REASONS TO BUY
Comfortable
Stylish
Well-featured
Warm
REASONS TO AVOID
Slim fit
Helly Hansen Alpha 4.0 Review
An excellent ski jacket for most users that should be strongly considered
The Helly Hansen Alpha 4.0 is one of our favorite ski jackets.
Credit: Jeff Dobronyi
RELATED: The Best Ski Jackets for Men
Our Verdict
The Helly Hansen Alpha 4.0 performs well across the board, making it one of our favorite ski jackets. It's warm, weather-proof, comfortable, heavily-featured, and stylish, with good ventilation to boot. Only its warmer and slightly more featured sibling, the Helly Hansen Alpha LifaLoft, edges it out for performance. This jacket, however, costs a bit less and is equally worthy for most skiers. We love its comfort and tailoring, and the features are impeccable for a serious skier. This jacket is hard to beat if you are looking for an insulated parka for the ski resort. If you're looking for a similarly well-featured ski jacket at a much lower price, the Free Soldier is worth a look. To see how this jacket compares to the competition, check out our full men's ski jacket review.
Compare to Similar Products
 This Product
Helly Hansen Alpha 4.0 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Awards |  Best Overall Ski Jacket |  Best Bang for the Buck | | Best Ski Jacket Under 100$ | |
| Price | $329.99 at Evo Compare at 5 sellers | $550.00 at Evo Compare at 4 sellers | $319 List $319.00 at REI | $229 List $229.00 at REI | $80 List $62.98 at Amazon |
Overall Score  |
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| Star Rating | |||||
| Bottom Line | One of the best ski jackets on the market | We can't picture a better all-around jacket for skiing | This shell nearly matches the performance of much more expensive products | This jacket doesn't excel in any attribute, but it doesn't fall short either | This inexpensive and warm jacket ticks all the boxes for a solid ski jacket |
| Rating Categories | Helly Hansen Alpha 4.0 | Helly Hansen Alpha... | REI Co-op First Cha... | REI Co-op Powderbou... | GEMYSE Men's Mounta... |
| Warmth (20%) | |||||
| Weather Resistance (20%) | |||||
| Comfort and Fit (20%) | |||||
| Ventilation (20%) | |||||
| Style (10%) | |||||
| Features (10%) | |||||
| Specs | Helly Hansen Alpha 4.0 | Helly Hansen Alpha... | REI Co-op First Cha... | REI Co-op Powderbou... | GEMYSE Men's Mounta... |
| Main Fabric | 85% Polyamide, 15% Elastane | 2-layer stretch polyester | Recycled polyester | Nylon | Polyester |
| Insulation | 100% recycled polyester | LifaLoft synthetic | None | 60g polyester sleeves, 80g polyester body | Synthetic and faux-fleece |
| Pockets | 2 zippered hand, 2 zippered chest, 1 internal zippered chest, 1 internal mesh, 1 zippered sleeve | 2 handwarmer, 2 chest, 1 internal chest, 1 internal mesh, 1 sleeve | 2 handwarmer, 2 chest flap, 2 chest zipper, 1 internal zipper, 1 intenal mesh, 1 sleeve | 2 zippered hand, 1 zippered chest, 1 sleeve, 1 internal zippered chest, 1 internal mesh | 2 handwarmer, 1 chest, 1 internal zip, 1 internal stash |
| Weight (size large) | 2.56 lbs | 2.56 lbs | 1.73 lbs | 1.81 lbs | 3.63 lbs |
| Water Resistance | Helly Tech Professional | Helly Tech Professional | Gore-Tex | 2-layer waterproof breathable laminate | Unknown |
| Hood | Adjustable and removable | Adjustable and removable | Adjustable | Adjustable | Removable |
| Pit-Zips | Yes | Mesh-backed | Yes | Yes | No |
| Cuff construction | Stretchy wrist gaiters and hook-and-loop | Interior stretchy wrist gaiters and external velcro cuffs | Hook and loop | Interior wide hook-and-loop adjustments | Stretchy wrist gaiters and hook-and-loop |
| Powder skirt | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| RECCO | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
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Our Analysis and Test Results
Just like a symphony, this ski jacket's components work together to create a harmonious and delightful user experience. We love the waterproof design, cozy synthetic insulation, and well-tailored fit.
Performance Comparison
This jacket is a crowd-pleaser with enough features for serious skiers.
Credit: Jeff Dobronyi
Warmth
The Helly Hansen Alpha 4.0 delivers above-average warmth with powerful synthetic insulation and thoughtful design features. The jacket is warm enough for most cold days at the ski resort, and on more mild days, our testers didn't have to wear a mid-layer underneath.
Soft and stretchy wrist gaiters add a cozy feel and help the Alpha 4.0 trap warm air in the sleeves.
