Challenge China – The End

We are on the last couple of garments on the final day of our SS2010 prototype development meetings out in China. Ten days, five factories, eight flights, and enough meals out to last me the rest of the year. Around 9000 miles not including the 6000 miles home, starting at midnight tonight. The most important thing is that the prototypes look great and we are on timetable.


The highlight of the trip has to be a slight diversion to the Great Wall and the Forbidden City in Beijing for a few hours with one of our factories. It was snowing quite a bit on the wall and around –5oC but that didn’t seem to put off the hundreds of people clambering up the steps to the nearest high point. It was amazingly dangerous near the top with every one of the polished angled steps a potential leg breaker. Our factory contact was particularly worried for our/his safety trying to force me to use the metal railings at every opportunity…he hadn’t heard of Inov-8’s. They would clean up with a Mudclaw stand next to the ticket booth (other extremely grippy shoes are available).

We get home on Wednesday morning and I move on to AW2010 design work.

Challenge China – Part 2

We are now on day four, factory number three, and fatigue is setting in.

We spent the first few days at our factory in Guangzhou looking at a dozen or so SS2010 prototypes. Twelve hours on both days followed by a meal out with the owners and then back to the hotel to write up comments and update diagrams. These are then sent back to the office in the UK so the team there can modify the specifications ASAP to be sent back out to the factory to get the process going again. Bedtime around 2am

We then flew up to Qingdao in the north of China arriving at out hotel at 3am due to late flights. Up at 6:30 for breakfast before heading to our factory about one hour away. A long day looking through another set of prototypes and production issues was followed by another meal out and yet more comments and diagram modifications. Again bed around 2am.

Today we were up at 6am before being picked up and driven to our Japanese owned factory slightly further north. There seems to be a lot of misconceptions about the factories out in China and this place certainly dispels any myths. The building has a NASA development centre feel about it with floors you could eat your dinner off and a super organised production line. However, it is the imported Japanese toilets complete with electronic heated seats and jet wash that takes the biscuit. Not to mention they have a better view out the windows than I do in Manchester!

Liskamm Pants & Nano Technology

This blog like so many others was partly inspired by a forum post I read on UKClimbing.Com in which someone was asking for opinions on our Liskamm Pant.

It was also inspired by the fact that on this forum post, the user asked if they were new to our range, and this struck a chord with me, for sometimes we have some very good products that seem to occasionally get sidelined behind our established big guns and seem to take years to get noticed by the outside world, often for no good reason. Well after 3 years hiding amongst the pages of our workbooks, lost in the alpine ether perhaps the time has come for this technical alpine pant to be shown to the outside world.

An early pair of Liskamm Pants on test in the Ecrins, France

3 years ago we started what has turned out to be a fairly seismic overhaul of our softshell legwear collection. Back then it was a collection of individually successful products but was a long way off from being a comprehensive range. The Liskamm Pant was to be the flagship of that work, a hard hitting alpine guides pant that would rise to the challenge of meeting head-on the growing number of lightweight softshell pants emerging out of the continental market.

Ideal for an Alpine climate

It was a major departure for us. It was the first of our pants to use a (then relatively unknown outside of continental Europe) Schoeller fabric. It was the first to be built around a slimmer, climbers orientated fit, it was one of the first pants to use Stealth technology that we had originally developed for our GORE-TEX clothing and it was the first pant we had developed that would require you to shell out well in excess of £100.00 in order to buy. In short it was a risk.

So what do you get for your hard earned money? In straightforward terms you get a pant that excels at technical mountaineering and rocky mountain scrambles, a pant that seemingly has the ability to look as good as new after 3 months of continuous wear and that is so comfortable you barely notice you're wearing them.

