Lives up to the billing.

By Matt Ranked #11 - Men's 3-in-1 Jackets December 9, 2008

This is a midrange to higher-end jacket in Columbia's 'Omni-Tech' line, designed for outdoor winter use. It seems well-constructed, is wind- and waterproof, breathes well, and offers a good selection of pockets. The jacket features a snap-back powder skirt, removable (snap/velcro) hood, and a zip-in liner. The liner is more of a 'down-filled' style (but uses polyester fill, not actual down), not like the typical fleece liners that come with most Columbia shells. This uses their standard "Interchange System" for liners, so you can use any comparable Columbia zip-in liner. As with most Columbia 3-in-1 shells, you lose access to the powder skirt and all the internal pockets of the jacket with a liner zipped in, although you can still get at the liner's pockets. (I actually prefer not zipping the liner into the jacket when wearing both.)

This isn't the very best in ski jackets, but it is well-made, affordable, and comes in tall sizes (if you shop elsewhere, at least until Backcountry orders some more tall shells from Columbia.) Unless you plan on going into some really extreme conditions, this jacket should hold up well to ski and snowboard use.

View Details: Columbia Whirlibird Parka - Men's

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