibly well made and detailed gloves. They are definitely not designed with the skier in mind. The interior of each finger is padded in such a way to shape the hand in a partial fist (protectively for the snowboarder). The padding makes it difficult to hold a ski pole comfortably, AND the seam on the interior of the thumb necessitates effort to flex one's thumb.

The Giro Fuse Audio helmet is awesome! First, the fit is great. I felt gently but firmly surrounded by the light, well ventillated helmet. The Giro Fuse demonstrates just how much safety gear has improved. This model is sharp looking and has a nice finish. Add the TuneUp speaker system (built into the ear pads) which has very nice quality sound and you're good to go! The fit of the helmet is so good that I could not imagine comfortably squeezing ear buds in. So I definately recommend the TuneUp setup if you listen to music when you ski or ride. The wire that goes from the helmet to your music source could use some improvement. I found it difficult to insert the cable into the helmet speaker jack. The ear pad cover protects the jack from weather. But it makes it challenging to locate the unseen jack when inserting the plug. As a result, I left the helmet and wire connected when not using it perhaps risking inadvertent damage knocking around. The mute button releases inconsistently and needs better design. But these are minor inconveniences and ones I will happily live with. ***** Recommend completely. I'd buy again!