Don't have anything else to compare these to. I wore minimum two pair, one light weight and one mid weight long underwear before stumbling on to these puppies. Straight up Rainier with lightweight under these and not once did I pull out any other layer (early-August.) These did the job on the mountain, in the tent, and in the bag. Every test since they've managed superbly.

Great material with a rather heavy lining. Unfortunately for me, the pants were not cut right and did not fit well. Crotch was too low. The Medium was too small and the Large too big. I am 6ft tall, a 34 waist, 33 inseam. The store suggested the Arcteryx Gamma's. Great fit and they worked absolutely great on Rainier in June. I run hot and I am glad i had the Gamma's. The First Ascent would have been too hot for me.

These pants are amazing. I've been hiking and snowshoeing in the mountains of Central Pennsylvania this winter and they are very comfortable and warm. The pockets are easily accessible and keeps everything (including me) very dry. I plan on purchasing the "light" pair to use this spring and fall. These were recommended as part of the gear list to climb Rainier ( I make my attempt Aug. 2011). I highly recommend them.

I purchased these pants for various upcoming winter and spring climbs. I was first able to test them for trekking and hiking and found them to be excellent performers. The weekend I chose had rain, freezing rain, and sleet. I resisted throwing on my hard shell pants in order to test these pants thoroughly. The Mountain Guide Pants with their 3XDRY finish shed moisture to the very end and were still beading water at the end of the trip. These are the highest performing soft shell pants I have tested and I highly recommend these pants for high output outdoor activities.

These are the best pair of climbing/mountaineering pants i have ever owned. I borrowed some a while back and fell in love with them. I now own my own pair. I find they lend themselves to a number of different activities. I don't find them too warm, when teamed up with a good base layer they can handle some pretty cold conditions. I love the fit and the quality of the materials. Fit close to the body and can take some good punishment.

Just got these and used them on a Mt Washington trip. I had only a pair of old long underwear underneath them and stayed warm the whole time despite 65mph winds and windchills that probably hit -30 to -40. They also breath well so I never got sweaty even in warmer conditions. On the last day of the trip it warmed up and the snow got a little soft. I glissaded down a long chute and was presently surprised to find that my butt was still totally dry. All in a all an awesome pant. The only annoyance is the belt loop thing that others mentioned, but its a small price to pay.

First of all, I just got off Denali two weeks ago and WHITTAKER MOUNTAINEERING absolutely rocks! They shipped all my stuff that I could not find locally right on time. Great advice and great products. WM is what REI used to be all about back when they were about climbing. Next time I'll just call WM and get it all there. These pants were day and night except low down on the glacier when it was too hot. These will be my winter climbing pants and ski pants till I wear them out or the washer eats them. Zippers, snaps and cuffs all were just right. Breathed and moved great and never cold until past 17k camp. Worth the dough and not as expensive as some other brands. Just enough pockets and no unnecessary junk. Great climbing pants.

What can I add? These are the best get outside in the cold climbing pants that I have seen. I also ran a crampon down the leg of these on my first day out and got the ripping sound that makes you cringe but no rip. I had the same sizing issue as one reviewer. I am a 34 but didn't like the tight rear and crotch of the medium so I went with the large and cinched the belt in. They are soft and comfortable with great zipping pockets. I give these 5 stars and all but my one complaint is the belt. The closure is great and when it is latched it stays latched. However, when it is unlatched the left hand end is going to slide right back into those extra long belt loops and hide until you coax it back out. Whether you are dressing in the dark, visiting the head or whatever, you will be working the end of your belt back out so you can latch it. It is not quite as difficult as threading the drawstring through a pair of sweatpants but when you add some gloves you definitely have a challenge. (Same goes for the hardshell pants. If you are manipulating both then you double your frustration). The pants are perfect except for this. I am going to put a stitch or two on that side as a fix. I am ordering another pair soon.

I purchased a pair of these to compliment my Mountain Hardwear climbing pant. I like much of what these pants are except one thing. The Mountain Hardwear has a zipper that goes both directions (tab at the bottom and top) and when I have a "racked" harness on that is a very important difference. Other than that I am pleased. These pants are also heavier than the Mountain Hardwear making them not my first pick for spring. I would purchase another pair.

I wore these in near white out conditions with 50+ m.p.h. winds on Mt. Washington with only a light base layer (that I didn't really need) and they were perfectly comfortable. The fit was great and the material is very durable. I snagged them with my crampons plenty of times, but they never ripped. Worth the money. Can't wait to try them on Rainier in June.

These are as close to perfect as you can get on a schoeller pant in my opinion. For me the big thing is fit - - most of the brands are too big in the waist and you either wind up with a baggy pair of pants that fit - -or the right fit around the waist and rear and generally tight. I think FA got the proportions right for the athlete. I wore these on a couple of trips this spring to the white mountains and thought they were great. They were a little warm at times and could benefit from a vent zip - - probably the lighter weight would do the trick. Outstanding minimalist design especially around the ankles where I prefer a tight fit to the boot just like they did it. Only one small nit would be it would be very nice to have a "short" leg length for the large size.

I rented a pair of these for a Rainier summit trip the 1st of June. They were wonderful in every way. Ours was a generally warm trip so the "lite" version may have been the way to go, but these did quite well and I did not overheat in them. They protected me, they worked well with the other gear I was wearing, and they were very comfortable. I especially liked the thigh pocket to keep my camera handy and it led to me getting some great shots of the climb.