Simple Is Still Better: Stio Environ Ski Pants Review

I only encountered a few on-snow days when Stio’s Environ ski pants didn’t excel at my local ski resort. And that’s only because I prefer ski bibs when I’m slashing (and occasionally tomahawking) through waist-deep powder. But as far as men’s ski pants go, the Environ had me covered through a huge variety of weather conditions brought on by the particularly erratic weather of last season.

One day, it was a whiteout blizzard, and the next, a sunny spring corn harvest. The Environ protected my legs from wind, snow, and the occasional tree branch — and looked good doing it.

Ski pants aren’t a particularly complicated piece of gear, yet there are plenty of options on the market that insist the opposite is true. Stio took a different track, relying instead on a “simple is better” philosophy with the Environ ski pants for men. There aren’t a lot of bells and whistles here, which is something I grew to appreciate.

In short: The Stio Environ ski pants ($419) for men give skiers what they need and nothing they don’t at a fair price. These thoroughly waterproof ski pants defended me from wet snowstorms, driving winds, and deep powder days, yet didn’t feel like overkill when the sun was out with spring vibes. Stio’s proprietary PeakProof 3L waterproof fabric is at the heart of that performance — it’s breathable enough while being totally protective.

The fit is superbly articulated for downhill form at the ski resort, and a streamlined feature set was spot on for day-in, day-out skiing. While not the most versatile pants outside the resort boundary, the Environ men’s ski pants broadly meet the needs of a variety of resort skiers across different climates.

Study our select lineup of snow pants for men in our Best Ski Pants buyer’s guide.

Stio Environ Men’s Ski Pants Review

As mentioned, I grew to appreciate this streamlined ski pant design over several weeks of testing in Colorado, in both the frontcountry and backcountry. These mountains, and the relentless conditions that emerge, can eat ski pants (and any superfluous design features) for lunch. 

The Environ pants offer an aesthetic that the vast majority of skiers will get along with. The relaxed cut lands right in the middle of the spectrum between loose and fitted. They sit on my lower half naturally without any weird length or width issues, top to bottom. And I appreciated that the cuffs weren’t excessively flared. 

This pattern supports ski form and movement, especially downhill skiing. The knees are naturally articulated, and a crotch gusset helps give each leg freedom of movement.

Given that the Environ pants are hardshells, they don’t stretch. So, all that gusseting is critical to keeping it mobile while lunging on the skin track. Even still, they don’t move quite as well as stretchy softshell pants, which should be a surprise to no one. 

Main Fabric: Excellent for Resort Days, Subpar for Uphilling

The Environ pants utilize a three-layer recycled fabric that proved to be waterproof and decently breathable. The layers include a 150-denier recycled polyester face fabric, a waterproof membrane rated at 20,000mm, and a 20-denier tricot backer that was easy on the skin. It’s a lightweight yet durable, uninsulated package. 

That three-layer sandwich comes with a breathability rating of 10,000g/m2/24hrs. That’s less than half of GORE-TEX Pro’s class-leading 25,000g/m2/24hrs breathability rating.

That comes with a cost savings. GORE-TEX Pro fabric, for instance, is used in the Burton Men’s Hover GORE-TEX PRO 3L Pants for $560. Norrona’s Lofoten GORE-TEX PRO Pant is priced at $649.  

But I felt it on the skin track. For someone who runs as warm as I do, GORE-TEX pants are already risky when I’m ski touring uphill for extended periods. I found myself quickly reaching for the vents while wearing the Environ when things started getting steamy. The big vents certainly added some relief on the skin track, but Environ isn’t at the top of my list for ski touring.

However, the relatively low breathability wasn’t an issue while skiing at the resort. The vents did a good job of dumping heat, and the periodic chairlift breaks kept me from overheating or turning into a complete swamp. Short bootpacks to powder stashes didn’t overwhelm the Environ’s breathing capabilities. 

Ultimately, the Environ delivers steadfast waterproofing in exchange for lower breathability. This in-house textile isn’t quite as waterproof as GORE-TEX Pro, but that would really only matter if you found yourself skiing continuously in dumping rain or underwater — or venturing outside for back-to-back days and many hours in wet, heavy snow.

For skiing in drier areas, where the snow isn’t typically too wet, like Colorado or the Tetons, the Environ pants keep the falling moisture at bay during ripping snowstorms from the powder deities. Even kneeling or sitting in the snow for extended periods wasn’t enough for water to intrude. 

