They have entrusted their products with their ambassadors, have a look through the journal on the Jottnar site, this will give a flavour of what these guys do to put the kit through their paces. Their feedback has moulded the gear into technical wear that works and makes sense.

The range is expanding again this year, along with more women’s offerings. The additions look to be extending Jottnar out of their winter niche. I have no doubt these will perform as well as the current kit, and My Outdoors will do our best to get our opinion on it for you.

I got the chance to catch up with Tommy in the lead up to the 2015 launch.

Hey Tommy, how have things been over the last year, have you had a chance for some down time?

The tempo’s been pretty ferocious Davy, although I did manage to get away for my first proper holiday in four years back in August.  My wife and I decamped to a small island off the north-west coast of Scotland.  No electricity, no data, no wi-fi – just peace and quiet.  It coincided with my 40^th, so a fitting volume of fine single malt accompanied us.  Steve squeezed in a week in Chamonix and came back with an awesome helmet tan and enough Génépi to get us through the winter.

How has the build up to this year’s launch compared to the last few years?

It follows a familiar pattern.  In the 12 months preceding, we’re heavily involved in prototyping, trialling and testing.  The protos are honed over multiple iterations and then once these are signed off, these then become the version that we go into bulk production with. 

Life becomes busy at the end of the summer as we co-ordinate the movement of the now-completed stock via different means and to different destinations.  We then focus on all of the pre-launch activity and promotional work, as well as the website re-build and product photography.  When we cross the start line and launch, as per our two seasons thus far, we’re in the thick of it until the arrival of spring and daylight six months later.  The build-up this year has been not much different process-wise, although I feel more excited this time around than I’ve ever been and I really can’t wait to unleash the new gear and see it out there in the wild.

What’s been happening within Jottnar that is different this year?

Product-wise, we’ve taken a significant leap forward in terms of construction and finish.  The small details – the taping, bonding, stitching and trim – have been nailed and I feel confident that there’s no other NeoShell product out there that can rival us.  It’s taken a few years of experimentation and incremental adjustment to reach this point – it isn’t something that happens overnight – and we’re both happy with the result.

When I say ‘both’, I mean Steve and I.  In terms of full-time staff, Jöttnar is still just the two of us.  We keep thinking that we’re at the very limit of what two people can feasibly do, but then we seem to keep finding new capacity and so just keep pressing on.   

In your pre-launch press release you alluded to some new products for the range, can you take us through them? And any changes to the existing lines?

All existing items are being carried forward, but with performance and colour updates.  For example, our Bergelmir shell and Vanir salopettes are similar in design, features and cut, but both benefit from an even burlier grade of Polartec NeoShell.  The detachable brace mechanism on the Vanirs is improved; the zips, cuffs, cuff tabs, Velcro, hem adjustors, hood adjustors are all improved on the Bergelmir.  The colours across the board this year are more vibrant and confident.

The new items include the Vanir LT, which is a bibless version of the Vanir.  It’s something we’ve been consistently asked for by customers, not all of whom want or need a full-length bib.  It’s something that has been especially in demand by ski tourers. 

The Asmund is based on our award-winning Hymir smock, but features a full-length zip, two chest pockets and a single inside pocket.  Like the Hymir, it uses an uber-light grade of NeoShell and so is ultra-packable and obviously lightweight.  It was designed with fast and light summer Alpine use very much in mind.

The Váli is our new general-purpose softshell mountain pant.  The fabric is made by Schoeller, the Swiss fabric technologists, and uses their 3XDRY treatment, so is water and dirt resistant, stretchable and highly breathable.  It’ll cover all bases from winter mountaineering through to late spring ski touring.

And our final new item is the introduction of a women’s version of the Fenrir micro-down jacket.  It uses 850 Fill Power hydrophobic PFC-free down – the same as the men’s – and we’ve taken particular care to ensure that we’ve achieved a cut that flatters an athletic female physique, as opposed to just shrinking the male versions.

Now, I have read in other interviews you’ve done on the on the previous two launches, you acknowledging the lack of women’s products in the Jottnar range but I did see on social media you did a women’s variant to the Bergelmir for Alison (Culshaw, Off Piste Performance & Jottnar Ambassador) and you’ve added to the range with the Fenrir. I know a couple of girls who would like to see it match the men’s gear, when will that come about?

It’s a reality that significantly fewer women participate in mountaineering and winter climbing than men, and so we need to be clear-headed about this before investing considerable cash into production.  It’s for this reason that we’ve introduced our women’s items at a more measured pace.  We’re currently prototyping women’s versions of the new Vanir LT, Asmund shell and Uller base layer and so all being well, these will be joining the range for Winter ’16.

