Mountain Equipment Tupilak Atmo Jacket

Introduction

Occasionally, people write blogs about climbing gear they like or recommend. One of their motivations is to keep these exceptionally good products available. Since climbing is a niche activity, and alpinism even more so, there aren’t thousands of people buying high-quality (but ultimately expensive) jackets like the Mountain Equipment Tupilak Atmo.

If there are a few consecutive years of poor retail sales, there’s a chance a jacket such as this will be discontinued. Technical products are often time-consuming to design and make. As Colin Haley points out on his blog, sometimes this is just ‘fair enough,’ but poor sales are often because only a few people know about these items. By spreading the word, I hope to (somewhat selfishly) keep a jacket like the Atmo in production.

It’s worth noting from the start that I’m sponsored by Mountain Equipment (M.E.) - but this article isn’t an advert or anything to do with the brand. My motivations are clear: to keep the products I like in existence. Of course, as I’m with M.E., I’m obviously not going to slag them off, but I’m also not going to talk about something unless it’s very good.

I think honesty and integrity are very important. I don’t do GoPros, I’m not an ‘influencer’ and I tell the truth about what I have - or haven’t - done. I will only recommend a product if I have worn it and rate it.

I should also say that, since about 2018, I’ve helped to design this jacket. M.E. were thinking of making a lightweight alpine climbing shell, and I was psyched to help. The previous ‘best’ jacket was the Quarrel or Firefox. Together with Uisdean Hawthorn and the M.E. design team, we thought there was room for improvement. This is what we came up with…

Requirements of an Alpine Climbing Jacket

I think a ‘good’ alpine climbing jacket features (remember, this is all just my opinion):

a weatherproof material to keep out heavy snow and allow some breathability;
a large, helmet-compatible hood which moves well with the head, doesn’t blinker the climber, and ideally has some form of peak;
an active cut (slim in the body, like most climbers; quite a low cut so it goes lower than a harness; and with long arms/sleeves, since climbers often lift their arms above their heads);
and a chest pocket for a few bars or the topo.

A quick tangent: soft shell jackets are nicer to wear than hard shells ( Gore-Tex Pro is an example of a hard shell jacket). Soft shells are soft (obviously) and can feel a bit warmer. They are also less susceptible to tearing on rough rock. However, the materials and construction usually result in a heavier jacket. They are also less weatherproof. When alpine climbing, you need something that’s definitely going to keep you dry if it starts snowing and/or pouring with spindrift. At the moment, only hard shell jackets offer this. Therefore, a hard shell jacket is the way to go in the mountains.

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The Tupilak Atmo has:

A weatherproof membrane in the form of Drilite. This is M.E’s own waterproof fabric, with a hydrostatic head of 20,000mm and a breathaability rate of 20,000g/sqm/24h.
Storm Construction techniques (sealed seams, weatherproof zips and design, etc)
Super Alpine HC Hood
Seamless face panel for a comfortable chin
Alpine fit with articulated and pre-shaped sleeves
1 chest pocket with water resistant zips
2-way YKK moulded AquaGuard centre front zip
Adjustable laminated cuffs and dual tether hem drawcords
And weighs: 365g / 12.7oz
(Note: the future version will be in orange and blue.)

My Thoughts

In my opinion the Tupilak Atmo is almost the ideal alpine climbing jacket. I have a few comments (I’ve passed these to M.E.).

Fabric

The fabric doesn’t need to be incredibly waterproof or breathable, and Drilite is good enough. Any alpine climbing jacket fabric must try to fulfil an almost impossible task: when you’re racing uphill with a pack on and sweating, it should ‘breathe’ sweat away as much as possible (or you can just open the front zip…). When it’s snowing heavy, wet flakes, the fabric ideally keeps out this moisture. You may have both these problems, plus everything in between, so it’s a difficult ask (waterproofness and breathable). Thankfully - and ideally - it isn’t very common to be snowing heavily, and you’re not likely to be sweating for hours on end (you’ll probably reach the end of the pitch or stop moving). I’ve never thought Gore Tex was strictly necessary for an alpine climbing jacket as it’s slightly overkill. Plus, you’re going to rip a hole in it in no time - this is unfortunately very likely! So using Drilite as a basic but effective weatherproof membrane (that also keeps the overall cost down) seems great. The new fabric has a soft, more resistant feel which is nice, but it could be a little lighter (I think the lastest version is 40-dernier so it would be nice to try a 30- or 20-dernier.)

Hood

The hood on this jacket, and I believe all Mountain Equipment climbing jackets in general, is exceptional. I think they’ve found a design which works very well, and thankfully they’ve continued it throughout the range. It moves with your head when you look around, and doesn’t blinker. It’s amazing how simple this sounds, but how big a difference it makes. If you look at most of my photos, I’m wearing the hood up - and this is testament to it’s excellent fit, allowing me to climb without it getting in the way. This goes for when I’m only wearing a beanie, to when I’m wearing a helmet (which is most of the time).
I also like the subtleties, too: the hood has a large, flat peak which wraps snugly and fits low over the head, to keep spindrift and snow out of your face. The hood also has a high front section, which covers your nose and mouth when it’s really grim.

