Helly Hansen Men’s Alpha LIFALOFT Insulated Ski Jacket

Review by Paul Gallaher

Helly Hansen has been making innovative weather gear since the 1870s when Norwegian sea captain Helly Juell Hansen began making oilskin outerwear for use in harsh Nordic ocean working conditions. His innovation was a quick success and his family started a business selling his sought-after gear.

I’ve had the opportunity to wear a Helly Hansen ski jacket in the past and really liked the style and features of that jacket. So, when I was presented the opportunity to try out this new Alpha LIFALOFT jacket, I said, “Heck-yeah I want to try that”!

Details: First, the Alpha LIFELOFT jacket is toward the top of Helly Hansen’s quiver of insulated ski jackets.

This jacket is full of useful features. The big story is that this jacket does many things. It has a really nice DWR treatment to keep you dry. It has very large underarm pit zips, also to keep you dry and temperature-regulated on those warm ski days. The jacket is also windproof. There are numerous interior and exterior pockets. The outer chest pockets feature water-repellent zippers. In keeping with the theme of keeping the wearer dry, there is an effective snow skirt inside the jacket and the sleeves have snug wrist cuffs with thumb holes to keep arms dry. As per the industry standard, there is a ski pass pocket on the left forearm. The wrists have hook-and-loop closures to complement gloves or mittens that will fit well either inside or outside the sleeves. There is an elastic adjustable hem with adjusters on both sides of the waist that functions well to keep snow and cold air out of the bottom of the jacket. The generous hood does fit over helmets and keeps wind and water out on those days when the weather is blasting on the mountain. The jacket is well insulated with Primaloft Black Eco recycled insulation. The jacket includes a RECCO reflector as an added safety feature.

Lastly, this jacket is a BLUESIGN product and has PFC-free durable water repellent.

Wear Testing

This Helly Hansen jacket has wowed me since the first time I put it on! The jacket fits me very well. I’m 6’2” and slender. The Size Large fits true to size. I’ve never been one to use a hood over a helmet for alpine skiing but trying this out worked so well, I might just do that on cold blustery ski days in the future. The pit zip vents are generously large and work great on days when the temperature or the wind varies. I’d never buy another ski jacket without effective pit zips. They’re essential for temperature and moisture management during long ski days with changing conditions!

My last few points: First, the waterproof zippers on the external chest pockets give me the confidence to ski with my phone in one of these pockets, knowing it won’t get wet, even on deep powder days. Style-wise, this jacket just looks great! I’ve always thought H/H jackets looked attractive and this one is true to form.

The color I tested was the “Concrete” colorway, which I like very much. The jacket is also available in three other color options for men.

The jacket is available in sizes from Small to 3XL.

Paul Gallaher

Paul grew up in Minnesota where he learned to love the outdoors, riding his bike, fishing and canoeing in the summers and skiing in the winters on Minnesota’s 300 foot-tall “mountains”.

After finishing college, he was commissioned as an officer in the USAF eventually becoming a special operations and reconnaissance instructor navigator flying and serving around the world for twenty-two years.

Living and traveling around the world has given Paul opportunities to explore outdoor passions. He is an advanced scuba diver, a pilot, a sailor and has skied in the United States, Canada, France, Italy, Austria and Switzerland.