Chamonix ski guide Asmus Norreslet says the Verglas 3L jacket from Helly Hansen is "a perfect workhorse for us guides." It only weighs 610 grams, and will survive 25,000 millimeters of water pressure before leaking. This jacket was designed with the touring athlete in mind – it stretches in the zones where you need it, like when you're climbing or scrambling, and has extra reinforcements in the most wearing points.
The Verglas 3L is also compatible with pack-straps and harnesses so you don't have to deal with frustrating calibrations when you're exposed on a windy face or hanging from an ice-axe. Hand-warming pockets help rejuvenate the flexibility in the phalanges, and the "full-time storm hood" fits over a helmet and comes equipped with one-hand pulleys.
Between the performance layering, storm-proof hood and powder skirt, the mountain elements will have one hell of a time breaking through these three layers of Verglas force-field.
