Rockstar Pant

Guiding and rock climbing in the Estes Park Valley of Colorado all summer has meant a lot of early morning approaches to rock climbs in chilly temps during the early season and sweat inducing heat at 4am during the middle of the summer. One thing that was a constant was the knowledge that the day would bring strong wind at some point. The Marmot M3 Rockstar Pant was and still is my go to pant everyday. The stretch – and I mean really stretchy – when climbing and hiking uphill is phenomenal, which means less leg fatigue caused by pants that don’t allow full range of movement. They breathe very well, so I stay hydrated longer as I am not sweating as much and they cut the wind – a much needed feature on approaches, climbs and late afternoon descents in Rocky Mountain National Park.

I have used the same pair of Rockstar Pants to trek to peaks in Nepal and Pakistan, climb around 10,000 vertical feet of rock, and run countless miles of ridgelines for two years. Other than a few stains from melted cheese dropping out of early morning breakfast burritos while I drive to trailheads, a bit of knuckle blood from crack climbs and ground in chalk dust, they still feel brand new!

Ideally the Rockstar Pant is best used spring, summer and fall – wait, that pretty much covers most of the year. Layered with a light base layer or topped with a Marmot Precip pant I am yet to find a climb, approach or activity they cannot handle!