Budget Layer for Resort Shredding: The North Face Freedom Ski Pants Review

The $650 ski pants I’ve been testing for most of the season are awesome. They defend me from the elements at the resort and on the skin track. They’re lightweight, and they look cool.

So when I slipped into The North Face’s Freedom ski pants for men and started bouncing through powder at the resort, I wasn’t expecting much. They’re about a quarter of the price — how good could they be?

It turns out that I can ski powder in bad weather and still feel warm and stylish on the mountain for $170 in the Freedom Pants. That’s excellent news for folks entering this notoriously expensive sport. If nothing else, rocking the Freedom Pants has been eye-opening. 

The uninsulated Freedom Pants deliver great value. Nearly $100 cheaper than other economic snow pants, the Freedom Pants include the critical elements of a good pair without unnecessary frills. And sure, they have some limitations and aren’t built to last forever. But the men’s Freedom ski pants will get you out into the snow, protect you from the wind, and free your mind to focus on the next turn.

In short: The North Face Freedom ($170) ski pants deliver waterproofing and protection from the elements at an affordable price. They’re a streamlined pair with two-layer waterproof fabric, a simple pocket layout, a good waist and seat, protective boot cuffs, and two vents. It’s a basic recipe that checks the boxes for resort riding. The breathability and mobility don’t quite cut it for the skin track, so these pants are most at home in lift-serviced terrain.

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

The North Face Freedom Ski Pants Review

The Freedom Ski Pants have been in The North Face’s lineup for several years and continue delivering incredible value. The current iteration hasn’t changed much in the last few years.

In The North Face’s extensive catalog of ski pants, the Freedom Pants are second only to the more minimalist Build-Up Pants in the budget-friendly department. They come in an insulated version and a bib design that utilizes the same materials and aesthetic. 

The pants’ main fabric is a 160D X 140D DryVent 2L recycled nylon fabric that has proven to be plentifully waterproof for day-to-day resort skiing. It’s impressive that The North Face could integrate recycled nylon for the main fabric and recycled polyester for the lining at this price. Recycled fabrics are typically seen in much more expensive garments. Kudos.

It’s coated in a non-PFC, durable, water-repellent finish to add to the protection. The combination worked. Water beaded off the fabric and refused to absorb or penetrate it. That may change slightly as the DWR wears off over many days of use until reapplied, but it remained steadfast during the test period. 

Fabric & Insulation

The North Face Freedom Pants are technically uninsulated but are noticeably warmer than other uninsulated shell pants like the Arc’teryx Sabre Pants three-layer shell. When you look closely at the fabric layers of the Freedom Pants, it’s easy to see why — they aren’t bonded together fully, so those layers can trap some insulating air. Plus, the lining has the hand feel of a fine fleece. I run warm generally, but I had no problem skipping a base layer on mild days.

On frigid days, I layered with my favorite gridded base layer from the same company, The North Face Summit Series FutureFleece Pants. That combo ended up being particularly warm. My legs felt toasty on windy ridgelines and frigid chairlift rides. 

The Freedom Pants have limited versatility outside the ski resort boundary and on the skin track. While protective, the two-layer fabric isn’t exceptionally breathable. My legs started feeling clammy after some aerobic uphill ski touring. Sweating inside your pants is a quick way to get cold when you stop moving or the temperature drops. 

The inner thigh vents were helpful, but they didn’t dump anywhere near as effectively as the vents on the Flylow Chemical Pants. Part of that is because they are backed with mesh, which limits some airflow but protects the wearer from intruding snow. Like most other attributes, the Freedom Pants lean toward protective over versatile. 

If you need to dump more heat from these pants, snipping out the mesh with a good pair of scissors would take less than 5 minutes. But I didn’t mind the protective mesh for resort skiing — it kept the snow out of my boots when I was wallowing in the deep stuff. 

Fit & Sizing

The North Face is one of the few companies leaning into inclusive sizing. The Freedom Pants are offered in sizes ranging from XXS to XXL. Each of those sizes comes in short, regular, or long inseam options. Most folks will find a good fit from this catalogue. At 6’1” and 190 pounds, the medium/regular felt like the right match for me.  

