Favorite alpine summer pants

What’s everyone’s favorite pants for the high country in summertime? Thinking about upgrading my dungarees 

Check out the Marmot Scree Pants.  These have served me well for several seasons of alpine rock fun!  I like the zippers on the lower legs.  Zip them down for the approach to keep the debris out of your shoes then open up the zipper and roll them up for optimal foot viewing while climbing.  

Any pants that are light colored, stretchy, fit well, and don't abrade the low back under a pack. "High Country" is a pretty vague term, are you doing Katahdin, 14ers, Tolumne, Bugaboos? All pretty different conditions. All the normal players make something that will work great if it fits you.

Linnaeus wrote: Any pants that are light colored, stretchy, fit well, and don't abrade the low back under a pack. "High Country" is a pretty vague term, are you doing Katahdin, 14ers, Tolumne, Bugaboos? All pretty different conditions. All the normal players make something that will work great if it fits you.

This. Fit is the most important consideration, so it doesn't restrict movement. A good fit in the waist is equally critical, I don't want to have to wear a belt under my harness. My personal favorite is the Black Diamond BDV pants.

Mammut Courmayeur are great.  Stretchy, breathable, durable. 

Linnaeus wrote: Any pants that are light colored, stretchy, fit well, and don't abrade the low back under a pack. "High Country" is a pretty vague term, are you doing Katahdin, 14ers, Tolumne, Bugaboos? All pretty different conditions. All the normal players make something that will work great if it fits you.

One pant to rule them all?

Arcteryx gamma rock are awesome if you can find a pair.  But they replaced them with another pant. 

gamma lt's for me... I love those pants.

Nothing more liberating than those nice summer days climbing with no pantalones on!

Outdoor Research Ferrosi

I have been a long time fan of prana for my climbing pants here in CO. Finally just put a hole in the knee of my 3 year old pair. I like the new straight cut Zion. They are water resistant (surprisingly so) and stretchy and the new straight cut ones are less baggy in the ankles. I just picked up a few pair of OR Ferrosi's and I dig them. The fit is good and they are a lot thinner than the pranas. So I'm assuming worse durability but better in the summer!

I have a few pairs of the OR ferossi crag pants and like them.  However , if they get wet, the weight of the water in them will really stetch the fabric and make them huge until they dry.  Like annoyingly huge since the fabric is so stretchy.

Callan Kerns wrote: I have been a long time fan of prana for my climbing pants here in CO. Finally just put a hole in the knee of my 3 year old pair. I like the new straight cut Zion. They are water resistant (surprisingly so) and stretchy and the new straight cut ones are less baggy in the ankles. I just picked up a few pair of OR Ferrosi's and I dig them. The fit is good and they are a lot thinner than the pranas. So I'm assuming worse durability but better in the summer!

I've got a pair of their climbing capris that has survived three seasons, including two weeks in the Picket range in the Cascades and a week groveling in Joshua Tree that destroyed my "approach" shoes, they are sturdy for being as light weight as they are.

I have the Marmot Scree, Mammut Courmayeur, BD BDV pants, and at least 10 Stretch Zion's.  My favorite is the Scree although after less than six months of use there's a couple stitches coming undone. I'll warranty or fix them if necessary, and will buy more.  The fabric is awesome and thicker than my other pants.  I had high hopes for the Mammut pant but it is much thinner, and didn't come in a 30" inseam. It is a very high quality pant though, that I love for snowboarding. BDV is solid but the cut of the butt is very odd and it looks like you took a big shit in your pants as there's weird extra fabric.  Stretch zions, while my go to for a decade plus, pale in comparison to the other pants I've listed. They are much cheaper however. 

John Ryan wrote: BDV is solid but the cut of the butt is very odd and it looks like you took a big shit in your pants as there's weird extra fabric.

That's interesting to hear. I wanted a pair of BDV pants, but they were discontinued. Instead, I found a pair of Westcomb Recon pants that use the same material as the BDV as far as I know, and they have this same weird problem: extra saggy fabric in the butt area.

John Ryan wrote:  I had high hopes for the Mammut pant but it is much thinner, and didn't come in a 30" inseam. It is a very high quality pant though, that I love for snowboarding. 

The Mammut Courmayeurs are very thin-feeling.  When I first got them I was going to swap them for the slightly heavier Mammut Champ pants.  But after all is said and done, I have worn them on a 90d day hiking the Teton Crest and on a -20 (-68 with windchill) day on Mt. Washington.  I'm convinced that with the right insulation underneath, even though they're thin, they do the job.  I do have mixed feelings about the integrated belt..  

Prana Stretch Zions! Dry fast, light and durable. But most of all, you don't need a belt with them (which if you do, is a deal breaker for me).

+1 for stretch zions.

another vote for Mammut Courmeyeur - light/breathable enough for hot/summer, weatherproof enough for severe winter with appropriate insulation underneath.  I milked about 15 years out of my first pair (did a lot of sewing), and am into my second year of my second pair.  I did dump the integral belt and just use a "normal" belt.

Rab Sawtooth - Double weave matrix softshell is more weatherproof/durable than the Zion's and Ferrosi's. They're more breathable than the Arcteryx Gamma LT's. Also has zippered pockets, reinforced kick patches, and under boot cord attachments making it great for mountaineering/ski touring as well as alpine climbing.

I have a pair of Black Diamond BVD pants (the original ones - made with Schoeller softshell fabric), grey, size medium. If someone wants them PM me - I'd be happy to sell them as they're a bit warm for me climbing in Vegas and just sit in the closet.