> And me!

Sorry, NPC; I'd composed my post before yours, but actually posted it after...

> Main reason to go for a full-on waterproof for downhill skiing are you've already got one and it will do

Agreed; or you want to buy a jacket for general purpose use, and want that jacket to be waterproof.

> The reason that "soft shells" are big these days

I still find that waterproofs dominate skiwear seen on piste.  I find that I'm noticeably lightly dressed by comparison with others.

I'll forgive you, CP

TBH, when I'm skiing, so long as my ears, neck and hands are cosy, the rest is largely academic so long as my main gear is windproof and I have some form of insulation. I usually only wear that big ski jacket when it's really cold; a Paramo Velez does me fine most years.

Update:

Last week in Les Arcs I mostly wore a Patagonia Mixmaster (R2 PowerShield) or a VR Trail smock.  But on two days when it snowed continuously, I wore a lightweight waterproof over an R2 jacket.  The weather wasn't entirely sure whether it was snow or sleet at times (or warm or cold).  The waterproof was completely windproof, too, apart from when I opened the pit zips to cool down.

I could have just added a lightweight, DWR'd windproof, but I wanted to try out my new ACG waterproof (£10 from TKM's clearance sale).  It worked quite well, and doesn't seem to have any of ACG's usual design 'quirks'.

I wore a Velez whike skiing in Switzerland this February and it was excellent. Most of the time I wore only my base layer under it with a mid layer on a really cold day.

We had those rfid passes that are swiped over a sensor for lift access. With the pass safely in the chest pocket, all I had to do was pass my chest near the sensor and get hands free access.

The Velez is recommended.