Black Crows Womens Freebird Xpore Ski Jacket

Developed specifically for adventure skiing, this jacket meets the high demands of ski touring.

With its simplistic design and high-performance waterproof and breathable Xpore® fabric, it is the blackcrows product for the most demanding tours. The Freebird Xpore is the perfect balance between lightness, comfort and durability, with sober exteriors contrasting with the yellow Freebird interiors, accompanied by chevron designed waterproofing seal tape. It will satisfy the lovers of beautiful escapes who are looking for an ultra-technical garment with a blackcrows aesthetic.

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Fabric: Recycled and PFCfree 3L Xpore mechanical stretch

Composition: 58% recycled polyester 42% polyester

Features

• Front opening with Aquaguard YKK waterproof zip
• Attached helmet hood with stand-up collar, adjustable on the back in one point
• 2 large closed chest pockets with YKK water-repellent zips + a security pocket under flap, wipe glasses
• Skipass pockets at the bottom of the sleeve closed with a YKK water-repellent zip
• Inside pockets: large mesh lycra pockets
• Zipped front vents with visible YKK water-repellent zips
• Cuffs adjusted by hidden elastic
• Hem with elastic silicone support band

Your outerwear is your first point of defence for keeping the weather out. The quality of your outerwear is often a key point in your enjoyment of a bad weather day on the hill. This guide is aimed at providing you with the tips and info you need to make buying the right gear simple.

Waterproof and Breathability Ratings

The Waterproof and Breathability ratings are a good place to start when it comes to picking out a Ski Jacket or Pants. In general, higher ratings will perform better in adverse conditions, although these ratings aren’t the only important factor.

Waterproofing

Waterproof Ratings are measured in mm’s of height using a water column. They range from 2,000mm (2k) up to 40,000mm (40k), with most options sitting at 10k, 15k, or 20k. Gore-Tex is accepted to be rated at 28k waterproofing and is the gold standard for staying dry.

If you go out when its raining and expect to stay dry, you don’t want to be looking  at anything less than 20k Waterproofing. Lower-ratings work well for the occasional shower or snowing, but will wet out quicker than their higher rated cousins.

Breathability

Breathability is a measure of how well a water vapour disperses from inside the outerwear. It is measured in grams per 24hr period, and ranges from 2,000g (2k) up to above 30,000g (30k). Breathability becomes more important the more active you are when wearing it.

If you regularly chuck your skis on your shoulder and hike for a better run, a higher breathability rating is essential. Anything 10k or less you will find that you sweat more often while skiing and the moisture inside your layers will be more uncomfortable.

Breathability is only as good as the layers you wear. If you are stacking cotton t-shirts and hoodies under your jacket, breathability performance will be severely compromised. Layering is key!

Waterproof & Breathability is only the start. Most brands are likely to add higher quality features in a higher quality garment. Hence you will find better seam sealing, DWR finishes and zippers on pieces with higher waterproof ratings. These smaller details play a huge role in comfort & performance.

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Cleaning / Re-Waterproofing

In order to keep your outerwear in tip-top shape, it needs to be washed. Whether its Gore Tex, or any other form of waterproof Outerwear.

Over time, the pores in your jackets & pants get filled with dirt, oil & other various grime. This inhibits the garments ability to breathe and wears down the DWR coating, ultimately leading to reduced waterproofing performance.

How Often Should you Clean your Outerwear?

It depends. The DWR Coating will be the first noticeable failure and sign that your outerwear needs some love. When water stops beading off the surface and water begins to absorb into the fabric it is definitely time for a wash.

This rarely happens more than once a season, unless you are out in the elements every day. If you are a recreational skier, a great habit is to wash and care for your gear before putting it into storage for summer so that its ready to go for the next season.

If you ski back to back winters and put a lot of days in. We recommend to do a full care in Spring and a touch up once in Autumn when you get back from Overseas.

Ski Jacket Cleaning

Ski Jackets can be machine washed as normal, but with a specialised detergent: Nikwax Tech Wash. This detergent efficiently cleans and re-vitalises your jacket. It also prevents soap suds (from traditional detergents) from coating the pores and preventing breathability of your ski jacket.

Many garments will have a care guide, wash according to that if they have one. If not it is generally safe to use a warm washing machine cycle with a rinse cycle and minimal spinning. Avoid using any fabric softeners, bleach, or stain removers.

Before putting the Ski Jacket in, zip up all the zippers and fasten all velcro & buttons on the garment.

After washing, a medium heat tumble dry will help to re-activated the DWR. You can also line dry and re-activate the DWR coating with an iron on medium heat, no steam with a small towel between iron face and garment to prevent burning. If you follow these steps and your jacket still doesn't repel water in the way it used to, follow the Re-Waterproofing guide down below.

If your Ski Jacket has Down Filled Insulation, tumble drying is the best option. Add a few tennis balls into the dryer in order to maximise fluff of the insulation.

Ski Pants Cleaning

Ski Pants can be cleaned exactly the same way as Jackets. Zip everything up and wash in a gentle cycle with regular detergent. Avoid using any fabric softeners, bleach, or stain removers.

After washing, a medium heat tumble dry will help to re-activate the DWR. You can also line dry and re-activate the DWR coating with an iron on medium heat, no steam with a small towel between iron face and garment to prevent burning.

Re-Waterproofing

If water still isn’t beading off your garment after following the above steps, your DWR coating may be worn through. DWR Coatings are advertised to last for up to 20 launderings, but in reality, we rarely find that is the case. Good news is that re-applying a DWR coating is fairly easy.

There are two kinds of DWR application, Spray-on or Wash-In. Spray on DWR are good for insulated pieces or anything with a lining. Wash In DWR is only good for 3L shell pieces. If you are unsure, Spray is the way to go. After washing your outerwear, before drying it. Get a bottle of Spray on DWR coating and apply liberally. Focus on areas that wet out first, Shoulders and sleeves of your Jacket, and Thighs and Butt of Pants.

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