Norrona Lofoton Gore-Tex Pro Kit Outerwear Review
Outerwear reviews are back here at SkiEssentials! We didn’t do much last season in regards to outerwear content, but that’s about to change for the 25/26 season. We’ve got a lot to talk about this year and we’re kicking it off with one of our favorite brands, Norrona. In this article, we’ll be focusing on the Lofoten Gore-Tex Pro Jacket and Pants. It’s exceptionally technical gear that’s great for those spending a lot of time in the elements, in the backcountry, and in generally harsh environments. That said, full technical gear like this isn’t for everyone, and it feels important to call out that for many skiers, the Lofoten Gore-Tex (non-Pro) may actually better suited to your needs. It’s also a bit less expensive.
Anyways, Norrona has been around for a long time. Almost 100 years ago in 1929, the Norrona story began in Norway. In the past decade, however, it really feels like the brand has started to make a splash and more of an impact on the North American market. I personally don’t recall seeing much Norrona in, say, the early 2000s, but now you see it all over the place, and for good reason. My personal experience with Norrona started two years ago with the Lofoten Anaorak Jacket and Tamok Bibs and I’ve been thoroughly impressed ever since the very first day I wore it. Last season, I spent a good portion of the year, likely close to 100 days, in the Lofoten Gore-Tex Pro Jacket and Pants. I’m still wearing it this year because I like it to much, and Matt was clearly influenced by its performance and look as now he has his own black on black kit in the same gear. In this article, I’ll focus mostly on my own (Jeff) experience, but watch the video to hear more from Matt!
Fit:
If you recall, we like to break out Outerwear Reviews into three sections: fit, features, and fabric. Starting with fit, I’m 5’10 and about 160 lbs and wearing large in both the jacket and pants. I do think a lot of skiers my size would prefer a medium, but I generally like my outerwear to fit a bit bigger for various reasons. One is admittedly style, but it’s also range of motion and warmth. I tend to run colder than most, and with a hard shell jacket and pant like this, I’m generally wearing both base layers and mid layers top and bottom. Going with the large enables me to do that without my range of motion being restricted, and I’m also trapping more air in the size large, which keeps me a bit warmer. Matt’s 6’2” and about 200 lbs and he wears the XL. I would say comparatively, Matt’s gear fits a little more true to size as how you’d expect this caliber outerwear to fit, while my large gear looks a bit bigger on my frame. Overall, I really like the fit. I honestly wouldn’t mind if it was even a little bigger, and I think my biggest recommendation in regards to fit would be if you find yourself in between sizes, it’s better to go up than down.
We’ll talk about this more when we get to fabric, but part of the reason for that is this fabric itself doesn’t have any stretch whatsoever. I wouldn’t expect it to either as it’s designed to be bombproof in harsh climates, and it is. That said, Norrona does an excellent job articulating portions of both the jacket and pants to make them more ergonomic. The elbows and knees are the most noticeably as they just fit the curves and movement of your body so perfectly. Norrona is excellent when it comes to attention to detail, and you see it in the fit in addition to features.
Features:
Segway! This gear is packed full of features. What’s most important to understand is all the features are 100% focused on technical use. That means it’s optimized for wearing a backpack for those carrying safety and other gear into the backcountry. This is where the non-Pro Lofoten Gore-Tex gear may be more appropriate for skiers spending most of their time in the resort and not wearing backpacks very often. The pockets on the non-Pro gear are more intuitive, as you find them in the same places you’d find on most every other jacket you’d use. The Lofoten Gore-Tex Pro, on the other hand, shifts things around into unique spots for good reason.
Instead of hand pockets on the lower sides of the jacket, you get two massive chest pockets that are easily accessibly even if you’re wearing a backpack with waist and chest straps secured. It honestly was a little weird getting used to it, but the first time I wore this stuff with a backpack it was one of those lightbulb moments. It’s incredibly well designed, but again, some skiers might prefer the more typical hand pocket placements. There’s also a massive chest vest alongside these pockets that’s awesome if you’re skinning and need to quickly let a little air in. It also works quite well on the chairlift as you can open it and just let the cold air stream right in. We get articulated pit zip vents too, which aren’t as unique, but highly functional and again work well with a backpack.
