K2 at blue hour, seen from Concordia above the Baltoro Glacier

Alpine equipment · Tested on K2

Built above the treeline.

Shells, down and layers for the long climb. Every piece in the FW26 collection was worn on the Abruzzi Spur, from base camp at 5,000 metres to the summit at 8,611.

Begin the ascent Expedition lookbook

5,000 mBase Camp

The FW26 collection.

Six pieces, one system. We carried every one of them up the Abruzzi Spur and changed what failed. What survived is below, ordered by the altitude where it earns its place.

Tents glowing at K2 Base Camp at night, with the mountain behind

Base layer

Merino 200 Half-Zip

210 g · 1 colour

Mid layer

Grid Fleece Hoody

340 g · 1 colour

Shell

Summit Shell 3L

412 g · 3 colours

Down

8000 Down Suit

1,980 g · 1 colour

Hands & feet

Summit Mitt

360 g / pair · 1 colour

Hands & feet

Alpine Gaiter

290 g / pair · 1 colour

6,050 mCamp 1

Start with what touches skin.

At 6,050 metres you sweat on the fixed lines and freeze at the anchors. Merino handles both, and it still smells like nothing after a week on the mountain.

Base layer

Merino 200 Half-Zip

Next-to-skin warmth that still breathes at the end of a fixed line.

Weight: 210 g
Fabric: 200 g/m² merino
Fit: Next to skin
Odour control: Natural, untreated

6,700 mCamp 2

Three layers. One job each.

Camp 2 sits above House’s Chimney at 6,700 metres. The weather turns in minutes, so the system has to adjust as fast as it does: add the mid layer on the ledge, take it off for the chimney.

01BaseMerino 200 · moves sweat

02MidGrid fleece · traps air

03Shell3L hardshell · stops weather

Worn together, each layer does one job.

Mid layer

Grid Fleece Hoody

Active insulation that dumps heat on the climb and holds it on the belay.

Weight: 340 g
Fabric: Grid fleece, 150 g/m²
Warmth: Active insulation
Hood: Fits under a helmet

7,350 mCamp 3

The outer wall.

Camp 3 sits on the Black Pyramid, 7,350 metres up, where the wind decides your day. The Summit Shell 3L is the piece we tested hardest: three layers, every seam taped, a hood cut around a helmet.

Colourway · Black

Summit Shell 3L

The outer wall. Three layers, taped seams, and a hood built around a helmet.

KEYTU

FW26-SH-01 · Shell

Summit Shell 3L

Weight: 412 g
Waterproof: 28,000 mm
Breathability: 25,000 g/m²
Fabric: 3-layer, 40D face

Tested on K2 · Abruzzi Spur · 2026

Macro of the black three-layer shell fabric with water beading on it — 3-layer face fabric, 28,000 mm hydrostatic head · Hover or tap to zoom

7,900 mCamp 4

Nights on the Shoulder.

Camp 4 is the last tent before the summit push, at 7,900 metres. You leave it at midnight, at −30 °C, and the only thing between you and the cold is 850-fill down in box-wall baffles.

8000 Down Suit

One piece, box-wall baffles, built for the nights above Camp 4.

KEYTU

FW26-DN-01 · Down

8000 Down Suit

Weight: 1,980 g
Fill power: 850 FP goose down
Comfort rating: −40 °C
Baffles: Box-wall construction

Tested on K2 · Abruzzi Spur · 2026

Macro of ripstop nylon over down baffles with frost on the surface — Box-wall baffles, 850 FP goose down · Hover or tap to zoom

8,200 mBottleneck

Through the Bottleneck.

The steepest, most exposed couloir on the route, under a hanging serac, at 8,200 metres. Hands on the rope, spindrift at the ankles. Two small pieces matter more here than anywhere.