What do people who spend a large part of their winter outdoors in the Swiss Alps choose? As always, we let our team riders select their own products for the new season. These are their favorites for snowboarding, skiing, ski touring, and long days on the mountain.
Our team riders spend many days in the snow. Snowboarding and freeriding, on ski and splitboard tours, mountaineering, or somewhere in between. Early in the morning, in snowfall, wind, sun, and on those days when a planned session suddenly turns into a whole day outdoors.
For the new winter season, we showed them our collection and let them choose which beanies, hats, masks, and neckwear they wanted to wear themselves.
This isn't a bestseller list put together by us. Instead, these are the products that actually ended up in their orders.
Some old favorites have remained. Other shapes are becoming more important. And in bad weather, it quickly becomes clear that a beanie alone isn't always enough.
THE TEAM FAVORITE: Trailblazer Beanie
Some favorites disappear after one season. The Trailblazer is obviously not one of them.
The Trailblazer beanie was once again our team's most chosen beanie. It's particularly interesting that the selection is spread across various new colorways. Black Forest, White Black, Coral Grey, and especially Salmon Khaki all made it into the orders.
The Trailblazer was developed together with Swiss snowboarder and world champion Elena Könz and has been with HAE for a long time. Made from 100 percent acrylic, with warmth level 2 and produced in Europe, it's an uncomplicated hat for cold days outdoors.
Most importantly, the fit seems to work. Otherwise, the team wouldn't keep coming back to it season after season.
The pick for: snowboarding, skiing, freeriding, and anyone looking for a classic HAE beanie for mountain and everyday use.
FOR TOUGH DAYS: The Stormerer
Order The Stormerer for tough days here.
Not every winter day in the Swiss Alps consists of blue skies and fresh powder.
Sometimes the wind blows sideways. Sometimes it snows all day. Sometimes you sit on a chairlift longer than planned or wait at the top for better visibility.
For exactly such days, The Stormerer was strikingly often chosen by our team riders. This lightweight mask is one of the most popular products in the entire team selection.
The Stormerer is made from 94 percent soft Quick Dry Polyester and 6 percent Elastane. The material is light, flexible, breathable, and dries quickly. The mask fits snugly on the head but is very elastic, you hardly feel it, and it can be worn well under a ski or snowboard helmet.
With warmth level 1, it's less about maximum insulation. The Stormerer is more of a functional additional layer for wind, snowfall, movement, and days when a normal beanie alone can't cover everything.
The pick for: snowboarding, skiing, splitboarding, spring ski tours, and variable days with a helmet.
THE SAFE CHOICE: The Mask
The Mask fits great under a helmet and can be ordered here.
When it gets colder, the team reaches for The Mask. In addition, The Mask simply fits perfectly under a helmet and doesn't slip.
The main difference to the Stormerer lies in its construction: The upper part consists of soft, quick-drying polyester with elastane. Around the neck and nape, additional polar fleece is used.
This results in warmth level 2 and more protection, without the mask adding unnecessary bulk under the helmet.
Especially on a ski tour, when splitboarding or mountaineering, the demands constantly change. It gets warm on the ascent, the wind picks up on the ridge, and the speed increases on the descent. The Mask therefore combines breathable material on the head with additional warmth where cold air quickly becomes uncomfortable.
Not complicated equipment. Just one of those items that ends up in your backpack in the morning when you know the day might be long.
The pick for: cold ski days, backcountry skiing (freeriding), and mountaineering in the Swiss Alps.
THE CHARACTERFUL PICKS: Faceshot & Edelweiss
One of the new colorways of the Faceshot Beanie, which was chosen particularly often.
Jenni Albert rocks the Edelweiss Beanie by HAE, which she co-designed.
Function is important. But HAE wouldn't be HAE if it were only about that.
The Faceshot Beanie comes directly from the snowboarding world. The idea behind it is that brief moment in deep snow when the powder spray comes over your head, everything turns white, and for a second, only feeling remains. The beanie is made from 100 percent fine acrylic, dries quickly, retains its shape, and offers warmth level 2.
The Edelweiss Beanie takes a different approach. It was co-developed as part of the HAE Women Collection by snowboarders like Daria Fuchs, Léa Klaue, Celia Petrig, Elena Könz, and Jenni Albert. A large fit, strong colors, and the Edelweiss as an alpine reference give this beanie consciously more character.
Both are beanies that don't try to be invisible.
The pick for: everyone for whom a hat should not only keep them warm but also say something about their style.
THE NEW SHAPE: Racer, Guide & Trekker
The Racer Beanie with a shorter fit and metallic thread
Guide Beanie - classic with solid colors.
Trekker Beanie with Pattern and Skull Cap Fit
Another trend stands out in the orders for this winter: beanies are getting shorter.
Racer, Guide, and Trekker were ordered very often together. All three are moving towards a more compact skull cap silhouette and sit closer to the head than classic long beanies with a fold.
This is most evident in the Racer Beanie. The beanie features a large HAE logo pattern. On the black version, a reflective thread is also incorporated, making the pattern visible in direct light.
The Guide Beanie is much more minimalist. Inspired by the mountain guides in our region, the beanie comes without patterns and loud details. Soft acrylic, a close fit, and a tone-on-tone embroidered HAE logo. A lightweight hat for people who set off early and don't need much fuss.
Finally, the Trekker brings a very local story. The beanie is inspired by the Bietschhorn in Valais, one of the most striking mountains in our homeland. A compact beanie made of fine acrylic for winter days, tours, and time outdoors.
Whether this becomes a long-term trend remains to be seen, but generally, the movement towards skullcap beanies has been observed for 2-3 years. For this winter, the direction within our team is certainly more noticeable.
So what are our team riders wearing in winter 2026/27?
When you look at all the orders together, there isn't one perfect product for every day.
And that makes perfect sense.
A warm day on a ski tour demands something different than a windy chairlift in January. Snowboarding with a helmet requires a different setup than approaching a winter mountain tour. And sometimes you choose a hat not just for its function, but simply because you like wearing it.
Nevertheless, some clear favorites emerge:
Trailblazer remains the most chosen beanie.
Stormerer is the light, functional choice for days with a helmet and changing weather.
The Mask provides more warmth and protection for the neck and nape.
Faceshot and Edelweiss provide more character.
And Racer, Guide, and Trekker show that compact skull cap beanies are currently quite in demand within the team.
Our team riders spend their winters snowboarding, skiing, freeriding, ski touring, and mountaineering in the Swiss Alps.
So if you want to know which HAE hat or beanie people who are outdoors quite often choose, this is a good starting point for your own winter.
