The Haldigrat collection from Mammut is a sturdy jacket and pant combo that’s built for backcountry adventures. Downdays’ Christian Stadler has been rocking the outfit all winter. He reports that while the Haldigrat kit excels at its focus on ski touring and mountaineering exploits, it’s equally usable as an everyday freeride setup.

The Function

No need to beat around the bush here. With 20K/20K waterproofing and breathability ratings and 3-layer construction using Mammut’s DRYtechnology polyamide shell material, the Haldigrat is built to brush off whatever Mother Nature can throw in your direction. Short of an Antarctic expedition or climbing Mount Everest, the technical specs on the Haldigrat gear mean this kit will keep you protected from the elements in some of the most adverse conditions imaginable. “It’s flexible and lightweight, but you can still feel the solidness and reliability of the hardshell,” reports Christian.

As a 3-layer kit, the main function of this outerwear is keeping you dry and allowing internal moisture to breathe out. In cold weather, you’ll want to pair the Haldigrat with practical layering, like thermal underwear and a fleece pullover, to stay toasty. Christian keeps a down layer in his backpack on touring adventures that he puts on underneath the Haldigrat jacket during breaks.

The design of the jacket and pants are tailored towards adventurous usage. This means, for example, that the placement of the two large chest pockets of the jacket is intended to allow easy access, even while wearing both a backpack and a climbing harness. Other performance-oriented details include an adjustable storm hood, wrist gaiters and Velcro wrist closures, a removable powder skirt and generous ventilation zippers underarm and on the outside seam of the pants. No doubt about it: The Haldigrat means business.

The Fit

Fit is one aspect where we sometimes witness a clash of cultures: the more traditional style of tight-fitting, performance-focused gear colliding with the looser, baggier styles that are preferred by many freeriders. As a company that’s mainly focused on technical performance, Mammut’s outerwear often weighs in on the “traditional” side of the fitting scale. However, in recent years their freeride collections in particular have taken note of user preferences for a roomier fit. Christian is a fan of the fit on the Haldigrat combo. “It’s freeride oriented, and not too short in terms of technical gear,” he says. “It’s what you’d expect from Mammut.” At 185cm height and 85 kilos, he wears a jacket and pants in size XL.

What we like

Christian is a big fan of the removable neoprene bib on the Haldigrat pants. With integrated suspenders and a dedicated pocket for your avalanche beacon, the bib offers full function, but can also be removed when it’s not needed. Christian likes to use it on the way up while touring, then zip it off at the point when things start to get sweaty. He also enjoys some of the other functional design details on the pants, like an insulated sleeve for a smartphone in the thigh pocket, and a clip at the cuff the pants to clip them securely onto your boots when things get serious.

What we don’t

Christian enjoys using the suspenders on the bib, but notes that the clips on the straps aren’t 100% closed. “Sometimes the straps can slip out of the clips when you’re hiking, which is a bit annoying,” he says. Otherwise, the two main pockets on the jacket are practical and useful when you’re wearing a backpack or harness, but the jacket otherwise doesn’t offer the same number and variety of pockets that many other outerwear options do. If you’re just wearing this kit for a day of casual resort shredding, you might find yourself missing the standard and convenient hands-in-pockets placements above the waistline of the jacket.

In conclusion, the Haldigrat jacket and pants are attuned to the needs of your backcountry adventures, while still fully functional as an everyday freeride kit. If your regular routine in the mountains involves a backpack and a harness, this kit is built for you. Learn more about the Haldigrat kit at mammut.com.