Spyder Winner Athletic Fit Review

Comfort & Fit

As the name suggests, the Winner wins its highest ranks in the realm of comfort. This pant has a classic fit, with enough room to wiggle down moguls or through piles of powder. The lining material is nylon taffeta which glides over layers easily. It has adjustable inner velcro pull tabs to customize the waistband fit, and we found this velcro to be more comfortable against our skin than other models. The fit can best be described as classic, relaxed through the thigh with a slight flared leg opening. It looked good on all our testers regardless of size or shape. The Winner has a versatile fit with an emphasis on all-around comfort.

Weather Resistance

The Winner pants are average on weather resistance. They held up well in wind and blowing snow, and the DWR finish kept the water beading up while riding the chairlifts. They are advertised as mildly waterproof, but not as bomber as some other pants we've tested. These pants will suit you best with dry snow or cooler temps.

Warmth

The Spyder Winner pant boasts 60 grams of 3M Thinsulate Insulation, which is ideal for cold conditions. However, we would recommend wearing layers in extremely cold conditions. We tested these pants on some of the coldest resort days while also wearing layers, and found that our legs and bums were still getting cold. These pants would work well for your average ski temps, with layers during the winter or without layers during the cooler spring weeks.

Ventilation

There are no ventilation options on these pants. They are advertised to have mild breathability, which didn't affect us on the very cold days skiing. However, when the sun came out we quickly became too warm with underlayers and had no way to let off steam. Plan to leave your underlayers at home during the spring and wear them during the winter.

Features

This pair of ski pants is very minimal on features. It does have a nice exterior hand feel composed of polyester stretch plain-weave. It has taped seams, and Spyder offers a lifetime warranty. There are two velcro closure back pockets, which are not big enough to hold anything significant but do add a bit of style. There are no ventilation options and only one small chapstick or ski pass pocket on the front, which take function points away. Plan to wear a coat with pockets to stash your stuff if you wear these to the hill.

Style

This contender has a minimalist style that says “pay attention to my turns, not my pants”. They have a relaxed fit and few features, which makes them blend into a crowd. The leg opening is big enough for boots without making a statement, and the back pockets draw some attention to your backside. There are no other bells or whistles on these pants, so you'll spend less time fussing with your clothing and more time perfecting your slalom.

Best Applications

The Spyder Winner ski pant is meant for cooler resort days when you want to blend into the slopes, work on your mogul techniques, or sport a steezy jacket. They will perform well in wind and dry snow, and work well with or without layers. With minimal features, they are a no-fuss, straightforward, all-around resort pant for a rider who knows what they want out of their ski day.

Value

For the price, we would choose other similarly priced pants with more options for ventilation and pockets. However, if you are someone who checks the forecast, carries a pack, or simply likes to work on ski techniques, these are a reasonably priced, middle-of-the-road ski pant that will get the job done.

Conclusion

The Winner is an average ski pant without bells or whistles. It has a classic, relaxed fit that looks good on everyone. Spyder offers this pant in a variety of bright colors. Not much about this pant stands out, which doesn't win it any awards despite its name. However, we also didn't find anything really negative about these pants either, making it a reasonable choice if you aren't overly opinionated about your ski pants.