Long term product development and short lived ice

Just thought I would post a few pictures from last weekend. We are busy working on our Winter 2013 product line just now, and with the cold spell of weather forecast to end, it was a great opportunity to head out in search of some all-too rare Lakeland ice and also put a new GORE-TEX technology through its paces. You wont be hearing much about this for a while yet, suffice to say we are getting very excited about Winter 2013...its only 18 months away!

You can read more about this trip on the climberandrunner blog. Thanks to Dan and Alec for a good day out, and special thanks to Alec for being the only one with a working camera!

Whats so special about the Black & Blue Jacket? You'll have to wait.....

Climbing on Percys Passage III 4, The Old Man of Coniston, Lake District

For those of you who are interested, heres a breakdown of my winter clothing gear.

G2 Pants: essential winter legwear and easier to move around in than salopettes. I wear thermal leggings under these in cold conditions. Have climbed in very little else for the past 3 winter seasons.

LS Groundup Tee: A nice lightweight baselayer / tee.

Shroud Jacket: my favourite fleece. Light, versatile, close fitting and has a hood.

Compressor Vest: Sadly not currently in our range, but i never leave home in winter without it.

Fitzroy Jacket: Another winter essential. Belays, coffee stops, just feeling cold. Stays in the pack and goes on over everthing when needed.

Gloves: Super Alpine Gloves for the sharp-end and Randonnee gloves. A nice warm beanie and powerstretch balaclava as a spare completes the accessories.



Plas y Brenin Kit AW11

Winter is finally in the air here in the UK which means its time for Plas y Brenin Op's manager Rob Spencer to begin the task of distributing this seasons Mountain Equipment kit delivery to centre staff.

Rob taking a look at the New Concordia Jacket

Mountain Equipment have been working with Plas y Brenin - The National Mountain Centre now for the past 8 years and their team of guides and instructors play a vital role in our continous product testing programme putting many Mountain Equipment styles too the test - in all conditions - 365 days a year.

This Winters Pyb kit list includes:

Shell -
Kamkatcha/ Valdez Jacket
Changabang / Ama Dablam Pant

Insulation - 
Citadel Jacket

Softshell - 
Astron Hooded/Astral Hooded Jacket
G2 Ultimate Mountain Pant

Thermal -
Concordia/Hispar Jacket
Micro/Orca Jacket
LS Crux/ LS Divinty T
  

ME Pro partner and Pyb Guide Stu McAleese gets to grips with his kit for the winter season

For more information about Plas y Brenin and the courses they run head to their website here

SAIS Kit 2011/12

ME Tech Rep Andy Green called by Scottish Avanlanche Information Service HQ at Glenmore Lodge last week to hand over this seasons uniform to Mark Diggins (Director SAIS) and his team.

Mark Diggins and Andy Green with some of this seasons kit 

Mark and his team offer a invaluable service to anyone heading out to climb, walk, ski etc... in Scotland during the winter season, they are also part of our extensive product test team and put our kit through its paces everyday during the winter season and provide us with indepth feedback as part of our constant product R&D.

This seasons kit list includes:

Kamchatka Jacket
Changabang Pant
Concordia Jacket
Trojan Jacket - New GORE TEX SOFTSHELL test product for release in 2012
Colouir Gloves

Heres some more general info about the SAIS -

Avalanche hazard considerations should always be part of any winter hill goers daily plans. Whether you are a climber, walker or off-piste skier venturing into the hills, you should always continue to note snow and weather conditions in respect to any potential avalanche hazard.

SAIS is funded by the Scottish Sports Council and publish the daily forecasts of the avalanche, snow, and climbing conditions at 5 key climbing areas of Scotland during the season.

For more information and latest reports go to www.sais.gov.uk

Jens Holsten: Kit review

ME Pro partner "newbie" Jens Holsten has just posted a short review of some of the bits of ME kit he's been using on his ventures during the past few months.

