Review of Mountain Hardwear Torque Snowsports Jacket
By Matt Smith

It seems the industry cycles through various strategies of protective outerwear. There is the fully insulated snowman suit that was popular, in pastel, in the 80's. Then we went to full on technical shells with 2 or 3 piece layering systems underneath. Then we went to lighter weight soft shells and insulated shells. The Torque is a snow sport specific, lightly insulated shell.

The Torque features 100 gram Primaloft insulation under the Ascent polysester shell. The Torque shell incorporates Mountain Hardwears Conduit waterproof/breathable technology, which performed on par with any of the rest o the jackets we looked at this winter.

The Torque comes loaded with everything you would expect in a ski jacket, including the obligatory lift pass holders and pockets, velcro cuffs, powder skirt, goggle pocket and wipe, and for the technology inclined MP3 player pocket and wire route. The hood is supposed to be ergonomic, and it actually was. It fit well over a toque or helmet on those blustery days, and the volume adjustment and face closures allowed me to keep most of my range of motion and field of view, without sacrificing protection.

The 100 gram insulation is warm enough with a good base layer for many sunny, calm, days, but I found that when the wet snow was falling and the artic express was blowing, I needed an additional insulating layer, like a fleece. The upside is the Torque can be used comfortably for late fall ventures and early spring forays without being too warm.

Summary: The Torque is a solid, free standing ski jacket that is cheap enough for the weekend warrior, but feature rich enough to attract the enthusiast as well. You canfind the Torque online for as little as $249.

A special thanks to the folks at Alta Ski area who set us up to test the Mountain Hardwear Torque Jacket on site. You can learn more about Alta Ski Area and our other industry partners on our Partners Page.

For more information contact:
Mountain Hardwear
www.mountainhardwear.com
4911 Central Avenue
Richmond, California 94804
510-559-6700

Matt Smith is the canyoneering specialist at GearReview.com