Out of doors Analysis Cirque III Evaluation

I got here underprepared for an annual hut journey to Southern Colorado. 5 years in a row, our group had loved alpine begins, clear skies, and the huge sun-baked faces and couloirs of a few of the state’s most spectacular peaks. Spring snowboarding paradise.

However this yr was totally different. It had been dumping snow and the winds whipped previous to the journey. Once we acquired there, it was bitterly chilly, icy, and windy. However the optimist in me had been on packing responsibility. I discovered myself snowboarding in my spring package in deep winter circumstances.

Thankfully, a lot of my gear can pull that sort of double responsibility. One spotlight? The Out of doors Analysis Cirque III Pants, a well-liked pant from the model that was closely up to date for fall 2024.

Briefly: There’s a purpose so many backcountry skiers, climbers, and mountaineers have trusted the Cirque Pants for thus lengthy. For these diehards, I’ve acquired nice information — the brand new Out of doors Analysis Cirque III Pants ($179) are one of the best ones but. I lived in these pants final spring whereas snowboarding and mountaineering deep in Colorado’s mountains. With an improved match, fine-tuned pockets, sturdy material, and movement-oriented minimize, the Cirque III is a flexible softshell pant for fall, winter, spring, and choose summer time adventures, too.

Learn The Greatest Ski Pants Purchaser’s Information to see how they stack up.

• Match
  Slender
• Materials
  50% nylon, 43% polyester, 7% spandex 90d stretch double weave
• Waterproof score (mm)
  None. 3-5 CFM wind resistance
• Breathability (g)
  Not out there
• Insulation
  None
• Sustainable options
  Bluesign accredited

• 
  Versatile match for outside actions
• 
  Nice motion and stretch
• 
  Sturdy supplies
• 
  Stable built-in belt

• 
  Not very water-resistant
• 
  No inner gaiters to seal out snow

Out of doors Analysis Cirque III Evaluation

I had been testing the latest iteration of the Cirque ski pants for a number of weeks, so I wasn’t apprehensive about their potential to deal with hostile, erratic circumstances once I threw them in my bag.

They’re pants constructed for all kinds of human-powered adventures within the backcountry. I wore them continually for a number of months of mountaineering, backcountry snowboarding, and mountaineering through the late winter, spring, and summer time final season. I can see why the Cirque sequence is an OR bestseller.

One of many main modifications between the Cirque II and the Cirque III pants is the match. The Cirque III sports activities a a lot trimmer silhouette within the hips and thighs, which resembles extra of an “alpine minimize” than the earlier iteration.

At 6’1”, 190 kilos, and a 33-inch waist, I went with a regular-length measurement medium and located the match to be spot on. I appreciated the nearer match for ski touring the place baggier touring-oriented pants, just like the Black Diamond Recon LT, can get snagged simply.

Whereas they’re on the sporty facet by way of match, the flexibility of the Cirque III extends far past the vertical endeavors of the mountains. The sturdy material makes them a wonderful all-around open air pant. They’re an amazing companion for cool-weather tenting, backpacking, and normal outside use.

One area the place Out of doors Analysis is operating laps round its competitors? Inclusive sizing. The Cirque is available in Small, Medium, Massive, XL, XXL, and XXXL. And every of these sizes are supplied briefly, common, and tall lengths. Whereas this doesn’t embody plus sizes, it signifies that much more of us can get the identical dialed match that I loved.

Supplies and Sturdiness

Stretch is a vital function for pants designed for thus many outside pursuits. Mountaineering, mountaineering, and ski touring all demand plentiful freedom of motion, and the Cirque has delivered.

These pants are created from an impressively sturdy 50% nylon, 43% polyester, 7% spandex 90D stretch double-weave material. That’s a technical approach of claiming that the material is super-stretchy but additionally burly.

Whereas mountaineering, I used to be in a position to high-step simply, squat right into a kicking place, and maneuver with none restriction. I used to be in a position to take lengthy strides whereas ski touring. They moved with me and by no means in opposition to me.

The tenacity of the material stood out to me as quickly because the Cirque III confirmed up. They felt as burly as my Carhartt Double-Fronts, they usually’ve stood as much as heavy use higher than most softshells in my drawer.

Most impressively, I haven’t penetrated the cuffs with my crampons but, regardless of a number of shut calls. Ice screws hanging from my harness haven’t been in a position to puncture the material on my thigh.

Even whereas bushwhacking by the notoriously difficult approaches in Colorado’s Gore Vary, the bushes, bushes, and rocks haven’t stood an opportunity — these mountaineering pants are powerful. Even once they did catch on branches, they refused to puncture or tear.

Breathability, Heat, No Vents

Regardless of being so rugged, I discovered the Cirque ski pants to supply ample breathability. I run heat in all outside actions. However even whereas mountaineering in late spring with a heavy pack that’s loaded with ski mountaineering gear, this Cirque improve saved me cool sufficient.

I’ll admit I used to be somewhat bit skeptical. Most of my favourite softshell pants have large thigh vents that I’m accustomed to opening throughout extremely cardio exercise. With out them, the Cirque pants are on the hotter facet for warm-weather pursuits.

Being on the hotter facet, I’d think about them strong four-season softshell pants with a caveat. The temperature vary they will accommodate is kind of massive. I felt heat sufficient in blowing storms within the lifeless of winter, even with out base layers beneath.

