Best midlayer for legs?

Joe Hollowed wrote:

Thanks for the advice. Which knickers do you use?

I have a bunch (R1, cap thermal), but I mostly use the warmest - Arc Axino - for lift skiing. 

For ice climbing currently Mountain Hardware High Loft pants but I'm getting some Polartec Alpha 120gsm ones from Timmermade. I like the Alpha material a lot but it's not common. 

https://www.sportsmansguide.com/product/index/brooklyn-armed-forces-fleece-base-layer-pants?a=2227662

these are literally polartech grid fleece for $13. I have a couple of these and while I use them as a super warm baselayer they def fit over tight baselayers. The crotch does hang pretty low, so you can either roll them 1x or 2x at the waist or just wear them high. I took the waistband off and resewed it successfully though it was a pain.

I have a couple upper body mid layers that are polartech alpha. They are faced with quantum air. These are my most breathable 'faced' layers. Anyways, I wish I had just bought polartech alpha direct and then taken care of the wind/precip layer separately. All this to say Jdejace  has a good idea with those pants.

The price is completely unreasonable but for skiing these are the best I've ever used, kept me toasty in 0F and 60 mph wind this December in CO.  not bulky at all either, so would likely work well for climbing. 

https://www.stio.com/products/mens-fernos-insulated-knicker

Check out https://raggedmountain.com/mountain-strtch-bibs/  I use some MH Powerstretch bibs.  OR made some to, but both no longer. At first the Cirques feel tight with these underneath but they stretch a lot.

Lots of good advice in here. I'll add another possible (but long shot) option. I lucked into a pair of OR ascendant pants (Polartec Alpha, but sadly discontinued) and I absolutely love them for backcountry skiing in really cold (less than 10*) temps. They're pretty warm but still do what they need to do for active insulation. I usually pair them with midweight thermals and then BD dawn patrol pants over the top.

https://mountainequipment.com/products/ascendant-pants?variant=6159118106659#read_more_tag

Jake woo wrote:

https://www.sportsmansguide.com/product/index/brooklyn-armed-forces-fleece-base-layer-pants?a=2227662

these are literally polartech grid fleece for $13. I have a couple of these and while I use them as a super warm baselayer they def fit over tight baselayers. The crotch does hang pretty low, so you can either roll them 1x or 2x at the waist or just wear them high. I took the waistband off and resewed it successfully though it was a pain.

Here's another legitimate Polartec Power Stretch pant from a non-expensive brand:

https://www.kenyon.us/products/mens-power-stretch-tight-bottom?variant=33060676370

I have a pair of these and they are indistinguishable from a Power Stretch pant from a big brand, except for the logo.