The Orange Kara Koram
There's just something about this shade. From Eddie Bauer to Nigel Cabourn, from mountaineering to streetwear, let's explore the Orange Kara Koram Parka.
K2 is not only the second tallest mountain in the world; it is considered one of the most dangerous and difficult climbs. In 1953, nobody had reached the summit, but Charles Houston had a plan: he wanted his team to reach the summit with no oxygen supply. Just good training and... Eddie Bauer Parkas.
Eddie engineered a new style just for the trip, and named it for the Karakoram mountain range in which K2 resides. He pioneered the down jacket—warm, light, and resistant to wind and snow—with a design that cinched close to the body and included a useful array of pockets. And while it came in many colors (the originals were apparently more red), there's nothing quite so functional as high-visibility "safety" orange.
Decades later, there's still just something about that shade. Let's explore the Orange Kara Koram Parka.
(there will be a disproportionately large number of Korean men in this album. they seem to have good taste.)
Nigel Cabourn and friends. The Everest Parka isn't quite the same as a classic Kara Koram, but it's close enough for my purposes.
Other Colors
Brut; Zach; two others I've lost track of
@eng_biiin; @gonzo_jm; Mode-Man
Big Rock Candy Mountaineering; @ryujeeyeop; my own yellow, hoodless Kara Koram from RRL
More Orange Parkas
Arpenteur; ALD; Casatlantic; Carl Sagan; Battenwear x Nanga
Where To Buy a Kara Koram Parka
Unfortunately, I got this article out pretty late in the season, so stock is limited all around... I would look for a visible cinch, rectangular quilting, and at those two key pockets (or a similar layout).
Orange
- Musina
- Labour Union in a cool washed out orange (wait, no, these are out of stock)
- FrizmWORKS (only in stock on Mr. Porter, as far as I can tell) (and they have a vest, too)
- eBay (not cheap). This is tricky, because if you use the term "kara koram," you get like one orange option and a few more in red, but if you just use the term "parka" and filter by brand, you get a mix of different styles. Here's a good one. Here's another. Here's another, for only $2500.
- Nigel Cabourn (it looks like the orange kara koram is out of stock, but they do have some similar styles in stock, and a "fun" style Kara Koram that I personally hate)
Other Colors
- Eddie Bauer
- FrizmWORKS in brown (their website is cheaper but you have to pay to ship from Korea). Here's a green one at Park Province and another at The Great Divide.
- Brut (current stock is down to red)
- All Blues Co. (red, navy, forest green)
- Buck Mason ("coyote" and "midnight")
- Big Rock Candy Mountain (a few funky colors, but no orange)
- RRL ("vintage khaki," limited sizing)
- Crescent Down Works