They have been lots heat for mountaineering in freezing circumstances. But, as I stated earlier than, I stayed cool sufficient mountaineering on heat spring days. They’re too heat for summer time mountaineering in many of the U.S., at the very least for me, however they’re an amazing weight for summer time mountaineering within the alpine or climbing on glacier-capped volcanoes within the Pacific Northwest. For hotter pursuits, Out of doors Analysis makes a breezier Cirque Lite model.

Versatile Cuffs

I’m an enormous fan of softshell pants that default to the slender leg configuration like that of the Cirque III. It makes them much more versatile for non-ski-boot actions like climbing and mountaineering.

With the Cirque pants, if you unzip the vertical cuff zippers, they open up vast to accommodate even the beefiest ski boots like my SCARPA Maestrale RS’s. A gusset beneath the zipper holds all the material collectively in a clear, sturdy package deal.

Because the springtime superior, Colorado’s trails emerged by the snow and the approaches to ski strains acquired longer, requiring miles coated in mountaineering boots. My skis and touring boots have been on my backpack.

The cuffs of the Cirque III have been slender sufficient to work with my strategy footwear — my SCARPA Ribelle Kalibra G — which allowed me to post-hole by the occasional windrift with out worrying an excessive amount of about getting soaked.

I beloved not having to roll the cuffs as much as preserve from tripping like I’ve to do with different ski-specific wide-cuffed softshell pants. Once I acquired to constant snow, I might throw my ski boots on, shortly zip open the pant cuffs, and proceed shifting.

Not like many softshell pants, the Cirque III doesn’t have an inner elastic gaiter to maintain the snow at bay contained in the cuff. However like its different options, that lends itself to extra versatility throughout seasons: An inner gaiter just isn’t one thing that I like mountaineering with in the summertime.

No gaiter has made it simpler to get the cuffs over ski boots and mountaineering boots alike. I did really feel some powder spraying up my calf in deep circumstances, however it was minor and rare. Some powder additionally encroached into my touring boots whereas booting up a couloir in fluffy snow.

Thankfully, the pants have gaiter hooks on every cuff. The cuffs even have eyelets to connect a stirrup wire to go below the boot for added safety from snow, however I didn’t find yourself needing it. The gaiter hook did an excellent job of protecting the snow out once I wore mid-height mountaineering boots like my pair of La Sportiva Trangos.

Built-in Belt

The Achille’s heel of many touring-oriented pants are built-in belts. Once they don’t get tight sufficient, you find yourself spending loads of time and vitality making an attempt to maintain your pants from falling down. It will get even worse if you load up the pockets with a telephone, avalanche beacon, snacks, and so forth.

Thankfully, Out of doors Analysis nailed it with the built-in belt of the Cirque III ski pants. It’s among the finest examples I’ve encountered. For one, the belt’s materials is much like that of a automobile’s seat belt. The buckle is sturdy but easy sufficient to function with ski gloves on.

And most significantly, the belt has loads of vary. I might get it extraordinarily tight to the purpose that my ski pants didn’t budge for the total size of a tour, even with a heavy pack and hip belt pushing down on them.

The Cirque III doesn’t have belt loops just like the earlier variations. Daring, however justified on this case. (I don’t say that flippantly.)

Pockets

The Cirque III pocket structure was every part I wanted and nothing extra. It’s a fundamental recipe: two zippered hand pockets, one zippered again pocket, and one zippered thigh pocket with an inside hammock for a beacon.

A scarcity of the again pocket on the earlier model was a dealbreaker for a lot of on the market. I’m psyched that the model introduced it again. The place else might I probably carry my pockets within the backcountry?

Like my favourite function in loads of Black Diamond Pants, the Cirque III sports activities a easy avalanche beacon pocket, which is my go-to for carrying a beacon versus utilizing a chest strap. It’s nothing fancy — only a sturdy pocket that hides a leash to connect the beacon’s lanyard wire and a stretchy mesh internal pocket to maintain the beacon from flopping round. It’s efficient, low profile, and in contrast to different comparable programs, you’d neglect it’s there when not in use.

Room for Enchancment

I’ve been making an attempt to give you a authentic con with these pants for 8 months, and I’m nonetheless struggling. Are they somewhat bit heat for spring and summer time? Certain. However I’ve a number of chilly associates who would disagree. Will the styling work for everybody? In all probability not. These are each extremely subjective.

If there’s one factor that could possibly be improved for all customers, it’s the water resistance. Throughout moist spring storms, the tops of my thighs tended to get soaked pretty shortly. Some further water resistance in key areas wouldn’t damage.

Conclusion

I can’t think about it’s terribly simple to proceed enhancing a garment so simple as softshell pants. However Out of doors Analysis did its, um, analysis, earlier than bringing the Cirque III to the market.

What the model got here out with is a refined, high-quality, versatile product. I virtually lived within the Cirque III through the tail finish of final winter and all of spring. It’s one of many few softshells in my arsenal that may confidently pivot seamlessly between ski touring boots, mountaineering boots, and sneakers.

A strong improve to a long-standing basic, the Out of doors Analysis Cirque III Pants ship the mobility and safety that ski touring calls for whereas remaining mild, easy, and low profile sufficient to hike, camp, and climb in.