Mammut designed the Whymper Jacket to celebrate the 150-year anniversary of Edward Whymper’s ascent of the Matterhorn. With taped seams, an adjustable hood, hem and cuff adjustments, underarm zips and large pockets the Whymper Jacket attempts to be the jacket Edward Whymper could never even have dreamed of. Let’s see how it did.
Reviewed by: David Fay
Retail: $500
Medium Weight: When compared to other hard shell jackets with similar features, The Whymper (15.9 oz) is a bit heavier than the Patagonia Refugitive (14.7 oz) and a bit lighter than the Arc’teryx Theta AR (18.1oz). The lightest hard shell jackets forgo the underarm zips, large front pockets and interior pocket and weigh between 8-12 oz.
Breathability / Weather Proof: Over the last 8 months, I have tested this jacket on alpine rock climbs in the Cirque of the Unclimbables along with backcountry skis and ice climbs in the San Juan Mountains. As expected, this jacket performed very well protecting me from rain, snow and wind. When I am active the underarm zips and Gore-Tex Pro 3L technology provide adequate ventilation, yet after several hours of sustained activity I found the breathability could not keep up with my sweat. On the whole I expected to get very wet in the hard shell and was impressed with how the Gore-Tex Pro 3L 40d technology worked to keep me dry.
Mobility and Fit: Overall this jacket has a wide range of features suitable to finding comfort in the alpine. I have appreciated the slim fit of this jacket, which helps prevent material from getting snagged when climbing cracks or skiing trees. Also I still have full range of motion in my shoulders so I can reach hand hold above my head without getting any lift at the waistline. The zippers and pull cords are all easily adjustable with gloves and there are two large pockets on the front that I have used to store ski goggles and extra snacks. Without a helmet on, there is a lot of dead space in the hood, but with a helmet the hood fits snugly and securely. At first this jacket was quite crinkling. Yet after 2 months of use, the crinkly noise dissipated. The slim fit and multiple features make the Whymper Jacket a good choice across a number of alpine adventures.
Bottom Line: The Whymper Jacket offers great weather protection at a moderate weight with a variety of glove-adjustable features.
David Fay is a contributor to The Climbing Zine and holder of at least one naked speed record. You can read more of his work at his blog.
In the vertical world, quality gear is as important as good weather or the right partner. At the Climbing Zine, we review gear that we put to the test in our personal climbing pursuits, over months of use. If we like it we’ll tell you, and if we don’t we’ll tell you. That’s our policy…If you have gear for us to consider for a review please contact us at luke@climbingzine.com.
Please consider subscribing to The Climbing Zine. It’s $17.99 a year for two issues, and this greatly helps us produce free web content like this. Check out the FREE preview.
About us: The Climbing Zine was started in 2010 by Al Smith III and Luke Mehall. It continues to the day with the mission of representing the true essence of climbing. Our crown jewel is our printed version, but we also do the interweb thing, and Kindle.
We have also published three books: American Climber, The Great American Dirtbags and Climbing Out of Bed, written by publisher, Luke Mehall.
