Tracking innovations in the ski industry one trusted gear review at a time. From skis to underwear, if it makes your skiing better or worse, we want to know. Exposing the over-hyped gear and directing the love to where it belongs is the intention of these real people gear reviews. Got a product you’re curious about? Drop us a note and we’ll get one of our trusted gear reviewers on the cause!
THE GEAR REVIEWER
Jaret is a quiet 26-year-old that’s a dirt nerd (Geotech) based in Squamish BC. Every weekend and weekdays with bragable snow, you can find him making quick work of Whistler Blackcomb. Despite growing up skiing a hill with a vertical gain equivalent to the Magic Chair, his annual family trips have Jaret acquainted with Blackcomb better than most long time locals. His focus is primarily on skiing technical freeride lines with speed, fluidity, and style. The guy you saw pole out of Spanky’s, with remnants of a face shot on his upper lip and a shit-eating grin on his face, at 2 pm on a Saturday, four days after the last storm? That was probably Jaret.
NAME: Jaret Bull
YEARS SKIING: 25
SIZE: L
HEIGHT: 179 cm
WEIGHT: 76 kg
GEAR REVIEW ARC’TERYX RUSH JACKET: IN SHORT
This is a tough jacket with a great fit and really simple design. The materials will protect you from the elements while remaining light for longer days or multi day trips. This is a great jacket for someone that is pretty demanding of their gear and expects performance that lasts.
The best thing about the Arc’teryx Rush jacket?
Gore-Tex Pro. I currently own an Arc’teryx jacket from back when all of their Gore-Tex gear was made in Canada. It is my beater jacket but it is still holding up decently well for its age and the amount of use it has been put through. Tough shell jackets are the best so I am stoked to have my hands on this one.
Best used for?
Skiing hard. Whether you’re in the resort, sled skiing, or touring, shell jackets are pretty bomber – especially if they’re this tough.
Downfalls?
None really, if I’m going to get personal with you… I’m usually a glove over the jacket guy, but with this jacket the cuffs are better suited to put your gloves underneath. This isn’t the worst adjustment, but everyone has their systems. The only thing the jacket is missing is a chest radio pocket. This can be really convenient for backcountry days.
Don’t use in these circumstances:
If it’s really cold and you don’t own good layers. For the past 10 to 15 years I have only owned shell jackets or very lightly insulated shells. I have gotten accustomed to layering very well, and am fortunate enough to own enough good layers to always be warm. If you’re shy on layers choosing a lightly insulated option might be a better call.
Favorite feature?
Definitely the oyster pocket. I’m actually not really too sure what this interior chest pocket is called but it fits a tin of smoked oysters perfectly. It is always good to carry a tin or two, and this jacket has a nice little interior pocket that lets you do that.
The left shoulder pocket for your RFID pass is also a bonus. You don’t even have to worry about being the skier in the lift line whose pass won’t scan, causing congestion.
Would you recommend this jacket?
If you’re looking for a longer cut technical shell that is simple, but more than tough enough to get the job done, this is a good place to look.
FULL GEAR GURU THOUGHTS
All jokes aside I am really stoked about this jacket. The design is super simple but well thought out. It fits true to size and is very comfortable, with room for layers on colder days. The materials and fabrication appear as they should for an Arc’teryx product – top notch. The powder skirt has two positions and a slide connect system which links the jacket with the Arc’teryx pants line up. The two internal chest pouches are made of mesh and one includes a separate zipper pocket for your oysters or whatever other small valuable items you carry in your jacket. The exterior chest pockets are plenty big enough for skins that fit my 190 cm by 120 mm waist skis, so I would assume that that pocket-size will work for anyone who likes to pocket their skins. As stated above, the only pocket that I really feel is missing is a chest radio pocket, which can be nice to have in certain situations – radio in the pack with a mic will solve this problem for me though. The hood is large enough to go over a helmet, with enough adjustment to keep it out of your eyes when the helmet is off. The cuffs will definitely be a dream for glove under jacket users but will take some time to get used to if you like to wear your gloves over top. Overall the jacket’s quality and simplicity are really nice and the Gore-Tex pro is really the best material you could ask for in my opinion. The price may be on the higher end, but these jackets last a long time and cut the wind and rain better than anything else I have tried. I think this could be a go-to jacket for a lot of people looking for a one jacket quiver.
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