Textiles - New heights for ski wool
Australian Merino wool is being presented to serious North American ski enthusiasts as the ultimate technical outdoor performance fibre
A legendary destination for top international skiers, Red Mountain Resort in British Columbia, Canada, has partnered with AWI to showcase Merino wool as a top-performing base layer for skiers. Called ‘The Mountain Project’, it is a multi-year program to foster dialogue and common ground among athletes, artists, guides and enthusiasts – from equipment manufacturers to users – with the aim of cultivating knowledge and best practices in a ski resort.
Red Mountain Resort is known as a cult resort for its tough terrain and expert skiers.
In addition to 120 staff being outfitted in Merino wool, the resort heavily brands the textile with prominent signage displayed for its 116,000 visitors a year.
“Australian Merino is a natural fit for the project,” says Stuart McCullough, director of North American operations at AWI. “Red Mountain is the ultimate resort for serious ski enthusiasts and Merino is the ultimate technical outdoor performance fibre.”
The Canadian Open Free Ski and Red Bull Cold Rush freestyle competition, as well as the SnowSports Industries Association (US) trade show, also featured Merino this year. In addition, a number of professional skiers and snowboarders provided positive feedback.
“Having Merino next to the skin is much better than anything out there,” said Xavier Delerue, a professional snowboarder and recent winner of the 2007 Verbier Xtreme and Big Mountain Pro competitions. “I constantly go from hot to cold to really cold, and from wet to dry in a short period of time. Merino gets warmer when it needs to be but I never feel too warm. It keeps me comfortable so I can focus on the mountain.”
Xavier explains that natural fibres are important to him: “I like eating organic, I stay away from preservatives and I don’t like to waste products. I prefer not to use synthetics so Merino fits best with my way of life.”
More information: www.redresort.com
Image: Xavier Delerue gives Australian Merino an extreme workout.
Image: The Mountain Project headquarters, proudly advertising AWI.
Image: Australian Merino hits the slopes in British Columbia.
See also: Wool goes al fresco and Monsoon season wool.
Return to Beyond the Bale Issue 28 index page.