Tried and tested: Mammut Luina HS pants

Ski pants that feel like leggings but work in all types of mountain conditions? Yes please!

While they’re not my usual style, I was totally sold on Mammut’s Luina pants as soon as I put them on. Comfort-wise, it wasn’t dissimilar to wearing a pair of leggings, which always bodes well when you’re about to partake in a movement intensive sport.

The two-layer Drytech fabric Mammut have used in these pants is super lightweight and stretchy, as well as totally waterproof, windproof and breathable, pretty much standard for any serious alpine company, and I wore them for an entire day without even thinking about it. Being one of those people who is constantly either too hot or too cold, I would say this is pretty exceptional. It was windy and snowing, and while I could sometimes feel the cold coming through the fabric (generally when I was submerged in face-plant position in the snow), at the end of the day no water had found its way in, nor had I been sweating like a marathon runner even after intense exertion.

Spec-wise, the Keprotec patches around the ankles provide good protection from ski edges, which makes the Luinas an ideal touring pant. They also feature a snow-skirt at the ankle with a boot attachment loop and a jacket attachment loop at the waist, so no unwanted snow creeps in when skiing the deep stuff. The side zips are nice and long for extra ventilation.

Two easy-access thigh pockets meant I didn’t have to reach under my jacket to get to them, but the lightweight fabric means storing anything other than a lift pass and credit card in them might result in some funny-looking bulges.

Fit-wise, I wore a medium, which was comfortable but slightly unflattering due to my rather, let’s say, muscular thighs, but they were on the whole true-to-size. The Luinas have a ‘regular’ fit, which is pretty much straight-legged, so if I were to buy them I’d be tempted to go up a size for a bit of extra room. Other than that, the lightness and stretch made them super-comfy and functional.

RRP: £230

VERDICT: Top-spec freeride pants. Just whack on some thermals underneath and they’re good to go in any weather.