Robb Recommends: A Functional Flannel Shirt You’ll Want to Sport on and off the Slopes
Ski gear has long been marketed for its performance—water and wind repellence, durability, flexibility, insulation, so forth. But what about ski gear that makes you feel something?
I reach for my High West Flannel by Alps & Meters when I want to feel cool on the mountain.This Boston-based alpine brand is known for heritage-inspired pieces fabricated in modern, high-performing materials. And when it comes to understanding the history of skiing and designing must-have pieces for the modern man, there is no brand that does it better. The High West Flannel is rooted in history, and has so much more personality than anything else I typically wear under a ski jacket.
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In the 1940’s and 1950’s, skiing became the hobby of choice for well-heeled gentlemen from New York to Zurich. They’d gather their leather boots and wooden skis, bundle up in collared shirts and ski sweaters, and head to the mountains. It was an elevated approach to alpinism that feels lost in today’s ultra-modern market of performance materials, where it’s more common to see someone layer a cotton hoodie under their ski jacket or—worse—a football jersey.
Aesthetically, this shirt is a home run for me. The trim fit, sophisticated colors and timeless appeal of this flannel shirt look at home anywhere—especially if you’re heading to après-ski somewhere fabulous like the Auric Room at Lone Mountain Ranch or the Renaissance Bar at Badrutt’s Palace. The colorways have personality without being flashy (mine is in Orange, but I’m thinking of adding the handsome Navy to my rotation, too), and the fit is tailored without being skinny. It’s prim without being pretentious, pulled together without trying too hard. You can move around in it all day and still look fresh come nightfall.
Up close, the details are extraordinary. It’s crafted from a water-resistant Milior Italian merino wool that’s blended for softness and durability. It has structure without being stiff, and after several washes, it has only grown softer over time for me. British Millerain Staywax Sahara 6 waxed cotton panels reinforce the shoulder, chest and forearms. My favorite detail is the discreet Alps & Meters logo, embossed on a leather shirt loop affixed to the shirt’s yoke: You can almost imagine hanging it up to dry by the fire to dry in a log cabin somewhere.
It performs beautifully, too. As a primarily merino piece, I find that this shirt insulates my torso without ever getting too sweaty. Most days, I’ll wear a wicking base layer (something stretchy and basic from, say, Under Armour), this flannel as an insulating mid-layer, and then a Gore-Tex shell on top (I’ve worn this Arc’teryx one religiously for seven years).
When I put it on, I feel something so gratifying for choosing ski apparel that isn’t merely performative, but really stands for something. The details matter. The style matters. The nod to the past matters. It works as well as a mid-layer on intense ski days as it does with jeans and boots to dinner in downtown Aspen.
But I think what I love most about this shirt is that it inspires me to do something worthy of it. It’s not merely another shirt, nor merely another piece of ski gear; it’s an heirloom that begs to be worn on some of my most memorable days. It will surely outlive trends, and when I pull it out of my closet many years from now, I’m certain it will still summon the memories of past adventures and stir up the inspiration to create new ones.
And if that’s not something that belongs in my closet, then what is?
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