UKC

Can anyone recommend some winter climbing trousers/ salopettes for Scottish winter climbing?

I am female and 5' 10" which makes it quite hard to find trousers to fit. So can anyone recommend some that work well in Scottish winter conditions. At the moment I wear a pair of Montane Terra Thermics (which aren't a great fit) with waterproofs on top. I also find that I get damp on the walkins as I don't put my waterproofs on till gearing up, so I don't overheat, so it doesn't work terribly well and I am wondering if there is a better system/ approach for legwear for Scottish winter?

Thanks!

In reply to Elsier:

These always get recoended on here, I'm a 5'10" Fella with slim build and got the pair that were appropriate follwoing their size guide and I think they're a great fit. I wore them for Cascade climbing last year and plan to wear them for my first scottish trip in a few weeks. These are always recommended on here.

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/mountaineering-trousers-id_8010075.html

In reply to Elsier:

Second that.
The Simond pants are unbeatable value...superb

In reply to Elsier:

Have you considered Paramo. They do a 'medium-long' fit which could work. Or Cioch do made to measure in the same fabric. The trousers can be easily vented on the walk-in and you don't need to carry extra over trousers.

In reply to Elsier:

I see waterproofs as something that I don't use everytime I go winter climbing, prefering stretchy soft shell troos with a base layer (or fleece trousers) on underneath.

The simmond trousers linked are an unbelievably good deal, I love them.

In reply to nickcj:


Or, I think, the women's trousers (but maybe they don't do women's salopettes?) in a long leg length - I'm 5ft 8/size 10-12 and the women's small fit OK in standard length, so long leg would probably be OK. (The men's small also fits me OKish). Agree they're a good option if you don't want to swap layers.

Equally, if I expect to wear over trousers for the bulk of the day, wearing stretchy layers underneath works well - eg walk in in thin base layer and hard shell trousers, and add a powerstretch tight in between for climbing. Clearly not ideal to strip off your shell (and, more awkward, boots) if conditions are properly Scottish, but can work., and you're likely going to stop somewhere to to put harness on, etc. I get cold quite easily, so tend to prefer having plenty of insulation if there's likely to be any standing about....

In reply to Elsier:

Thanks everyone, will check out Decathlon, the Simond pants sound good, and look like great value!

In reply to Elsier:

I wear a pair of Mountain Equipment G2 pants, usually with running tights underneath.
In the same way loads of my gear is women's (I'm a bit of a short-arse) maybe just buying men's kit is the answer?

In reply to Elsier:

Women's version

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/lady-mountaineering-trousers-id_8100605.html

In reply to puppythedog:

A recent alternative line seems to have appeared; the Alpinism Light trousers:

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/alpinism-light-lady-trousers-id_8222886.html

I've not seen a pair yet, as they're not in stock, but I think they use the same fabric as the Mountaineering trousers, with a slimmer cut.

Then there's the Quechua Forclaz 900 Warm trousers, which have a robust outer face and fluffy inner, and, on recent performance, keep out drizzle for a couple of hours, and dry quickly.

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/f900-l-winter-hiking-trousers-id_8286543.html

One possible solution to the walk-in problem when you know you're going to be wearing waterproofs is to use a pair of light windproof overtrousers (e.g. Montane Featherlite) over the base layer for the walk-in. Depending on just how wet it is... Then you can either take the windproofs off, or just put waterproofs over the top.

In reply to Elsier: My advice would be careful what you buy.

A lot of salopettes look like great mountaineering pants but are quite flared and are actually designed for ski moutaineering.

I got what I though was a brilliant pair of Mountain Hardwear pants and they got shredded by my crampons after 2 climbs. Almost dangerous on steep stuff.

Look for 'alpine fit', I wear Mammut Splide Pants, best ever but not sure if they come in womens!

In reply to puppythedog:

Further to my other suggestions (I can't reply to myself yet, and I can't edit the post properly...), neither of them are as 'full-on' as the Mountaineering trousers, yet they're more expensive, for fewer features...

In reply to captain paranoia:

I don't think the Mountaineering trousers can be beaten, they get positive comment after positive comment on here. Also a really good panel to stop cramponing them, I know I tried

In reply to CurlyStevo:

Got a pair from Decathalon today having read this thread. Look like superb value for £39.99. I shall soon find out! Thanks for heads up.