Arc'teryx Alpha Parka

Hi, it's Haley with Get Out There magazine and today I'm in beautiful, squamish British Columbia and I'm testing out the new Arterix Alpha Parka Jacke...

**Alpha Parka**. \- N30r Gore-Tex Infinium outer with N20p-LCP Infinium (Hadron, similar to the stuff as on the new Alpha SL Pullover) reinforcements over hood, shoulders, lower sleeves and rear hem. The grid pattern is visible in the photos.

This is absolutely the warmest jacket I've ever worn. It's nice that it's designed to fit on the larger side so that you can put it on top of other layers. I've worn it while belaying ice climbing and winter sport climbing as well as in between attempts while bouldering in the winter. The gore-tex s...

In the current summer weather I can't keep it on for more than a few seconds before I start to overheat. It has an extremely large and generous fit as befitting a belay parka. I'm 5'11 and the mens medium extends halfway down my thighs. Unfortunately it's way too warm/heavy of a parka for what I need in my usual winter mountain activities, so I'm most likely not going to keep it.

I always run cold, so a big parka like this is a necessity for me, and I think this is the best big parka that Arc'teryx has ever made. I think this jacket does a really great job of balancing ample features (internal pockets, weather-resistant outer, good insulation, etc) with weight considerations...

Trust me, I don't fall for the, "Higher fill power = warmer jacket" mentality, but the parka is definitely intriguing as it appears to be a heavy insulated belay jacket. I'm not the biggest fan of The North Face, but it appears, on face value at least at this point, their new AMK is a serious contender in the alpine climbing market.

The Alpha Parka is a quick go-to for cold days. It's sized up so that it's easy to toss on top of whatever layers you already have on with ease (including no need to take off your gloves - love that!). It's so cozy and the heat retention is so fast it's perfect for transitions, camping, snow science...

Due to the parka's lenght, it can be annoying to access the front pockets of your jeans or whatever, since you have to lift up your jacket a bit. There is no two-way zipper, which really infuriates me. Because the jacket is cut pretty form-fitting however, There aren't too many bulges when sitting down and it doesn't look too bad. Arc'teryx cut some holes in the armüits to make them extra-breathable.

I used this Parka during an expedition in Alaska, belaying, during cold night in bivouac, hanging out in basecamp and even while climbing on very cold days. I never had cold, the comfort makes me climbing even more in colder destinati ons. It comes quite large. I am normally in between the sizes s a...

It's called the Alpha Parka. \- N30r Gore-Tex Infinium outer with N20p-LCP Infinium (Hadron, similar to the stuff as on the new Alpha SL Pullover) reinforcements over hood, shoulders, lower sleeves and rear hem. \- 280g of 850fp fill (compared to 240g in Ceres, 225g in Firebee) with 90g Coreloft Continuous in 'strategically placed' areas.