The Best Top for Skiing

As if after the well-received release of their expert tights, CW-X had to do anything else to gain the respect of the skiing community .

A couple years ago CW-X introduced tights that supported the knees, the area of the body that skiers injure most frequently. My skiing friends and I swear by those tights and can't remember how we ever got by without them.

A few months ago, CW-X improved on its expert tights by making them insulated. These new tights can be worn as a base layer on cold days or as an outer layer on warmer days.

The young company renowned for its high quality and targeted-support athletic wear has now come out with a perfect top for skiing. Made of the same material as the insulated expert tights, the CW-X Insulator Pro Zip-T maintains a steady, comfortable temperature of seventy-seven degrees. Most of the shirt is made of a four way stretch fabric, and the targeted supportive material is made of a more dense fabric that stretches in two directions. I find that my CW-X Insulator Pro Zip-T helps my posture. Its supportive “web” targets my chest and guides me to hold my shoulders back in a comfortable position.

Aside from its obvious usefulness, there are a few extra features to this top that I really appreciate. Specifically its sleeves have built-in thumb holes that are quite useful when skiing. To ensure that all of my skin is covered, I slip my thumb into my Insulated Pro Zip-T and then put on my glove. The shirt's zip feature is also quite useful for skiing; it zips all the way to the top of the neck, keeping your entire torso warm. So that the zipper doesn't aggravate your neck, it locks nicely into the shirt – another ingenious feature in this feature-packed shirt. Finally, this shirt offers an SPF protection of 50, meaning that if I wear it as an outer layer on a moderately warm day, I need not worry about protecting my body from the sun's harmful UV rays.

Of all the great things that this Insulated Pro Zip-T offers, unfortunately it does not offer you a hand to close your mouth when you've had a look at the price tag. The CW-X Insulator Pro Zip-T displays a price tag of eighty-five dollars, which is a lot more than most people are willing to spend on a shirt that is meant to be hidden from view under other layers. Nevertheless, after having tried this shirt on and knowing full well my salary wouldn't allow for such a luxurious expense, I happily spend the money on it, justifying to myself that its insulation feature is good enough that it does the job of two shirts.