If you’re a climber who’s really looking to challenge yourself, the Karakoram mountain range is one of the toughest. Among its summits are 18 that are higher than 7,500m — four of which are above 8,000, including K2, the second-highest peak on the planet. Outside of the polar regions, Karakoram is also the most glaciated place in the world, including the Baltoro Glacier, which is the fifth-longest on Earth. At 63m long, Baltoro serves as the inspiration for a new winter jacket from The North Face.
First introduced in 1994, the Baltoro Jacket hasn’t seen the light of day since the mid-’00s but has been revived as part of the HMLYN Icon Franchise. Once a staple of high-alpine outerwear, the jacket now features a new glacial print inspired by the field notes of iconic mountaineer Conrad Anker with topographic designs that the climber drew himself. The original Baltoro Jacket was certainly worn by Anker back in the ‘90s when it was part of The North Face’s Expedition System. Rereleased in both insulated puffer and GORE-TEX rain jacket versions, the reimagined model is made of 100% recycled nylon ripstop material. As for the puffer, it features 600-fill down insulation for extra warmth, WindWall lining for wind resistance, and DWR finish on the shell for water repellency. Aside from that, the silhouette is incredibly stylish for this modern era which favors pieces that can transcend the alpine milieu to urban exploration as well.
Along with the Baltoro Jacket rerelease, the HMLYN Icon Franchise will also feature Anker’s topo designs across other items, including sweatpants, sweatshirts, t-shirts, footwear, and accessories. There will be a variety of new colorways available as well.
With Summit Gold and black colorways also available, the HMLYN Baltoro Jacket is priced at $440 from The North Face’s website. More info should be released following the November 28 launch of the rest of the HMLYN Icon Franchise collection.
