UKC

Anyone got any tips on what is and isn't worth spending money on with regards to ski touring clothing - particularly looking for recommendations on trousers and jacket.  Will some decathlon basics do the job or are there things which are worth investing in?  Doing a weeks hut tour for the first time so will spending the majority of my time going up rather than down. Thanks

Where ? southern French Alps is a bit different weather wise to Northern Norway or the Rockies

Whatever you would go winter walking in...

Save your money for comfy boots and decent skiis

Really warm belay jacket to fling on top your other layers is good and potentially lifesaving if you get stuck out

Most of the time you'll be too hot unless the weather is wild

Good point! Italy in March

I've never toured in the Alps but I noticed when I was skiing in North Norway with some people who normally toured in the Alps, they all had wide brimmed sun hats and funny coloured lip and nose sun tan cream stuff! So maybe a sun hat?  I burn rather easily but have never got sun burnt in arctic Norway, even in May in sunny weather.

I've found my Decathlon cheap but good soft shells that I use for winter climbing work well for ski touring - they even have vents in them for when its hot. https://lightfromthenorth.blogspot.com/2013/03/simond-alpinism-pants-review... Doubt you'd need anything more fancy.

I've been using the Decathlon / Simond "mountaineering pants" as they insist on calling them for quite a few years.  By putting different layers under them you can cover a range of weather options.  They're not much good for is warm & wet but then you should go to the pub anyway.  For the top half, the advice about winter walking is good - you can be sweating like mad on the way up then freeze on the top so give yourself options (i.e. layers.)  Same goes for gloves - a pair of thin leather work gloves is good for skinning then something warmer for downhill.

Lightweight layers. I get stuff on sale. I have wool under layers, a lightweight puffa jacket ( I have a 200, a 300 and a 400g one depending on conditions, usually I take one, sometimes 2), light ski pants ( similar to Dynafit Mercury ), light rain pants (I have a woman's one because it was light and on sale and fit well enough with full length zips) and I have a few OMM Aeon Jackets as they work so well for me and were on sale. A light buff, a minimal hat, cross country gloves for up, and then proper ski gloves for down if it's cold. That works for me, and has been fine for everything from Northern Norway to traversing 4000m peaks in the Alps. If it's cold I take two puffa jackets and another buff, and some thin wool glove liners. Then I just put on what I need. I almost never wear the rain pants, the weather has to be pretty extreme for that. Most of the gear works for hiking, running and climbing too. I've worn my yellow aeon jacket rock climbing in Greenland, the Pierra Menta skimo race, a mountain marathon, cycling to work and gardening. Yellow duct tape fixes any holes :P.

For march in Italy I'd take softshell trousers preferably light coloured ones unless you like that boil in the bag feeling. Layers for you top half with a very light cag to go over everything. Don't forget your sun hat.

I ski quite a bit in the southern French Alps, and its often quite hot (although I guess Italy could mean a tour of 4000m peaks on the Swiss border), so as you say, light (weight & colour) windproof trousers, a selection of tops & a sun hat are the basis. I find a very light windproof very useful, and much of the time ski in a long sleeved shirt, add a pertex wind shirt if there's much wind, or for downhills, with a sleeveless primaloft filled top to throw on over the top for stops.

Thin gloves for skining (models sold for XC skiing are quite good), something a bit warmer for downhill or cold weather with a pair of mittens plus a warm hat, in the sac 'just in case'.

In Chamonix this February I went with pretty much exactly what I'd go climbing in in the UK - long-sleeved wicking T-shirt, Nano Air and lightweight softshell (ME Squall), with a pair of lightweight softshell trousers on top of merino long johns below. I also had a warm down jacket in the pack that could be thrown on when we stopped.

For touring that was perfect, and even on properly cold days the Nano Air spent most of its time in my pack for the uphill. For mooching around on piste it was towards the chilly end of alright, but still fine. The only real issue was, with my trousers not being designed for skiing in mind, they weren't a comfortable fit over the top of my boots. No big deal.