The fit is generally good for resort skiing and snowboarding. A nice, high waist is the first thing I look for, and The North Face nailed it with the Freedom Pants. They were high enough that I didn’t worry about snow creeping in from the top when I was sitting or bending. Snowboarders will be pleased here, too. 

Waistband & Mobility Woes

The waist fastening system is straightforward and mostly effective. The fly is secured with a zipper and a standard button snap. Velcro tabs on either hip allow the wearer to adjust the tension to keep the pants up. But, I found the Freedom Pants were susceptible to the same issue most non-stretchy pant waists face.

With massive compression or after a big plate of nachos, the Velcro tabs popped open without much resistance. Thankfully, the designers at The North Face included belt loops. My Patagonia Tech Web Belt kept everything secure without any issues. 

The standard cut strikes a nice balance between baggy and athletic. Most folks will probably get along with the silhouette just fine. Because the main fabric isn’t stretchy, that little bit of bagginess helps them move enough for lift-serviced skiing. I also appreciated the Freedom Pants’ articulated knees during dynamic descents on groomers. The pants didn’t restrict my movement or form when blasting through crud or carving on the piste. 

Despite an overall nice fit, the Freedom Pants’ mobility is limited. I found those limits easily during long ski touring strides and when I was charging through couch-sized moguls. There was some tightness at the seams that I didn’t find to be the case in some of the higher-end pants like Stio’s Environs. 

Pockets

The North Face Freedom pants sport my ideal pocket layout for resort-oriented ski pants. Two zippered fleece-lined hand pockets keep the necessities secure — this is where I keep my keys and other small essentials. My phone technically fit in each one just fine. But once I started skiing, I felt it jabbing me here and there. It’s not the best option for phone storage. 

A cargo pocket on the right thigh was just big enough for a sandwich or a collection of Clif Bars. It is not a secure pocket — the flap is fastened with two Velcro tabs. Without any zippers or snap buttons, I didn’t take the chance of storing my phone there. So, for me, it was a dedicated smashed PB&J pocket.

So, despite the Freedom Pants’ good pocket layout, my phone had to be kept in my bouncier jacket pocket. 

Durability

The Freedom Pants have held up well during the test period, but I wouldn’t consider them bombproof like the Flylow Chemical Pants. That 160D X 140D DryVent 2L recycled nylon face fabric is tough and abrasion-resistant. The branches I blasted through while skiing through the trees didn’t phase it. Even a jab by a particularly nasty stick couldn’t puncture it. 

Per my testing, the vulnerability is in the stitching. Most of the seams are held together with a single line of stitching. I had one thread on the lower right leg bust open, revealing the pants’ inner layer through a small hole. So, while they’re durable for day-to-day resort skiing, they’ll suffer from serious use and abuse. 

The very bottom of the hem is sealed in with a strip of burly fabric that wraps around the entire bottom margin of the cuff. A few of the stitches got sliced, which could lead to further delamination. 

Fortunately, the designers included burly 500D nylon instep patches to fend off ski edges, which have done a solid job of protecting the integrity of the pants’ cuffs so far. 

Conclusion

The North Face Freedom Pants hit the mark for very affordable ski pants. Between a waterproof fabric and a durable water-repellent finish, they have protection from the elements and waterproofing covered. They also have the basics to get you out on the mountain comfortably and in style. 

While the face fabric is tough, these aren’t the most durable pants I’ve tested. That doesn’t mean they will fall apart on you — far from it. It simply means that they might not stand up to many seasons of severe abuse like a burlier pair. All of the minor stitching issues I’ve encountered could be mended in about 10 seconds by someone who knows what they’re doing with a needle and thread.

The Freedom Pants will fit the bill for recreational riders needing a pair of men’s ski pants to get in the game at the resort at an affordable price. They have what you need, like good waterproofing, and nothing you don’t. And it’s hard to argue with a pair of pants that are hundreds of dollars cheaper than other options.