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AS VARIED AS THE MOUNTAINS: THE WESTALPEN COLLECTION FROM ORTOVOX
Anyone with high ambitions, who moves among the rock and ice, far above the green meadows and broad trails, must constantly adapt to new scenarios. Here, we have to be ready for anything, able to adapt, and remain flexible – and the same goes for our clothing. This was the starting point from which ORTOVOX developed its WESTALPEN high alpine touring collection. What resulted is an ingenious, perfectly harmonized line comprising a protective layer, comfort zone and source of warmth, which is extremely multifunctional and covers the whole spectrum from valley to ridge.
To achieve this, ORTOVOX did a great deal of fine-tuning, refined their technical solutions, and created a sophisticated collection with a system behind it. The WESTALPEN line is made up of three clothing layers: water and windproof shells, robust yet extremely comfortable softshells, and naturally warming parts made from Swiss wool and merino. So ORTOVOX has a ready answer for every kind of weather in the mountains.
Discover the Westalpen collection
ortovox SOFTSHELL LAYER: YOUR COMFORT ZONE
When you can move comfortably you’ll save energy – and that’s essential in the mountains. Our WESTALPEN softshell layers are made from sustainable materials – and they’re not only comfortable, but super robust and breathable, too.
WESTALPEN SOFTSHELL JACKET
Specially developed for demanding tours, the technical softshell jacket provides everything you need in high alpine terrain: High durability, great freedom of movement and excellent comfort thanks to a soft merino wool lining.
WESTALPEN SOFTSHELL PANTS
The winner of the Outstanding Outdoor trade fair award: These softshell pants are extremely comfortable, versatile and cleverly thought out down to the smallest detail – for example, the hems can easily and quickly be adjusted to fit seamlessly over mountaineering boots, replacing gaiters. They feature technical NATURETEC LIGHT material, abrasion-resistant MERINO NATURETEC RIPS inserts and fine merino wool on the inside.
ortovox HARDSHELL LAYER: DEINE SCHUTZSCHICHT
Proving just how lightweight and compact protection can be: Our technical hardshell purists are versatile, weigh practically nothing and boast surprisingly clever features.
WESTALPEN 3L JACKET
The wind and waterproof WESTALPEN 3L JACKET is ORTOVOX’s uncompromising protective shield, precisely tailored for high-alpine use: from the helmet-compatible, two-way adjustable storm hood, to the special sleeve design, through to the backpack-optimized front pockets. This jacket also offers very high elasticity, exceptional comfort thanks to merino inserts and a non-porous (PTFE-free!) Dermizax® NX PU membrane that is easy to care for, long-lasting and highly breathable.
WESTALPEN 3L PANTS
Featuring a waterproof and windproof (and PTFE-free) Dermizax® NX membrane, the 3-layer pants from ORTOVOX’s WESTALPEN high alpine touring collection offer uncompromising weather protection for use in challenging terrain. In addition, the durable outer material and protective reinforcements shield the wearer against rock, ice, crampons and sharp edges. And a series of ingenious solutions – including width adjustment for touring and ski boots, the 3-way side zipper and practical gaiter system – make handling extremely simple even with gloves and once more highlight the adaptability that runs through the WESTALPEN collection.
WESTALPEN 3L LIGHT PANTS
A Toray PTFE-free Dermizax® NX membrane not only ensures that these technical high-alpine touring pants are water and windproof, but that they remain lightweight. It has a clean, clever cut, provides great freedom of movement and will fit perfectly over mountain boots, while inserts in just the right places provide extra durability and comfort.
INSULATION LAYER: YOUR WARMER
Swiss wool meets Tasmanian lightness: This unique combination makes our wind and water-resistant WESTALPEN insulation layers wonderfully warm, highly elastic and comfortably ventilated – in an entirely natural way.
WESTALPEN SWISSWOOL HYBRID JACKET
Swiss virgin wool meets Tasmanian merino fibers: SWISSWOOL and merino fleece are combined in a lightweight, comfortable, wind-resistant jacket that is suitable for a variety of activities. A natural all-rounder that is perfect for alpine activities on the rock and ice.