The Liskamm Pant is constructed from Schoeller, but no oridinary Schoeller. For those that dont know Schoeller is an innovative Swiss textiles company that amongst other things produce some excellent stretch fabrics. One of those fabrics is Dryskin, a fabric that is lightweight, is permanently elastic, has excellent moisture transfer properties, yet is able to dry quickly and is moisture and wind resistant on the outside. However in order to radically improve the performance of these pants, we have then specified an array of additional finishes which include: the addition of Cordura fibres to improve abrasion/rubbing resistance (thats the Extreme part), an additional surface coating to further improve water repellency (thats the 3xDRY part) and the application of a Nanosphere finish.

This is the really clever part, with particles so small that they are almost beyond microscopic that effectively means the fabric is self cleaning. Extremely fine particles that form the Nanosphere finish are applied are to the fibres, these particles then prevent dirt such as oil, dirt and dust adhering to the fibres by reducing the 'footprint' that these droplets have to sit on, so they simply wash off. It has the added benefit that it will also cause water droplets to do the same, radically improving water resistance. Its not a standard coating and so is exceptionally durable (and should withstand around 50-70 machine washes) and having been inspired by the study of plants, the process is ecologically sound and is Bluesign certified. It won't mean you'll never have to go near a washing machine ever again, but will certainly mean you'll have less excuse to sit around with a mug ot tea watching the machine go round and round on those, never meant to happen, rainy days in the Alps!

Comfortable even when hiding under rocks in the Alps

But its not just the fabric that has a specification even NASA would be proud of. The construction is equally as impressive.

You get crampon kick strips that are not just swathes of fabric sewn on top, but exceptionally durable Hypalon, the stuff that inshore dinghies are made out of, bonded seamlessly to the inside leg. It won't protect your inside leg from a fatigue induced direct strike from your front points but will happily fend off boot scuffs, sharp scree and the occasional crampon swipe on a weary descent.

Bonded and seamless Hypalon Kick Strips

You get Kevlar reinforced knee's, exceptionally durable and hard wearing , backed on the inside for next-to-skin comfort they can feel warmer than the rest of the pant on really hot days but more than compensate on technical and steep ground. You get a generously long zipped gusset on the lower leg giving you a slimmer fit for when more delicate footwork is required or lower volume boots are worn and we even give you a few pockets and brace attachment loops.

Kevlar reinforced knees and zipper gusset on lower leg

And all of this is put together using the principles of our Stealth Technology. In effect the desire to hide as much of the make-up, hide as much of the inner workings of the product as possible in to protect those working from the harsh elements of the outside world, to improve comfort and to improve aesthetics.

What you dont get is any colour other than Black.

So all of this is very nice in theory but does it make the blindest bit of difference in the real world? Well I have been using Liskamm Pants now for some 3 years. I 've worn them for ice climbing, for mountaineering and general scrambling everywhere from the Lake District to the Alps and I really dont have many complaints.

Liskamms at work in the cold gloom of a British Winter

They are extremely comfortable to wear on all but the hottest of afternoon glacial plods, they are slim without managing to make you look like an over athletic Italian Guido (some would say a look worth pursuing), they work with lightweight scrambling and alpine boots, they work with big mountaineering boots and more importantly they work as well in the unpredictable UK climate as well as the hopefully more predictable alpine one. I also saw a a pair that had been worn for 70 days on the trot, by a mountain guide in the Alps, and they still looked brand new.

Yes another, lighter colour would be nice (I hear another plea for more exciting to colours to be bought coming on!) for those sun soaked high alpine faces but I guess I can live with just Black for the time being, if nothing else it make thinking about what colour to wear infinitely less hassle.

Liskamm Pants retail for around £135.00 in the UK and are available in sizes 30-36 in both regular (31") and long (33") leg. Black is the only colour!

If you like the sound of these but want something perhaps more suited to general mountain use and scrambly hill walking you can now always choose the Combin Pant.

