Columbia Prism Ice Parka Review

by Kevin_Fonger · Published December 30, 2010 , 1:04 pm · Updated April 4, 2023 , 6:32 am

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Jack frost may be able to nip at your nose this winter, but he will not be nipping at your core if you are wearing Columbia’s new Women’s Prism Ice Parka with Omni-Heat Technology!

Omni-Heat is Columbia’s break through technology that uses little reflective silver dots that bounce heat off of your body to keep you warm, dry, and comfortable. The silver dots regulate your temperature while allowing moisture and excess heat to dissipate.

Image Courtesy of GoPro Helmet Cam at Vail Mountain

I have used this jacket mainly for skiing in a variety of Colorado weather conditions and have enjoyed wearing the liner as my winter coat in Denver, CO. Columbia really got the fit right because I have received endless compliments on how well this jacket forms to my figure. Besides looking great, the Prism Ice Parka will keep you toasty warm while downhill skiing, cross country skiing, snowshoeing, and walking around town. I have skied about 10 times wearing the Prism Ice Parka in temps that vary from 5 to 40 degrees while wearing a light base layer underneath. This jacket has consistently kept me warm no matter what temp it is outside. I have actually been known to complain about sweating because I’m so hot! Not to worry though, if you do get too warm, the generous underarm venting is easy to unzip to cool you off.

The biggest pro of the Prism Ice Parka is that you are actually getting 2 jackets in 1! This jacket has a 3 point snap system to snap the liner into the shell. Occasionally the sleeves of the liner will come out of the shell if you do not have them lined up right. A pro of the liner and shell not zipping together is that you have double the pockets since you have full access to both the liner and shell pockets. There are two outer security pockets and an interior security and media pocket on both the liner and the shell. All of the outer shell pockets are water resistant zip closed, which is a plus in powder conditions. Another plus for powder conditions is the snap-back powder skirt that snaps into your ski pants and the comfort cuffs with thumb holes to eliminate getting snow up your sleeves when you biff it skiing! The hood is removable and is designed to fit over most ski helmets. However, when I use my Smith Variant Helmet, I am not able to zip the jacket all the way up without being uncomfortable.

The Prism Ice Parka’s Pros definitely outweigh any of its Cons. This jacket will keep you looking fashionable while keeping you warm in whatever weather you are in. This jacket retails for $270, which is not too bad for 2 jackets. If you are looking for color, Columbia has 3 different color options to choose from. For more information on the Prism Ice Parka and other Columbia products, please visit www.columbia.com or www.amazon.com/columbia.

FEATURES:

Fabric: Shell: 63% nylon/37% polyester woven jacquard, 89% nylon/11% elastane. Lining: 100% polyester taffeta, 100% polyester, 57% recycled polyester/43% polyester mesh, 100% polyester tricot. Liner: 100% polyester. Lining: 100% polyester taffeta, 100% polyester tricot. Cuff: 94% polyester/6% elastane double knit. Insulation: 50% polyester/50% recycled polyester, 80g