Pop quiz, alpine climbers: Imagine you’re running-it-out on desperately small footholds with one waist-high finger-stack in a disappearing seam. Your other arm’s stretched high above for the only hold offering a rest, when suddenly you realize your jacket is holding you back, leaving you a few centimeters short of the send. What jacket should you have packed instead? MEC Envoy Joshua Lavigne has the answer, and the reasons why.
Early in my climbing career I realized that alpine climbing is more than just a way to escape, it’s also a refuge from the stresses of daily life. When I’m in the mountains, I’m free of traffic lights, grocery store lines, and the doldrums of automated customer service representatives.
But this doesn’t mean alpine climbing has no stresses and burdens. One the biggest stresses is adverse weather and consequently, one of the heaviest burdens is making the right decisions about gear. What layers do I need? What jacket do I bring? Should I pack almond or sea salt dark chocolate? (Answer to that last one is both of course.)
When I place my gear on the proverbial chopping block I often use criteria based on weight and performance. More often than not, I have to swallow the big “C” pill: Compromise. Maybe that’s why I’m so psyched about MEC’s newest addition to their arsenal of jackets, the Alpine Refuge. There’s no compromise. The Alpine Refuge has proven to be incredibly light and minimalist both in its design and materials, and is a perfect combination of functionality and breathability. It’s nice to have a jacket that does away with superfluous straps, zippers and pockets, and is reduced to just the essentials while still protecting me against the most inclement weather.
One of the greatest features of this jacket is the waterproof-breathable stretch nylon fabric, which separates it from others in its class. I’ve stopped wearing layers that don’t have a high degree of breathability and stretch, which means I rarely wear a hard shell. Often when I’m climbing in multiple layers, I feel inhibited by the lack of give in my outer layer. Back to that run-out moment with the desperately small foothold, the disappearing seam, one arm stretching high for the only hold that offers a roost – is my jacket tugging at my shoulder leaving me a few centimetres short of the send – non merci! The Alpine Refuge jacket allows me to move up the rock without catching at my elbows and shoulders, which almost makes it as if I’m climbing in a soft shell and not a waterproof-breathable storm shell.
After 18 years of alpine climbing, the thing I appreciate most is a simple design that performs at the highest degree of functionality. And even more than that, I appreciate the fact that this jacket reduces the stress about what gear to bring in the mountains, which keeps alpine climbing a refuge for me.
Joshua put the Alpine Refuge to the test on his attempt to climb Thalay Sagar in India, and has packed it along for his current trip to Patagonia.