Head over to his blog to check out the full post and what he's been getting up too here

GORE-TEX Active Shell: Field Trials

18 months ago i was sitting in another bi-annual meeting at GORE HQ in Livingston perusing the latest collection of new fabrics that were being past around, waiting for that moment when any flicker of imagination would be caught by something really new, i remained firmly in my seat, my imagination firmly sedated. This was nothing unusual, its not easy developing new fabrics and the really good ones take time. It was only as we came towards the end of another lengthy meeting that a new fabric was casually passed across - probably not our thing, more for running but you might like it was the comment. It was GORE-TEX Active Shell. Lighter and significantly more breathable, what was there not to like? And so started the development of the latest range of jackets which have hit selected stores this past week.

A murky day on the Lakeland fells back in early Spring

I'll admit to having something amounting to a large degree of healthy scepticism when it comes to new fabrics (in fact quite alot of things according to my colleagues), whatever the various statistics we get bombarded with from test houses and fabric mills, working in the real world, in the mountains is what I care about and I think our partners at Gore actually quite like our honest assessment of what is passed our way, but on this occasion it was genuine excitement. Here was a fabric, that if the rhetoric were true would provide a garment that was considerably more comfortable to wear, even for hard aerobic activities, whilst being lighter than previous GORE-TEX jackets. The only downside, it wouldnt be as durable, but that was hardly a surprise.

Active Shell in the bag - Sometimes its just too nice! Nothern Cairngorms.

And so the months past by and the final test garments were ready to go. Since then I have ran over the fells near to home in all sorts of conditions and not once, even when running hot, have i noticed anything close to condensing moisture on the inside. In short it works, in the mountains, in the rain, where it matters.

Definitely not nice. Head down for a wet day in the gloom.

Active Shell even with all its different methods of construction, I'll be totally honest is not the lightest waterproof fabric out there - but thats not really the point. It is light, dont get me wrong, but what it really is, is a genuinely breathable and totally waterproof package which if you're wanting something to actually wear whilst on the move rather than simply carry in pack is simply quite remarkable compared with previous waterproof fabrics I've used.

Enjoying a cool evening running around the Kentmere Horseshoe

So since getting my hands the development version of what was to be our Firelite Jacket, which is the simplest and lightest of all the jackets in our mini Active Shell collection, i've attempted to document a few of these outings.

Not always successfully - fell running whilst a) focussing on the ground in front b) holding onto a camera c) holiding onto an over enthusiastic sheepdog d) trying to breathe and e) battling the constant battering of gales rolling in off the Atlantic is not always easy but hopefully you'll get enough from these photos and short video clips to get the idea!

Kentmere Round from Richard Talbot on Vimeo.



Untitled from Richard Talbot on Vimeo.



Untitled from Richard Talbot on Vimeo.





Untitled from Richard Talbot on Vimeo.

Photos - Dove Crag, December 2010

I've just been sorting out some digital photos and came across these that i had forgotten I'd taken from a foray to Dove Crag in the Lake District last December.

Looking up to Dove Crag

Other than rekindling some great memories of a superb early start to the winter, the other piece of good news is that you too can now get your hands on the delectable Yellow & Red jacket that Andy is wearing in some of these photos. The Orbital Jacket is in the shops now and was recently reviewed on OutdoorsMagic.

Andy Green in South Gully, Dove Crag.

Andy Green on the exit slopes

Looking back across Brotherswater towards High Street

Enjoying the last rays of sunshine

Trail Magazine - 'Stuff of Legend'

I've just been out and grabbed the April issue of Trail Magazine which this month includes their annual 'Gear Guide'. In the Guide along side ME product information and past reviews you'll also find a great feature written by acting Editor Simon Ingram about iconic gear that led to a lot of what we use today such as the Whillians Box Tent, Chouinard Zero Ice axe, Javlin fleece and amongst these are two Mountain Equipment classic's

Mountain Equipment Down Suit

click to enlarge

First developed by founder of ME Pete Hutchinson and mountaineering legend Don Whillans for the 1970 Annapurna expedition. The Suit pictured above belongs to Doug Scott and he used it many expeditions during the 1970's.

