For the last few weeks I've been skiing around in the Salewa "Mountain Guide Edition" clothing. This range is designed by Salewa with the help of the Austrian guides, and includes a shell jacket, softshell jacket, trousers and thermal top - and a head band for the full "euro look". Both jackets have factory glued IFMGA badges, and all the clothes have subtle "Mountain Guide Edition" labels. It's all based on existing "Alpin Xtrem" models though, so is a good guide to the rest of Salewa's gear.
First impressions were good - well made gear, nice colours - (even "pineapple") and a very fast efficient service from the staff. Sizes seem small - I'm a Large in other makes, but an XL 52 fits well in Salewa,
The "Clark" thermal is a neat fit - it's supposed to be, but I probably wouldn't wear it to the pub. Really comfy base layer though.
The "Pleasure" jacket is a Paclite shell. It's amazingly lightweight, good pockets, hood fits over a helmet and is easily adjusted, and the jacket fits well even over a duvet. Excellent.
The "Elemento" softshell is a strange mix of softshell with Primaloft insulation front panels. Actually, this seems to work well - it's a neat fitting jacket which is surprisingly warm. It has good pockets plus a skipass pocket on the sleeve.
The "Zeli" trousers are amazing. They're pretty complex, with a mix of materials, removable braces, gaiters, adjustable width lower legs, thigh vents and 3 pockets. The legs fit well over ski boots - a problem with some trousers. The impressive thing is that Salewa seem to have made trousers which cope with everything from sweaty south facing skinning to 80kph blizzard at 3800m. They are comfy, stretchy, lightweight but hardwearing. Excellent.
Last, the headband...well more of a "buff" really. I've never owned one before, but now seem to use it lots! Neckscarf, facemask, spare hat, even a headband.
So, only good things to say about Salewa. Ski touring days involve a big range of conditions, and ski touring rucksacks are always too heavy, so lightweight gear that works is fantastic.
