Review: Kühl's Glen Plake-Designed Defiant Freeride Shell and Bib
Well, it’s no secret that the ski season in Utah has been, shall we say, underwhelming so far. With record high temps and really only one single storm to speak of, December has been a challenging month for those of us that live and thrive in snowing mountains. But, we’re making due, we’re being patient. For me that means training, planning, and dialing in gear. One particular kit that has piqued my interest while I’ve been shuffling through outerwear and getting out for early season tours is KÜHL’s new Defiant KÜHLFLEX Freeride kit.
The kit is a great addition to a long legacy of mountain gear from the brand. KÜHL has been around since 1983, and they were founded by legendary skiers and mountain people like Alf Engen and Conrad Anker. This new Defiant Freeride kit continues to blend that heritage with today’s style and function as it was designed in part by Glen Plake. While I’ve been waiting for the snow to fly, I’ve been watching old and new ski videos alike, and this new gear from KÜHL fits well into the predecessors of today’s freeride movement, with features that could only come out to fit the needs of the skier in 2026.
Kühl Defiant Shell and Bibs Specs
- Sizes Available: S, M, L, XL (men's) | XS, S, M, L, XL (women's)
- Material: KÜHLFLEX
- Colors: Canteen, Pirate Blue, Raven, Kuhl Blue (men's) | Winter Berry, Raven, Wintery Sky, Black Olive (women's)
- MSRP: $675 (jacket), $600 (bibs)
What is KÜHLFLEX?
To fit the design concept that the jacket and bib are made for both the resort skier as well as the occasional backcountry freerider, KÜHL added a couple of key ingredients to the fabric and build. The KÜHLFLEX material is waterproof, breathable, and has a light stretch for movement all while still feeling very robust. So far in my experience, the material feels solid. They claim that overtime it will not stretch out, but instead hold its shape while continuing to move well, breath, and keep the elements out. They were able to remove PFAS from the waterproofing process to make the piece both compliant with current regulations and more environmentally conscious.
It’s Kühl’s take on the three-layer waterproof/breathable membrane fabric that has been mandatory in any technical outerwear piece–comparable to the likes of Gore-Tex, Futurelight, Dermizax, and more.
Novel Design Features
Some of the best parts of this kit are the novel details that keep in mind the challenges that skiers face with outerwear. Both the pant and the jacket have some interesting and seemingly completely novel design features. When Kühl’s designers went through these pieces, they definitely thought about challenges we run into as skiers, and considered how best to fix them.
On the jacket, they worked to answer the age-old question: should I crack my zipper and let my sweaty self breath, or should I stay zipped up and keep the snow out? They developed a double hem system that allows the user to zip up a secondary flap next to the main front zipper that has two inches of ventilated fabric for both keeping the jacket closed while also letting air circulate around your body. When the jacket is normally zipped for the descent, this panel just stows inside the seam. Think of it like a flap you would normally have that would button closed, except it’s another zipper and the flap is a vent. On first look, it seems pretty functional. We will see if I can change decades of behavior and use a totally new feature, but it seems promising.
On the bibs, there is another great tool for both functionality and breathability. The bibs are essentially a highwaisted snowpant with suspenders, which over the years, I have come to prefer over a full-bodied bib. The upper waist is completely mesh. By being a shorter bib and using this material, the pant both stays on and fits snug around the waist while also not overheating, the way a full-sized bib often does. You can also zip off the suspenders completely and have a normal snowpant if that is more your style.
The second thoughtful element on the bib is the cuff. We all know that if you put a full season in on a pair of snowpants, your pant cuffs are usually pretty shredded. Personally, I do my best to roll the cuff up into the powder gaiter, but still–ski edges, weird travel, and hard use still tend to slash little rips in them. On the Defiant bib, KÜHL elected to use a neoprene rubber to reinforce the cuff. They saw how durable river rafting boats were and thought: maybe that won’t get totally destroyed. On first wear, it definitely feels heavy duty, but if it holds up, I would take a little extra bulk over a destroyed cuff.
How Does the Defiant Kit Fit?
A big question we as skiers always ask is, of course, about pockets. Both the jacket and pant seem to have ample pockets. I counted five on my first look through the jacket including big chest pockets, internal stash pockets, and some pass pockets on the sleeve. The bib has a big thigh pocket which I like for my phone, and a strange tiny pocket up near the hip. Maybe for your goggle bag or a scraper?
For the fit, I feel like this kit really slides back into the legacy of the mid 2000s-2010s “golden era.” As I’ve been rewatching all of my favorite films, I think this is a collection that I would have seen on one of the legends like Seth, Shane, or Candide in shots from the early blend of freestyle and big mountain skiing. Indeed, it makes sense that Plake helped design it–someone who has been involved with the industry since freeride really started. It’s baggy but not too baggy, it's functional, but does not give up on a style that I think has transcended the different generations. All that is to say, for me, it’s a perfect fit in the type of skiing I both like to do and to watch.
As this season starts to pick up, I hope to get out for more days in the mountains with this gear. It will be nice to try all of their new features while also repping something that fits into a classic freeski legacy of style and function.