Mountain Equipment Cascade Jacket and Pant

Click to enlarge

First launched back in 1977 this was our first ever Gore-Tex product and lead on to many of the award winning classics of today such as the Kongur. This set was still being used by friend of the brand Brian Davison up to last summer.

Make sure you go and grab a copy of Trail now.

This winter also sees us celebrate our 50th year as a brand and we have a host of exciting projects coming up over the next few months.... so watch this space!

Mark Walker: The life of an Aspirant Guide.1

Just returned from a Mountain Leader Assessment with a couple of nights in the Welsh mountains. Directing these courses is such a dream when the candidates are good! It was stunning out there with dry days and perfect sunsets.

Photo: Mark Walker

Space is always of a premium on these mini breaks and to move around checking these guys out, my kit has to be light as well! I was using a Xero 350 sleeping bag. The conditions were pretty warm at night but the bag performed well and i wasn't bathed in sweat.

The full length zip was a bonus. Superlight and compact and just enough space for me in side. Im off tonight to work in the Alps for my first season as an Aspirant Guide. Its still pretty cold high up. I wonder how the bag will perform. I'll keep you posted!

Mark Walker is an Aspirant Mountain Guide as well as being a holder of the Mountain Instructor Certificate qualification. He is a member of the Association of Mountaineering Instructors (AMI) and lives near Llanberis in North Wales.

Guides summer training part 1

I was in the Lake District last week for the first part of my guides summer training. We started the week off up at Raven Crag in Langdale for a day of multi pitch guided climbing. The aim was to look at all the skills for getting the maximum climbing out of a day with 2 clients. We covered all the various options, one rope, two ropes, climbing in series and parallel. As well as the going up we also looked at and put into practice various way to safely and efficiently get the clients down.

On Tuesday we headed up to Dow crag above Coniston for a day of short roping. This is a skill that is completely new to me, when climbing with mates you either have the rope on, off or you’re moving together with varying amounts of rope out and gear between you. Short roping is used to safe guard clients when going up and down on easy ground. My first round of guiding Andy up and down the side of Dow crag was a complete shambles, there’s just so much to think about all at the same time. Slowly as the day progressed things started to click, I started to get my systems sorted and the whole thing seemed to run a lot smoother. It’s definitely one of the more difficult skills to learn and as a guide is one of the times you are most exposed to risk and danger. Anyway I finished the day having learnt a lot in a short space of time but knowing I’m going to have to put a lot of time in over the summer to get it dialled.

For the final day we drove up to Borrowdale and had a split day between Shephards crag and Black crag. Andy and I headed off with Tim Neil to spend a day looking at coaching techniques for multi pitch climbing. Unlike the first day which was looking at pure guiding techniques to get as much climbing in as possible the final day was aimed at clients who want to gain the skills necessary to go multi-pitch climbing themselves. The emphasis was about building a good teaching progression into the day and getting the clients involved in everything; building their own anchor once they arrive at the stance, belaying the second client up and just generally chatting through everything.

I spent all last week wearing the new Orion softshell, I’ve found this jacket a great choice for cragging in the UK when you’re not too sure what the weathers going to do as you set off up a multi-pitch route. Its over to North Wales next week for the second part of the summer training and hopefully a few days climbing after.

Kongur MRT at Work

Our Kongur MRT Jacket has now been at work for the past 8 months with Rescue teams from the UK to as far as New Zealand. Below is a slideshow of shots from just a few of the teams who we have worked with and supplied Kongur MRT Jackets too

For more information on the Kongur MRT head to the site here

also checkout and support your local team below

Mountain Rescue England & Wales

Mountain Rescue Scotland

Mountain Rescue Ireland

Spring / Summer 2010 Collection is now online

Head over to the gear section of our site now where you’ll find all the new and updated kit for Spring/ Summer 2010.

Approach
Approach collection sees an array of new products including

Our New lightweight Men’s Gabbro pant and Women’s El Chorro pant ideal for rock climbing and active mountain sports.

