Mountain Designs Gore WINDSTOPPER Jacket Review

Field test and review – Windstopper Jacket

Kala Patthar (5643m/18513ft)

It was a race against time to climb Kala Patthar for a view of Everest. For the past 8 days we had been trekking from Lukla, winding ever upwards across a barren, rubble like landscape. The night before our climb we were enjoying the comfort of the lodge and yak dung fire at Gorak Shep, a small settlement that sits at its edge at 5,164 m elevation, near Mount Everest. Over the past few days the weather had been worsening with cloud, howling winds and snow threatening to mask our views of the Himalayan mountain range. Following a brief team meeting the decision was made to make an early start the next morning and commence our climb at 6:00am in order to take advantage of the clearer skies.

Kala Patthar is the real destination at the end of an Everest Base Camp trek. It was a 590-foot climb from Gorak Shep to a maximum altitude of 5643m/18513ft.

On the morning of our departure it was still dark and the temperature outside was -13 degrees celsius. That wasn’t a problem in itself, we were well layered with some of the team wearing down jackets to fight off the cold. Our problem was the strong cold wind. It was the hardest thing to deal with, blowing harder than it had at any other time in the trek.

This is where the Mountain Designs Gore® WINDSTOPPER® Jacket earned its place in my pack. With conditions like these, the dual adjustable fixed hook, draft flap and chin guard did a genuinely good job of keeping my face protected. Pulled nice and tight there was no way the wind was getting in. It was roaring up behind me too, but that wasn’t an issue, I was well layered with merino and the elliptical hem at the back of the jacket meant I could tighten it around my waist to keep the cold out from below.

The loose gravel and increasing altitude of Kala Patthar had wiped me of energy as we reached the halfway point. Three steps then stop to breathe was the routine that continued all the way to the summit. Rounding the winding mountain peak trail, blasts of icy wind came howling down upon us. No more loose ground, just a daunting angle set to a ferociously cold wind that was battering our bodies from all angles.

The route to the summit of Kala Patthar is steep and loose with lots of switchbacks. The final climb was made on giant boulders, and I fought to catch my breath more than once. The never relenting wind whipped around me, and had it not been for the WINDSTOPPER® jacket, it would have forced chills into my bones.

Two hours to traverse 1.8km is a fair indication of how challenging things were, even before you factor in the altitude. From the peak of Kala Patthar, the summit of Mount Everest looked beyond the reach of any human being, with the Khumbu Glacier and the world’s highest peaks laid out beyond it.

What surprised me was just how comfortable I felt in those conditions, and it came down to my choice of adventure clothing. While plenty of jackets I’ve worn offer some level of wind protection, this WINDSTOPPER® was completely windproof and still breathable, which isn’t an easy combination to get right. The only place I felt the cold at all was my toes, which were so cold I couldn’t feel them anymore, though that’s on my choice of socks rather than the jacket itself. Thicker socks next time. In my opinion this is a solid windproof jacket to wear as an undergarment beneath a shell, or as an outer garment on its own if you only need lighter protection and it’s not raining heavily.

Climbing Kala Patthar had been on my bucket list for years, and standing on the summit facing the Khumbu Glacier and that run of the world’s highest peaks is something I won’t forget.

Buy direct from Mountain Designs for $299.95

GORE® WINDSTOPPER® Jacket Tech Specs

• GORE® WINDSTOPPER® Soft Shell: GORE® WINDSTOPPER® Soft Shells are 100% windproof, extremely breathable and highly water resistant.
• Grid backer: the internal polyester fleece layer has a grid design that channels water away from the body and insulates by trapping air.
• DWR (Durable Water Repellent): DWR finish not only stops water from soaking into the fabric but also dirt, blood, wine and other nasty substances.
• Fabric: GORE® WINDSTOPPER® 3 Layer Soft Shell, 290gsm. Plain weave 70D Nylon stretch with a lofty Polyester microcheck backer for next to skin comfort.
• Weight (approx.): 705g (size M)