Credit: Jeff Dobronyi
Other warmth-enhancing design features include stretchy wrist gaiters and a fleece-lined collar. The handwarmer pockets are fleece-lined, adding a cozy feel to the hands, and there's even additional insulation on the external chest pocket to keep your phone warm and working on super-cold days.
A fleece-lined collar adds warmth to the Helly Hansen Alpha 4.0.
Credit: Jeff Dobronyi
Weather Resistance
With a HellyTech waterproof and breathable insert, this jacket effectively repels all water. During our shower test, we didn't notice any water getting through the main fabric. The hood is well-designed for full coverage over a helmet, which helps block the wind.
The Alpha 4.0's hood is pretty good, offering great coverage to skiers wearing helmets.
Credit: Jeff Dobronyi
A powder skirt prevents snow from entering the torso area on deep powder days. In general, this is a very protective jacket. That said, the main front zipper is waterproof, but the chest and handwarmer pocket zippers aren't. This is only a problem if you are using this jacket in steady rain.
Powder skirts are useful for keeping snow out of the torso on the deepest days.
Credit: Jeff Dobronyi
Comfort and Fit
The Helly Hansen Alpha 4.0 is one of the most comfortable jackets to wear. Soft lining fabrics allow the jacket to slide effortlessly against the skin with a silky feel. The stretchy wrist gaiters add supreme comfort, and the fleece-lined collar with chin protector is a luxurious touch.
The Alpha 4.0's fit is well-tailored and very comfortable.
Credit: Jeff Dobronyi
The cut is relatively slim, but not tight, thanks to a well-tailored design. It seems to match the curves of the human body, allowing a wide range of motion without feeling baggy. In our experience testing jackets, this is very hard to accomplish, and Helly Hansen seems to have the formula figured out for comfort and fit. This jacket fits our lead tester's body like a glove.
Ventilation
With long armpit zippered vents, this jacket allows the user to ditch heat in a hurry. The vents are mesh-lined, which doesn't help airflow, but they are so big that it doesn't hinder venting much. The insulation isn't very breathable, but that is to be expected with high-quality synthetic puffy material.
Long armpit vents help ditch air on warmer days on the slopes.
Credit: Jeff Dobronyi
Interestingly, there are horizontal venting strips along the back inside of the jacket. This allows warm and moist air to escape the back body through the insulation and flow through the shell. This works moderately well in our experience, though it does come with a compromise in warmth since chilly air can flow into the back of the jacket more easily on the coldest days.
Horizontal flaps in the insulation around the back of the jacket allow airflow directly from the back of the body through the shell.
Credit: Jeff Dobronyi
Style
This jacket looks great, with a classy, timeless style. The refined tailoring also helps the jacket's appearance. We tested this jacket at some high-end ski areas and felt like we were fitting right in with the upper crust. That said, we also wore the jacket at local bars and hanging out casually with friends and never felt like we were overdressed. The Alpha 4.0 looks good, no matter the setting.
The Alpha 4.0 looks good in a variety of settings. It has a timeless design that still remains good-looking.
Credit: Jeff Dobronyi
Features
With tons of useful features, this jacket has everything you'll ever need at the ski area. With two external handwarmer pockets and two external chest pockets, there's plenty of storage. Inside, there's a large mesh stash pocket and a powder skirt. On the sleeve, there's a pass pocket for RFID lift tickets.
With four external zippered pockets, a sleeve pocket, and an internal mesh pocket, the Helly Hansen Alpha 4.0 has plenty of storage space.
Other useful features include a reflective hood brim for low-visibility days, and the hood is also adjustable and removable. All of the features work well and harmoniously, making the jacket feel incredibly refined.
Other useful features on the Alpha 4.0 include a high-visibility hood, which is also removable.
Should You Buy the Helly Hansen Alpha 4.0?
We love this jacket and think it comes at a great value. It isn't cheap, but it also isn't as expensive as other options on the market, likely due to the lack of Gore-Tex. If you are a discerning skier shopping for a new ski jacket for regular use, this piece should be strongly considered. If you need a high-performance ski jacket and want a good deal compared to the most expensive parkas, this might be considered a steal.
What Other Ski Jackets Should You Consider?
If you like this jacket but want even more warmth and features, the Helly Hansen Alpha LifaLoft is our overall favorite. The 686 Smarty 3-in-1 Form Insulated provides excellent value, thanks to its modular design and low price tag. The GEMYSE Men's Mountain Fleece Lining can't be beat for value, but serious skiers will want a little more out of their jacket. If you're after a shell, the Arc'teryx Sabre Jacket is our favorite uninsulated ski jacket.
The Helly Hansen Alpha 4.0 is a great companion on the ski slopes in any weather.
Credit: Jeff Dobronyi
—Jeff Dobronyi
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