Inselberg are going places, very high up, vertical places
Ok first things first, if you wondering what an inselberg actually is, it’s a geological formation that takes it name from a combination of two German words, insel meaning island and berg meaning mountain. True wonders of nature, these isolated peaks gain their island like appearance when the adjacent surrounding landscape around them is eroded away or lowered over time. Which makes it the perfect name for a brand that would much rather have a unique and awe-inspiring presence rather than being everywhere and unremarkable.
Founded in 2021 by New Zealand climber Jarlath Anderson Inselberg (like all the best brands) began with a very straightforward manifesto: the best technical gear should be developed with the people who rely on it. Rather than building oversized collections or chasing seasonal drops, from the offset the brand has been focused on bringing gear development closer to the environments and people it is designed for. Choosing to do all their design and testing in-house from day one at their HQ (a converted milking shed filled with machines, technical fabrics and worktables in Northern New Zealand) and in conjunction with alpine professionals. In this lab every Inselberg product is prototyped, refined, and tested. A hotbed of experimentation and precision where patterns are redrawn and materials are evaluated side by side. Leading to to the adjustment of construction methods based on how the gear performs in the field with most pieces going through more than a dozen iterations before being finalised.
Having all this control under one roof allows Inselberg to focus on the details that directly affect performance but often go unnoticed. Seam tolerances. Articulation under movement. How a jacket handles under load or when scraped against rock. Requirements that come directly from alpine professionals, whose input shapes each detail from the first prototype onward. “Each product starts with a brief based on a real problem. Not a moodboard,” says Anderson. “We don’t design to fill categories. We design to solve.”
It’s refreshing to hear about a new brand that’s driven by performance rather then profits and when you see this gear in the flesh you also realise that the levels of quality and design are already up there with some of the best mountaineering gear in the world. Their tagline about being ‘Designed for Vertical Terrain’ feels particularly pertinent too given that Inselberg are very clearly a brand on a steep upwards trajectory.
Find out more about Inselberg HERE.
