The Fusalp Fuseau and Ski Pants Guide

Fusalp ski pants start with the fuseau, the slim stretch ski trouser that gave the brand its name: Fusalp is a contraction of “fuseau” and “Alpes”. Today’s Elancia and Diana are softshell bonded to fleece with a fitted leg, and the Nolai and Getta add padding and straps. Luxury Handbags stocks six women’s styles on our Fusalp page and in women’s ski pants.

What is a Fusalp fuseau?

A fuseau is a close-cut stretch ski trouser, narrow through the leg and made to move. Fusalp did not invent it: French Wikipedia notes that stretch fuseaux already existed in the 1930s, notably from Allard. What the Annecy founders Georges Ribola and Rene Veyrat did, from 1952, was make the “fuseau des Alpes” on an industrial scale and improve it, adding pre-formed padded knees and elastic side panels. That pant was named Elastiss. French Wikipedia also reports that Jean-Claude Killy won three times wearing Fusalp trousers.

The modern versions keep the silhouette and cut it in technical softshell. Most use what the brand calls the Fusalp approved membrane, described as waterproof, windproof and breathable. Each pant is designed in France and tested in Fusalp’s Annecy laboratory, which has run since 2018. Manufacturing is named per product: our Elancia in Black is made in Romania, and the Diana, Tipi, Nolai and Getta in China. More on that in where Fusalp is made, and the history in full in Fusalp from Annecy, 1952.

Fusalp ski pants at Luxury Shoes , compared

Fusalp does not publish a warmth rating on these pants, so the insulation column is the best guide to how warm each one runs.

Elancia: the house fuseau

If you buy one pair, make it the Elancia. Fusalp calls it an iconic piece of the house, and it carries the original idea most directly: a fitted leg in stretch, windproof softshell bonded to fleece, with tabs at the waistband to adjust the fit, zipped hip pockets and a zipped hem that opens over a ski boot. The Elancia Ski Pants in Black is made in Romania. For a quieter colour, the Elancia Ski Pants in Falcon is a soft beige that pairs easily with the pale jackets, and the Elancia Ski Pants in Snow is the white fuseau for a full winter-white look.

Diana: the slimmest leg

The Diana is cut very fitted, which Fusalp says highlights the silhouette and lengthens the leg. It shares the bonded fleece softshell of the Elancia and adds a snow gaiter inside the hem. The Diana Ski Pants in Black is the safest buy, with Snow and Dark Blue as alternatives. I’d wear the Diana with the boxy Barsy down on top: tight below, volume above.

Tipi and Pixilae: high waists, two shapes

The Tipi Ski Pants in Black is fitted through the thigh and then flares, which the brand says lengthens the leg and slims the line. It has an elastic high waist, a front fly with press studs and snow gaiters with anti-slip elastic. If you like a flare, our flare ski pants guide looks beyond Fusalp.

The Pixilae Ski Pants in Black keeps the leg straighter and close to the body. Its high waist adjusts with hook-and-loop tabs, the fly closes with a zip and snaps, and the zipped hem is reinforced. It also comes in Navy and a Cotton Candy pink.

Nolai and Getta: the warmest and the bib

For the coldest days, the Nolai Ski Pants in Black is the one in our edit with real padding: Freudenberg wadding inside a stretch softshell with the Fusalp membrane. The knees are reinforced with foam, the hem and gusset are reinforced and zipped, and an adjustable strap system holds it up like braces. A velvet version in Desert and Snow uses the same build.

The Getta Ski Overalls in Black is a bib. A centre zip closes the front, two buckles adjust the straps, and hook-and-loop tabs at the back fine-tune the waist. A bib keeps snow out of the small of the back in a fall. Our women’s ski bibs edit compares it with other labels.

How do Fusalp ski pants fit?

Fusalp’s lower-body chart converts like this:

Fusalp’s own numbers sit one step above standard European sizing, so a Fusalp 38 is a EUR 36 and a UK 10. All six pants are described as true to size; the Pixilae is also made to sit close to the body. If you fall between sizes, take the larger one. Several colourways run beyond Fusalp 44 in our listing, so check the size selector on each product. More detail in the Fusalp size guide.

What to wear with Fusalp ski pants

A fitted fuseau needs a jacket with some shape. The Delphine and Katarina in our Fusalp ski jacket guide match the slim line; the Barsy plays against it. Under either, a brushed Fusalp thermal such as the Gemini does the work. For a one-piece version of the same idea, see the Fusalp ski suit guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Fusalp mean?

Fusalp is a contraction of “fuseau”, the stretch ski trouser, and “Alpes”. The brand’s first product was the fuseau des Alpes, and the name was later shortened to Fusalp.

Did Fusalp invent the fuseau?

No. Stretch fuseaux already existed in the 1930s. Fusalp, founded in Annecy in 1952, made the fuseau on an industrial scale and improved it with pre-formed padded knees and elastic side panels, in a pant named Elastiss.

Are Fusalp ski pants waterproof?

Most Fusalp ski pants in our edit use the Fusalp approved membrane, which the brand describes as waterproof, windproof and breathable. The Elancia and Diana are stretch windproof softshell bonded to fleece. Fusalp does not publish millimetre waterproof ratings.

Which Fusalp ski pants are the warmest?

The Nolai is the warmest pant in our edit, because it adds Freudenberg padding inside a stretch softshell with the Fusalp membrane. The Elancia, Diana and Tipi rely on a fleece backing instead.

How do Fusalp ski pants fit?

Fusalp ski pants are true to size. Fusalp 34 to 44 equals UK 6 to 16 and US 2 to 12, so a Fusalp 38 is a UK 10 and a US 6. Take the larger size if you are between two.