Best Pants for Cross Country Skiing

Cross country ski pants are not your ordinary snow pants, nor are they anywhere similar to downhill ski pants. Cross country ski pants need to be breathable, warm, windproof, flexible, form-fitting, and offer zipper features to help get them on and off.

Unlike downhill pants or traditional snow-pants, water-resistance is not required. In theory, you will not spend much time in deep snow. You will be spending time moving and sweating. It’s best to prioritize comfort features like breathability and fit or the cut of the pant. Warmth, while important, is not going to be a huge factor because you’re going to be producing your own heat as you move down the trail.

One unique feature of nordic-focused pants is side-zippers. Some pants feature full length zippers down each leg and others feature quarter or half length zippers coming up from the cuff to the ankle or knee. These exist to help get the pants on when you’ve already put your boots on. Why does this situation happen? If you happen to be racing or want to ski with just the layer below your pants, you can now easily take your pants off in preparation for racing, or put your pants back on to warm-up. The zipper access also allows you to dump some heat if you’re skiing with the pants on.

When Do You Wear Cross Country Ski Pants

You might be asking when you wear pants versus say tights. The answer is up to you! Many racers prefer tights when training or during high intensity sessions but will don the pant when warming up, cooling down, or during an easy session. If you’ve got the right pants, you can wear them as a single layer with whatever your wind-brief preference is (more on “wind-briefs” in the Getting Dressed article, coming soon).

If you’re just starting out, you will likely wear the pants every time you go skiing. Pants are also helpful for carrying your car keys or phone. I used to ski in tights a lot, like a lot a lot; now I just ski in pants because my milk shakes no longer bring all the ladies to the yard. Anyways, here are some pants that are going to make cross country skiing more enjoyable.

Best All-Around Nordic Ski Pants

The Best Pants: Swix Universal X pants- Swix knows what they’re doing when it comes to nordic wear. These pants breathe, they vent, and they fit well, while providing the needed flexibility to ski. Find them here: https://amzn.to/4bx7PIy

Runner-up pick: Bjorn Daehlie Power Pant- Confession: these are the pants I use. They get the job done. Per the description, they feature, “lightweight, wind-resistant, and water-repellent softshell fabric, with stretchable material at the back for optimal movement and comfort.” There are two potential downsides to these pants. First, they limit movement a bit if your quads are larger (sup?). Second, the pocket is pointless. It’s too small for a phone and placed in a weird position on your upper butt for anything other than some cash or a credit card. Even car keys are awkward in the pocket. Find these pants here: https://amzn.to/47mD32y; or a women’s version here: https://amzn.to/47nfZAT

Multisport Pants

Best for Multisport Function: SportHill Nomad II Pant- These look great, feature two useable pockets, and employ a drawstring coupled with elastic for a great fit at the waist. SportHill has been around for over forty years and they make quality items. The Nomad pants are a great pick if you want something that will see use beyond the ski trail. Find them here: https://amzn.to/4uQfGID

Runner-up pick: Arc'teryx Gamma Pant- Built for hiking, these offer a great variety of colors and sizing. They also appear to be water resistant and flexible so you’d be all set for some casual cross country skiing with these. Only reason I’m not marking them as the best is that they might be a little cold depending on how much you do or don’t sweat. Get them now: https://amzn.to/3PYXY5M

Pants for When Warmth is Your Goal

Best for Warmth: Swix Infinity Softshell Pant - If you’re moving slowish, you want the thickest pant you can find that’s also stretchy and comfortable. These are those pants. Wind might be an issue but chances are, you’re also wearing some warm long underwear with a windstop. These are also great for the après, which in cross country skiing is sitting on the bumper of your Subaru wagon while you drink the cold coffee from that morning’s drive up to the trailhead. Bliss out in warmth: https://amzn.to/4v9iv7N

Pants for Kids

Best for School-aged Kids: Swix Lillehammer Pants - Three sizes to pick from, smart kid-centric features like two zip pockets, and they’re warm, breathable, windproof, and normal looking – cannot go wrong with these for your high school racer or kid who is just getting into nordic skiing. Give them a whirl: https://amzn.to/3O5vU0b

Best for Toddlers: Obermeyer Snow Bib Pants - Kids grow and so do these pants! They feature Obermeyer’s nifty “I-grow” system where you cut a few stiches and they expand a few inches. Plus they’re warm and come in patterns that kids love. We have these pants they’re a perfect all around snowpant for kids. Listed last on this page but first in my heart! Buy them now: https://amzn.to/4sMYp1D

A final note on pants: there are three brands to look at when it comes to cross country ski apparel: Swix, Craft, and Bjorn Daehlie. There are others like Maloja, Kappa, or Salomon, but they just aren’t the same. I’d like to more options but in order to keep the site running I need to link to only affiliate partners and REI/Backcountry are ghosting me at the moment; and more nordic specific sites like Gear West or Pioneer Midwest don’t have affiliate programs.