Off Piste Skiing

Returned from Chamonix a few weeks ago having enjoyed 5 days of exhilarating off-piste skiing with 3 friends and British Mountain Guide Stu MacDonald. Stu comes highly recommended and is now permanently based in this mountaineering mecca and was invaluable in doing some classic backcountry sojourns. Day one, we skied (unguided) at the Grands Montets to get our legs mobilised and familiarise ourselves with the kit we hadn't used for a year or 2 (I hadn't skied for 2 years following a nasty accident on the Haute Route)!

It was an enjoyable first day with good weather and great snow - we challenged ourselves with some nice runs through the trees and few big long runs from the top of 'Le Herse' lift back down to the valley. That night we invited Stu and Alison to join us for dinner. A good opportunity to meet our guide and to discuss the 3 day itinerary. In addition to his busy guiding schedule, Stu is also the equipment officer for the BMG. As you can imagine much of the evening was dedicated to high quality 'gear chat'! A busman's holiday for me!

Day one with Stu was fab. We were unable to get an early lift up to the Midi, so a quick change of plan - back up to the Grands Montets! Cable Car to the summit followed by a decent of the fabled Les Pas de Chevre. All started well, snow was ok, stunning views of the Dru et al. As we descended, however, the snow got harder and more crusty, so much so that Stu actually apologised to us! He thought the snow conditions would be better! Anyway, not long after we entered the first couloir, I accidently caught my pole during a tight turn (very poor technique!), next thing I knew, I was sliding down the couloir, minus 1 ski and with no axe to arrest! 40 metres later I came to a stop, shaken and a little stirred (memories of the Haute Route prominent in my mind). No major injuries, other than a cut on my nose. Crampons on, I climbed down to fetch my other ski. We then continued down, snow conditions improved (crust to powder) and all was well again. We then had to negotiate a desperate descent onto the lower reaches of the Mer de Glace, which involved a lower off an old pine tree onto a tiny shelf that contoured below a fantastic icefall shortly followed by the narrowest of couloirs that led to the wide expanse of the glacier below - great! We then skied to the exit point, a 20 minute carry up to the restaurant and a well deserved beer and breather! The time was about 1300 hrs - we enjoyed a pleasant ski back down to the valley and grabbed some lunch.

We then took a lift to up to the Midi and enjoyed the most fantastic late afternoon descent of the Valley Blanche. It was empty - all the crowds had skied it in the morning........we had it to ourselves! Stu guided us down the more exciting 'Petit Envers' variation which was superb. We got off the mountain at approx 1800, straight to the pub to catch the start of the rugby! One of the best days I have had in the mountains! 5200m of descent!

Day 2, we were knackered after a mammoth first day and the weather wasn't the best. We headed up to the Grands Montets and combined some nice backcountry skiing with practical avalanche awareness work (avoidance, rescue, snow pack, causes, transceiver, shovel and probe etc.) Stu's knowledge in this area was first class - we learned so much in 3 hours! Gordon had a nasty fall and sprained his hand fairly badly - not good.

Day 3, weather was crap in Chamonix. Solution: go to Italy! The weather in Courmayeur was fantastic (Blue Sky, no wind) and the snow conditions were really good. We did a quick warm up ski then headed up to Cresta D'Arp, the highest lift access point. At this stage our options were numerous, however, we decided to traverse around to Col D'Arp and head down a beautiful valley (Vallone de Youla) which was again empty and untouched (first tracks, yippee).

We descended all the way to the village of La Balme before booking a very expensive taxi back to Courmayeur. The descent was superb - a pure unadulterated back-country experience.........until we reached the forest! The route through the trees was really difficult and I found it impossible to ski competently (nothing new there then!)

Once back at Courmayeur, grabbed some lunch at a really nice mountain restaurant (in fact it was half a pig and chips - lovely!). Our plan was to head back up to Cresta D'Arp and do an alternative route. Unfortunately the lift was closed at Cresta Youla, not thwarted however, we picked a great off-piste route that headed very steeply down towards the Zerotta lift (Val Veny) , we then traversed around the lower slopes of Mont Chetif ultimately arriving at the Dolonne lift and then back down to Courmayeur - another fantastic day, made all the better when we finally exited the tunnel to discover the weather in Chamonix had not improved at all! (Cloud, rain, sleet - grim).

