Featured Image: Courtesy of Mons Royale
Welcome to a special Buyer’s Guide feature from FREESKIER. Here’s a close-up look at the best ski baselayers of the year. Click here to explore the entire 2021 FREESKIER Buyer’s Guide.
Blackstrap Summit Baselayer
Made with four-way stretch synthetic threads, the Summit Top feels almost cool to the touch and features dual-layer critical insulation in the chest to ensure proper mid-winter warmth. The Summit top features a fully contoured hood, and its longer, drop-hem and thumb holes provide a completely weather-proof finish. Better yet, Blackstrap manufactures it right here in the USA.
Smartwool Merino 250 Crew
Layering up with Merino against the skin is just about the best way to stay comfortable throughout the ski day. The Merino 250 is Smartwool’s warmest baselayer weight, one that retains a slim fit suitable for layering and boasts the bounty of bonuses you expect from 100-percent Merino construction. Available in a slew of patterns and blocked solids, this next-to-skin layer is as trendy as it is wicking.
Mons Royale Cascade LS
Available in a long sleeve quarter-zip and crew neck (pictured here), the Cascade 200 is crafted to keep its form-fitting shape while moving with you. Stitched with a middleweight Merino Flex fabric—a stretchy blend of threads consisting of 81-percent Merino wool—the fit is more comfortable than ever, and you’re guaranteed the huge stack of benefits that comes with choosing natural fibers.
Lé Bent Core 200 Crew
If you’ve tried Le Bent layers, you already know about the buttery hand feel and durability of its signature fabric, a blend of Merino and Rayon-from-bamboo. The Core 200 boasts wicking, temperature regulation and anti-microbial properties but is emboldened with four-way stretch and itch-warding flatlock stitching. We triangulated the coordinates on the torso, but we’ll leave it up to you to make your way there.
Wild Rye Evie Raglan
Launched just five years ago, Sun Valley-based Wild Rye works exclusively with female designers to create practical and chic women’s apparel for the outdoors. The flagship Evie Raglan—featuring the unquestionably cool Shroom Bloom print—is a 100-percent Merino piece with a looser, longer fit, imbued with a high neckline and long sleeves for versatile comfort. Wear it all day, everyday, all winter long.
Mons Royale Cascade LS
Mons Royale prides itself on its ethically-sourced wool: Working directly with New Zealand’s finest farmers, its apparel is infused with top-grade Merino, renowned for its moisture, stank and temperature control. But style is certainly as important as sheep, so the Cascade LS comes in four matching sets featuring tensile Merino Flex fabric that extends the wearability of this winter-weight next-to-skin layer.
Kari Traa Tora H/Z
The beautiful, Norwegian-inspired patterns, body-hugging fit and no-frills performance of Kari Traa layers have helped the brand skyrocket to international acclaim. The Tora half-zip (pictured here) is threaded with stretchy DriRelease wool and offers best-in-class features that rival anything on the market. Really, though, this layer is all about looks and is sure to grab the attention of every girly-girl out there.
Smartwool Merino 250 Crew Plant-based Dye
Plant-based dyes are the newest swing in eco-friendly apparel, shown here on Smartwool’s Merino 250. Using naturally occurring pigments, the process requires less water and results in a one-of-a-kind pattern on every piece—it’s like tie-dye, but better. This layer features interlocking threads, Raglan sleeves and a form-fitting figure designed to last.
