Ortovox, the leading specialist in providing avalanche emergency equipment, merino mountain wear and backpacks, presents its latest innovations range for summer 2016.

Spearheading the clothing range is the new MERINO SHIELD series, which combines fine merino wool with robust Cordura. A material mix is said to extremely robust and can be found in many different products.

The collection is rounded off with the MERINO HARDSHELL LIGHT line, which is designed to protect against wind and rain at the lowest possible weight, and the cooling, stretchy ROCK’N’WOOL COOL mountain shirts.

MERINO SHIELD TEC

The MERINO SHIELD TEC pants and shorts are the ultimate alpine climbing pants, the company reports. The pants are extremely scuff-resistant and robust thanks to processing with Cordura. In the Martindale test used to test scuff resistance, the primary material for the shorts and pants was able to withstand over 50,000 abrasion cycles.

The light climbing pants are made of merino wool, spandex and nylon, along with Cordura – a mix that is said to guarantee high breathability and great freedom of movement. The 4-way stretch material keeps up with each of your movements on the mountain. In order to protect high-stress areas, such as the knees, the company used an even more robust material mix made of Cordura (˃100,000 abrasion cycles in the Martindale test).

MERINO SHIELD SHELL

High-performance products for alpine tourers was the focus during the development of the new MERINO SHIELD SHELL softshell line. Features, such as robustness, comfort through freedom of movement and breathability were particularly important, according to the manufacturer.

The high proportion of Cordura in the material mix is said to ensure the best scuff resistance and longevity (min. 80,000 abrasion cycles in the Martindale test) and offer optimum protection in the field.

The high freedom of movement is guaranteed thanks to highly elastic Lycra fibres – the material used in the jacket and pants can be stretched by 20%. To ensure that no water can permeate in from the outside, the surface of the jacket and pants is DWR-treated.

MERINO SHIELD LIGHT

A material blend of Cordura, nylon and spandex is said to make mountain pants robust and protect mountaineers at the same time when in mountain terrain, the company reports.

According to the Martindale test, the material mix managed more than 100,000 abrasion cycles. At the same time, these mountain pants are said to be very elastic and provide freedom of movement in every layer. To increase wear comfort, the company added inserts made of 150 MERINO COOL in the waistband and the pockets.

MERINO HARDSHELL LIGHT

The MERINO HARDSHELL LIGHT features a combination of extreme lightness (68g/m2) and high-performance DERMIZAX DT MEMBRANE from Toray. The 2.5 layer construction is fitted with the water column (min. 20,000mm) of a hardshell and the lightness and breathability (min. 25,500g/m2/24h) of a windbreaker.

The patented micro bead structure on the interior provides long-term scuff resistance for the membrane underneath and increases wear comfort on the skin, according to the company.

The outer material is designed to provide maximum longevity. The polyamide is processed as part of a new webbing procedure, resulting in a 50% weight reduction with greater resistance. Ortovox developed MERINO HARDSHELL LIGHT for alpinists for whom lightness, packable size and high protection are important.

ROCK'N'WOOL COOL

Mountain shirts that cool on their own and provide great freedom of movement have been developed using the MERINO ROCK’N’WOOL COOL. The nanofibrous structure of the Tencel cellulose fibres, which are woven together with fine merino wool and polyester, is responsible for this cooling effect.

In addition to natural cooling, this material mix is also said to ensure pleasant wear comfort on the skin. To provide full freedom of movement when climbing, the side, armpit and upper back areas of these shirts are fitted with stretch inserts made of MERINO MESH, a knitted mix of fine merino wool and polyester.

www.ortovox.com