September is an odd month to be buying ski kit, but it's quietly the best one. Retailers like REI and evo are clearing last season's outerwear to make room for new stock, and Outside Online's gear team has rounded up 13 ski jackets their testers genuinely rated — now discounted by up to 60 percent.
The deals span the full range of skiing styles. For backcountry skiers, the Strafe Nomad — last season's top pick for skintrack regulars thanks to its lightweight Pertex Shield membrane — is half off, though sizes are thinning out. The Salomon Scrambler, now discontinued, carries full Gore-Tex weatherproofing and a C-Knit backer that's comfortable over a t-shirt in spring, and it's marked down by more than $200. Outdoor Research's Cloudchaser, built from stretchy three-layer fabric with an RFID pass pocket for resort-and-tour hybrid days, is also 50 percent off.
Storm-day skiers get a look in too. The Trew Cosmic Primo, a burly 200gsm three-layer jacket built for wet Pacific Northwest and Sierra powder, is on sale with a full size run — a rarity at this stage of a clearance cycle. Patagonia discounts are famously scarce, so half off the Gore-Tex ePE PowSlayer, a resort-and-backcountry double-duty shell with oversized chest pockets, counts as a genuine event.
Budget hunters have strong options. Columbia's Platinum Peak II, a 20K/20K shell that was already the budget pick at full price, now sits under $200. Even better value: REI's Powderbound, a synthetic-insulated two-layer jacket at up to 60 percent off, meaning a functional ski jacket for under $100. Resort skiers wanting Gore-Tex without the Gore price can grab REI's First Chair GTX at half off — warm and heavy, so better suited to lift-served days than touring.
On the women's side, testers' favourite overall jacket last season was the Mountain Hardwear Mythogen, a Gore-Tex Pro ePE shell with best-in-class pocket design, now 37 percent off. Also worth a browse: Helly Hansen's patrol-trusted Ridge Infinity Shell (up to 50% off at evo, stock low), the Scott Vertic Ripstop 3L at half price, Oyuki's recycled-fishing-net three-layer shells in a range of last-season colourways, and the storm-ready Arc'teryx Beta AR with its face-shot-defying high collar.
Why care? Because a good shell is the single most expensive piece of most ski wardrobes, and this window — late summer into early autumn — is when last year's top-scoring gear hits its lowest prices. The catch is availability: popular sizes and colours vanish fast, so if a jacket fits your skiing style and your size is in stock, it pays to move quickly.
Full details and current pricing are in the original roundup from Outside Online.