Chest Pocket

This is very useful, both for keeping the topo to hand, and to carry a couple of bars (so I can eat fairly regularly, and that they’re warm enough to chew). On the Atmo, it is ‘Napoleon style’ (i.e. located high above the harness and/or rucksack waist belt). Another subtly is that the pocket zip is located below the height of a rucksack chest strap - so it doesn’t get in the way - and that it’s only large enough for a few bars, nothing more. It doesn’t need to swallow a giant map - we’re not going hill walking.
(In my opinion, the jacket only needs one chest pocket, not two. It’s worth noting that the jacket must sell in order for its continued existence, and for some reason pockets are popular. I don’t know why. But it’s great to see the Atmo returning to one chest pocket).

Zips

Simple and functional zips are important. The AquaGuard main zip keeps precipitation out well and doesn’t feel bulky, nor does it press into your chest or under your harness. It is a little chunky but I suppose stronger is better when it comes to something as crucial as the main zip. I considered asking for a half-zip on the front of the Tupilak Atmo, since this saves a bit of weight. However, in order to make the jacket practical for putting on and taking off, you need to enlarge the shoulders slightly, and I thought it felt strange and didn’t climb very well. I’m still undecided and it’d be an interesting thing to try one day. Pit zips are not necessary.

Fit

This is surprisingly important - you’ll hardly notice a well-fitting jacket, but if a detail isn’t quite right you’ll certainly pick it up. As already mentioned, I think alpine climbing jackets need a specific cut: slim in the body, quite a low waist, and with long arms and sleeves. This must be hard to design and create (how do they make the sleeves ‘pre-curved’?). Also, changing a centimetre or two can make a big difference. I think the cut of the Atmo is fairly good, but of course it’s very personal. I have long arms and I’m quite tall, so take the size Large. This makes the sleeves and body a great length but there’s still a bit too much room in the chest; someone with a broader chest might find it perfect. It’s worth trying on beforehand.

Other Features

I think the velcro cuffs give a secure and customisable fit. The cuffs could be elasticated, but I don’t think these are as easy to use when putting on large gloves or mitts.

Depending on your dedication to weight-saving, you could have one hem drawcords instead of two. However, I doubt this will make a difference to your climbing, and it would probably make the jacket harder to cinch down. I like to cinch the waist down a tiny bit so it’s flush with my legs, and thus making it easy to clip/unclip gear on my harness.

Notes

I’m very happy with the overall jacket design (construction, materials etc). It ‘could’ be better with 20-Dernier fabric but this significantly reduces the durability. I think the current fabric (30-Dernier) is a nice balance between durability and weight. This also seems to give excellent breathability (but I find the best way to ventilate or remove moisture vapour from inside the jacket is simply to open the main zip a little). As already mentioned, only one chest pocket, a big hood and a snag-free main zip are important.

My absolute ideal jacket would essentially be a lighter weight version of the above, by using lighter (~20D) fabrics.

It’s worth noting that weatherproof running-specific jackets are almost perfect (thanks to their low weight, like the M.E. Impellor at 170g/6oz). However, they usually lack a large, helmet-compatible hood, an alpine fit, proper cuffs which go over gloves, or a good-sized chest pocket. I’d never take them on Latok 1, Koyo Zom, Pumari Chhish, Tengkangpoche, or the Grandes Jorasses, for example. They would get shredded, wouldn’t keep you fully dry from spindrift or when plunging your hands into the snow, nor offer reliable protection.

Summary

Overall, I think the current version of the Tupilak Atmo is ace. I honestly think it’s better than pretty much every other alpine climbing jackets I’ve seen or worn. It strikes a balance between functionality, weight and all-weather protection. Many other jackets are over-featured or far too heavy.

Product Engineer Dr. Matt Fuller says,

"The Tupilak Atmo has been a really interesting project. [It’s] our statement lightweight alpine climbing jacket."

Amongst countless other days in the mountains, I’ve worn a version of the Tupilak Atmo on the following routes:

2018
Latok 1, Pakistan
Indian Himalaya trip
Ice climbing in Bozeman, USA

2019
Two months winter alpine climbing in the Canadian Rockies
Hornli Ridge, Matterhorn, in winter conditions - solo
Swiss Alps classic alpine routes
The Great Game, Koyo Zom, Pakistan

2020
Alpine winter cragging in Europe
Ice climbing in Ouray, USA
Freney Pillar, Alps

2021
Alpine winter cragging in Europe
Rolling Stones on Grandes Jorasses
Vol du Dragon on Les Droites

Pumari Chhish attempt, Pakistan. Tengkangpoche NE pillar, Nepal.
1938 route on Eiger

2022

Voie des Guides route on Le Dru. No Siesta on Grandes Jorasses. Alpine winter cragging in Europe. Ice climbing in Bozeman, USA. Pakistan alpine climbing trip.

The 2024 version, coming soon, in orange and blue. Photo: Tad McCrea

The latest Tupilak Atmo (in Mango colour), on Rolling Stones, Grandes Jorasses. Photo: Matt Glenn — The previous generation Tupilak Atmo (in Mango colour), on Rolling Stones, Grandes Jorasses. Photo: Matt Glenn