BEST IN TEST
A classicly styled down jacket that can handle the most bone-chilling of Alpine weather thanks to its warming 600 fill down insulation. This coat is also waterproof, highly breathable and has neat double entry handwarmer pockets. Like all The North Face gear, the build quality is so good that if you buy this jacket, there's a good chance you won't need another one for several seasons.

40g of Thermacore insulation will keep you nice and warm, while DRYRIDE Durashell fabric and fully tapered seams ensure the jacket stays dry all day. Burton's Sig Fit design means the Esquire is a bit longer than normal so reduces the chances of you ending up with snow-encrusted core when you take a tumble in a powder field.

The Eider Wega jacket looks like the kind of garment you'd expect to see in the upcoming Tron sequel, and it's got sci-fi tech to match its looks. The Wega's combination of Defender Stretch Expert and Defender Bi-Stretch Pro 2-layer fabrics provide outstanding water resistance and breathability without compromising your freedom of movement.

The slightly retro-looking Schoffel Voltage jacket is a modern, technical jacket that uses Venturi Stretch fabric and 60g of Primaloft insulation to offer all-mountain protection and performace. It also has a Recco avalanche rescue reflector.