ah, the Patagucci does look nice, t'will be good to get my hands on it. Some stupidly lightweight down jackets from Marmot and MH that look really nice too, very slimmed-down and clean. North Face is all very samey with the odd nice piece and the Berghaus just looks...oh no. Don't get me started. Columbia = undistinguished, so far.
Ultimate Outdoor is another really good Haglofs stockist, boths mens and womens in decent proportions. I got my Bungy Top from their nice little stores in Betsy Wetsy. Their stock in general is fantastic, actually, the buyers there are clearly talented people.
Lots of nice tempting things in the new EB catalogue. I noticed in the Covent Garden store that they seem to have given over even more floorspace to Arc'teryx stuff, guess they must be getting a decent margin on it.
Didn't think the new TNF stuff looked all that great, but Haglofs gear was very nice. I see that this season for male skiiers the colours do go for are eye watering lemon/limes with names like "citronelle"! Women on the other hand, well...lots of pink. Very groundbreaking.
The price increases are definitely noticeable this year. Some of Icebreaker's mid-layers come in at £119 now! Am pleased that I pretty much have everything I need from them as I couldn't justify spending that sort of cash. Their 200 weight long sleeve baselayer has leapt from about £39 to £49, am cursing that I didn't buy the one I saw online for £20 a couple of months ago.
Pink for girls' ski gear isn't groundbreaking...it's been de rigeur (for those who can afford to change ski gear each year for 'fashion') for a while now. Shocking pink and khaki combined it was a short while ago. The mind boggles...
It does Icebreakers prices on Cotswolds site do look pretty silly actually - 65 for a simple crew cut base layer?
For comparison Finnisterre crew cut merino base = 35, Chocolate fish = ~40 etc. A cynic could begin to wonder if this has got anything to do with their virtual monopoly on merino stuff in high street shops
On the plus side the huge quantity of stuff that they're now producing must pretty well ensure you'll be able to get some in sales all year round - Cotswolds still has a bunch on their website etc.
We were surely always going to see some impact from moving from 1.5 to 1 euro. I'm surprised it took so long/hasn't been more obvious elsewhere in the economy really.
I must also admit to having missed the frighteningly coloured Norrona stuff cunningly hidden away in the ski catalogue where it somehow manages to almost look like a budget brand....
New Youngest Brit Woman Everest Record Dubai-based 18-year-old Briton Leanna Shuttleworth breaks Bonita Norris record and completes the Seven Summits at the same time.
A pleasure
