With off-mountain communications now so easy that the students around me as I write this in a packed train carriage are actually calling each other on their mobiles… most of us take making calls and sending texts anywhere at any time totally for granted. Infact most people probably worry far more about image quality and ring tones than whether they will be able to get a signal and make a call.

However, head up a mountain and it feels like stepping back in time. Maybe I can get a signal if I’m lucky, when I try calling my mates that they were supposed to go left not right at the top of the chair lift, and are rapidly heading into the wilderness, and chances are they won’t hear their phone ringing, even if it does.

Fumbling about to answer the mobile is another problem. No-one wants to lose their mobile on the mountain, or to land on it when perfecting the double twisting head plant manoeuvre, so it gets “put away”,,, only to be needed urgently half-way up an exposed chair lift in a force 10 gale.

The snowsports enthusiasts in the R&D team at Nike ACG have experienced these problems for themselves and decided to put their heads together to dream up a solution to staying in touch on the mountain with ease.

The new Nike ACG COMMJacket is the result of their years of hard work. This technical, high performance snow jacket has built-in radios, microphones and earpieces allowing perfect two-way communications while on the move on the mountain whatever the conditions.

In keeping with the ACG aim to bring technical innovation to the outdoor world, the COMMJacket tackles poor connections, radios and mobiles that won’t work in extreme conditions and the necessity of striping off on an exposed glacier to find the radio or mobile buried deep in pockets.

Inspired by Nike ACG’s two-year relationship with the Portland Mountain Rescue Team in Oregon, USA and their need for quick access communication on the move on the mountain, in all types of weather conditions, Nike ACG has also designed the COMMVest.

An ergonomic, communication vest with a pocket to house a two-way radio, an integrated speaker near the ear, a microphone near the mouth and a push-to-talk, PTT button at the chest. The design allows the team to communicate without having to stop, or remove their gloves to use their radios.

These design elements are all included on the Nike ACG COMMJacket, offering the same communication technology in a 3 layer, Gore Tex outer fabric. Conductive fibres are seam-sealed into the garment, meaning that there are no loose wires from the radio, which is housed within a specially designed front pocket. The radio connects to the jacket via a simple adapter cable, which can be disconnected and allows the garment to be washed as normal.

The microphone and speaker are cleverly positioned to deliver maximum audio and voice clarity even in extreme weather conditions. The speaker is embedded in the hood close to the ear, while the microphone is nestled in the storm flap near the mouth and out of the wind.

A push-to-talk, PTT, tab at the chest is easy to operate even with gloved hands and to activate, two separate buttons need to be pressed reducing the risk of accidentally triggering the radio.

The garment itself has integrated key performance elements including storm flap, goggle pocket, powder skirt, fully articulated sleeves for full range of movement and venting for airflow.

The CommsJacket retails for around £400 so it’s not cheap, but it’s a top quality jacket as well as a mobile communications platform straight out of Q’s workshop… something James Bond would be happy to wear, especially as it comes in “Stealth” colouring (though not so handy if trying to attract help!). A Motorola radio is also included with each jacket.

Available now from selected Nike ACG retailers.