Gear Review - Fjallraven Bergtagen GTX Pro ski jacket
- Henry
- Mar 27
- 4 min read
Updated: Apr 9
A first foray into snowsports for the iconic Swedish brand, but is it enough to stave off the appalling weather in which Skiing Unlocked tests?
You will know Fjallraven. Not for skiing, mind, but you will know Fjallraven. The Swedish brand have become the true, undisputed icons of Gorpcore – that is, a fashion trend of wearing and using more hiking and outdoor-focused technical gear in your day-to-day commute that has become the all the rage in the past decade.
Best known for their Kanken backpacks - city-fashionable, square-like, waxed cotton masterpieces - Fjallraven are now venturing into skiing. The Bergtagen is their headline, a hardcore GoreTex Pro jacket designed to compete with the biggest baddest bullies on the street.
Henry puts the Bergtagen to the test in the pouring rain of La Clusaz; this is Skiing Unlocked's review of the Fjallraven Bergtagen GTX Pro ski jacket, ready to hit the shelves in 2025/26.
The Brand
Fjallraven – officially Fjällräven – is a Swedish brand born from the woods and forests of the country's Baltic Sea coast. Designed to withstand the often mild, regularly cold, and constantly wet conditions of this region, the brand has developed a distinct Scandinavian identity since its founding in 1960.
As an example of this, Fjallraven manufacturer a huge amount of their gear using waxed cotton. Manufacturing hiking gear from this material makes it ideal for the decidedly mixed conditions of Eastern Sweden, plus there's a natural, foresty-ness to the material which makes it iconic in its own way.
As with many brands, it started somewhere else with founder Åke Nordin building his first frame backpacks, still inspiring the Kanken to this day, first from wood then aluminium and this now-famous waxed cotton. Over time the natural progression of running an outdoor brand has brought Fjallraven on to outdoor clothing, and now, from 2025 onwards, to ski gear.
However cool it would be for ski jackets to be made from this iconic waxed cotton, doing so for skiing is wholly impractical. Therefore it is a really smart idea for the brand to outsource this to the guys that know best – GoreTex. The Bergtagen features GoreTex Pro, quite simply the single best membrane on the market that is both breathable and waterproof. This is then matched with a hardcore 80-denir face fabric and a really nice, easy to work with liner for a really high quality feel and exceptional performance in the decidedly mixed conditions I was testing in.
The performance is superb, too. Skiing in La Clusaz we had surprising temperatures of +8°C, remarkably unseasonable considering it was late-January and it had been freezing the rest of the month. At the same time, it rained. And rained. And rained. I’ve never seen rain like it in the mountains. But the Bergtagen was up to the job - and then some - beading raindrops beautifully and keeping me dry and the wind off the whole day.
In general, the jacket worked well, with enough features across the piece to keep everyone happy. Outside pockets were supplied via two napoleon pockets on the chest, providing plenty of space for a phone or just to stash stuff. The pit zips are huge, running halfway down the side of the jacket, making it easier than ever to dump heat in warm conditions.
Inside things are slightly more limited but still effective. A zip-up napoleon pocket on the chest helps keep small things secure, and a stash pocket on the right hand side is on hand to throw stuff in. Like many modern skiing shells the Bergtagen comes without a powder skirt - whilst at first glance this may seem a big issue, it is not. At all. I've been skiing without a powder skirt all winter long having previously skied exclusively with one, and haven't missed it. What brands are trying to tell us is that it's a skill issue more than anything else ...
There are a few drawbacks to this one that do raise an eyebrow. I was skiing in a charcoal grey colour which, whilst smart and easy on the eye, really didn't pop or stand out. Yes, the light was a bit flat which didn't help (you can see from the pictures just how flat it was), but you will need bright trousers to compensate (or, you know, just choose a different colour jacket!).
The fit also seemed a bit off. There is a trend in the outdoor industry to make the cuts of jackets bigger and baggier; this is both to accommodate the freedom of movement required for backcountry skiing, but more than that we're all getting fatter, unfortunately, and the backcountry is no longer the preserve of the super fit. Possibly guilty as charged myself ...
However it seems Fjallraven have looked at the rest of the market and copied them for copying sakes, rather than developing their own fit. Everything is just a bit big across the middle and down the sleeves, and a bit too big at that. Scandinavian brands have a habit of building things a bit on the large size as they are catering for literal Vikings, but this seemed a bit off even for that.
The best example and worst offender for this was the helmet compatible hood. It was unbelievable huge, even when cinched in, and could fit a Guardsman's bearskin under.
Also, there is no ski pass pocket. Who in this day and age produces a skiing specific jacket without a lift pass pocket?! All in all, it just seemed that there was something ever so slightly off about the design of this piece.
Final Thoughts
I liked this jacket, fundamentally. It performed really well and offered a nice, clean look, marking a really good first step forward for the traditionally hiking-focused brand. However, there is a little more refinement still needed for this to compete with the offerings of established ski and snowboard brands, primarily in the fit of the thing.
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