In reply to brownie664:
They are waterproof - 10,000 mm hydrostatic head. But have you tried them yet (just walking around the city) and know whether they are not very breathable? They have a breathability rating of RET = 6, which is about the same as Gore-Tex, so in theory should be pretty breathable. Plus they have ventilation zips.
I'm also quite interested in them. I am currently wearing normal G1000 (mostly cotton?) Fjällräven trousers for everything outdoors, but they are not very water resistant, have no internal gaiters (I hate gaiters, carrying them around, the looks of them etc.), are not reinforced against crampons etc. So looking for some trousers for winter hill walking and mountaineering. Simond has several ones that seem to fit the bill - the 'Alpinism pants' (currently on sale), the 'Cascade pants' and a new model, the 'Mountaineering pants'.
I quite like the Cascades, because they look better (I dig the charcoal/grey colour scheme) and are waterproof, rather than just water repellent, but the product description stresses that they are meant for 'mountaineers who mainly do ice climbing'. So I am not sure whether they are meant for walking and 'normal' mountaineering (i.e. scrambling, not scaling vertical ice).
If anyone has the Cascades and could way in on this, that'd be great
Post edited at 15:20