If budget is a major consideration when buying your ski gear you'd be a fool not to check out Decathlon's Wedze Freeride FR100 jacket. Our top value pick in our best ski jacket ranking, this has all the whistles and bells you’d expect to find in garments costing several times the price (there's also a ladies' version – head to our best women's ski jackets ranking for more options).
The Freeride’s outer fabric is waterproof, breathable and windproof, so combined with its snug insulation the elements have their work cut out to get through all this armour, and you also get absolutely all the features anyone is ever likely to need in a ski jacket. These include a lined, helmet-compatible, ergonomic hood, pit zips, a powder skirt, hand gaiters and Recco avalanche reflector whilst Velcro adjustable cuffs and an elasticated hem further help to keep snow and cold winds on the outside.
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There are also stacks of pockets for anyone who prefers to ride without a pack - two zippered hand pockets with a Velcro storm baffle, a zippered chest pocket with an integrated goggle wipe, a zippered ski pass pocket on the left arm, a zippered internal security pocket with headphone port and an internal stretch stash pocket.
There’s a slight penalty in that it’s not the lightest jacket around due to the combination of 150 g/square metre wadding on the chest and back and 60g on the arms, but this does help keep you warmer, of course, even though it adds to the jacket’s weight and bulk. It also means the cut is not as loose as you’d find in a shell, so you may want to consider going up a size of you like to layer up heavily beneath your ski jacket.
The Freeride comes in three different colourways, two of which are rather muted, one of which (yellow) stands out quiet nicely against the snow, and it looks pretty cool – you’d never guess it costs less than the price of a evening meal in some of the more upmarket ski resorts.
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