A light morning on the pores and skin monitor had become a day of whipping wind and freezing mist on the resort. Frozen rime lined everybody’s helmets. I pulled the hood of my Arc’teryx Sabre Jacket up towards the blasting gusts and chill on the summit. We pushed previous the highest of the raise by a stand of pine timber to the hidden stash of early-season Vermont powder that lay past.
I took a second to understand the versatile jacket. It was taking a beating from plummeting temperatures, biting winds, and a frozen rain that was making a large number of everybody’s outerwear however mine.
Many manufacturers try and make a jacket burly sufficient to deflect the worst situations on the path and shed warmth and moisture whereas mountain climbing, to combined outcomes. For those who’ve ever shivered on a chairlift or sweated profusely on the pores and skin monitor, you’ve most likely skilled a few of the widespread compromises of freeride shells.
The Arc’teryx Sabre Jacket is a uncommon gem, although. It manages to blur the road between resort and backcountry. It strikes effortlessly on the descent and prevents hangups once you head uphill.
Briefly: The 2024 Arc’teryx Sabre 3L ePE GORE-TEX Jacket has been up to date with 80D 3L ePE GORE-TEX for a decreased carbon footprint, lighter weight, and higher flexing fabrication. It simply transitions from the harshest midwinter resort storm using to higher-output backcountry forays. Pure resort riders could wish to hunt down a extra insulated jacket, and all-day touring missions could name for a lighter-weight shell. However clever layering will allow you to use this jacket all season in nearly each setting.
For those who’d like to check the Arc’teryx Sabre jacket to others prefer it, try GearJunkie’s information to the Greatest Ski Jackets and the Greatest Ski Jackets for Ladies.
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Articulated match
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Layering not Included
Arc’teryx Sabre 3L ePE GORE-TEX Ski Jacket Evaluate
The Sabre Jacket has been a flagship within the Arc’teryx lineup for 15 years. It has nicely earned its place on GearJunkie’s information to the Greatest Ski Jackets.
The 2024-25 Sabre acquired one huge change from the earlier season’s model: It makes use of GORE-TEX’s new ePE cloth, which is best for the surroundings. The upgraded cloth appears to be lighter weight (on the size, I discovered a 1g distinction between final 12 months’s and this 12 months’s mannequin) whereas providing an easier-moving, much less cumbersome really feel. It additionally helps scale back the jacket’s general carbon footprint.
I examined the 2024-25 Sabre Jacket over 6 days of backcountry touring and resort using between Stowe and Bolton Valley, Vt. The beginning of the season offered a full vary of situations. We had a howling storm day with a windchill of 5 levels, a shock day of 30-degree sunshine, and a bout of freezing mist.
I additionally rode within the 2023-24 Sabre Jacket the whole earlier season throughout situations in Vermont, plus a 6-day Pacific Northwest rain-to-powder bender in Stevens Go, Wash.
Match
Arc’teryx lists this jacket below its “Freeride” class. For reference, I’m 5’7” tall and 180 kilos. My construct may very well be described as stocky, however I discovered the medium to be preferrred, with room for a baselayer and micro puffy on colder days. Something smaller would have been too restrictive.
The 2024-25 Sabre jacket hits slightly below my waist, with some, however not rather a lot, of room within the physique. The arms are longer and extra beneficiant on the cuff — an odd contact for an in any other case extra form-fitting jacket. Some customers have been very vital of the brand new match, however I didn’t take subject with it. For my part, it strikes an honest stability, given the design intention of segueing from resort to backcountry.
On the resort, this match actually shines. It’s straightforward to maneuver inside with out bunching or constraint. It blocks wind and climate after I’m sitting on a frozen chairlift. It’s additionally gentle sufficient I don’t overheat.
Backcountry use is extra subjective. I take off my shell jacket for touring except it’s dumping or blasting wind. So, I search for packability plus mobility on the descent. The 2024-25 iteration will get the nod with its lighter-weight, easier-to-stuff fabrication.
I didn’t even strive with the stiff fabrication on final 12 months’s mannequin. However as a choosy packer, I’m comfortable to have a lighter-weight model of the Sabre to take out on excursions.
Consumers can be suggested to strive first since Arc’teryx’s sizing is essentially form-fitting. Of us after a baggier match ought to look elsewhere: Arc’teryx has launched its personal “Relaxed Match” Sabre assortment, which is extra consistent with looser-fitting “freeride” stylings.
Driving Out the Storm in Consolation
For many skiers and riders clocking days on the mountain, customary waterproofing and design set is sufficient. For many who drop every thing to ski and trip by the storm, you want a shell that may tackle every thing winter dishes out. In my expertise, the Arc’teryx Sabre Jacket delivered.