New technical midlayer pieces in the Men’s Arrow Zip T and Women’s Cabrera hoody(below) both constructed from Toray Field Sensor fabric that is light in weight, breathable and exceptionally wickable.

The introduction of Cocona to our range in the Men’s Crux T and Women’s Divinity Tank. Cocona is a highly wicking fabric that is created from Coconut shells!

There are also 3 new T shirt designs – Mountain Range, Pulk and Yorik base camp.

Hardshell

Spring/ Summer 2010 sees us launch our lightest GORE-TEX Pro shell jacket yet – The Firefox (below) weighs in at 299g but still has all the features you expect from a Mountain Equipment jacket such as our multi award winning Mountain Hood.

Softshell

We have 2 new lightweight soft shells in our collection for summer the Men’s Orion Jacket and Women’s Brenva Jacket both offering excellent performance and superb value.
The massively popular Men’s Astron Hooded Jacket and Women’s Astral Hooded jacket get a colour tweek for spring with the introduction of a Russet Orange Zips.

Sleeping bags

A huge amount of work has gone into our sleeping bag collection for 2010 not only do we have New Products in the new Titan Range - a range of down bags offering both exceptional technical performance and exceptional value for money, the new Xero MM which takes sleeping bag design to a the next level with the incorporation of a Ballonbed system, but we also have great new range colours best seen in our revised collection of Dreamcatcher sleeping bags. (below)

However the big story on sleeping bags for summer is the vast amount of work we have done on the fills and temperature ratings of our down sleeping bags so we can continue to offer the greatest choice out there to meet all end user requirements from expeditions to the 8000m peaks of the Himalaya to summer camping in the Fells of the Lake district.

Key to this, is our Down sourcing and testing for 2010 which has resulted in us now offering 3 high standards of ethically sourced down across our range -

Our Extreme and Xero bags now have a 93/7 Hungarian Goose Down with a minimum fill power of 750+

Glaciers, Helium, Classics now carry 90/10 Pure Down with a minimum fill power of 675+

Dreamcatchers and Titans are now filled with 85/15 Pure Down with a minimum fill power of 625+

Checkout our entire new product range here

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

This Months Climb Magazine

I've just had the latest issue of "Climb" magazine (Dec'09) land on my desk - go out and grab a copy, then checkout Tom Richardson's write up on all you need to know about 'Down Jackets' - Our Vega and Greenland Jackets are featured

see the website for more info on our insulation collection

http://www.mountain-equipment.co.uk/the_gear/clothing/insulation/

A dream of dry rock

So the forecast looked dry and with lingering dampness in the mountains of Snowdonia, there was really only one place to go, Gogarth.

Traversing across the cliff tops at Gogarth

Soaring sea cliffs, superb climbing and the option to climb when the mountains are shrouded in rain and drizzle, Gogarth is an absolute must visit destination. Once you've been once, you'll be hooked. Its big, its great, and occasionally just a little scary.

And with Martin having never climbed at Gogarth before, and a burning desire to climb the uber classic line, A Dream of White Horses, we were off to Wen Zawn.

Abseiling into Wen Zawn - nerve wracking for the first time!

During our hurried planning and morning burst of enthusiasm we had obviously forgot that it had A) been raining heavily all night and B) was the end of October. How on earth did we honestly expect bone dry rock? But we had so were a little disappointed as we arrived on our perched ledge, some 40 metres down our abseil line, to find large swathes of the slab seeping with water. It then dawned on us that conditions were not going to be ideal but only when Rich Bailey started climbing did we realise just how un-ideal the conditions were, the rock was extremely damp in places and exceptionally greasy, transforming what should have been a straightforward HVS into something that felt all a little bit harder.

