ISPO Award: The North Face Hoodie is designed to protect in extreme conditions

Siri Schubert

10-12-2025

Translation: machine translated

Pictures: Siri Schubert

Technical materials and low weight: The new down jacket from The North Face impressed the ISPO jury - also thanks to different warmth zones for men and women.

Warmth, breathability, freedom of movement and lightness - these are the standards by which midlayers for alpine adventures have to be measured these days. «Summit 5050 Advanced Mountain Kit Hoodie» (yes, that's the full name) from The North Face scores highly on these criteria according to the ISPO jury. It was therefore honoured with an award at the international sports trade fair in Munich.

Structure and material ensure special properties

The jacket is made from 1000-fill down with very high insulation performance. An interesting feature: panels made of breathable fabric are sewn between the down rolls. This insulates the jacket, but allows heat and moisture to escape during strenuous ascents.

In addition, the down hoodie is equipped with a so-called Nanoreflect layer, which is designed to retain body heat. The outer material is made from Spectra-Ripstop. Like Dyneema, this fabric is said to be exceptionally tear and abrasion resistant. It is used in cut-resistant clothing and helmets, among other things. It is also very light.

«The hoodie is the result of a holistic approach in which every grammes, every seam and every zone of the insulation has been thought through», writes ISPO in its citation for the award.

Optimised by athletes

Although The North Face is also known for its popularity in the city and in bars, mountain clothing must first and foremost function in extreme conditions.

The North Face has therefore had the jacket tested by extreme athletes such as Benjamin Védrines and Christina Lustenberger. The test regions included the Karakorum Mountains in Asia and the Canadian Rockies. Based on the feedback, all details from the fit under the climbing harness to the freedom of movement when ice climbing or ski mountaineering have been optimised, writes The North Face in a press release.

Gender-specific fit and warmth zones

The jacket was particularly praised by the ISPO jury for the women's model. Unlike what is often the case in sports, it is not simply a smaller version of the men's model. Instead, The North Face is said to have utilised findings from gender-specific thermal zone tests. Together with a customised fit, the hoodie is designed to keep women warm when climbing and ski mountaineering and also offer sufficient freedom of movement under a rucksack.

In addition, the ISPO jury emphasised that the jacket is made with RDS-certified down and without Pfas-permanent chemicals.

We don't currently have the new hoodie in our range. However, we do have many other jackets and items of equipment from The North Face.

Siri Schubert

Senior Editor

Siri.Schubert@digitecgalaxus.ch

Research diver, outdoor guide and SUP instructor – I love being in, on and around water. Lakes, rivers and the ocean are my playgrounds. For a change of perspective, I look at the world from above while trail running or flying drones.

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