Mammut Stoney Hardshell Pants Review
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If you are someone who spends a lot of time on ski mountains and loves skiing powder, a good pair of bib pants are a necessity in my opinion. The Mammut Stoney pants are a hardshell design with low rise bibs designed primarily for resort skiing use but have the versatility for a backcountry tour as well. With a good mix of trusted Mammut features, the Stoney pants are a great option for many winter activity hounds. Read on for our full review.
Design and Comfort
The Mammut Stoney hardshell pants stick to a functional design without going for huge style points. The look fits with most of the company’s function-first approach while having a couple of nice color options available. I’m particularly fond of the Dark Teal, although my review sample Ultramarine-Marine is a classic blue. The cut is more on the athletic side and I had to go to the largest size they had to fit my legs comfortably. I’m an athletic 6’, 190 lbs but have large quads, for reference. What really helps with the fit of the Mammut Stoney Hardshell pants is the MAMMUT® DRYTechnology material that offers solid flexibility and comfort for a waterproof fabric. There is a bit of elasticity that helps the pants move freely and they don’t have that crunchy, stiff feeling that a lot of hardshell materials can have (I’m looking at you, GoreTex Pro). I wore the Stoney Hardshell pants for a short ski tour and found them to be adequately breathable but they wouldn’t be my first choice as a touring pant. One of the reasons for this is the lack of full-length, or even large vents. Unless you are wearing highly breathable soft shell pants, I find it is necessary to have very large or full-length vents for long ski tours in the backcountry or even short, fast fitness tours.
The bib on the Stoney Hardshell pants is non-removable and rides just high enough to prevent all but the snowiest environments from entering. In addition to keeping snow out, I love how the bibs prevented any drafts from coming through on windy days. I found the material of the bibs to be comfortable and an adjustable suspended splitter in the back allows you to set them up for your height.
Mammut Stoney Hardshell Pants Features
The Stone Hardshell pants have a good collection of practical features for the resort and casual resort-accessed backcountry skier. The bibs have a dedicated pocket for your beacon, which is good for secure storage. Personally, I’ve always kept mine in an easily accessible zippered pant pocket because I want to be able to grab it quickly to perform a search but it’s nice to have the option. I appreciate Mammut’s use of zippers that are easy to operate with gloves on and a larger, u-shaped pull on the front zipper. The Stoney pants only have two pockets and they are located down the thigh on both legs. I would prefer to have one more pocket closer to the waist for carrying keys and a wallet in a place that doesn’t hit my knees.
Rounding out the features are two small inner leg ventilation zippers, which I mentioned briefly above. On a pant like this, I don’t know why there wouldn’t be more venting available and I think this was a slight ball drop for Mammut. Venting adds versatility to ski pants and allows them to be worn during more of the year and varying levels of activity. At the bottom of the Mammut Stoney hardshell pants are basic gaiters that fit over ski boots. There is also a snap button adjustment for leg width that helps keep the pants from getting snagged in crampons. It’s not my favorite way of accomplishing this but it does do the job.
Mammut Stoney Hardshell Pants Review: Conclusion
Like all Mammut products, the Stoney Hardshell Pants are well-designed, high-quality apparel that will likely last a long time and get the job done for most people. The slightly elastic fabric is more comfortable then most hard shells and the bibs will keep you warm and dry in high snows. For the price, the Stoney Hardshell pants are a good value for such a nice pair of ski pants from a top manufacturer. For more information on the Stoney Hardshell Pants and other Mammut products, visit www.backcountry.com/mammut.
