Delivering the Perfect Balance of Weight, Breathability and Warmth
Since 1877, technical outdoor brand Helly Hansen has been trusted by professionals around the world, drawing on their insights and feedback to push the boundaries of outdoor performance. With innovation at its core, the Norway-based brand partners with professional mountain guides and search and rescue teams to ideate, test and validate their newest designs, knowing these experts will push the gear to its limits through long days, high output and demanding mountain conditions. Developed with feedback and test results from US-based mountain professionals, including Izzy Holmes, Stephen Larson and Mountain Madness’ Stephen Heath, Helly Hansen’s Odin Breeze Hooded Fleece is a new type of knitted fleece that’s ultralightweight and breathable without compromising warmth or comfort, making it ideal for fast-paced mountaineering.
Working closely with the professional mountain guides throughout the design and development process, Helly Hansen’s designers wanted to redefine what a fleece can do. While these professionals often steer away from wearing fleece as a layering piece since it can be bulky and cause overheating especially on the ascent, the new Odin Breeze Hooded Fleece is exceptionally lightweight – weighing just 210g for the men’s style and 180g for the women’s style – and offers extreme breathability on the way up while maintaining the warmth, softness and comfort of a fleece.
“When developing the new Odin Breeze Hooded Fleece, we tested a number of different fabrics in the lab and selected the one that offered the best CLO value (i.e. insulation value) -to-weight ratio,” said Martin Cizeron, Product Manager for Outdoor at Helly Hansen. “The result is the optimal balance of weight, breathability, warmth and comfort, making it a new favorite technical layering piece for our professional mountain guides and enabling them to push hard on the ascent while still providing warmth in colder temperatures and harsh wind.”
“I can see myself living in this layer while I’m in the mountains,” said Mountain Madness’ Stephen Heath. “The main reason why I don’t take many fleece layers with me is because of the bulk and weight. This layer solved that problem. It’s lightweight and I’m able to keep it on all day without overheating. It also takes up almost no room in a pack – I’ve found myself just throwing it in my pack and never regretted having it.”
Professional Ski Patroller and Mountain Guide Izzy Holmes added, “The temperatures on Mount Rainier tend to drop in the evenings, making it ideal for testing during our alpine starts. The fabric is breathable and it’s an efficient layer – when it needs to be taken off, the 3-quarter zip is large enough to fit over a helmet. It’s extremely light and I wouldn’t second guess bringing this layer on any mountain adventure.”
Additional features include a chest pocket, which the fleece can be stowed in, with a hang loop to clip onto a carabiner or backpack; an anti-chafe chin guard; raglan sleeves for freedom of movement; a helmet-compatible hood and recycled fabric.
The Odin Breeze Hooded Fleece will be available in both men’s and women’s specific designs in-store and online starting Spring 2026. To learn more about Helly Hansen’s existing Odin styles, please visit www.hellyhansen.com/en-gb.