Hemispheres Team Waterproof Ski Bibs

Just took these out of the package and wanted to give initial impressions that weren't clear when I looked online. There are 2 thigh pockets, and the right hand one has a clip for an avy beacon. These are in the right spot, below a normal "hand pocket" so they don't get in the way of hip motion. There are 3 pockets on the upper part across the chest. The left side zips and also has a clip for an avy beacon. The middle pocket zips and does NOT have a clip, even though the photos imply that it does. The right side pocket is just open and almost exactly the size of my normal, modern, but not giant cell phone. There is a zippered fly, the right side zip comes all the way up, and the suspenders can unclip in the front, so bathroom options are plentiful. Classic attention to detail I expect from OR, and was not disappointed. The cut is generous, but a medium is correct as it is in all other OR pants for me at 6' 175 lbs. The bottoms are large, definitely big enough for ski or snowboard boots, a little too big in my opinion but totally fine. Thighs are big enough, which is sometimes an issue for me but not with these. The upper section is massive on me. You'll notice the model is wearing a puffy coat, which is why I didn't notice. A belt pulls this in fine and makes things fit much nicer. The length seems spot on to me at about 32". They hit me right at the feet barefoot, are generally the right length, and feel slightly too short if I lift my leg high. Again, exactly how I'd expect medium pants to fit. Quality and construction seems top notch as I would also expect from OR, though have been occasionally disappointed with recently. No issues here. Sounds like waterproofing is an open question, but that's industry-wide, and you can't get much better than 3L GoreTex so if it's bad we're just screwed. Very happy so far, can't wait to get them out.

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] My drought-y La Nina winter meant that these bibs saw nary a snowflake until March, but then they took on 6 feet of snowfall in Whistler without complaint (or wet-out). Although they're built for backcountry use, I also used them heavily for ski race coaching, and I'm impressed by how well they held up to both scraping on fallen trees while touring and scraping freshly-sharpened edges while hauling racers. The massive side vents were big enough to remove mid-layers without taking off the bibs, in addition to serving as great vents. I also really liked the placement, size, and feature-richness of the pockets. The right thigh pocket has an elasticized mesh insert phone sleeve that kept my phone from knocking around during uphill & downhill travel, and there are key-keeper clips on both left and right pockets. Despite the durable construction and ample features, the bibs are somehow still pretty lightweight, flexible, and very breathable! I'm 6'3", 190 lbs, and I fit well in the medium, although I might've chosen the large if I wanted more room to layer. The bibs did take on an oil/grease stain midway through the winter that I was unable to completely remove despite repeated washes, but the DWR held up pretty well to going through the wash three consecutive times without re-treatment. OR gave me these free to try as an early preview, and I'm looking forward to subjecting these to (hopefully) much more snow next winter.

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] I have avoided Bibs for ski pants in the past, but Outdoor Research's Hemisphere 3 Bibs may have converted me over. The shell is a high quality & durable fabric- even while running alpine gates or darting through backcountry trees, I don't have any scrapes on these. The combo between breathability, waterproofness, and windproofness was good as well. The chest pockets are great for keys, wallet, phone, etc,, and I really like the integrated mesh pockets inside the hip pockets- great for storing my avy beacon. There are also clips inside to keep beacons/keys secured. Why I didn't rate it a 10- Waterproofing- we'll all need to get used to the new Gor-tex PFAS Free products, and this is my first experience with it. The waterproofing wasn't as strong as previous shells, and requires more consistent applications through the season, but it's safer for the environment. Although I got wet on some seriously snow/rain days, I was usually dry, even if beaded water didn't fully wick off. - Bib Suspenders sometimes lose their position and need to be readjusted Overall, although I'll need to get used to the waterproofing, This is a great Bib from Outdoor Research that is a mainstay in my ski gear Note- I received this product to try for free from Outdoor Research.