Autumn / winter 2004 looks like being an interesting time for Lowe
Alpine. After years of being known as the company that didn't
use Gore-Tex fabrics, Lowe has turned its back on both the
established Triplepoint Ceramic coating and the impressively
breathable eVENT that it introduced for this winter.
From late summer, Lowe Alpine's top-end shells are going to be
made from Gore-Tex and we have scoop pics of some of the new jackets
to show you. The real question is whether Lowe can make its new lines
stand out enough from all the other Gore-tex users out there.
They're taking it all very seriously with the range taking in
Gore's top fabrics including XCR, Paclite, Classic Gore-Tex,
Windstopper and the new, fully-taped Soft Shell. Plus, as part of an
'Integrated Alpine System', the company is also going to be using
Polartec's impressive PowerShield soft shell fabric and their Thermal
Pro technical fleece line.
We can also expect some serious promotion later this year as the
kit hits the shops...
Anyway, here's some of what Lowe Alpine has up its corporate
sleeve :-)
Ice Light Jacket - £250
The Ice Light is aimed at top-end alpinists. It uses three-layer
XCR Gore-Tex, and is pretty obviously quite minimalist in design. We
don't have full specs yet, but you can see there are two big chest
pockets with water-resistant zips, a water-resistant main zip with
storm flap backing and, we think, the current diagonal zip
configuration to reduce bulk in the chin area.
One interesting new touch are what look like twin vents, again
closed with water-resistant zips, slanted across the bicep area.
We've seen sleeve vents before - MHW uses a forearm vent on one of
its jackets - but never one on the upper arm. Will it work? We have
no idea.
There's also a female equivalent, the Women's Ice Light
Jacket in nicer colours and a matching ice Light Pant
priced at £200. This year's Lowe eVENT Pant is a great
design that we really like, so we have high hopes for these.
Alpine Light Jacket - £250
The Alpine Light is Lowe's Gore-tex Paclite, 'ultra-lightweight,
technical alpine shell at a very competitive price it says here'.
Looks like a no frills all round jacket similar to a Lowe Alpine
eVENT number which we've been using, but never actually made ir into
the shops, in which case we'd expect it to be very competent and one
of the few Paclite jackets designed for alpine technical rather than
all round fast-moving use. Nice colour too.
Ice Man Backcountry Ski Jacket - £250
The Ice Man, complemented by a women's 'Ice Maiden' - isn't that a
lass who sells ice cream? - is aimed primarily at backcountry
skiiers. It uses a combination of 3-layer XCR and XCR Stretch with
the stretch panels offering extra mobility for skiers. There's also a
built-in snow skirt for to stop powder getting up your under your
string vest... Styliong looks similar to the current eVENT range.
Torque jacket - £170
Not Gore-Tex, but Polartec's PowerShield soft shell fabric. The
Torque jacket' 'cut', it says here, 'is form-fitting and the colour
combinations give a very athletic yet sophicticated look.' More
importantly, we really like this fabric, so it's great to see another
major manufacturer buying into its combination of protection and
breathability.
Unfortunately we don't seem to have a pic of the jacket, so here
are the matching pants :-)
More Information
When we have it. In the mean time, for details of Lowe Alpine's
current range and latest news, see their web
site.
Scoop preview of Lowe Alpine's spring/summer 2004 range featuring the return of the classic Ninja Hoodie... Just who is that masked warrior?
