Eider Who?

Getting an invitation for two days free climbing in Chamonix - and by 'free climbing' I mean gratis, not suicidal soloing by the way - is a bit of a no brainer. Hit reply, say, 'yes please'.

But Eider? Who the hell are Eider? Okay, first despite the vaguely teutonic-sounding name, Eider are a French outdoors clothing company based in Annecy in the foothills of the French Alps. They may not be particularly well known in the UK - though the brand is stocked by Snow and Rock and Ellis Brigham - but they're a top-end, well established brand in their home market and elsewhere on the continent.

They were also one of the first European brands to work closely with WL Gore, the makers of Gore-Tex, a relationship that started in 1981 and continues to this day. In fact around 50 per-cent of Eider's products use either Gore-Tex waterproof fabrics or Gore Windstopper and the whole point of the Chamonix launch was to allow journalists to try the fabrics and garments in real alpine conditions in the French Alps.

Eider had chosen Chamonix as the ideal venue for their event. It's one of those places that anyone who's into mountains should see at least once. The small alpine town basks in the jagged shadow of some of the most beautiful mountains in the Alps - Mont Blanc is a short cable car ride and a few hours snow slog from the centre of town, but that's just the start. The place is ringed by the great peaks of alpine mountaineering: the Grandes Jorasses, the Dru, the Chamonix Aiguilles, Mont Blanc de Tacul, the Grepon etc, etc.

Not only that but there's perfect alpine walking in high, green meadows, plus easy scrambling on lower peaks all complemented by the pleasing elements of French living, like Fench food, French wine, bars, croissants, pain au chocolat, cheap hotels, pleasingly aesthetic glaciers and...

... what really marks Chamonix out, near instant access to the high mountains via the telepherique lift system and in particular, the 'phrique' that whisks you rapidly the the top of the Aiguille du Midi at around three and a half thousand metres and a legendary step off point for adventures like Mont Blanc and the ski ascent of the legendary Vallé Blanche.

Which is where we found ourselves for a 'day in the office' on Monday morning. We'd been issued with Eider clothing the night before and given a guide for the day, or more accurately, we'd been given to the guide for the day. Interestingly, while older French guides tend to sport short, neat hair and leathery, sun-washed complexions, the younger generation are all comedy bleached blocks and eccentric facial hair.

Together with Frédéric from Gore - a man who'd confessed the night before that he'd not only never climbed in the Alps, he'd never climbed at all, anywhere - we set out for the Arete des Cosmiques, which conveniently finishes back at the telepherique station, literally as you clamber over the railing into a viewing gallery packed with toursists at the end of the route.

More about the specific climbing tomorrow with loads of nice pics, but the prime aim of course was to check out some of the gear. This is what we used:

The Commodore - see Eider web site page - is part of Eider's super technical 'Xenium' range. It's a waterproof alpine shell jacket using Gore's Stretch XCR fabric. The cut is short with articulated sleeves, plus the use of stretch fabric allows for a closer, more efficient fit which will help both breathability and thermal efficiency by removing air gaps.

You also get a nice, roomy hood, which you can roll down for neatness, water-resistant zips on both twin Napoleon pockets and core vents. It's clearly a very, very nice jacket, as it should be for around £270 and looks great in black.

We liked the close cut, though bear in mind that Eider's sizing seems on the small side and our medium was shorter in the sleeves that we'd have expected, so you may need to go up a size. Even at around freezing point, it was still a little warm for the Commodore, but the weight claimed under 700 grammes and pack size are both good so carrying it wasn't a major chore.

It also meant we appreciated the vents fully. All in all though a very nice technical climbing shell.

See this web page - the Cerces is a technical pant made using Gore's Windstopper Next To Skin membrane and it's great. The fabric is stretchy and comfortable using reinforcement on the knees and seat and with Kevlar patches to minimise crampon scuffs. There's a Velcro-adjustable ankle fastening, but you also get an internal gaiter for excellent sealing over a boot.

Finally there are three zipped pockets and adjustable braces. We were really interested in seeing how these performed in the cold, dry conditions of the Alps, because we've found similar fabrics have borderline breathability in warmer, damper UK mountain conditions.

In short, the answer is 'excellent'. High up on day one, there was no problem with mobility or wicking, yet the pant was totally windproof, snug-fitting and extremely comfortable. It reminded us of Mountain Equipment's G2 pant, but the added braces stopped waist slippage and the shorter internal gaiters seemed a lot more breathable than ME's version. It's hard to say whether that was due to the cold, dry conditions of the Alps or simply a different, more breathable fabric.

Lower down the mountain, trekking to the Montenvers hut after lunch, the hot conditions were more demanding, but while a lighter trekking pant would undoubtedly have been better, the Cerces coped okay, though we'd have liked ME's zipped thigh vents for added air circulation.

Overall, despite rubbing a small hold in the fabric over a pocket - probably because of a key in the pocket - we were extremely impressed with the performance of the N2S Windstopper in dry, cold alpine conditions which help breathability and with the well thought out technical features of the Eider pants. We woudn't suggest them for most UK conditions, but for alpine environments, they seem ideal.

More of these separately, but Eider makes a flip-top mitt from windproof fleece that flips back to reveal a fingerless glove. Brilliant for mixed alpine scrambling where you need dexterity on rock and with ropes and gear, but also need warmth on demand. A nice idea that worked well on the Cosmiques.

We'll bring you more pics and descriptions later in the week, but what we can tell you is that Eider clearly make very neat clothing, most of which, incidentally, is manufactured in Europe rather than the Far East.

The Gore breathables performed extremely well in true alpine conditions and the cut and technical features of the kit we tried were both impressive. You may have to seek out Eider in the UK, but if you're looking for top-end technical kit, they're a credible alternative to brands which are better known in the UK. See the OM shopping section for links to Ellis Brigham and Snow and Rock.

Oh, and thanks to Eider for a brilliant couple of days in the alpine theme park which is Chamonix. Eurodisney? You betcha....

For more details about Eider see their web site.