In the world of mountaineering, gear failure can be dangerous. That’s the problem Jarlath Anderson set out to solve when he launched Inselberg in 2021 from a converted milking shed somewhere deep in New Zealand’s wild terrain. He didn’t need this to be just another outdoor brand though, he needed to build equipment that could outlast the mountain itself.
From the very start Inselberg was rooted in a philosophy of purpose. It was created to deliver precision-engineered solutions to very specific alpine problems. No fancy zips. No flashy colours. Just gear that works.
The name Inselberg comes from the German word for ‘island mountain’, a lone peak rising above a flat landscape. It’s a fitting metaphor for both the company’s design approach and its founder’s vision: a brand that stands apart, enduring where others erode.
Jarlath began by listening to the frustrations of alpine guides and rescue teams who knew what did and didn’t work at altitude. Inselberg products weren’t designed in a studio either, they were born out of New Zealand’s Southern Alps, tested on jagged ridgelines, sideways rain and scree-covered trails. And the goal was never volume. It was impact.
Now after three years of obsessive prototyping, that impact has arrived in the form of their recently launched Axiom Shell Jacket.
Described as ‘overbuilt by design’, the Axiom Shell is the result of 36 months of development, 18 prototypes and countless hours of alpine field testing with some of New Zealand’s top mountaineers including members of the Aoraki Mount Cook Alpine Rescue Team (AMCART).
Alpine guide and former AMCART member Jamie Marr pushed the jacket to its limits. Climbing, hauling, scrambling and weathering brutal terrain from the Southern Alps to Baihe, a granite gorge north of Beijing. “This wasn’t glamour testing,” says Jarlath. “Jamie didn’t wear the shell for a photoshoot. He tried to break it.” And it didn’t break.
Constructed using a unique four-layer laminate system, the Axiom Shell offers double the waterproof protection of most alpine jackets, with enhanced breathability thanks to strategic ventilation zips. Where standard three-layer shells often fail after repeated exposure to high-stress conditions, the Axiom is built to endure. Rain, wind, snow and stone.
“The Axiom outperformed any gear I’ve ever worn. It’s now a permanent part of my kit,” says Jamie Marr.
To mark the Axiom Shell’s debut, you can get hands-on with the tech behind the jacket at Inselberg’s Auckland pop-up store, open from July 9–13 in Britomart. The store doesn’t just display the jacket, it tests it. You can watch waterproofing demos, measure air permeability and even use a drill to test fabric durability!
“We want people to understand what it actually takes to build something this tough,” says Jarlath. “Our pop-up is part showroom, part science lab.”
From that first makeshift workshop in a milking shed to the global market, Inselberg has stayed true to its roots. It’s crafted with singular purpose, for climbers and mountaineers who demand the same clarity from their equipment as they do from themselves.
The Axiom Shell will be available for order from July 30 at inselberg.com
Visit the Inselberg Pop-Up at 10 Te Ara Tahuhu, Britomart, from July 9–13