Reviews - Gear Review: Mountain Equipment G2 Ultimate Mountain Pant

This article was first published in the May 2011 issue of Climber Magazine

MOUNTAIN EQUIPMENT G2 ULTIMATE MOUNTAIN PANT

RRP: £160
Weight: 630g
Features: Gore Windstopper softshell fabric, Kevlar crampon protection patches, internal snow gaiter, removable braces
Colours: Available in a grey or black
Product info: www.mountain-equipment.co.uk

When it comes to choosing jackets and trousers for climbing and mountaineering – especially given the 'four seasons in a day' weather we're used to in our green and pleasant land – the choice of fabrics and features can be bewildering. For the mountains in winter I've pretty much always relied on my Gore-Tex shell pants and while they've never let me down they're also not the lightest or most flexible things to wear and can get really hot if you're wearing on a long walk-in. However, the design and functionality of lighter and more comfortable softshell pants has come on in leaps and bounds in recent years and so I decided to take the plunge with a pair of the Mountain Equipment G2 Ultimate Mountain pants.

The pants are made from Gore Windstopper softshell which makes them pretty warm in cold conditions, windproof and, while not as waterproof as a hard shell, they'll keep going for a while in really bad conditions. They also come with tough Kevlar patches on the insides of the ankle for when you get careless with your crampon spikes and have an internal snow gaiter, curved ankle zips and removable braces.

(Right: The author putting the Mountain Equipment G2 Ultimate Mountain Pant through their paces ice climbing in the Lake District this winter. Photo: Stuart Lancaster)

One of the first things to impress me is the fit of the G2 Ultimate Mountain pants. There's no tight or baggy spots and the knee articulation is superb, giving an extremely comfortable and flexible fit. The softshell fabric also means there's a nice amount of stretch for when you're actually climbing in them. And there's two venting zips on the thigh for when things get a bit too warm. I've worn these pants for everything from scrambling and multi-pitch mountain cragging to winter climbs on Ben Nevis, ice climbing in Europe and ski-ing. They even served me well in a full on whiteout at almost 4,000m on the Mönch in Switzerland last October – far beyond what they were probably designed for. They're so utterly comfortable and warm that these are now my default choice of legwear in the mountains for all but the harshest and most extreme conditions, complemented by a lightweight pair of waterproof over trousers in my pack in case I get caught out. And despite the hammering I've given them the fabric has proved surprisingly resilient with not a single hole or tear.

THE VERDICT

A superb and robust all-round climbing and mountaineering pant - warm, flexible and a great fit for climbing.

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