Rich Bailey negotiates his way over greasy and wet rock

After building the belay to secure all, Rich fired off up the first pitch, opting to head partially up the line of Wen, in order to re-join 'Dream' higher up. The steep crack line was seriously greasy, Rich was taking his time. After setting up the hanging belay Martin followed, the belay was sobering with 3 of us hanging in space some 50 metres above the waves which were crashing beneath us sending a soapy froth of bubbles into the air and onto us. For Martin this was a serious introduction to Gogarth's sea cliffs!

Pitch Two was little better, the line of flakes which normally is a pleasant handrail 'saunter' in dry conditions felt much trickier, as hands and fingers gradually unwound from the greasy rounded flakes, and with little option to smear feet on the face in front, some rather energetic toe hooks were employed to full effect.

But before we knew it were ready for the last pitch, a final 'gripping' traverse line which swings under the roofs and across the chasm of Wen Zawn, a truly inspiring pitch and one which would require Martin to climb as steadily as the leader, any fall resulting in a small swing into free space!

Martin on the final traverse pitch as Rich watches from the belay

Again a little dampness and soapy air as you pulled around the rib, made the moves that little bit more exciting, but as I pulled through into the mild Autumn sunshine, I knew the route was complete. All that was left was to bring Rich Bailey and one very delighted Martin up. His first Gogarth climb completed, a very classic one at that, and in far from ideal conditions!

Earthrise™ - Jumping off the fence

Asked to name a company that is raising its commitment to producing products that are more environmentally friendly or that are produced to higher ethical standards and Mountain Equipment may not spring to mind. Perhaps you would mention Marks & Spencer and their Plan A programme or Patagonia and their Common Threads policy

Yet as a relatively small company, and one whose staff use and love our natural environment, we are trying to make changes where we can; genuine and measureable changes that affect our environment and not simply sitting idly by.

For us, its part of our Twenty Things To Do programme, an internal programme to make changes to how we work that will impact on the environment and the people involved in everything to with our products. A wide ranging programme that includes everything from taking a personal interest in community projects such as cleaning a crag, collecting litter or repairing footpaths, to reducing energy consumption in our offices, reducing the amount of product or waste that goes to landfill, reducing the amount of products we ship via air to ensuring any animals involved in our raw materials are reared to humane standards and ensuring all our factory workers are treated fairly and paid a fair wage.

Making our product line more sustainable and more ecological is part of a wider long-term goal. It is not a sudden crusade to change everything we do, but about making incremental changes that will have a genuine impact on the environment around us and the people within it.

The development of the Earthrise™ Sleeping Bag has been about doing the very best we believe it is currently possibly to do; having a product that minimises the use of raw materials, that reduces energy consumption, that reduces Co2 output and that can be recycled afterwards, reducing the amount of waste that goes to landfill is a real step forwards.

More importantly it does all of this whilst still performing in terms of warmth, weight, compressibility and longevity and that highlights what remains our primary focus, to produce products that perform and that are built to last in the often demanding conditions we know our customers choose to use our products in.

Of course there remain real challenges to the development of products that have high ecological and sustainable values as well as transparent ethical standards. Studies have shown that even for brands who are considered to champion the environment and ethical standards of their manufacturer, price and quality remain the most important factors that affect their customers decision to buy. And so in order for these types of products to become mainstream requires joint action from suppliers, manufacturers and retailers to help minimise the additional costs to the consumer and for customers themselves to ask more questions of purely low price-driven or short product life-span consumerism.

At present we are simply trying to do the best job we think we can, when we can.

The Earthrise™ I & II sleeping bags will be available in stores from March 2010.

Not one but TWO awards for Innovation

Well we've just won two OutDoor innovation awards at the 2009 OutDoor trade show in Friedrichshafen, Germany. What's more we won these awards in two entirely different product categories - for sleeping bags and clothing, something which really highlights our strength across all areas of our product line.

The Earthrise® II sleeping bag, the world's first sleeping bag to be part of the Eco-Circle® programme. Some people may think that we do make much of a deal over Eco-friendly products, but we are trying to do what we can, where we can and a sleeping bag seemed the most logical place to start.

