As other parts of the country struggle to cope with the snow, and doing our best not to travel unless absolutely essential, we made the journey up to Braemar in the heart of the Grampian Mountains for a couple of days of ski-mountaineering in some of the lesser frequented corners of the Cairngorms. Our aim a 2 day circular tour ascending one of the more remote peaks in the Cairngorms with an overnight Bothy.The Microtherm Alpine Jacket is one of our new Softshells available from March. We've had them on field trials for the past 7 months or so with some of our own staff as well as the guys at Plas Y Brenin - and it comes back to replace the much loved orginal Microtherm jacket which has been unavailable for a couple of years. The original Microtherm was adored by those in the know, particulaly the folks at PYB and from a personal perspective has easily been my favourite bit of kit for the past four years and one that always finds its way into my pack. So there has been alot of anticipation surrounding the new version.
The main selling point of the Microtherm Alpine Jacket is its low weight, its compressibility and its comfort / temperature regulation. It manages all of this in a garment that is fully windproof and extremely breathable, much more so than most laminated or membrain based soft shell products as well as having a slick, yet rustle free outer shell that makes this one of the finest layering pieces available. It is designed with an active cut, to be worn either over a base-layer or microfleece, nothing more, and has two generously sized pockets, an internal zipped pocket and also has thumbloops.
On Day One, the Microtherm served its purpose, hidden under a GORE-TEX Pro Shell Jacket, as heavy snow showers and wind blown snow blasted the Cairngorms, but it worked really well worn over a Shroud microfleece to give just that little extra warmth. A long day skinning in from Braemar towards Derry Lodge, through deep snow and battling gusty winds and heavy snow showers. But it was on Day Two that the jacket really came into it own.
Waking to clear skies, light winds and intense cold, it was one of those magical mornings in the mountains, that you only get when you've overnighted somewhere away from the crowds! Our objective for the day was Beinn Breac, one of the more isolated peaks in the Cairngorms that nestles between Derry Cairngorm and Beinn a Bhuird and gives very good views over the main Cairngorm massif as well as further afield to the East and Lochnagar.
The air temperature was around -5c, perhaps colder (and alot less at dawn) and with just enough of a breeze to make it feel fairly baltic - perfect conditions for the Microtherm Alpine Jacket. The shell is made of a new version of our He30rs fabric, very light, very breathable and with a slight water resistance that was enough to keep the sprindrift at bay that was blowing around some of the hollows. Skinning uphill is hardwork and you could quickly overheat, but the great thing about the Microtherm is its ability to regulate tempeature, thanks mostly to its internal grid fleece that allows moisture and some heat to dissipate.
The two pockets are large enough, just about swallowed my laminated OS map and yet could still be accessed even with my pack on - a pretty standard feature that is not exactly rocket science yet i never fail to be amazed at how many products I see on the market that dont take this into account!
The two pockets are large enough, just about swallowed my laminated OS map and yet could still be accessed even with my pack on - a pretty standard feature that is not exactly rocket science yet i never fail to be amazed at how many products I see on the market that dont take this into account!
Again it was worn over a Shroud Jacket and to be honest, with an Altus baselayer on, it was all I needed all day - not just when working hard going uphill but even when enjoying the untracked snow on the descent. It certainly beat joining the crowds (and queues) at the Glenshee ski centre.
Other garments worn: Tupilak Jacket, G2 Ultimate Mountain Pants, Altus LS Base Layer, G2 Alpine Gloves, Randonnee Gloves, Powerstretch Tights, Compressor Vest, Branded Knitted Beanie. Overnight gear included Snowline sleeping bags and Vega Jacket.
Details of this area and other possible Ski tours can be found in the SMC guide 'Ski Mountaineering in Scotland'
