Tried & Tested: Dope Notorious B.I.B

hree skiers on a snowy slope wearing Dope Snow outerwear in purple, blue, and white, demonstrating the brand's color variety.

The Ultimate Dope Ski Pants: Dope Notorious B.I.B

Tested by Chrigl Luthy

Launched by two Swedish brothers in 2008, Dope Snow, and its more technically focused sister-brand, Montec, has grown remarkably quickly. If you didn’t recognise the Dope Snow or Dope Snow UK brands before, I’ve no doubt you have started to notice them on the slopes in recent winters. They have taken on big fish in the snow-apparel pond by being small enough to quickly move with trends and styles, listening to their customers and, importantly, maintaining impressively low prices.

This winter I tested Dope Snow’s Notorious B.I.B bib pant, one of the most popular Dope ski pants in their lineup. Many customers will solely be choosing this model for the bib feature. Dope has several other trouser models, all of which are regular-waisted, so why should a skier or snowboarder opt for a bib? I’ll quickly run through my reasons for enjoying riding in a bib pant over a conventional pair of pants.

Dope Notorious B.I.B. Collage of Dope Snow bib pants features: skier wearing beige pants, pocket details, leg zipper, and side view on snowy slopes.

Advantages of Dope Ski Pants with Bib Design

First off: extra snow and cold protection. If you often find yourself getting up close and personal with the snow, either from crashing or carving hard, or riding deeper or colder conditions, then a bib will prevent uninvited snow from getting down your pants or up your back. No question. A bib will also keep the draughts out, if your favourite chairlift happens to break down for that little bit too long. In fact, for these two reasons alone, I would happily convert all my ski pants into bibs.

Potential Drawbacks

The downside of bibs is that, depending on brand and model, they can restrict movement and sometimes increase your risk of overheating, but I find that both of these disadvantages can be mitigated with model choice and correct layering. Some bibs designed for high exertion actually use more of a lycra-type fabric for the upper portion to help with movement and heat dissipation.

Notorious B.I.B Features

This Notorious B.I.B isn’t quite as fancy as that, despite having some cool features; it prefers to accentuate the style criteria a little more, so the bib can be worn for style points as much as its functionality. In fact, this is one of those Dope ski pants that you could easily wear to ride in all day on a warm spring day, with no jacket. It is such a good feeling skiing without a bulky wind-sock of a jacket and these bibs will definitely let you do that.

Front and back view of a man wearing beige Dope Snow bib ski pants with a black base layer. Dope Notorious B.I.B

Specs of Dope Snow Notorious B.I.B

In line with Dope’s other products, the bib has just the right amount of tech to get everything in the resort done right. Dope’s use of Drytech, which measures 15K for both waterproofing and breathability, is adequate for all but the wettest of days and sweatiest of climbs. Their outer is treated with a PFAS-free DWR water repellent, which shrugs off wet snow and rain no worries. The nylon is made with recycled plastic from things like car tyres, and finally the insulation, called Repreve, is made with recycled water bottles-all very cool.

The pant is only lightly insulated, at 40g weight total. Over the course of a season, I personally find a little insulation in snow pants is welcome, because it makes those cold chairlift seats, or sitting in the snow when choosing what line to ride on a snowboard, far more comfortable. Of course, with this insulation you are more likely to overheat if you spend all your day on long tours or boot-packing couloirs. Saying that, Dope has integrated vents on the interior thigh, with webbing to keep snow out, to help shed any extra heat, and they work well.

Fit of Dope Snow UK Ski Pants

On Dope’s website I noticed that they stated a six-foot model was photoed in a size Medium, so being a couple inches taller I went for a Large. It fits perfectly. Slightly baggy, slightly dropped crotch (no spread eagles in the park in these!) and enough length, too. It makes me wonder how big the XL and even XXL are! The adjustment on the braces is easy, the sliders are big enough to be hard to snap but low-profile enough not to be noticeable under a backpack if they ever aligned with your straps. The elasticated boot cuffs are great. I am a little concerned about skiing in these, as I ski with my feet quite close together and tend to slash the inner boot cuffs of pants. This is obviously not a problem for any snowboarders, nor most skiers, but for me, I would definitely spec some Cordura-type fabric on the inner cuff, like Montec pants do in fact, and probably even a bit around the heel.

Pockets and Features of Dope Ski Pants

There are five pockets in all, Well, sort of-the two on the seat are ‘false pockets’, purely for look. The small one on the chest is very handy for a ski pass or chocolate bar-I do wish it had a divider or two, however. The two thigh pockets are deceptively large. That’s to say, they don’t look big enough for a pair of gloves, but a single pocket somehow swallowed my biggest pair of mitts just fine. They are just easy enough to open and access-just beware of the slanted zip angle on chairlifts! I like the fact they are lined-perfect for your hand that is not holding a beer. The zips down the side make quick loo stops easier also.

Three skiers on a snowy slope wearing Dope Snow outerwear in purple, blue, and white, demonstrating the brand's color variety. Dope Notorious B.I.B

Color Options for Dope Snow UK Customers

The Notorious B.I.B is offered in nine colours, which sounds like a lot, until you see that Dope’s regular height pant, the Iconic, is offered in 28-yes 28! I think the ‘Yellow Khaki’ would have been a great addition to the Notorious colour range, but that’s just me.

Value of Dope Ski Pants

Now this is where Dope really strides into the lead. The pants currently retail for £187. This is less than 50% of the price of what is typical for a pair of technical bib snow pants. What more is there to say than that? The pants were delivered with no plastic packaging. And there is a message on the side to please offer all feedback to the creators and designers of the products so they can improve them for you.

Verdict on Dope Snow Notorious B.I.B

A cool-looking, semi-baggy bib pant which, although running no more than the essential features, manages to tick almost every box for every resort shredder out there. They are comfortable, come in loads of colours, and are immensely good value. An absolute no-brainer for colder trips, but at the same time can be the perfect choice for slushy spring days when you leave the bulky jacket at home and want to hoon around the resort for late-season shenanigans. Dope Snow UK has truly delivered a winner with these Dope ski pants.

www.dopesnow.com