Review: We Tried Wild Rye's First Ever Ski Kit

I spent several weeks skiing in the Heyburn 3L jacket and bibs in Central Oregon, which this review will focus on. On the whole, I can say I was wildly impressed with both. Anecdotally, due to a lost bag in Austria, I also got to spend a bonus day in the Butterfield 3L jacket, which I was equally impressed with. Ski outwear is not an easy thing to make well and it’s clear that Wild Rye was not hasty in the development of the products. 

Wild Rye Heyburn Specs

• Sizes: XS, S, M, L, XL
• Fit: Relaxed fit
• Material: 3L 30k/30k waterproof membrane 
• Colors Available: shaded spruce, amethyst

Sizing and Fit

I’m the first to admit I love a baggier "freeride" fit in my ski outerwear. Despite the fact that I have the opposite approach to hardgoods, I also prefer to have more of a "one-ski-quiver" approach to outerwear. This season, I got a pair of bibs specifically for touring, but I wear the same shell just about every day. For reference, I’m 5’5” and around 115-120lbs and wear small bibs if I want a more fitted look and a medium if I want true baggy steeze, and a medium jacket which is definitely a bit oversized on me. 

For the test, I wore a small size in the Heyburn 3L jacket and bibs. The kit is supposed to have a relaxed fit, but still be easy to move in and technical for big backcountry days. The bibs were pretty baggy on me, specifically in the stretchy back panel, which Wild Rye has updated and fixed in the production version. Aside from this back panel, they were still pretty long on me. I had to cinch the shoulder straps all the way down, however, in the production version, they’ve moved the shoulder strap hardware forward so it doesn’t interfere with a backpack. 

In contrast, the jacket felt a little on the smaller side to me. I initially wore it on some spring days with just a base layer or thin fleece underneath and it was okay, but the stormier days I wore it with a puffy underneath, it felt a bit tight in the shoulders and the arms felt a little short. In the production version of the jacket, the sleeves and torso length have been extended and more room has been added in the collar which should help with that tightness and layering.

From purely a preference standpoint, I don’t like touring in bibs that have fabric all the way up to my sternum. I much prefer an "under-boob" fit or just pants when going uphill a lot. The Heyburn bibs had full front coverage that went up rather high on me.

In the Field

I tested the Heyburn 3L kit in a range of conditions at Mt. Bachelor, which is pretty easy to do given how fast the weather changes here. My first few days in it were in warm, spring conditions. I found that the kit was pretty darn breathable when I was sweaty and skiing bumps or bootpacking up to Summit or the Cone. Like I said before, the bibs have more fabric than I prefer on the torso, which does keep you a bit warmer, but it didn’t feel too swampy, even when I was sweaty. The jacket also had great pit-zip vents that did well to ventilate things.

When winter returned to Bachelor, I took the kit out on a few stormy, wet central Oregon pow days. The kit isn’t made from Gore-Tex fabric, which is what I usually wear for maximum defense against PNW snow, but the 3L 30k/30k membrane was still very waterproof. The fabric didn’t soak through at all and once again, didn’t feel soggy or swampy even after a day of storm skiing. It also gets an added bonus for visibility in the trees on low-vis PNW days, which is actually a pretty big safety concern at Mt. Bach. 

Both the jacket and bibs had amazing pockets. The bibs had two main thigh pockets with a beacon hardpoint for those who prefer the pocket beacon method and were large enough for my phone, lens cap, etc. There was also a nice big chest pocket on the bibs. While I don’t love that much fabric in a touring bib, the extra pocket space is lovely for resort days.

The jacket doesn’t have traditional hip pockets, but rather two massive chest pockets. While at first, I was confused, I came to love them and figured out I could fit my gloves or my camera with a prime lens into them easily. 

The bibs also had a full drop seat which made it easy to pee in the trees, parking lots, or sanctioned resort bathrooms (who does that though??). I did find a front zipper plus the drop seat zippers a little extra, but hey, who am I to complain about three different ways to get into a pair of bibs?

While it usually takes a bit for gear to really show wear and tear, I was deeply impressed with the kit in the few weeks I had it and did my darndest to put it to the test. After being thrown in my gear closet and the back of my truck, having my camera shoved in it, hiking a bunch of laps with skis on my shoulder, and the oil from Bachelor’s lifts dripped on it, and spending an afternoon tailgating in it, the kit held up well to the abuse I put it through. There weren’t any parts of it or features that I was concerned about falling apart or wearing out. 

As an added bonus, the amethyst color of the Heyburn kit is amazing. I will say that it looks a bit different in person than it does in photos in a way I can’t describe but that is SO good. I have never gotten so many compliments on literally anything I’ve worn, ever. Random people in the lot and lift lines, lifties all over the mountain, and people who saw it on my Instagram were telling me how good the color was. Anecdotally, I got off the lift a couple weeks after I’d returned to my normal all-black kit and some random dude behind me skied up to me and said ‘hey don’t you normally wear that dope all purple kit?’ Iconic. 

What Type Of Skier Is The Wild Rye Heyburn Kit Best For?

Wild Rye’s Heyburn 3L kit is for lady rippers who are looking to look great and make a real statement with their ski outerwear while remaining dry and comfortable. The kit has a pass pocket in the jacket sleeve so it’s well suited to resort laps and quick backcountry missions. As a point of preference again, I don’t know that I’d take at least the bibs on a long day of touring, but if you’re someone who doesn’t mind the extra fabric, the bibs would hold up well deep in the backcountry.