WESTALPEN SWISSWOOL JACKET
A lightweight insulating jacket for mountaineering and ski touring, with a comfortably warm SWISSWOOL lining. The insulation is distributed differently: where more warmth is needed, the insulation is slightly thicker. Where more freedom of movement is required, the insulation is thinner. Thanks to the Pertex® Quantum Diamond Fuse shell, even the nastiest wind doesn’t stand a chance. The insulating jacket with 2-way zip is carbon neutral, made in Europe and contains no PFCs!
FOLLOWING your INNER VOICE: ON ALL 82 FOUR-THOUSANDERS IN THE ALPS
“On the mountain, I could hear my voice for the first time”
ORTOVOX athlete Marlies Czerny grew up at the foot of the mountains – but it never occurred to the Upper Austrian to climb them. As a daughter of the owners of an inn, she knew nothing of weekends, trips or tours. She later became a newspaper editor and continued working seven days a week – until she took the first step and never stopped.
As Marlies’ boss forced her to finally take her remaining vacation, she didn’t know what to do with all her free time (and herself). An inner voice whispered to her that she should lace up her hiking boots and go off into the mountains. Her first tour made her sweat, but Marlies fell in love with her experience of nature in the mountains. The ascent began and it was unstoppable: In the end, she stood on all 82 four-thousand-meter peaks of the Alps. Since then, Marlies has written a book about her fortuitous passion for collecting mountains, she gives lectures and tours through the mountains in a converted bus with her boyfriend Andi.
Fotograph: Hansi Heckmair Source: Ortovox
Interview with Marlies Czerny
Marlies, you never really used to be interested in mountains. What drove you to go on your first tour?
If only I knew… it definitely wasn’t my reasoning. For a long time, I had only seen the mountains from below. I didn’t think about them at all – and suddenly I thought to myself: you should go hiking. I would probably call it intuition. It was without doubt the most important step in my life. My first step out into nature brought me a step closer to myself. Just to be away from all external influences, from the distractions and the noise – I could actually hear myself for the very first time. Today I think that the thing I feel deep inside of me is my inner voice. It tells me what makes me happy.
How long did it take you to ascend the four-thousanders?
Six years in total. I have to mention that it wasn’t really my goal. It all started with those days off. After climbing my local mountains I felt a need to go higher and higher and, in 2011, I stood on the summit of the beautiful Dom at 4,545 meters high. Around four years later I was sitting with my partner and co-climber Andi, and we were reading a book about the four-thousanders. Andi asked how many I had already been to the top of. I had never kept a log book. For me it was always just about being outdoors. I flicked through the guide, checking them off. It were 62. Then I thought to myself: Now you can do the remaining 20, too.
You were a successful journalist but quit your job. How come?
It just became harder and harder for me to find enough motivation. I had found myself and that´s something you can only really wish for everyone. The hardest part is to discover your passion for something – and the further steps needed to allow the change to happen. Nowadays, I live in the mountains and, in a way, from the mountains because I also write about them. I trusted my inner voice and the fact that I managed it was more rewarding than climbing all the four-thousanders. It is a great blessing.
Can you define your passion for the mountains?
Every day I was just replying to emails every second and typing like a madman. I was constantly on call and restless. At the top of a mountain, I was free of all that. The more difficult and challenging it becomes, the more I exist in the “here and now”. Reducing things to the bare essentials has a wonderfully liberating effect on me. Today, Andi and I have stripped our life down to the bare essentials and live in our camper. And we couldn’t be happier.
“You don’t need much in the mountains as long as you have the right things.”
Are you a minimalist when it comes to equipment, too?
Yes, simply because you can go further with less. You don’t need much in the mountains as long as you have the right things. Versatility, low weight and protection – once you have found the optimum set-up, everything falls into place. That’s why well-designed items are so important to me: things that function in the most diverse areas from the valleys to the summits, and that can be used flexibly. And that’s one reason why I’m so happy with the new WESTALPEN collection.
Do you want to learn more about Ortovox and their products? Here you go: