L1 Premium Items Axial Assessment

Barricading your self towards the weather is important for powder hounding on the hill — however doing so with a flare of favor is a harder win. Each are achieved with the L1 Premium Items Axial Jacket, for women and men, which boasts a memorable edge whereas blocking day-long precipitation.

Essentially the most memorable praise I acquired was from a random passerby as I walked a number of blocks noon to the bottom of Elevate 8 in Telluride: “Beautiful package — I simply find it irresistible. It’s been good seeing you across the hill!” We didn’t know one another, however the aesthetic introduced a smile to her face. The day prior, a elevate operator drilled me with questions on my “actually cool package” each time I glided by — not that he essentially cared in regards to the design’s meant gender, however I let him realize it was unisex.

L1 Premium Items launched with snowboard outerwear greater than 2 many years in the past, circa 2002. The steadfast model just lately debuted a traditional, looser-fitting, and genderless assortment, together with the Axial package, in 2022. After seeing this jacket-and-pant combo in motion, I used to be excited to place it to the take a look at. I often favor to put on ladies’s particular snowboard jackets, however this one is unisex, and it hit that mark.

In brief: The L1 Premium Items Axial ($430) is a unisex snowboard jacket with a reasonably lengthy, saggy, freeride match that enables bulk-free motion by numerous terrain and the terrain park. The technical, dense, and weatherproof cloth is topped off with a singular entrance zipper design: the middle opener is parallel to 2 shorter, vertically stacked zippers that enter a chest pocket whereas the opposite widens the collar for air flow.

I respect the comfortable inside chin guard, removable goggle material, underarm vents, and helmet-compatible hood. This piece rapidly entered my favorites checklist for resort laps, and it’s trendy for guys and gals alike. I examined this jacket alongside the matching Axial Pant: try the assessment.

Learn the complete assessment or jump over to the Greatest Snowboard Jackets purchaser’s information.

L1 Premium Items Axial Jacket Assessment

Led by professional snowboarder and designer Jon Kooley, L1 Premium Items is a sister model held by Foundry Distribution, which homes Nitro Snowboards alongside Eivy Base Layers, Autumn Headwear, and Corduroy beanies.

I first rode with this non-insulated resort package — the Axial Jacket and Pants — at Crested Butte Mountain Resort in spring 2024, protecting 7 days on the hill. With the kick-off of the 2024-2025 season, I continued to check the match for one more 7 days at CBMR and Telluride Ski Resort. I snagged a set within the Haze — a beautiful mild lavender shade — and located that the match runs true to measurement.

Whereas lapping these resorts, I logged greater than 53 hours, 322 miles, and 100,474 vertical ft on this outerwear. These numbers exclude après, strolling to the bus cease, and catching the bus to and from the mountain.

Climate Barricading Material & Underarm Vents

After I first pulled on this jacket, I observed the burden — it’s not mild, and the normal denser really feel of the three-layer cloth is a welcomed possibility alongside different materials that proceed to shed grams. Density typically comes down to private desire, however there might be one thing reassuring in regards to the sense of safety. And whereas the material isn’t buttery, it feels comparatively clean in comparison with crunchier choices.

All through my area testing, the climate ranged from freezing to very frigid temps with windchill and a few 0- to 10-degree days. I lastly caught two full powder days, too, with constant, fluffy snowfall.

Sooner or later in Telluride, we skilled a weird mist that coated everybody’s goggles and outerwear with a skinny sheet of ice for a number of hours. Fortuitously, the Axial jacket carried out higher than what my homies had been carrying and resisted absorbing the heavy moisture or changing into a pure ice sheet. This additionally allowed me to tug on a very dry jacket after we grabbed lunch to heat up.

That’s as a result of the material has a reasonably excessive diploma of waterproofness and breathability — at 20K/20K — plus PFC-free DWR. For additional kudos, the outer shell is made with 87% recycled polyester: spectacular. All the seams and stitchwork are heat-sealed with water-repellent tape, too.

Along with offering a strong barricade towards climate, I like the multidirectional stretch and mobility of this cloth. My higher again, shoulders, and arms by no means felt restricted whereas clipping in or weaving moguls, timber, and hopping off drops on powder days.

If I used to be working up warmth, the underarm vents had been roomy and straightforward to open up. That mentioned, I’d not favor to put on this snowboard jacket within the backcountry, because of the weight and lower; I’d go for a lighter, extra breathable, extra athletic-shaped jacket.

Many days, I might put on a heat, medium-weight base layer beneath this jacket. However on colder days, I additionally opted for a fleece midlayer, which was simple to layer beneath the jacket.

Entrance Zippers & Collar

Probably the most distinctive particulars that differentiates the Axial Jacket is the entrance zipper — I’ve examined rather a lot of ski and snowboard jackets. By no means have I seen a zipper setup like this.

I nonetheless keep in mind the primary time I noticed a gal carrying this jacket at Utah’s Snowbasin Resort. “What’s occurring right here?” I assumed. Whereas the jacket’s face is eye-catching, it’s additionally useful.

Off-centered and barely to the proper is the first zipper: a burly two-way zipper with a pull that’s comparatively large and straightforward to seize. With excessive water resistance, I by no means had points with moisture leaking in.

Barely off-centered to the left are two shorter zippers which might be vertically stacked. The upper-placed zip splays the collar open with a mesh panel for air flow. The decrease zipper opens to a chest pocket.

Inside, the collar delivers a tall, comfortable, beneficiant chin guard that runs 9 inches throughout the entrance. I like snug jacket necks that assist preserve my face protected, particularly from the chilly temps and harsh wind that always strikes by CBMR.

Pockets

The Axial Jacket affords up 5 pockets. The 2 hand pockets are extraordinarily spacious, and so they can simply swallow a big telephone or a beanie for the tip of the day, with out feeling stuffy. I tended to make use of these pockets probably the most because of the ease of house and safety of the zipper.

Up high, the chest pocket is way smaller. I discovered it was a great place to put a snack bar. However there’s a port for threading headphones, adopted by an elastic loop close to the jacket collar, so you should use the pouch as a media pocket, which is sweet, as a result of it has an exterior entrance.

I respect that the discrete move pocket is on the underside of the left forearm, in order that the move (or my ID or bank card) don’t get caught within the criminal of my elbow.

There’s additionally an inside mesh drop-in goggle pocket on the proper aspect.

Contained in the pockets are further accents: a key clip and removable goggle material, which is useful.

Match & Hood

The freeride match offers simply sufficient roominess with out feeling overly saggy. There’s strong size on the arms and torso, which you’ll respect when utilizing your higher physique by tight timber, mogul fields, the terrain park, snagging grabs, or to dial within the binders.

That additional size across the torso is nice, maybe particularly as a result of the package has snowboard pants versus bibs. The size reaches a few inches beneath my bottom after I stand upright!

I respect the large, tapered Velcro cuffs and that the circumference can layer excessive of ski glove gauntlets somewhat simply. Whereas the stretchy wrist gaiters have a reasonable thickness, in addition they have thumbholes, and the material didn’t really feel cumbersome when my palms weren’t inserted.

The hood does match over a ski helmet, and I can flip my head with relative ease whereas the hood is zipped up. There’s additionally a bolstered brim, which I respect, to assist preserve precipitation from dripping onto my face and goggles. That mentioned, the hood doesn’t lengthen to the very entrance of the helmet — different jackets do a greater job with helmet match — so right here’s one more reason why the material’s stretch is useful.

Critiques

As talked about, the hood doesn’t lengthen all the best way to the brim of the ski helmet when it’s zipped up. This can be a exhausting element for many manufacturers to nail, I’ve discovered, particularly as a result of we additionally don’t desire a hood so huge that it’s parachuting behind us.

However the largest critique I’ve: The chest pocket will not be large enough for a big telephone. I might barely match my earlier massive telephone and needed to take away my gloves to shove it in. With a more moderen, minimally bigger telephone this season, there’s no approach it’ll match within the chest pocket. So, I can’t reap the benefits of the media outlet.

Much more annoying is that the position of the hand pocket (the place my telephone lives) sits on the crease of my hips after I bend over: Each time I strap and unstrap my bindings, I want to tug the jacket pocket to the aspect, in any other case it’s uncomfortable bending round my telephone. (I’m not simply attempting to look gangster.)

This isn’t a difficulty everybody can have, particularly as a result of many of us might be carrying a smaller system, and everybody’s physique sizes and shapes differ. Nevertheless it’s one value noting.

After 14 days of area checks, the lavender shade — although stunning — is beginning to look soiled, so a lighter shade would possibly require extra normal upkeep to remain trying recent.

Additionally, a tiny gap has appeared on the jacket’s left aspect, beneath the seam of the underarm vent, the place the vertical tape extends downward. That’s an odd spot to get a snag, and I haven’t been using by glades a lot this season, but.

I’d attempt to push the model to cowl this situation below the unique producer’s guarantee, given the tear is alongside the sting of the heat-sealed water-repellent tape. However, there’s no assure it could be coated.

Whereas the powder skirt is properly built-in, and I can hardly inform it’s there, it’s fastened, which some riders may not favor.

Conclusion

Made for snowboarders by snowboarders, the L1 Premium Items Axial Jacket seems to be good. Much more so, this jacket is made with cloth that blocks wind, snow, and rain on bell-to-bell stormy powder days. Whereas the textile feels prefer it has a reasonable weight, it dishes out a four-way stretch and doesn’t hinder motion, whether or not you’re freestyling or strapping in.

I actually respect the number of pockets, burly zippers, helmet appropriate hood, and the eye to particulars. As an illustration, shock cords contained in the hand pockets that allow you to cinch up the jacket hem, and one other shock wire on the again of the hood. Additions just like the removable goggle material and far-reaching chin guard are extremely appreciated for lengthy days on the resort.

As a season-long and lifelong rider, the Axial Jacket has rapidly made my shortlist of items that I get pleasure from carrying on the resort whatever the climate circumstances.