Enter your Mountain Space: Salewa's response to mountaineering in transition

Mountain sports are visibly changing. Seasons are becoming less predictable, weather windows shorter and conditions in the high mountains more extreme. At the same time, more people than ever are heading into the mountains – in search of clarity, authenticity and a sense of freedom that can often be hard to find in everyday life.

Salewa is responding to this change with Ortles Mountaineering for autumn/winter 2026. Developed in the Dolomites and tested in alpine terrain, the brand is taking a deliberately pared-back approach: every piece should offer exactly what is genuinely needed in the mountains – no more and no less.

Mountaineering is deeply rooted in Salewa's brand history and continues to shape the company's identity today. With “Enter_your Mountain Space”, Salewa is deliberately putting the personal side of mountaineering centre stage: who we are, which places we want to reach and where we can express ourselves most fully. The mountain thus becomes more than a sporting objective – it becomes a space for decisions and new perspectives.

Salewa demonstrated how seriously it takes this at the international collection launch at the end of July 2026: media representatives, retail partners and athletes met at Schwarzensteinhütte in the Zillertal Alps – at an altitude of over 3,000 metres, where weather, terrain and altitude directly determine the equipment required.

For cold, stationary periods on the summit, the Ortles Heavy RDS Down Pro is just right – an ultra-warm down jacket with a bodymapping design and double-chamber construction. The down filling has a down-to-feather ratio of 90/10 and a fill power of 750 cuin. Additional TirolWool® Air panels in the offset double chamber prevent cold spots, while a PFAS-free DWR treatment, according to Salewa, protects against moisture.

Three further pieces complete the line:

→ Ortles GTX Pro Jacket – hardshell jacket with GORE-TEX protection.

→ Ortles Hybrid TirolWool Air Jacket – hybrid jacket with TirolWool® insulation for changeable transitional conditions.

→ Ortles Med 4 RDS Down Jacket – medium-weight down jacket with RDS-certified filling.

Ortles Powertex Extreme 3L – a durable three-layer hardshell jacket made from Powertex® Extreme with a hydrophobic membrane. It offers reliable protection while mountaineering and ski touring, even in extreme weather conditions: breathability of 30,000 g/m²/24h combined with a hydrostatic head of 25,000 mm. It also features an AquaGuard® front zip, a helmet-compatible hood, a ski pass pocket and underarm ventilation zips.

Ortles Guide 2 – available in 38- and 45-litre versions, made from abrasion-resistant Robic® nylon with UHMWPE ripstop grid, featuring a Dry-Bag-Contact carrying system, removable hip belt and lid, ski attachment, a separate compartment for avalanche equipment and attachments for ice tools and axes.

The compact Ortles Climb 25 completes the range for climbing approaches.

The new pieces are ideal for mountaineers tackling technically demanding tours in changeable autumn and winter conditions. They are less suitable for straightforward walks or leisurely tours in the lowlands where neither weather protection nor additional alpine features are needed.