Black Diamond Recon LT Ski Pants Evaluate

My ski touring companion and I kicked steps into the imposing west face of a traditional Gore Vary peak. I paused to lookup on the first rays of morning sunshine fanning over the ridgeline. The ascent was a mixture of waist-deep aspects below a breakable crust, front-pointing the face, and scrambling abrasive granite. On climbs like these, ski pants are put to the check. 

It was an advanced day for layering, particularly for the decrease half of my physique. We needed to transfer quick, so I wanted one thing breathable. Plus, I’d be crawling over moist snow for hours and getting hammered with ridgetop winds, so I’d want one thing protecting. However given the abrasive nature of the climb and the miles of bushwhacking, I additionally wanted one thing sturdy.

The Black Diamond Recon LT Stretch Ski Pants confirmed up the day earlier than, and I made a decision to offer them a shot. If they might hold on a day like this, chances are high I may take them nearly anyplace.

The Recon LT ski pant was designed to be a light-weight but sturdy hardshell constructed for skiers and snowboarders planning to put on them within the backcountry or on the resort. The design is meant to not compromise waterproofing, breathability, or sturdiness. 

In brief: The Black Diamond Recon LT Stretch Pants ($350) blur the strains between softshell and hardshell, backcountry and resort performance, and breathable versus protecting. The designers managed to tease out the important thing traits of every whereas sustaining a low total weight and a aggressive worth level for waterproof pants. The most effective half? They’ll stand as much as the trials of backcountry snowboarding, rocky scrambling, and getting beat up on the resort. Simply double-check your sizing — the built-in belt leaves room for enchancment.

• Match
  Common
• Materials
  Polyester with 3-layer Intuitive waterproof breathable membrane
• Waterproof Ranking (mm)
  20K
• Breathability (g)
  20K
• Insulation
  None
• Sustainable Options
  None

• 
  Glorious stretchy waterproof material
• 
  Breathable on the pores and skin monitor
• 
  Versatile for resort or backcountry
• 
  Sturdy and protecting

• 
  Waist fastening inadequate
• 
  Excessively extensive under the knees

Black Diamond Recon LT Stretch Evaluate

After many days of snowboarding deep within the backcountry and lapping the resort till my legs fell off final winter and spring, the Recon LT Stretch ski pants stood out for a lot of causes. Additionally they took residence an award in the Finest Ski Pants Purchaser’s Information.

Simply the very best factor concerning the BD.dry material is the four-way stretch. Many different waterproof materials, together with GORE-TEX Professional, don’t stretch in any respect. That’s a giant deal in pants since it might probably severely impede motion. The Recon LT stretches so nicely in all the best locations that they virtually really feel like softshells in that regard. 

Even with all of the performance and bomber material, the Recon LT weighs in at 479g. That’s aggressive for pants on this class.

Excessive Waterproofness and Breathability

Black Diamond’s proprietary BD.dry waterproof-breathable four-way stretch shell material is well the spotlight of those pants. The membrane is an excellent various to GORE-TEX, which simply occurs to drop the worth level. I used to be impressed after a number of days of back-to-back storm snowboarding that the wetness exterior by no means obtained inside.

Even after kneeling in moist spring snow pits, the Recon LT proved to be plentifully waterproof. In keeping with Black Diamond, BD.dry has a 20,000mm waterproof ranking — lower than GORE-TEX Professional’s 28,000mm ranking, however hit the mark for snowboarding in nearly any winter climate, at the very least within the excessive alpine of Colorado. 

That’s the better half, although. Breathability is what units waterproof materials aside from one another, in my view. Whereas these snow pants don’t fairly breathe like softshells — like Black Diamond’s exceptionally breathable Daybreak Patrol Hybrid ski pants and ski jacket — they’re superb for hardshells. This design has a moisture vapor transmission fee (MVTR) of 20,000 g/m2/24hrs, which is nicely suited to high-output cardio actions.

Zero Insulation, Layering

With a 40-denier material, the Recon LT is simply thick sufficient that I are likely to forgo base layers for many touring days, which is identical technique I take with softshell pants. Even throughout mild and quick ski excursions with my speediest companions, the within of the pants by no means felt clammy, and man, can I sweat once I’m transferring rapidly uphill. Between the breathability of the BD.dry and the beneficiant vents, I used to be in a position to keep a sustainable temperature on the climb. 

