Life of an Arcteryx Alpha SV Jacket

Of all the things to consider when buying a ski jacket, the single most important quality I’ve come to appreciate is durability. A jacket may look good, feel good and even perform well, but if if you can count its lifetime in years on one hand, in my opinion it’s not worth buying. Plenty of other ski jackets have come and gone, but one Gore-Tex garment remains as a stalwart benchmark in my gear closet: the Arcteryx Alpha SV.

There’s a reason why the this jacket has stayed with me for so long. I first purchased my Alpha SV in 2010, after a series of short lived relationships with other jackets that ended with busted zips and exhausted waterproofing. The Alpha SV face fabric at the time was tough as nails, but was also bulky and the breathability was good, but not great. After five seasons of storm skiing, ski touring, bushwacking and rock scraping, a couple inner seams had begun to delaminate. Having worked in a backcountry store for a few years in Whistler, I knew about the legendary Arcteryx lifetime warranty and sent in my ageing relic expecting a repair job. Instead, Arcteryx decided that delamination after five years wasn’t acceptable and they sent me a brand new Alpha SV, worth about $700 CDN. The new jacket has improved breathability and less bulk with the updated N80p-X GORE-TEX face fabric. My only regret is that I’ll never see my dear old green Alpha again.

There’s plenty of gear reviews on the interweb that are more or less singing the same praise and criticism; the Alpha SV is one of the toughest and most reliable waterproof shell jackets on the market, but it costs up to three times as much as other shells. Yes, that will turn off a large portion of the broke ski bum populace, but it can save money in the long term. If my current Alpha SV lasts as long as my previous one, I’ll have gotten 10 years out of one $700 jacket. Remember, that amazing quality control, warranty, and customer service is built into the expensive price tag. How many years will a $300 shell net you?

Ski jackets are a personal choice, but if you value durability and function then don’t cheap out on your next purchase. Arcteryx is not the only brand that is proudly standing by its products with a lifetime warranty. Mountain Hardwear, Outdoor Research, Patagonia and Black Diamond all guarantee their apparel for life, within reason. I can’t speak to how well those brands handle their warranties, but what I do know is that I’m more likely to get a quick response from a company headquartered down the highway in North Vancouver than one across the continent.