I'm just back from a week's skiing in the Portes de Soleil, first trip using the Simond Alpinism Pants (bought when they were £40, if not more, hey ho). The pants did a fine job and stood up to falls and general ski-related abuse very well. The water repellency got a good test when we got stuck on a chairlift in heavy snow for about 20 minutes: absolutely no penetration from the snow that inevitably settled in my lap and then melted.
Couple of points to bear in mind:
1) I'm 6ft and I found the braces a
little too long even at their shortest. Nothing that can't be fixed by taking a 1" tuck in each one, but something that shorter folks might appreciate knowing about in advance.
2) The fly is a two-way zip. The upwards zip is great for quick stops on the hill, but if you "go" in a more conventional manner eg in a restaurant loo you can inadvertently pull both zippers up, leaving yourself 'at risk'... In my case, with two base layers underneath there wasn't much chance of anything getting loose - but the unexpected cool draft upon stepping back outside was a bit of a surprise!
At this new lower price, I'm sorely tempted to get another pair.
Post edited at 10:33