Lowe Alpine's New Gore-Tex Shells Previewed

Lowe Alpine, the company that didn't do Gore has finally succumbed - their new range of winter 2004 kit is appearing in the shops right now and while Lowe's own Triplepoint lives on in some of their low-end jackets, the top-end stuff now has a Gore badge on it, so it's goodbye TPC and hello Gore-Tex XCR, Paclite and others.

Did the Gore Father make Lowe Alpine an offer they couldn't refuse or was it simply a logical step for a company looking to make it big in the luctative European market? To be honest, it doesn't matter, Lowe Alpine is using Gore and that's how it is.

We have a scoop preview of the spring 2005 range which we'll be bringing you in about a week's time, but for now, here's a quick look at the new Gore-Tex shells which should be appearing in an outdoors shop near you some time about now...

The undoubted star turn on the great carousel of shell is the new Ice Light Jacket. Astonishingly it's a top-end alpine shell that at 470 grammes weighs less than Lowe's own Paclite jacket - only by about 6 grammes it's true, but the promise is super light weight allied to XCR durability.

It's not just a pretty face on the scales either. Lowe's designers have apparently spent a lot of time getting the ergonomics just so and there are neat details and features a go go. For example, the bottom of the main zip area is laminated for easier fastening, the front hem is cut away to give maximum mobility for those high-stepping disco moves on ice and a cunning 'Helix' panel runs from the wrist all the way to the hip to give fantastic arm mobility without the extra panelling and stitching of articulation.

There are radical vents in the bicep area, water-resistant zips throughout and the company's used super narrow microtape to seal the seams, which given that a shell jacket can use around 40 metres of tape in total, astonishingly promises to free up an area equivalent to an A3 sheet of paper, which would otherwise be non breathable. It looks like being an excellent and innovative jacket and weighs in at £250.

If the Ice Light with it's unconventional pit-zip and mod cons is all a bit much for you, there's the more conventional Ice Man and Ice Maiden jacket, also in three-ply XCR and at the same price, it has conventional pit-zips, a more voluminous cut standard seam tape and stretch panels behind the shoulders.

You also get a 'Snow Cuff' streamlined snow skirt making it a good choice for ski mountaineering and ski touring. At 732 grammes it's not exactly heavy either, well, not unless you're comparing it to the Ice Light that is....

There are also two much more traditional two-ply Gore-Tex jackets that'll look instantly familiar to long time Lowe Alpine fans. The Mountain Master - below- takes over where the classic Alpine Flash left off with a classic twin chest pocket configuration, wired hood and a snow skirt. It weighs in at 874 grammes and retails at £200

Similarly, the new Crest Jacket is the successor to the successful Foraker being a longer-cut, four-pocket mountain and backpacking jacket with the Zip-In interactive facility and classic Lowe features like seamless Watershed shoulders , Swivel Sight hood and conservative colour schemes. Weight is around 858 grammes and the price will be £180.

Both should be welcomed by those who liked the no-nonsense, classic feel of the Flash and Foraker and we reckon the conservative styling is no coincidence.

Last but not least, for the first time, Lowe is able to use the excellent Paclite fabric, most notably in the Alpine Light Jacket which as the name suggests is a lightweight alpine jacket. It weighs almost exactly the same as the XCR Ice Light and features pit-zips, a wired helmet hood and more.

It'll retail at £170 and we'd expect it to be significantly more breathable than the Ice Light, but not as durable. You pays your money etc. The Alpine Light replaces the old Atom Jacket, but should be a lot more breathable than that slightly sweaty old stager...

There are other models too and pants, but that should give you an idea of what's out about now. There's been a lot of pressure on Lowe Alpine to come through with something different in Gore-Tex and we reckon with the Ice Light, they've really come through and we should be giving it a full test soon.

More scoop details on next year's Lowe Alpine kits including a radical new pack back design coming soon. For more information on the company, see www.lowealpine.com