We’ll continue to produce bespoke items for Alison where we don’t already have a female version in production, although I’m confident that our women’s range will catch up with our men’s in due course.

It also looks as though you are expanding the range to accommodate the plus zero climate with the already popular Hymir and the introduction of new softshell trousers and lightweight Neoshell jacket, what is the thinking behind that?

This year, our third year of trading, is more-or-less the range that we had aspirations of launching with back in 2013.  All of the designs have been in existence, as have the prototypes, from as far back as 2011.  The barriers to entry, commercially, in this market are huge and we discovered pretty quickly that we’d need to trim our ambition to allow us to work within our means at the time.

With the addition of these new items, the range now feels more rounded.  All of the key layer categories are now accounted for and the addition of Asmund and Vali, for example, gives us more year-round scope.  We’re climbers first and foremost, and whilst my own heart is deeply embedded in the misery and spindrift of Scottish winter climbing, I also like spending as much time in the Alps in summer as I can.  I don’t think I’m any different to any of our customers in this regard and so it’s good to be able to cater for this.

I don’t think that Jottnar can deny, your gear is priced at the premium end of the market and you are just about to step into your third year. How are you finding competing with the “big boys” at such an early stage of the company’s presence in the industry?

To be honest, I don’t really feel a huge sense of competition in the way you might imagine.  Yes, the outdoor market as a whole is a busy and competitive entity, and you only have to walk down the high street or take a casual glance online to see the unremitting price wars being played out within the industry.  But unlike many outdoor brands, we’re not interested in attempting to cater for every conceivable demand and we deliberately seek to avoid the fashion-forward and lifestyle design trends that seem to be becoming a substantial part of the industry.  Climbing requires lots of things: endurance, skill, judgement – but it doesn’t require a parade of product in a kaleidoscope of different ‘seasonal’ colours.  We’re making gear to climb mountains with, and we’re driven by creating exceptional clothing – not lots of clothing.

Importantly, from day one, we’ve sold direct to our customers via our website and have partnered with only a very small stable of highly respected independents.  By selling primarily direct, this allows us to be the custodians of our brand – and to be able to shape the whole pre, during and post-purchase journey.  It keeps the brand pure and focused.  By keeping our stockist network small, we’ve been able to build collegiate relationships with all of them.  We take care of one another, respect one another’s businesses, support one another and I think they’d agree that we’re all the better for it.  Had we attempted to compete with other brands on similar terms, ie, high volume sales via expansive high street retailer networks then Jöttnar would be a very different company today, and not in a good way.

To your point about pricing, whilst maybe a cliché, I think it’s accurate to say that quality and performance don’t come cheap.  I fully appreciate and respect that not everyone wants or needs a £450 shell jacket, but we’re not trying to be all things to all people.  Our gear – all of it - is designed for the gnarliest and most Scottish conditions and when you’re placing these kind of physical stresses upon a garment, it needs to comprise of the most current fabric technology and it needs to be constructed with an almost obsessive eye for detail.  We don’t design product to conform to a cost base or to deliver us a margin of £X; we do it, genuinely, for the love of it and to try and build something that’s truly awesome. 

Over the next season what have the Jottnar team and it’s Ambassadors got planned?

As we discussed earlier, we’re now trialling and prototyping the gear that will comprise our Winter ’16 range.  Our Pro Team – Alison Culshaw, Tom Livingstone, Mike Pescod and Mark Thomas – are all professional guides and instructors, who are out in the mountains most days of the year.  Mark’s currently away on an exped to Nanda Devi, along with Kenton Cool, Tom Coney and Martin Moran.  Tom’s briefly back in the UK following back-to-back trips to the Alps and Canada where he’s been up and down all sorts of horror shows.  Alison’s recently back from an epic ski mountaineering trip to Norway’s Lyngen Alps and Mike’s returned home to Fort William from a summer in the Alps.

This gives us an excellent basis upon which to trial and abuse all of the new gear, and which gives Steve and I a ready excuse to spend time with them and ‘help’ them in their task.

It ounds as though the Tommy and Steve have their work cut out over the winter season. Although it sounds as if there is plans for some research and development! I think you’ll agree this seasons gear looks pretty special.

Jottnar have, as Tommy, has said gained a loyal following and I hope this increases. It sounds as though they will remain as Jottnar’s “custodians” and stay loyal to their ethos.

We should have a guest review of the Alfar coming up in the next couple of weeks and we will be talking nicely to the guys to get some real life use of their kit.

All the best to Jottnar in the upcoming season and best of luck to the Ambassadors on their travels and testing.

www.jottnar.com