Wife and I are climbing Rainier this summer, we're going with RMI via the American Lung Associations' Climb for Clean air initiative.

I'm pretty much set for gear, planning to use my OR Cirque softshell pants for the trip. They're not 100% waterproof, but they've proven damn near indestructible and I've never been cold in them, under conditions from 50 and rainy to -10 and howling winds.

She's blessed/cursed with being 5'10" and Amazon legs, 36" inseam, and tends to run cold. Looking for a good pair of hardshell pants that she'll be able to put on/off over crampons as needed, and will withstand climbing and glissading. Suggestions?

cycle61 wrote:Wife and I are climbing Rainier this summer, we're going with RMI via the American Lung Associations' Climb for Clean air initiative.

I'm pretty much set for gear, planning to use my OR Cirque softshell pants for the trip. They're not 100% waterproof, but they've proven damn near indestructible and I've never been cold in them, under conditions from 50 and rainy to -10 and howling winds.

She's blessed/cursed with being 5'10" and Amazon legs, 36" inseam, and tends to run cold. Looking for a good pair of hardshell pants that she'll be able to put on/off over crampons as needed, and will withstand climbing and glissading. Suggestions?

I would get something like Marmot Precip pants. I can't speak to how they fit tall women, but they are affordable. I wouldn't try to put ANY pant over crampons that did not fully separate, no way you can 'pull' a pair on over crampons without shredding them, so whatever you buy keep that in mind.

How durable are the precip pants? I'm pretty surprised by the price on those, are they basically just rain pants that people are using for mountaineering?

cycle61 wrote:How durable are the precip pants? I'm pretty surprised by the price on those, are they basically just rain pants that people are using for mountaineering?

I used a Marmot Precip jacket for alpine climbing for years, then gave it away to another fellow here on SP. It was plenty durable or climbing. The fabric is tough and abrasion resistant, however, it is prone to being cut. This one time while ice climbing, my partner and I had to run for our lives to outrun an avalanche that was coming down the couloir we were attempting. When we realized we survived, my partner pointed at me and burst into laughter. I caught a bur on my picket on my down sweater, cutting it open and leaving feathers flying. He, on the other hand, was wearing Precip pants which he shredded to ribbons from his crampons.

I don't think Precip pants, or any hard shell pants for that matter, should be one's primary climbing pants. I find soft shell pants of an appropriate weight far better than hard shells. In fact, I gave away my hard shell pants along with my Precip jacket, and haven't worn hard shell pants since. Guide companies are sticklers about their gear lists, so you should bring hard shells if they require them, but you will only want to year them if it is really nasty out. Most of the time they will live in the bottom of your pack. Might as well buy the lightest, least expensive ones you can and spend real money on getting a nice pair of soft shell pants.

Thanks, sounds like we'll be looking into a pair of those. I'm advised that the guide companies are very particular about their gear lists, so we'll have to see what they recommend or will make us rent from them.