Monique Y. Herman wrote:
snip

The question: does anyone have experience with this or similar styles
of jackets being used for skiing? Could anyone share their advice,
alternate suggestions, etc?

Sorry for the great american novel.

I have two shells I ski in, niether of which have any kind of insulating
liner. One is an older Patagonia Nitro shell. It's bomb-proof and has a
detatchable hood that I keep detatched for the same reason you mentioned
(helmet). I love it and wear it most of the season until it starts warming
up.
Then I switch to my Moonstone shell, which is a lighter weight Gore-Tex
hooded affair. I think it's like this one
http://www.moonstone.com/d_mshells.asp?id=083612 but a few years old (I
forget the model). The hood is not detachable (would be nice if it was, but
it's not a big deal) but it is stowable. It's nice and light and I take it
hiking and backpacking in the summer too.
Neither of these have insulation and niether are cheap. I hate cheap stuff,
especially when it comes to something I use a lot to keep me alive. I don't
like insulated jackets for active stuff because they make me too hot and I
could always layer up if I need the insulation. I've had the Nitro shell for
something like 9 or 10 years (maybe 600 days of skiing or so) and it's still
in good shape although it has faded quite a bit. The Moonstone shell I've
only had for about six years and it was a replacement for an older shell
that Moonstone gave me at a discount after I wore the older one out and sent
it in. Quality outerwear is a great investment, and choosing a company who
stands behind their products is also important. Bottom line: you get what
you pay for, and I think the $350 and $250 prices of these jackets was a
good investment.

Matt