After I pulled the brand new Columbia Platinum Peak II girls’s ski jacket out of the field, my first thought was, “That is $300?!” Sure, that’s nonetheless some huge cash. However we’re now dwelling in an period the place many ski jackets hover between $500 and $700, with some even pushing $900. Compared, the Platinum Peak II seems like a cut price — however provided that it performs.
Luckily, Columbia pulled off the trifecta: it appears to be like good, it really works effectively, and it doesn’t blow up your checking account. The 2025-2026 jacket is an up to date model of an older mannequin and now presents elevated waterproofness and an extended hemline for higher protection on powder days.
After 2 weeks of snowboarding every thing from backcountry powder in Tignes, France, to high-speed groomers within the Italian Dolomites and carved-out bumps again house in Aspen, Colo., I can confidently say this ski jacket for ladies delivers.
Briefly: The Columbia Titanium Platinum Peak II ($300) is a light-weight, three-layer girls’s ski shell with spectacular waterproofing, intuitive options, and sufficient fashion to put on from hut excursions to carry laps. It’s not excellent, however it’s an absolute standout at a $300 value level — and proof that you simply don’t must spend $700 to get severe efficiency.
To see how the opposite girls’s ski jackets examine, scope out the Greatest Girls’s Ski Jackets purchaser’s information.
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Useful match with room to layer -
Good-to-have options like adjustable wrist cuffs -
Strong waterproofing and climate safety -
It’s a screaming cut price in comparison with many different jackets in the marketplace
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It runs small, so chances are you’ll must dimension up
Columbia Sportswear Girls’s Titanium Platinum Peak II Girls’s Ski Jacket
This jacket is full of worth. The Omni-TECH membrane might not have the model recognition of GORE-TEX, however that’s what retains the worth down. And, in my testing, it dealt with snow, wind, and sweat with ease.
The minimize works effectively for snowboarding and layering, the pockets are sensible, and the sleeve cuffs are certainly one of my favourite small-but-mighty design wins. I’m 5’5″ and customarily put on a medium — principally as a result of my barely broad shoulders and wider hips make small jackets a no-go — however this jacket sizing labored higher for me in a dimension giant.
Should you’re on the lookout for a strong shell for the season, whether or not you’re snowboarding bell to bell or chasing powder on weekends, this one deserves a severe look.
Technical Efficiency: A True Winter Workhorse
I put this shell by means of the wringer in a spread of climate, together with frigid, windy storm days at Aspen Snowmass and hotter spring snowboarding within the Dolomites and Tignes, France. Columbia’s Omni-TECH membrane held up superbly, holding out snow and wind with out leaving me stewing in my very own sweat. It even labored throughout a 30-degree backcountry ski tour within the Cols des 4 area of France.
What impressed me most was the jacket’s efficiency in blowing snow and high-output snowboarding. On one notably brutal day again house in Aspen, the alpine wind was robust sufficient to knock me sideways on a traverse.
However I used to be happy to notice that the gale-force winds weren’t getting previous the jacket. There was no wind sneak or moisture leaks, and the chin guard plus helmet-compatible hood created a comfy cocoon that sealed out the weather.
Even on lengthy pores and skin tracks, the jacket by no means felt clammy. I unzipped the underarm vents on the climbs and zipped them again down for the descents, appreciating how shortly I may regulate warmth. The articulated elbows and stretch-friendly minimize made motion clean, even after I needed to unbury myself after wiping out in a couple of toes of powder (whoops!)
This jacket is constructed for ladies who tour, rip resort laps, chase powder, or just need strong tech with no luxurious price ticket. For $300, it’s punching means above its class.
Fashion & Match: Flattering With out Being Fussy
The Platinum Peak II’s match is relaxed in a sensible means. Not solely does it permit room for a base layer and a midlayer, however it additionally doesn’t overwhelm your body or make you are feeling such as you’re swimming in a freeride minimize higher suited to the terrain park.
The brand new, barely longer hem covers your bottom on the carry or whereas bending over to click on into bindings — one thing I absolutely appreciated on colder days after I opted for snow pants as an alternative of bibs. That further protection goes a great distance in holding snow out and heat in.
The adjustable hood suits cleanly over a ski helmet and doesn’t pull tightly towards your neck, so you continue to have sufficient mobility to really flip your head and look the place you’re going. The general minimize additionally manages to really feel flattering with out being fussy.
It drapes properly with out clinging or using up, and the delicate drop-tail design makes it look extra put collectively than a typical shell — even while you’re layered up and hauling skis over your shoulder.
That stated, sizing could also be tough. I initially ordered a medium, assuming it could be excellent since I’ve traditionally toggled between small and medium in Columbia jackets. However the match beneath the arms was tighter than I like, particularly with a puffy beneath. I exchanged it for a big, which gave me the vary of movement and layering functionality I wanted. It could be price sizing up in case you’re in between.
Options: Considerate Touches That Work
Columbia didn’t skimp on sensible options on this up to date shell. The PU-coated chest pocket zippers are modern and water resistant. The 2-way zipper up entrance makes lavatory breaks (or adjusting a harness) rather a lot simpler. Zippered hand pockets had sufficient room for snacks, a chapstick, and even my compact touring skins.
Skiers may even love the snap-back powder skirt, goggle pocket, and a devoted ski move pocket for carry days. It’s the type of jacket that transitions seamlessly from backcountry tour to resort chairlift, with no need to modify kits or really feel misplaced.
And whereas it could sound like a small element, the adjustable cuffs are my favourite function. Not solely have they got the same old Velcro enclosure to widen or slender the wrist, however Columbia additionally stitched in a gusset. When the Velcro is undone, the wrist is broad sufficient to easily fall over your mittens with none tugging or fussing. As a tried-and-true under-the-cuff mitten gal, this was a small luxurious for me.
Room for Enchancment
If I needed to nitpick, the sizing is the one space the place this jacket wants work. Columbia has at all times had some variability in slot in my expertise, however I’ve accepted that they have a tendency to run on the large aspect of issues. Properly, colour me stunned as a result of this jacket was not that! I’m solely 5’5” and 145 kilos, so I used to be genuinely stunned that the medium felt too cosy throughout my chest (as a result of I’m not busty).
However, as soon as I did dimension up, I had loads of further room so it wasn’t an enormous subject. And, while you’re the price of the jacket, that could be a (literal) small value to pay for an in any other case high-quality equipment.
Closing Ideas
The brand new Columbia Platinum Peak II 3L Shell delivers what most ladies skiers really need: technical efficiency with out the posh markup, a match that works for many our bodies, and options that make sense.
After 15 days of testing in every thing from household ski journeys to gusty backcountry slogs, I can confidently say this is without doubt one of the finest worth shells I’ve examined this season. At $300, it’s not only a budget-friendly possibility; it’s a no brainer for skiers who need top-tier waterproofing, strong breathability, and good options with out the inflated price ticket.
