We took Pioneer Camp’s Lightweight Training layers into Jasper’s high country. Then the weather changed.

Words & photos :: Emmett Lent

The Skyline Trail started exactly as planned: Hot. Sunny. Dry. For the first two days, conditions were extremely cooperative. We enjoyed long stretches of exposed alpine terrain, steady climbing and eye-popping views.

It was the kind of weather that made Pioneer Camp’s Lightweight Training Longsleeve feel almost purpose-built for the trail.

We had planned for three nights in the backcountry along Jasper National Park’s 44-kilometre Skyline Trail, a route that climbs out of the forest and spends much of its distance in open alpine terrain. It isn’t particularly technical, but once you’re up high, there’s little protection from whatever the weather decides to throw at you.

On the first day, the Lightweight Training Longsleeve was mint. Its Toray micro-grid fabric was light and breathable, and even during the steeper, hotter climbs it never felt like it was holding onto heat or sweat. The built-in hood provided welcome protection from the sun, while the thumbholes kept the sleeves in place as we moved.

Then, on the second day, the Skyline reminded us that good weather in the alpine is never something to count on.

Higher on the trail, the wind picked up and the temperature dropped. Comfortable conditions were suddenly less-so. As we squinted into the elements, Pioneer Camp’s Lightweight Training Jacket came into its own.

The Skyline reminded us that good weather in the alpine is never something to count on.

At just 3.1 ounces, it added almost nothing to my pack, but it did an excellent job of taking the edge off the wind. More importantly, it didn’t trap the heat and sweat building underneath as the trail continued upward. It was the kind of layer I could put on and stop thinking about—which, on a long day in the mountains, is pretty much what you want from a piece of clothing.

It was the kind of layer I could put on and stop thinking about.

Then the weather really changed.

That night brought thunder and hail. We woke the following morning to heavy rain, and by the time we reached the Notch—the crux of the route and the terrain feature that many Skyline hikers discuss in foreboding tones—the rain had turned to snow. The mix of snow and rain continued for much of the rest of the route.

This was pretty much when I remembered that my rain shell was sitting at home.

The Lightweight Training Jacket was never intended to replace a waterproof shell, but suddenly it was doing a lot more work than it had been designed for. Through the wettest sections of the day, it kept me surprisingly dry while continuing to block the cold wind. The hood became particularly useful as the precipitation continued, giving me another layer of protection as the Skyline disappeared into cloud and snow.

There was a limit, though.

After extended use with a loaded backpack, repeated rubbing from the shoulder straps eventually reduced some of the jacket’s water resistance around the shoulders. I began noticing moisture getting through in that area.

That was a useful reminder of the distinction between a lightweight wind layer and a true rain shell. The jacket had performed impressively in conditions it wasn’t designed to handle, but it wasn’t waterproof—and the combination of sustained precipitation and a heavy pack eventually exposed that limitation.

Still, across three very different days, the two layers covered an impressive range of conditions.

The Lightweight Training Longsleeve handled heat, sun and steady climbing without becoming clammy. The Lightweight Training Jacket transitioned naturally from a wind layer into something that provided considerably more protection from rain and snow than I expected.

Across three very different days, the two layers covered an impressive range of conditions.

The Skyline, of course, did what the Skyline tends to do. As I tried to sleep through the hail at Curator campground, thunder claps taunted my unpreparedness.

We had gone into the mountains expecting three nights of summer backpacking. Instead, after hot sunshine, wind, thunder, hail, rain and snow, the weather finally won and we cut the trip short by a night.

But my two lightweight layers from Pioneer Camp spent most of the trip disappearing into the background, and that is probably the best compliment I can give them.