The final day was spent back up at the Grands Montets, before heading back to the UK. A great trip.

Thanks to Stuart Macdonald - fantastic guide, very professional with some funny stories to boot!http://www.stuartmacdonald.org/

ME Gear used and abused:

Shell: Morpheus Jacket; Changabang Jacket; Firefly Paclite Jacket; Changabang XCR Jacket; Changabang Pant; Firelite Pant

Soft Shell: Astron Hooded Jacket; Microtherm Alpine Jacket; Aw09 G2 Ultimate Mtn Pant

Baselayer: Catalyst T; Momentum Zip Neck

Gloves: Pinnacle Glove: Couloir Glove; Guide Glove; G2 Alpine Glove

The week gave us a fantastic opportunity to use and abuse the above products. It's only when you are in the mountains that you really appreciate how functional and well designed ME products are. I have highlighted a couple of favourites below, in the interest of brevity!!

I was very excited about using the new winter 09 G2 Ultimate Pant. Although my sample was a little short, I wore them everyday, with a thermal underneath on colder days . The Gore Windstopper fabric has been specially designed for use in legwear products and I was amazed how well the pant worked - it shrugged off snow, wind and sprindrift, felt very comforatable next to skin. It fitted well around the knees and crotch area and the laser cut bonded pockets were well positioned for storage. Furthermore, for a fabric so light compared to it's predecessor, the durability of the pant was amazing, a point noted following my aforementioned 40 metre slide down hard, crusty snow! The lower section of the pant includes a fully gusseted zipper, an internal snow gaiter and crampon kick-strip. All worked well. On warmer days, it was good to be able to vent through the thigh pockets. Looking forward to the arrival of the fully tweaked version which will be available Sep 09:) RRP £150

The weather was very well suited for softshell, particularly in the more sheltered valley's where a hard shell was just not necessary. Other than the G2 pant, product of the week for me was the Microtherm Alpine Jacket. Such a simple product that offered outstanding performance. Yes it shrugged off wind and showers, but it's breathability and quick drying properties were phenomenal and perfectly suited to the weather conditions we encountered. No wonder so many professional guides have asked us to re-introduce this product to the range. The spec is simple, the price represents great value and the performance is outstanding. The He30 rs (ripstop) shell is windproof, highly breathable and water repellant with a micro grid wicking lining which regulates temp and comfort. We then add in well positioned pockets, fleece lined collar and thumbloops (priceless). When we skied the final section through the trees to La Balme, I was falling at every turn, I lost my ski several times - I was hot, exhausted and dripping with sweat when we final reached the village. My Microtherm was completely dry - unbelievable! Available now RRP £80 - buy one!

Challenge China - Part 1

I am just off a 17-hour flight to Guangzhou in China to visit some of our clothing and equipment factories. It has been a bit of an epic but I probably deserved the multi-stopped flight out considering I didn’t get round to booking it until Tuesday. I ended up next to a lamp salesman going out to check his 6000 outdoor lamp order for a new hotel complex in the Middle East…that’s a lot of light.

It’s 29°C here and 78% humidity, which is high for 10pm, so it will be shorts and t-shirt in the factory tomorrow. I am out to look at our SS2010 final prototypes with one of our garment techs. It is usually quite a stressful process as you are surrounded by team China, all interested in what you want to change just as you are trying to figure it out yourself.

Size does matter

Imagine you're looking for a new waterproof jacket and you walk into your local shop to be told that jackets only come in one size. With sleeves hanging down by your knees and you and your friend being able to fit inside the chest, I suspect you would be a little frustrated, and I cannot imagine that you would put up with such a poorly fitting jacket for very long. So why oh why do we seem to accept this position when it comes to sleeping bags? Why do so few of us seem to consider the actual size of a sleeping bag when we buy one?