The Recon LT ski pant is non-insulated. For ski days on the resort, I didn’t hesitate to put on my pretty thick ¾’s Woolf merino baselayers and even my Fjallraven Keb Fleece Trousers when it was actually chilly exterior. I wasn’t wishing for something extra with these base layers, even for cold chairlift rides. 

The Recon LT employs two waterproof zippers down the edges of the pants from hip to knee. They supply massive vents that may expel a number of physique warmth rapidly.

However be warned — they’re not mesh-backed, so snow will pour in while you’re wallowing in deep snow with the vents open. The good factor about these vents is that once they’re open, the pants keep low profile and don’t billow out, and are subsequently much less vulnerable to getting snagged on branches.

Match and Ski Boot Compatibility

Black Diamond defines the Recon LT as a daily or “traditional common” match that gives snug ease. The pants may function slight physique shaping however have a predominantly straighter match that may accommodate midlayers extra comfortably, says the model, which I typically discovered to be true.

However for touring pants, they’re very extensive from the knees down, in my view. Between that and the stretchy material, I felt no restriction with lengthy touring strides. I may take excessive steps whereas bootpacking with none points, which isn’t all the time the case for hardshells.

I did, nonetheless, snag my crampons on the interior leg (even up by the knee) a number of instances. There’s a number of free material there to get caught.

The quick, very extensive, and flared cuffs are purpose-built for ski or snowboard boots. They don’t pair nicely with different mountain footwear or nordic boots, they usually’re even on the gaping facet for ski boots. The sturdy patches contained in the decrease legs assist fend off crampons, ski edges, and rocks near the bottom. They’ve stored the pant cuffs remarkably contemporary over the check interval.

Elastic cuffs beneath the outer shell are taut and stretchy. They simply stored the snow at bay, even after an hour of bootpacking, by creating a formidable seal on my touring boot. It labored nicely for leaner boots like my SCARPA F1 LT, greater La Sportiva Vanguard, and my alpine ski boots, Dalbello Cabrio LV 130.

Loads of Pockets

I’ve all the time been a giant fan of the built-in avalanche beacon pocket, which is on the best thigh of a variety of Black Diamond’s ski touring pants. Contained in the pocket is a small pouch that appears like neoprene that’s universally formed to carry a beacon like a holster.

Why not simply have a beacon free in your pocket? As a result of it’s annoying when it bounces round and flops sideways. The beacon pocket fixes that. My Mammut Barryvox S stayed put all through each tour I went on. There’s additionally a loop within the pocket for attaching the beacon’s elastic wire so it’s not possible to lose if it’s dropped.

The beacon holster just isn’t detachable from the best thigh pocket, which may very well be annoying for many who favor a chest harness or who’re utilizing these pants completely within the resort. It really works nice as a cellphone holster, although, in order that’s an awesome choice for these customers.

On the opposite facet, the second thigh pocket is sufficiently big to accommodate massive telephones, snacks, maps, and a handful of ski straps. And even when it was stuffed full, it stayed low profile on my thigh.

Most significantly, each pockets are positioned excessive sufficient that they don’t work together together with your knees while you’re touring, which was not the case with a few of BD’s pants up to now. The Recon LT pant pockets are refined in all the best methods. 

Room for Enchancment

My first journey within the Recon LT ski pants rapidly revealed their predominant flaw, and I ought to have identified higher.

As my ski companion and I toured by way of the morning darkness, the Recon LT began sliding down my waist. I paused and moved the hook farther up the webbing ladder that’s constructed into the waistband to what felt like was tight, buckled my backpack’s hip belt, and stored skinning.

Inside 20 minutes, the pants had been sliding down. I finished once more and this time hooked all of them the way in which tight, however the issue continued. By the point we had been midway up the face in crampons, I had rolled the waistband over itself twice to cease them from slipping down. 

The pants weren’t too massive. My waist measures proper in the course of the 31.5-34-inch waist vary for males’s dimension medium, however I’m largely sq. from shoulder to thigh with out a lot hip.

Nonetheless, the built-in belt ought to have far more vary, particularly for customers opting to make use of the avalanche beacon holster pocket. A fair higher answer? Add low-profile belt loops for customers who need extra choices, extra safety, and fewer slippage. 

Conclusion

Hardly ever do I come throughout ski pants that transition between resort snowboarding and the backcountry as seamlessly because the Black Diamond Recon LT Stretch Pants. They’re sturdy and waterproof. They’re breathable and movement-oriented for human-powered days.