I’m standing at 3883m above sea level with snow and ice swirling around me, whipped up off the piste leading away from Zermatt’s Klein Matterhorn lift station.
The wind chill has dipped the already frigid temperature to below -30°C but thanks to the Tenson Yanis Camo ski jacket and Zeus pants I’m wearing I’m feeling pretty snug and stylish.
Swedish outdoor clothing company Tenson bills the outfit as “our most affordable” and at around €250 for the jacket and €170 for the pants, any budget-conscious skier is getting a decent technical ensemble for their hard-earned dosh.
Tenson uses its own three-layer MPC Extreme fabric, which gives the Yanis and Zeus a waterproof rating of 10,000mm and a breathability rating of 10,000g, more than enough for a day out on the pistes.
One thing I appreciate immediately in the MPC Extreme is how easily it stretches and my movements never feel constricted during a hard day’s skiing.
That’s even with my pockets stuffed full of all the things I tend to squirrel away when I’m skiing: hat, buff, lip balm, sun cream and sun glasses (not needed today!), phone, spare goggle lense, snacks and anything else I’ve grabbed off the table on my way out the door.
I love pockets in a ski jacket and the Yanis has seven in all if you count the ski pass pocket on the left sleeve, including two outer chest pockets with lovely chunky zips that are easy to manipulate with ski gloves and look like they will stand up to plenty of wear and tear.
The rest of the jacket is equally well designed, sporting a removable stretch snow skirt, elastic hem adjuster, articulated sleeves, adjustable cuffs and hood (which is also detachable), plus a RECCO® rescue system reflector.
The pants have less whistles and bells but there are still four pockets, two to the rear and two regulation front pockets that again have those pleasing chunky zips.
Both the jacket and pants are padded and built for warmth, hence why I’m comfortable with just a base layer and a standard mid layer despite standing in conditions that make any exposed piece of flesh feel like its being exfoliated with sandpaper.
Our group’s mountain guides for the day drop us off the side of the piste, out of the worst of the wind and down onto the Lower Theodul Glacier.
It’s great skiing, with fresh tracks available to all as we cross powder fields and drop past huge blocks of glacial moraine.
It doesn’t take long before I’m having to open all the vents on my ski gear, two underarm ones on the jacket and two on the outer thigh of the pants. I know from experience I run much hotter than many other skiers and when we have a 10-minute pole across a flat section I have to dump my mid layer into the backpack.
As well as judging your own needs between warmth and breathability, if you’re considering buying Tenson gear then take note that the sizing is geared towards huge Scandinavians. I’m 6ft 2in and upwards of 90kg – depending on how good a Christmas I had before the ski season – and usually go for XL in UK clothing, but the L size fitted me perfectly.
Items reviewed by Bruce Pope. Bruce is a freelance ski journalist, professional sports journalist and ski instructor with Matterhorn Diamonds, Zermatt.