Five-Star Ski Pant Pockets

The men’s Environ snow pants get a gold star for pocket layout. Truly, it’s my ideal setup for both resort and ski touring. They include two zippered hand pockets with fleecy linings that are good for small items — car keys, loose Starbursts, or an avalanche beacon.

While possible, the hand pockets weren’t the most comfortable place for my phone. It tended to flop sideways and caused some restriction when I sat down on the chairlift — the kind of constraint that had me concerned I might taco my iPhone over my thigh. 

Thankfully, the right thigh pocket is a great size for bigger items like a phone, sandwich, or up to three canned beverages, thanks to its ability to expand outward. The pocket is secured with a zipper and further protected by a flap with a small snap button. It was easier to access while sitting on the chairlift, too, so I ended up stashing my phone in there most of the time when it wasn’t hanging out in my jacket pocket.

Integrated Belt: Removable, Versatile

The moment I see an integrated belt, I prepare myself for disappointment. They’re so often the weakness of otherwise great ski pants. Thankfully, Stio found the right balance and design with the Environ. Yes, there’s an integrated belt that wraps all the way around the waist with a big, meaty hook closure.

But the real highlight is that the belt is completely removable, which frees up plain ol’ belt loops so users can swap in their favorite belt. That adds a lot of versatility and expands the fit range substantially.

This is about as good as integrated belt systems can get, which is to say that the option to not have an integrated belt is easily my preference. It’s such a simple and elegant solution to pants security — why can’t other brands figure this out?

Cuff Design: Streamlined Shape, Durable

The Environ snow pants sport a medium-width exterior cuff and a grippy, elastic gaiter, both of which fit over my beefiest four-buckle ski boots. I appreciated that Stio went on the slimmer side with the lower legs and cuffs.

It reduces the swish while walking or ski touring and drastically reduces the snag factor while walking around in crampons. And subjectively, I liked that they didn’t feel like bell-bottoms while I was walking around in shoes on my way to the mountain. 

These cuffs and gaiters did what they needed while I was bootpacking toward hike-to terrain at the ski resort and in the backcountry. Snow wasn’t able to creep up into the tops of my boot liners or soak my legs. Even wallowing around in deep snow with my skis over my shoulder, the design defended me from the powder.

Takeaway: Exceptional Quality, Enduring

The “simple is better” design of men’s ski pants like the Environ tends to score well in the durability department. There just aren’t that many features to fail in these snow pants. As expected, the Environ held up well during the test period. Sticks, tree branches, and the occasional rock scrape didn’t stand a chance.

I didn’t notice any premature wear in the stitching. The cuffs are in excellent shape, even after being sliced by ski edges and battered by rocks after a few bootpacking excursions. The burly PeakProof 3L fabric even stood up well to a few snagged crampon points. Similar pokes have left a few of my less burly ski pants in tatters, or at least full of holes. 

The Environ pants are a simple, solid product. It’s hard to deny that they’re of exceptional quality. I expect that they’ll last many seasons of use, abuse, and exploration.

Critiques

As noted, in deep powder — and in moments when I could tumble — I prefer to wear bibs to keep snow out of my kit. Like me, there might be some moments when you just want bibs.

Otherwise, the drawback of the Environ is the breathability for uphill use, especially if you tend to run hot while you ski tour. The breathability comes at the cost of excellent weatherproofness.

The other detail to highlight is that while this design is well-articulated and supports movement, that’s not synonymous with stretch. This fabric doesn’t have much give.

Lastly, while the thigh pocket fits a phone, the two hand pockets are not comfortable for one.

Conclusion

Over several weeks of field testing on the resort and in the backcountry, I grew to appreciate the Stio Environ ski pants’ lack of bells and whistles. It was hard to find a major fault here. The core design is simple, streamlined, and high-quality. 

The PeakProof 3L is far from the most breathable waterproof fabric out there, and that’s really the Environ pants’ limiting factor. Skiers looking for one pair of hardshell pants for the backcountry or a 50/50 resort backcountry pair should look elsewhere, like Arc’teryx’s Sabre Pants. 

But skiers looking for a pair of resort-oriented hardshell ski pants will be hard-pressed to find a significantly better pair of waterproof ski pants, especially at this price point. For $419, you get a durable, protective pair of ski pants that move well, fit great, fend off the elements, and look dang good doing it.