Transitioning from splitboard to snowboard mode after a 2,000-vertical-foot tour, I stowed my skins and zipped up the Sabre, relieved to be tucked into such a sturdy jacket for the high-speed descent. Mountaineering the sheer ridgelines of Stevens Go in Washington, I opened pit zips because the shell shrugged off a March storm cycle that dropped practically 4 toes of powder over 6 days (the precipitation was all the time on the verge of turning into rain).
After testing the 2024 mannequin and now the 2025 mannequin, this jacket lives as much as the 3L GORE-TEX “Assured to maintain you dry” tagline. The brand new ePE GORE-TEX improve didn’t appear to affect the jacket’s means to dam the weather.
Once I was using up the quad in freezing mist, a fast survey revealed that my jacket was the one one not encrusted with rime.
The backer is GORE C-KNIT, a skinny fleece that softens the everyday shell crinkle. Particulars just like the backer, articulated match, and a hood that locks down with out constricting imaginative and prescient allow you to batten down the hatches in really harsh situations.
On quite a few events, the Sabre jacket made the distinction between staying dry and heat for extra runs and heading residence for the day.
Light-weight Efficiency for Aspect & Backcountry
The 2024/25 Sabre jacket clocks in at 705 g. To match, the Rush jacket, Arc’teryx’s prime “touring” ski shell, is 515 g. In comparison with all the opposite jackets on GearJunkie’s information to the Greatest Ski Jackets, the Sabre is the sixth heaviest on the record.
If saving 190 g for uphill journey is your recreation, this isn’t the jacket for you. However at resorts like Stowe and Stevens Go, the place lift-accessed aspect and backcountry is an enormous draw, these calculations come second to versatility and sturdiness.
As with all issues, there’s a tradeoff. The bomber weatherproofing of this stage of GORE-TEX has its limitations on the subject of lively breathability. As somebody who sweats whereas mountain climbing or touring, no matter what I’m carrying, I sometimes unzip, vent, or stow my jacket whereas going uphill. Of us in search of a devoted touring shell may desire a lighter-weight piece and even one with a fabrication targeted extra on breathability.
However on my newest two splitboard excursions, I discovered myself taking the Sabre Jacket as a substitute of the Rush Jacket. I didn’t discover the additional grams in my pack. And I used to be grateful for the extra weatherproofing using again down within the howling wind. In case your use case doesn’t contain pure touring on the common, the Sabre seemingly has you lined.
Pockets & Options
Within the Sabre jacket, the efficiency is outlined by minimalism. You get every thing you want and nothing else and the pocket structure is not any exception.
Inside, two mesh stash pouches can barely deal with goggles. One incorporates a zippered safety pocket for small gadgets that should be locked down.
The 2 exterior pockets are beneficiant in measurement, giant sufficient to swallow up folded-up touring skins. I trip a 157 splitboard, however the pockets appear giant sufficient to accommodate even longer ski skins.
On the resort, the dearth of pocketing may very well be irritating. The arm RFID pocket works for a cross, and whereas I favor to maintain my cellphone in my fleece or micro puffy chest pocket, others might need for an extra, phone-focused inside pocket.
The powder skirt is built-in into the jacket, a small ding for individuals who don’t use them (I wish to take away mine). However the skirt clips proper into the Sabre pants with a well-designed sequence of connectors.
Room for Enchancment
Arc’teryx received a variety of issues proper with the Sabre, however there’s all the time room for enchancment. Whereas some could love the match, it’s confirmed considerably divisive amongst clients. I wouldn’t thoughts a contact longer drop on the again for protection on the chair raise and when strapping in.
With the hood up, the match is on the cosy aspect. I needed to unzip the collar to get the hood on and off with my helmet. Blame it on my measurement giant head, however having to unzip is a adverse, particularly because you’re placing the hood up within the worst attainable situations.
The pockets might use somewhat extra consideration as nicely. Given the resort use case, a barely bigger arm pocket can be useful. This is able to make it simpler to retailer in-bounds or side-country requirements like a radio. I had a tough time cramming mine into that slender pocket whereas navigating the woods and spines of Steven’s Go.
The interior dump pockets are verging on too small to securely stash my outdated goggles. They aren’t at the same time as giant as the newest wide-lens, magnetic variations. The elastic on the dump pocket prime additionally isn’t cinched a lot, providing little confidence that cargo will keep put.
Conclusion
The Arc’teryx Sabre 3L ePE GORE-TEX Ski Jacket is a complete trooper on the resort and extra versatile for backcountry forays than different jackets on this class. The 3L ePE GORE-TEX shrugs off the harshest components whereas shifting simply and clocking in simply heavier than touring jackets. It’s good to go on something however all-day or multiday excursions — and even then, it will carry out fairly nicely.
The lighter weight means it runs cooler. So, having a layering quiver is a should for year-round snowboarding and using, particularly on lengthy chair raise rides in mercury-throttling temperatures and gusting wind. Getting the layering recreation dialed will allow you to run this jacket anytime and nearly wherever you’re using within the snow.
