Mountain Hardwear

Viv GORE-TEX Pro Jacket - Men's

Nice and roomy jacket

I like the design of the coat. I normally wear a large and the coat is a bit larger that I expected. It a couple inches longer, sleeves are a bit long and it is bigger around my chest than usual. It does not have a powder belt so the extra length is good. I also like the extra volume in side because I like to carry goggles and snacks in the inside pockets. The jacket is much lighter than I expected. This is good as long as it can stand up to occasional tree branch hits. I have not field tested the jacket yet.

Best Ski Shell I’ve Owned In Years

This jacket has a great ‘freeride fit’. It does run a little* big, but not so much that you should size down. It offers many great features which are useful while ski touring such as vents and even hangers for your skins. The pockets are a good size and useful; And it remains super lightweight. The goretex fabric is sure to never let you down.

Great jacket!

I finally upgraded my north face shell to this one, and it is a great shell. I would highly recommend it. The jacket is long enough where it works as a powder skirt which I really like because I have a bit of a long torso, and there is nothing worse than getting snow up your jacket. It is breathable, and it has just performed great - I love the little pocket on the sleeve to put my epic pass in! Plus this is compact and light enough to pack on the trial when not in use!

Work of Art But....

This is a work of art but buy 1 or 2 sizes smaller than what you would think. Zipper seemed to be a little cranky. No powder skirt even though it says it has one. Hood does not come off. Worst thing is that you may need ear plugs because it is crinkly loud. The collar does not force itself against your face as much as some other jackets. I am returning the one I got. This jacket is also comes down below my butt. That could be good or bad, but it is a little unsettling.

A freeriders technical shell!

Familiarity:

I've put it through the wringer

Size Bought:

Large

Height:

6' 72"

Weight:

185

Perfect fit, Perfect features and pocket lay out. Can't say enough about this Gore Tex pro shell. The fit is definitely more "free-ride" style. A little longer than a normal snow shell ( my back is about 33" on a large) so it gives you extra coverage, Not tight but not park-rat Baggy, it just looks good. You'll look like a pro just sitting in the parking lot, but if you actually get after it you'll be happy to know that when a pack is on you can access all the pockets intuitively and with ease. Literally not one zipper interferes with my BCA pack. There are extra pockets inside the pockets that hold your phone and other stuff upright and and even a good place for a radio mic to clip to. The material is light as can be but still feels durable, a real nice balance here. The weight is similar to my alpine arc shells, but this has all the creature comforts I need for split/snowboarding in the backcountry and resort. Hood fits over my helmet (but I really never do that). True, it lacks a powder skirt, but I find them a useless gimmick anyway ( I generally cut them out of my shells to save weight and hassle, stoked that I didn't have to take scissors to this bad boy) There's a clip that's supposed to clip to the matching bibs so a skirt isn't needed if you get both. Im still finding cool features on this thing, there's a pass through for ear buds, there's some clip things that are supposed to be for hanging skins from to keep them warm (again kind of a gimmick but works to hang goggles, glove, and other stuff too). I have the purple black one from last year but might invest in another color like the grey one, I like it in solid colors. Hardwear is a cool brand, never too much hype or trendiness or marketing bs. They just build good solid stuff that IMO will last for seasons and not go out of style. This shell has kept me dry, comfortable and happy for many days on the hill and hopefully more to come, unless I get two. If your thinking about it do your self a favor and just buy one.

Misleading description

I finally decided to upgrade my ski jacket. I pulled the trigger and ordered the Viv. One of the main reasons I went with this was that it was one of the only current Mountain Hardwear ski pieces to list an internal powder skirt. It does NOT have one. Also, the sleeves are comedically long. Something I'm beginning to notice on other MH pieces. Might have to send this back. I'm mulling it over...