Having the correct size of sleeping bag is arguably more important than in any other type of product, since how well a bag fits you has a direct correlation to the thermal efficiency of that bag. Too large and it will take longer for your body to warm up, too small and the filling will be compressed and not retain enough heat.

Now before we get carried away, lets be honest here. The availability of sizes in products is linked partly to potential and actual demand, potentially a viscious circle I can hear you cry. But ultimately the potential and actual volume of sales is the major reason why large High Street retailers for example can offer products but particularly clothing in many different size options, since they know they will sell many hundreds of thousands of items.

Transfer that growing expectation into outdoor retail and you find a potential source of some frustration, since whilst the choice of sizing in clothing has improved as the market has become larger, the choice of size options has never (and arguably will never) quite match that of the general high street.

Equally with sleeping bags, in fact more so, the specialist outdoor market is never going to be that large, but in many cases, there is enough demand. Every week we get enquiries from people concerned that they are too tall to fit inside a regular length sleeping bag, in most cases these are enquiries from people in excess of 6ft 1", not that uncommon these days, wanting to know firstly if we make longer bags and secondly whether anyone actually stocks them. In fact these enquiries vastly outnumber the enquiries we have from people wanting to know if we manufacture womens specific bags.

Well the answer to that question, is yes we do.

Mountain Equipment produces the vast majority of its sleeping bags in both regular and XL versions (which are both longer and slightly wider) and in some cases we produce shorter or junior bags also, in addition to a number of women's specific models. Yet in the UK few retailers choose to stock them? Walk into a shop in Germany and you would find a very different scene, Mountain Equipment bags stocked in Short, Regular and Extra Long and more importantly, customers actually asking, indeed demanding to see the sizes of bag in stock.

So remember size does matter, if you're particularly tall then XL bags are available, you may need to convince your local retailer to order one especially or track one down via one of our online stockists, but if you do not ask, they will not stock and you may potentially end up with a sleeping bag that doesnt perform quite as well as it should.

http://www.mountain-equipment.co.uk/the_gear/down_sleeping_bags/

http://www.mountain-equipment.co.uk/the_gear/synthetic_sleeping_bags/

Mountain Marathon Preparations

Mountain marathons are the talk of the office at the moment with five teams entered into the LAMM, Saunders, or OMM. It is very easy to think these are months away but with fitness to improve, navigation skills to perfect, and kit to organise it isn’t easy to fit it all in.

Mountain Equipment does not specifically target MM’s but with so much interest in the company it is inevitable we design some of our kit with these in mind. To make sure team Hutcheon/Talbot stay ahead of the office (not that we are competitive!) I did my bit and headed out this weekend for some running on my local fells. It gave me a good chance to test out some old favourites, a few pieces of kit coming into store very soon and some early prototypes.

The one item I now take whenever the weather looks grim is our new 3-Layer Gore-Tex Pro Shell Cap. I always thought caps were summer products designed to keep the sun out of your eyes. I tried a prototype out last September on the now infamous OMM of 2008 and I was amazed how much it improves your ability to operate in bad conditions. The extended peak offers significantly more protection to your face when map reading and looking for the next point of attack. Worn in conjunction with a good hood it gives you a great bad weather system.

The run started off at 8am in a thick blanket of mist and fine Pennine drizzle so I started out in our new Altus Long Sleeve Zip T using a Polartec Power Dry fabric, the new Microtherm Alpine Jacket, and a Particle Jacket using our own Drilite Ultra fabric. On the bottom half I ran in shorts and threw a pair of prototype SS10 (next summers) lightweight waterproof pants on top. My tried and tested Power Stretch Beanie once again proved invaluable. As soon as the weather improved the shell layers came off and packed into my rucksack.