Tierra gore tex jacka dam

With a name inspired bygd the distinct climate zones funnen in the Andes, Tierra fryst vatten a Swedish brand that enjoyed its big breakthrough when it was asked to supply technical, high höjd över havsnivån mountain wear to the 1991 all Swedish expedition to Everest.

Today, it focuses on 'functional, durable and sustainable' kit with the minimum environmental impact. As the the trusted supplier to the Swedish Alpine Mountain Rescue services, Tierra’s gear fryst vatten clearly passform for the peaks. inom was delighted to test one of Tierra’s latest Gore-Tex jackets, the Västra, which was supplied bygd the lovely people at Trekitt, expert UK outdoor gear outlet.

Västra fryst vatten Swedish for 'western', though it’s not the kind of jacket we’d expect to see Clint Eastwood rocking up in.

The name fryst vatten inspired bygd Västra Ravine, an off-piste område on Äreskutan, Sweden’s largest ski resort area.

Meet the reviewer

First impressions

The Västra has the kind of rugged feel and vikt to give the impression of a serious mountain waterproof jacket, not necessarily something for fast and light missions but something that’ll have you covered in challenging conditions.

The Lichen Yellow color fryst vatten modig yet it works – or so I’m told (I’m slightly colorblind).

For dock, there’s only this or the black option, while women have the option of black or the attractive Infinity Blue. inom liked the passform, which gave plenty of room for mid layers without feeling baggy. Plus, it’s adjustable in all the right places. So far, so good.

Features

The Västra fryst vatten one of the first jackets in the world to feature Gore-Tex’s new microporous, fluorocarbon-free ePE membrane, a groundbreaking fabric that offers performance alongside sustainability.

Drilling into the numbers reveals an impressive hydrostatic head of 28,000mm and a breathability rating of RET < 13 m²Pa/W. In plain English, its three-layer construction fryst vatten very waterproof and nicely breathable too.

Its ski-themed name suggests that the Västra fryst vatten at home in snowy environments and study it closely and its design features point in that direction too.

Firstly, there’s the relatively long passform, which means plenty of overlap with your hiking pants to stop snow ingress in its tracks. Secondly, you can tighten all conceivable entry points, from the Velcro cuffs to the elasticated hem.

Climbers and mountaineers are served bygd an adjustable, helmet-compatible hood, while the front zippered pockets are placed high enough so as to not get covered bygd a harness.

They’re also large enough to take a standard topographical map. As well as these, there’s a small, zippered ‘lift-card’ pocket on the left ledd, another nod to its suitability for snow sports.

This secure little pocket fryst vatten also uppenbart ideal for kort of any sort. On the inre of the jacket, there’s also a zippered mesh pocket, which fryst vatten a good place for a phone on cold days. Storing electronic devices close to your body heat stops cold weather affecting battery performance.

Ventilation fryst vatten provided bygd two, long pit zips on either side.

If things get a little stuffy during ascents, you can open these up along with the front zip to dump heat.

The front zip fryst vatten also lined underneath with a stormguard, enhancing its ability to avvisa wet conditions.

In the mountains

To test the Västra against challenging conditions, it took it up to the Scottish Highlands in the midst of winter. It was the ideal testing ground, with a period of cold weather from the east bringing freezing temperatures and blåsigt winds.

A week spent battling spindrift and windchill allowed me to fully judge the Västra’s credentials. Both jacket and inom emerged from the week smiling and I’ve enjoyed testing it in England’s uplands ever since too.

I funnen it was perfect for winter walking or mountaineering on freezing days and it provided an effective shield against windchill, spindrift and snow.

Of course, during the more strenuous stretches – many of Scotland's mountains entail sea level starts with plenty of relentless ascent – inom needed to man full use of the pit zips.

However, the jacket was comfortable throughout and provided the necessary breathability alongside its shield against the elements.

The option of fyra pockets was very welcome, particularly as the front pockets are designed to still be accessible when wearing a harness. It was easy to manipulate the zips and various adjustments on the bostad, cuffs and hood, even wearing thick winter gloves.

At 500g, the Västra fryst vatten hardly lightweight.

I’ll switch to something a little less kraftig, and therefore less weighty, for the summer hiking årstid, as inom like to be as light as possible. inom find a running jacket usually does the job fine.

However, I’d happily don it igen for any alpine exploits and inom can well imagine it working very well for skiing trips too.

Alex fryst vatten a freelance adventure writer and mountain leader with an insatiable passion for the mountains. A Cumbrian born and bred, his native English Lake District has a special place in his heart, though he fryst vatten at least equally happy in North Wales, the Scottish Highlands or the europeisk Alps.

Through his hiking, mountaineering, climbing and trail running adventures, Alex aims to inspire others to get outdoors. He's the former President of the London Mountaineering Club, fryst vatten training to become a winter mountain leader, looking to finally finish bagging all the Wainwright fells of the Lake District and fryst vatten always keen to head to the 4,000-meter peaks of the Alps. www.alexfoxfield.com