Materials
The Ralston’s outer shell is made of classic Gore-Tex (not Active Shell or Pro Shell) with a soft but durable face fabric, which isn’t too crinkly but should hack being dragged through shrubs on your searches for lost powder stashes. The Ralston is insulated with just the right amount of Thinsulate synthetic insulation—a lighter layer in the arms—meaning this jacket should keep you warm no matter how wet things get.

Features
The Ralston is cut fairly snug, which is great for all but the most husky. It’s not so snug that you can’t layer up underneath, however, though chances are, given the ample insulation, you won’t need to.

The Ralston’s hood is large enough to cover most any helmet, but if hoods aren’t your thing, you can zip it off. I personally think this adds too much extra weight (and the Ralston isn’t exactly featherweight at 46 oz), but some people will like being able to zip off the hood. The Ralston has a suitable set of pit zips in case things get too steamy, and are mesh-backed so you can ski with them open, but are a little on the small side.

It boasts a powder skirt and wrist gaiters to keep snow out, and the storm flap over the front zipper is wide and solidly secured by five Velcro patches and a couple of snaps, which makes it a very weatheproof piece. One flaw, however, is that the storm flaps covering the front pockets face forward, which makes them catch the wind. The Ralston only has four pockets, which is fine by me. It saves weight.