Stellar Guide Shell Hybrid Jacket and Pants

The Guide Shell Hybrid Jacket uses a Dermizax fabric on the upper chest and shoulders, hood and lower outer arms. This is where any falling snow can collect and melt so weatherproofing is required, the rest of the jacket is made up of a Bluesign-certified nylon/elastane fabric that provides impressive breathability and stretch. Stellar has strategically placed these fabrics where they are needed most to create a light and packable layer that protects you from the elements and excels at high aerobic activities like backcountry skiing.

To keep weight and bulk down Stellar has only integrated the required features and eliminated everything else. You get two pack-compatible chest pockets that can accommodate climbing skins and also act as built-in vents thanks to their mesh lining. The drop-back panel and pre-shaped arms provide a comfortable and supportive fit that moves easily with your high-output activities and further helps to keep the weather out.

The cuffs and hem are reinforced for added durability and there are velcro adjustments on the cuffs and two built-in elasticized adjustments on the hem to dial in an exact fit.

The new Guide Shell Hybrid Pants are built from the same two materials as the jacket and use the same body mapping philosophy. Dermizax fabric is found on the lower front legs and seat where waterproofness, breathability and resistance to condensation are required and softshell material everywhere else. The Dermizax is an ultralight 3-layer rip-stop hardshell fabric which provides excellent weather protection and durability. These versatile, lightweight pants are designed primarily for backcountry skiing and alpine climbing, both high-energy activities where breathability is paramount.

There are two large hand-warming pockets and two thigh pockets with one containing a clip to safely store your transceiver. On the hem, there is an Integrated semi-elastic and adjustable webbing belt with a metal hook to dial in your fit. On the inside of each leg, you’ll find a reinforced patch to limit cuts from skis and improve overall durability.

The strategic use of the Dermizax fabric helps to keep the Guide Shell Hybrid Pants light, form-fitting and very, very stretchy.

The bottom hem on each leg is adjustable with snap closures and zippers on the back to provide convenient access to the ski/walk mechanism on your touring boots.

With unrestricted freedom of movement, impressive breathability and weatherproof protection, generous ventilation options and technical features that are optimized for backpack and harness use, the new Stellar Guide Shell Hybrid Jacket and Pants are the ideal backcountry kit.

Main fabric: 89 % nylon, 11 % elastane. 207 g/m². 4-way stretch. Bluesign®-certified.
Waterproofness: +20,000mm shell fabric. PCF-free DWR-treated main fabric.

• Weather resistant, highly breathable and hardwearing.
• Weather-proof Dermizax panels at exposed areas.
• Engineered fit with elongated back-piece and pre-shaped arms.
• Helmet-compatible 2-way adjustable hood.
• Large ventilation zippers.
• Large chest pockets with room for skins.
• Reinforced hem for increased durability.
• Mesh fabric on the inside of chest pockets.
• Equipped with RECCO reflector at the brim of the hood.

• Weather resistant, highly breathable and hardwearing.
• Weather-proof Dermizax panels at exposed areas.
• Large pockets with a transceiver clip.
• 1/3 unlined leg-opening for touring ski boots.
• Reinforced hem for increased durability.
• Integrated semi-elastic and adjustable webbing belt with metal hook.

Anyone who ski tours in waterproof/breathable apparel is missing out on the benefits of soft-shell fabrics. Not only are soft shells far more breathable, but they provide a huge amount of stretch so they move with you instead of impeding your range of motion like hardshells can. The only downside to soft shells is that they are not as weather resistant as hardshell which is where Stellar has used the benefits of body-mapped fabrics to place waterproof protection where you need it and soft-shell fabric everywhere else. On the Guide Shell Hybrid Jacket and Pants they seamlessness combines the benefits of waterproof protection and breathability and it works amazingly well.

Weather-proof Dermizax panels are incorporated in exposed areas such as the hood, shoulders, and arms on the jacket, as well as the lower front of the legs and seat of the pants. These are all the areas that will come in contact with falling snow or while breaking trail in knee-deep pow. On ideal days when the snow is light and fluffy, there is no issue but on warmer days when the snow starts to get wet or spring days when the temps crank up, it is really nice to have these waterproof panels in just the right places.

I’ve been wearing softshell pants for ski touring for almost two decades now and while Stellar is not the first company to offer a combination of hard and soft shell fabrics in a single jacket and pants, they are certainly (in my opinion) the ones who do it best. They’ve found a way to seamlessly integrate these two very different fabrics pretty seamlessly so that it’s very difficult to determine exactly where the waterproof protection starts and the softshell fabric stops.

The amount of breathability in this kit is unmatched and overheating on the skin track is therefore very rare, but if things do heat up the strategically placed vents under the arms on the jacket and the outer thighs on the pants do an admirable job of dumping vast amounts of heat in a flash. On really cold days I would wear merino wool long johns under the pants but most days no extra insulation is required for me as I tend to run hot. On my upper body, I wear a mid-layer that provides more insulation on colder days and less on days nearer to zero degrees. This way the Guide Shell Hybrid Jacket is all I need other than a down jacket for emergencies and when switching over from ski to tour mode. I’ve done away with the hardshell jacket completely, those are for rainy days in the city only.

The bottom line is that if you have never ski-toured in soft shells before, do yourself a favour and give it a go. The Guide Shell Hybrid Jacket and Pants from Stellar will change the game for you. The level of breathability and range of motion will amaze you and you won’t be giving up any weather protection. You can thank me later.