Earthrise II Sleeping Bag

Nearly all recyled and recyclable, in fact other than the tiny zip-head puller, drawcord and shockcord there is nothing which cannot be recycled. To put that in perspective, by weight that is less than half a percent of this bag. And with the shell, lining, insulation and side-zip all being fully recycled to begin this bags drain on finite natural resources is minimal as well as using less energy and having a lower C02 output than if we had used a virgin material. It won in the category of ' Products of High Ecological and Sustainable Value'. It will be available from Spring 2010.

The second award was for our Shield Jacket, the next step for us in terms of lightweight, versatile softshell insulation and protection. And the best news? It will be in the shops in around 6 weeks time!

Shield Jacket - Shown in Black / Citronelle Zips colourway

The Shield Jacket uses a hybrid fabric construction, combining a new lighter version of GORE® WINDSTOPPER® as well as POLARTEC® Powershield®. Other than that what makes this jacket special? Well it uses a combination of seam sewing methods to improve mobility and fit, the hood (which is designed to accomodate a helmet) has a water resistant lining to prevent the hood absorbing moisture from spindrift and drizzle when worn down and it has an anti-wick hem lining, again to allow this product to perform better as a shell.

It won in the 'Apparel' category, will cost around £200 in the UK and is available for this winter.

2010 beckons

Well its been a long and busy week at Mountain Equipment's offices this week as we launched our product line-up for Spring / Summer 2010!

Obviously we cant give too much away at this early stage but we have some completely new ranges of sleeping bags, a couple of new tents and lots of new technical clothing for next year. It is now upto our sales team to convince the retailers to buy it and if all that goes to plan you will see it in the shops from the end of February next year!

And it has been one of our busiest summer launches ever. With distributors and agents from across Europe and the world attending including Germany, Norway, France as well as further afield places such as Korea, Japan and Taiwan. An awful lot of nationalities and different markets in order to please and look after.

Everything kicked off on Tuesday evening with some business updates followed by a marketing presentation. The latter part is a fantastic round-up of the past 12 months activity; looking at all the editorial coverage Mountain Equipment has received, awards our products have won as well as a chance to focussing on what our sponsored athletes such as Dave Macleod have been up to.

Wednesday was then the big day, a whole day of product presentations starting at just after 9am and lasting until just after 6pm - a huge number of products to run through and I for one was very glad to be able to have a beer after all that talking.

And Thursday was the chance to digest it all, for our distributors to decide what products they will range in their countries and for us to start the huge task of pulling together final editions of the new workbooks and start planning for the sales campaign and tradeshows.

And when all of that is over we can start working once again on the new Winter 2010 ranges, which are now well underway. It never stops......

Raindrops keep falling on my head

Not any more!

One of the least publicised additions to our Spring / Summer collection this year has been our new Pro Shell Cap. One of the first, if not the first 3 layer GORE-TEX Pro Shell Cap on the market.

Completely waterproof, breathable and with taped seams

The first time any of us had used one of these in anger was on last years storm lashed Original Mountain Marathon (formerly known as the KIMM). Keith and myself spent 6 hours in some of the most severe 'Summer' or 'Autumn' conditions I have ever experienced, with a delugue of rainfall and violent winds, whilst attempting to run over the usual featureless and demanding lakeland terrain.

Adjustable and elasticated rear cinch

So why bother? Well even when working hard, fell running etc, a waterproof hat like this is remarkably comfortable to wear, especially in the conditions when you would actually need one - funnily enough when its raining! It means that you can leave down a hood in all but really heavy rain or when conditions are unbelievably awful (see reports of OMM 2008!) they work surprisingly well in conjunction with a hood, given much greater frontal protection.

Offering good protection in sudden showers or when running etc

And even if you prefer your outdoor activities at a more sedate pace, it works really well in fleeting showers. Numerous times this April i've simply thrown on my cap rather than delve into my pack for my waterproof, knowing that it will have probably passed before i've done the zip up, with a softshell or similar this system can work really well.

The Pro Shell Cap is available in Blue, Black and Red, is in stores now and retails for around £25.00.

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!