The Right Trousers...

It's a truth universally acknowledged that any climber or walker is faced with the terrible problem of which trousers to wear in winter. For years it was a dilemma that baffled some of the world's greatest minds and before long, was regarded as the last great problem of mountaineering.

Fortunately things are looking up - better fabrics and more thoughtful designs have upped the ante and at last things are improving for legs. Our man Richard Gear tells you what to look for and outlines the pros and cons of different fabrics.

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Pants or Salopettes?

Climbers are generally better off either with full salopettes - 'bibs' if you're an American or looking at a US brand - or high-waisted trousers with braces. Normal trousers have a tendency to work their way downwards while you're climbing leaving a cold spot at the base of the spine and the extra fabric in salopettes also ups the insulation value.

More conventional pants are fine for walkers, who'll find it easier to hitch things up than harnessed climbers, but equally braces and be worth their weight in gold, particularly if the fit on the waist is a tad loose.

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Other Features...

For winter mountaineering use my checklist would include a set of zip flies for men for ease of access, an articulated or stretch knee, particularly if you're going to be mountaineering and may need to make high steps and, for use with crampons, a reinforced patch on the inside of the ankle made from something tough like Cordura.

I also like an adjustable ankle cuff, so you can snug the bottom of the trouser leg down around the top of the boot, less important if you're going to wear gaiters, but a really useful feature if you don't. Internal ankle gaiters and arguably better for skiing that walking or climbing, but some mountaineers like them and it gives you the option of doing without separate snow gaiters.

For sitting down during rests or for belays on snowy stances, a reinforced seat is a nice touch too.

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Layering or Single Layer?

The traditional layering system works well in some situations, but it adds bulk and, if you run hot and are moving fast - even in cool conditions - you can often overwhelm the breathability of a waterproof shell pant leading to unpleasant hot dampness.

On top of that two layers always seem to restrict movement more than one, so in an ideal world I'd prefer towear a single layer pant or salopette that's protective enough to manage without shell pants for 90 per-cent of the time and carry ultra-lightweight shell trousers for when things get seriously wet.

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The Fabric Choices

These are the most common winter legwear fabrics. None of them is totally perfect, but some are getting close. I've tried to outline the pluses and minuses of each one to help you make your own decision.

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Fleece

Warm, snug and comfortable. Can be too warm, lacks stretch so mobility not always good, low wind and water resistance.

Conventional fleece has always been a classic winter standby and on the face of it seems like a good option. Unfortunately it's not very wind resistant, has no water resistance to speak of and unless its carefully cut, the lack of stretch can hinder free movement.

It's also quite warm, which is fine when you're stationary, but less welcome if you're working hard and particularly if the lack of water and wind resistance means you've resorted to shell trousers to protect yourself. Fantastic for sitting around in the pub or bunkhouse at the end of the day, but less practical on the hill itself.

If you like fleece, we'd look at Ultafleece or K2 Karisma, which is a densely woven fleece used notably by Mountain Equipment. The dense weave means it's significantly more wind resistant than normal fleece and because it's thinner, it's not as warm, making it better for active use. Look for stretch panels at the knee to ease mobility.

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Powerstretch

Close fitting, stretchy, great mobiliy, snug, warm with reasonably wind resistance Not great in rain, though it holds less water than normal fleece. Not cheap.

Powerstretch is reasonably warm, similar to microfleece, but not so hot that it precludes active use. A big plus though is that it incorporates elastane, which means it's close-fitting but also great for mobility. The elastance content marginally reduces breathability and wicking, but not so you'd actually notice, and it seems to help with water resistance.

Wind resistance is reasonable because of the densely-knitted outer and it's not as poor in rain as conventional fleeces. Great for cold weather, fast-moving activities and the brushed inner makes it snug and comfortable. We'd take Powerstretch over normal fleece every time. One thing to bear in mind though is that while the close fit is great for insulation, it's not particularly flattering, so you may want to check the mirror before heading into the pub...

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Schoeller-Type Fabrics

Reasonable wind and water resistance, great breathability and built-in stretch DWR needs periodic restoration and it's not particularly warm. Genuine Schoeller is pricy as well.

Swiss Schoeller fabrics have been around for ages, but the recent move towards 'soft shell' has given them a bit of a leg up in the UK market and emphasised their positive qualities. The fabric is a tightly knit/polyester nylon fabric that incorporates Lycra for stretch and is available with added bits for enhanced performance, like added Cordura for toughness or added wicking components for better moisture transfer.

It's stretchy and great for mobility, but its big strength is a combination of good breathability with medium wind and water resistance in a form that's not overly warm and makes it great for active winter use. You'll need shell pants when things get really wet, but the rest of the time, it's ideal - you do sacrifice some windproofing for breathability, but it's a good trade off and Schoeller is my winter legwear fabric of choice, particularly for fast, alpine-type use when you don't want to overheat. Teamed with a baselayer tight, it's also effective in cooler conditions.

Schoeller itself is expensive - think 120 quid for a basic pant - but there's more and more Schoeller-like fabric around with companies like Berghaus and HH producing garments with similar qualities at more affordable prices.

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Windproof Soft Shell Fabrics

Windproof or near windproof, very high water resistance. Expensive and less breathable than more conventional fabrics,

Two of the giant of outdoor clothing are duking it out in the soft shell ring. Gore's Windstopper is a 100 per-cent windproof membrane that can be given different qualities by using different face and lining fabrics. It also has the advantage that, apart from the seams, the membrane is effectively waterproof, which makes it a good fit and forget fabric.

The downside to Windstopper is that its levels of breathability, while okay in the cold, dry conditions of the Alps, find it harder to cope with warmer, damper Britain and hot British walkers and climbers. Polartec's Powershield fabric takes a slightly different approach. Rather than being 100 per-cent windproof, it's 98 per-cent windproof with the extra air movement claimed to up breathability considerably, but still providing protection against wind and rain.

We've been very impressed with Powershield and would recommend it to anyone who is more concerned with dissipating heat than conserving it and we'd say that the enhanced breathability makes it a better option for the UK than Windstopper. It's still not as breathable as Schoeller, but then it's far more protective in really harsh conditions. We like it a lot.

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Trackie Bottoms

Cheap, fast-drying, readily available, not over warm, good mobility... Very imited wind and water resistance, not very warm, tend to fall down

Tracksters and similar trews are all very well and often offer good mobility, but thermal values and wind and water resistance are very limited, even when it comes to the thicker Trackster Trek-type models. We're not saying they're useless and the price is often very attractive, but Schoeller and Powerstretch-type fabrics are light years ahead and, if you can afford them, we'd give them a try. We don't think you'll look back.

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The End

For general UK winter use we like the Schoeller and Schoeller-type fabrics and, if you want a more protective garment that you can wear without a shell pant 95 per-cent of the time, then we'd give Polartec's Powershield the nod over Windstopper. The good news though, is that at last, the answer is out there...

Yours below the waist

Richard G