There are lots of other features that are worth mentioning on the jacket too. There’s an arm pocket designed for a pass and a radio and has a little internal sleeve so your pass stays secure. Even if you unzipped the pocket and rolled around in the snow, I bet your pass would stay put. The cuffs of the sleeves are longer than most jackets and create a seamless integration with your gloves or mittens. No snow getting in, guaranteed. There’s a removeable powder skirt that snaps into place with the pants, basically mimicking a one piece. This also falls a little bit more into fit, but I love the size of the hood. I have a big head and there’s really no issue with putting the hood up and zipping the jacket all the way up. I might not have endless range of motion, but certainly enough.
The impressive features continue into the pants with the most noticeable being the two front pockets. These are just so well designed. There’s extra space in them thanks to some clever stitching. Each pocket essentially has a flap built into it, so even if you’re putting a lot of stuff in there, it doesn’t feel like it’s restricting your movement, it just pushes the pocket out more. In the right leg pocket, there’s a nifty little phone sleeve that has to be one of the coolest features of any pant I’ve ever worn. It’s so simple, but so effective. Norrona is the only brand that I’ve ever worn where I put my phone in my pants, and it is by far my favorite place to put it. Perhaps the next most interesting aspect of the pants is there are optional zip-on gaiters. You can essentially turn the pants into bibs, which is tempting for me, but with the integration of the powder skirt, I don’t feel like I need to.
Fabric:
This gear uses Gore-Tex Pro fabric. It’s quite fancy, but as I mentioned above, it’s also relatively stiff and rigid. It doesn’t have the softest hand feel, in fact, kind of the contrary, it’s a bit abrasive. The non-Pro gear is MUCH softer, and while maybe not as bombproof, is more comfortable to wear and still has the same ratings for waterproofing. I coach part time and my coaching jacket is a Lofoten Gore-Tex (non-Pro). I honestly might prefer wearing it over the Pro in a resort setting, but if I were heading into the backcountry or even the sidecountry, having the Pro gear is nice. Still, it’s interesting for me to think about, and I actually think the non-Pro gear is a better buy for most skiers. You really have to be pushing it to need the extra performance of the Pro. You also save a considerable amount of money choosing the non-Pro gear. Certainly something to think about if you’re considering Norrona gear.
I’ve had this stuff in some serious situations and it’s so trustworthy. We get some very cold and very windy days here in Stowe, and when the weather is at its worst, I quickly choose my Norrona gear. It just leaves me with a nice feeling that I’m ready for anything the mountain is going to throw at me. Rescue situation in the sidecountry that results in a long day in the snow and elements? Those situations are where having gear like this is beneficial. I’ve also worn this stuff in straight up rain and the waterproofing is as good or better than anything else I’ve ever used. It’s so good, in fact, I find myself reaching for it as a raincoat in the summer a lot, which is a testament to the breathability of Gore-Tex. You don’t ever feel too sweaty in this stuff, it breaths and lets out unnecessary heat just as well as it keeps the cold and elements out.
Overall, without a doubt, Norrona makes the nicest outerwear I personally have ever used. Right now, I’m splitting my time between Norrona, Flylow, Rossignol, Obermeyer, and the occasional Strafe. This Lofoten Gore-Tex Pro gear is far and away the most expensive of everything I own. It’s a good thing and a bad thing. It’s fantastic quality and extremely trustworthy, but it’s quite expensive. I’m looking forward to talking more about that especially with an upcoming Flylow review. Their gear is also quite technical, but it’s much less expensive. Some skiers might prefer that, some might prefer the even less expensive Rossi gear I’ll be talking about as some point this season. If, on the other hand, you’re looking for highly technical gear that’s not surpassed in performance by any other brand in the world, you should consider Norrona.
Keep Exploring Norrona Outerwear:
Norrona Lofoten Gore-Tex Pro Jacket