Marmot employs the latest tech from Polartec to create a full-featured backcountry ski jacket. With it, the brand hopes to raise the level of comfort and mobility to match the Castle Peak’s warmth and waterproofing.
Backcountry skiing forces opposing demands on apparel: air permeability for the uphills and wind resistance and insulating capacity for the downhills. Marmot combined Polartec’s stretchy NeoShell and Alpha insulation in its new Castle Peak (men’s) and Cirel (women’s) jackets.
The Castle Peak launched last month on Marmot’s website in a single color and will hit retailers in December in four different colors. Additionally, the women’s Cirel will also go live at retailers in December. We’ve been testing the $550 (MSRP) jacket for the past month, sans snow, for a first look review.
Marmot Castle Peak Jacket Review
Let’s be clear, this is a $550 jacket. Depending on where you live, that could be the better part of a month’s rent. But the Castle Peak Jacket bristles with technical features. Take a look:
Marmot Castle Peak Jacket
- Polartec NeoShell, waterproof-breathable stretch, two-layer, seam taped
- Polartec Alpha insulation, no liner fabric (nylon inner lining on sleeves and hood)
- Recco avalanche reflector
- Pit zips
- YKK water-resistant zippers
- ‘Angel-Wing Movement’ — prevents jacket from riding up with arms overhead
- Sleeve lift pass pocket
- Zipped internal pocket / internal mesh dump pocket
- Powder skirt
- Elastic drawcord hem with dual toggles
- Moisture-wicking DriClime chin guard
- Helmet-compatible hood with dual cord adjustments
- Exterior zipped pockets: two hand warmers, one torso, one chest
- Velcro wrist adjustment tabs
Castle Peak Jacket Fit
The Marmot Castle Peak Jacket fit is generously cut for lofty layers. I’m 6 feet tall and weigh 167 pounds, and the cut on a size medium allowed a midweight down parka to fit underneath without compressing the loft — even in the sleeves. Despite the parka’s bulk, the cut and the elasticity of the NeoShell allowed uncompromised movement.
Meanwhile, the 30-inch center back length offered mid-hip coverage, which wasn’t enough when sitting in the snow. The sleeves were long enough to cover my wrists (I have a 34.5-inch sleeve length) in skiing-specific arm positions. But even with Marmot’s Angel Wing design, which prevents the jacket from bunching up when the arms are lifted, the sleeves still rode up enough to expose about 3 inches of forearm when I put my hands overhead.
Still, both the lower hem and snow skirt adjusted tightly to prevent cold updrafts.