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Paramo Aspira Jacket - weight 841 grams

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Paramo Aspira Jacket reviewed by Bob Lyness

Trail Testers Recommended 100%

Paramo Aspira Web Page

SRP £275 Men’s sizes - S, M, L, XL, XXL

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We were planning to go to Whistler, in Western Canada, for a family skiing holiday and as I looked at the brochures, I realised that I was going to need to update some of my kit to cope with the challenging conditions.

My old trusty alpine ski jacket had seen better days, so I decided to replace this with a new jacket which could cope with the weather that we were likely to encounter at over 2000 metres on Canada’s Coast Mountain Range.

I wanted something that would keep me warm on the slopes, with easy arm movement, helmet friendly hood and easy and reliable ventilation.

If possible I wanted something that was soft and comfortable and smart enough to wear for skiing, but also double as a jacket for going out to eat.

So it had to be waterproof and breathable, comfortable and long enough to cover my bottom!

As I searched the Internet I quickly realised that there was quite a choice out there, but very few met my requirements.

Then my eye was drawn to the Paramo web site and the more I read, the more I felt I had found what I was looking for.

Paramo was started by Nick Brown, the guy who invented Nikwax as far back as 1984. Nick was a pioneer in the field of breathable waterproof clothing and worked out that in order to keep dry and comfortable in the mountains, garments needed to wick away moisture from the skin, whilst at the same time stopping rain and snow and wind

from getting in. No mean feat, but in order to do this he observed how birds and mammals kept dry and imitated these properties in a new and revolutionary fabric which he called Paramo, after a mountain region in the Andes.

Like many inventors before him, when in 1989 after a lot of testing of the material in the high Andes, he tried to interest outdoor clothing manufacturers in the UK to use his material in their garments, he was to be disappointed, as their reaction to his idea, was to be as cool as the high Andean air.

Undeterred by their lack of enthusiasm, he set up his own manufacturing company and with the help of a Catholic Nun and a group of women struggling for a better life in Bogota, Columbia, Nick, began a modest production run of jackets and trousers that would mushroom into the highly successful outdoors company known as Paramo Directional Clothing that we know today.

The thing that struck me most of all was that Nick wanted his products to be comfortable to wear, as well as to keep the wearer warm and dry which was exactly what I was looking for. I also liked the ethical way in which the products are produced and the care

and consideration given to the women who make up the bulk of the workforce of this innovative company. I searched the product pages and decided that the Aspira mountaineering jacket would give me just what I was looking for. Finally I wanted a subdued colour, so I wouldn’t stand out on the piste, or be mistaken for a ski instructor!

When I received the jacket a few days later I was immediately impressed when I put it on, how soft and comfortable it felt to wear. It clearly was going to be smart enough to wear out to a restaurant, but how would it cope on the slopes.

I need not have worried, the jacket performed impeccably throughout my holiday, as a brilliant ski and mountain jacket.

First off this jacket is long, has several well placed pockets, well thought out ventilation and a wired hood that can be used with a helmet.

From the start, unlike the weather, it was warm and comfortable with just a base layer and on some days a light fleece mid layer. I liked the way I could roll up the cuffs and the underarm zips worked well. When I misjudged a turn and ended up sitting in the snow it kept me nice and dry. I am very pleased with my purchase and will be wearing this jacket for all my Alpine skiing from now on. Can I recommend it? You bet I can....go for it!