Mammut Taiss Pro HS Hooded Jacket and OS Pants

The Taiss Pro HS is a versatile jacket that is rugged enough to take on all kinds of technical mountaineering, ski touring or simply skiing the resort. It is made with Mammut DRY Expedition, a breathable/waterproof hardshell fabric which provides 20/20k waterproof breathability and some impressive abrasion-resistant protection thanks to the nylon face fabric. The material has some stretch to it which helps to maximize your freedom of movement but it’s also not baggy and has more of a sleek cut.

The Taiss Pro OS pants are designed for technical wintertime activities like ski touring, mountaineering and ice climbing. They use Mammut’s SOFtech fabric which is abrasion-resistant, incredibly stretchy and breathable for optimal temperature regulation. The fabric has a brushed double-woven construction making it warm and soft to the touch, allowing it to protect you from the wind while wicking away moisture when you start breaking a sweat.

There are side zippers positioned at hip level to provide extra ventilation when needed, climbing harness-compatible pockets provide easy-access storage, and reinforced leg hems protect against ski edges and crampons.

In the right-hand thigh pocket, you will find a tethered clip which is designed to securely fasten your trasnsceiver should you want to carry it in your pants rather than with a traditional chest harness.

There are also articulated knee panels for improved freedom of movement, while removable suspenders and an adjustable waist provide options for a dialled fit.

• Water-repellent VISLON® AquaGuard® two-way front zipper
• 2 chest pockets with water-repellent zippers
• Sleeve pocket with water-repellent zipper
• Zippered inner pocket
• Internal pocket made from elastic mesh material
• Pre-shaped sleeves
• X-vented underarm ventilation with water-repellent zippers
• Adjustable cuffs (hook-and-loop)
• Zip-off snow skirt with anti-slip grip and double button placket for individual adjustment
• One-hand adjustable drawstring cord with Cohaesive® stoppers for easy adjustment of hem and hood - even when wearing gloves

• Extremely abrasion-proof and highly elastic soft shell double fabric for durability, freedom of movement and breathability
• Waistband adjustment for a perfect fit - can be adjusted from the outside
• 2 side pockets with water-repellent zippers
• Leg pocket made from mesh material with zipper and integrated attachment
• Seat pocket with water-repellent zipper
• Side ventilation with splashproof zipper
• Pre-shaped knee section
• Integrated snow gaiters with attachment hooks and adjustment system
• Edge and crampon protection made from durable Cordura® material
• Adjustable leg hem with zipper, gusset, and hook and loop fastener

My rationale for selecting the Mammut Taiss Pro HS Hooded Jacket and OS Pants as a ski touring kit is simple, more weather protection up top and more breathability and range of motion on the bottom. By choosing a waterproof/breathable jacket like the Taiss Pro HS, Mother Nature can do her very best and I am not going to be worried as I’ve got the maximum amount of weatherproof protection for my upper body. Since the Taiss Pro OS Pants use a soft-shell fabric, they won’t provide as much weather protection as the Taiss Pro HS Jacket but they will allow for more breathability and range of motion for my legs which I value far more. Given that ski touring is 95% up and 5% down I am more concerned with temperature regulation and minimal impediment of my movement. Let’s face it a shell jacket spends the vast majority of its time in your pack. It is typically only worn when you reach the summit or a transition point, rarely if ever would you wear it on the skin track unless it is forbiddingly cold outside.

My ideal jacket is one that is feature-rich, yet packable (for the reasons mentioned above) and the Mammut Taiss Pro HS Hooded Jacket fits the bill as it has every feature you could ever want. It also allows for some customization as you can remove the powder skirt when it's not needed to further help reduce the jacket's bulk. The Taiss Pro HS Jacket has a generous fit with pit zips, interior and exterior pockets galore and a fitted hood to keep out the weather—what more could you want?

The Mammut Taiss Pro OS Pants are equally rich with features like an adjustable waist, suspenders, snow gaiters on the lower legs and quite a few pockets, even one for your transceiver. The softshell fabric is super light, breathable and stretchy so it moves easily with you and I found it provided just enough buffeting from the wind and cold. On warmer spring days they are perfect as a single layer but on colder mid-winter outings I’d definitely put a pair of long johns under them for added insulation.

If you haven’t considered softshell pants you have no idea what you are missing until you give them a try and when combined with a good waterproof/breathable shell like the Taiss Pro HS you’ll have the ultimate ski touring kit.