Find Ladies Petite Snow Pants for Skiing and Snowboarding
Gear That Fits Properly Makes Skiing More Fun
Ski Pants: Fit Matters, And Even Petite Women Can Buy Ski Pants For Short Legs
For short women, it is so hard to find ski pants that fit short legs. Petite snow pants do exist and snowboard pants for short women can be found easily if you know where to look.
Most brands of snow pants that I have looked at, from Patagonia to Marmot to North Face (the list goes on) must have fit models who are 5-foot-six or more. For someone who is five-foot-two, four extra inches of ski pants are a bummer. Extra long snow pants get filthy or wet in ski resort parking lots; they fray at the hem; all the technical features like articulated knees that supposedly make it easier to move and bend hit you in the wrong places, so they are worthless. And no matter that they fit poorly and aren't what you want, too-long ski pants are still really expensive!
Once you are in your ski boots, too-long ski pants don't drag on the ground anymore. Instead they bunch up unflatteringly and the high tech features like articulated knees, which help the pants bend when you do, are pointless because the "knees" hit you mid-shin. This is particularly a problem for pants made of a hard shell material since a hard shell is a less flexible fabric than a soft shell.
I am an adult woman. I have hips, so I can't wear kids' sizes — though I have been known to wear kids' sizes for tops (they fit AND they are cheaper than most adult clothes!). Luckily, some high performance ski clothing brands make ski clothes in special sizes like petite snow pants, tall snow pants or plus-sized snow pants. You generally will find a larger assortment of sizes online since many stores do not carry a wide range of sizes and fits, though of course petite-fit ski pants are available in stores, too, so long as you know which brands to seek out.
How to Buy Ski Pants And Snowboard Pants That Fit Short Women
Happily, certain brands make ski pants in short lengths. (Many of these ski clothing brands also make women's ski pants in long lengths for taller women.)
Arc'teryx, which makes high performance alpine gear, makes some of its ladies ski pant styles in short lengths.
Nils makes ski pants in short lengths, and most of these are pretty form fitting, so they can be more flattering if you like a tailored, lean look.
Marmot makes a few shorter-length styles, and so does Obermeyer. Gap's Athleta brand and L.L. Bean also carry short length snow pants.
Unfortunately, the picking are still thin.
Can A Tailor Shorten Ski Pants? Things to Know Before You Take Snow Pants to Be Hemmed
Short people are used to taking everything from premium denim jeans to work pants to the tailor to be shortened. It is tempting to do the same with your ski pants or snowboarding pants.
Before you do take your pants to the tailor, ask him or her a few questions:
- Will these pants and all the seams still be waterproof after you cut and sew them?
- Can you make the knee hit me in the right place?
- Can you keep the gaiter intact, since I will need that to keep snow out of my boot?
If your tailor understands the special requirements of altering ski pants, and you trust him or her, then by all means, find the pants you love and have them altered by your local tailor.
