JAPAN'S BEST ALPINE TRIPS BEGIN HERE
autumn in Tibet is like autumn anywhere – rapidly cooling, some moisture still in the air and oscillating winds both cold and neutral. only in Tibet it’s all exaggerated. the winds are colder, the sun is stronger, the difference between sun and shade is huge and the cold fronts huge. this means clothing needs to…
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power wool is soon to have it’s big release for fall-winter, so it’s a good time to get some real-world beta out there along side the endless press releases and showroom fondling from the trade show circuit. having used the stuff over almost a year and taken it from baking granite walls to nasty tibetan…
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still a way from its full release, Polartec has OKed comments from the testing process to ferment interest in another of its game-changing innovations. expedition use is what matters: weeks of constant use, minimal maintenance, just a squirt of dish liquid to clean it and an hour in the sun to dry – true expedition…
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at iceclimbingjapan we don’t really test garments, we test systems. Japan is an ideal testing ground as results can be gained and processed rapidly, in direct conjunction with the developers. difficult, cold and complex: the mountain ranges of Japan allow for efficient R&D tasking from Teton Bros, who interface for Polartec, means we are a…
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iceclimbingjapan functions as a testing project for Polartec, with Teton Bros acting as the Japan interface and production element. this means we are given full access to all Polartecs innovations (including many that never make the mainstream and/or climbing market). from Neoshell to Alpha and dozens of variants of more esoteric fabrics – cast into…
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softshells have always had weaknesses that limited them, amongst them the matrix of stretch and durability. schoeller resolved this in a way but the results were heavy and very warm, which limited things to a certain part of the climbing spectrum. do that with an old-school softshell: new Power Shield Stretch Woven does this without…
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weve talked about this for a long time now, and early protos are now being tested. the concept is straightforward; a single body-conforming layer that moves with you, insulates like a midlayer, breathes effortlessly, vents ahead of overheating and sheds snow, ain and wind. the demands for such clothing are broad, and until now haven’t…
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last winter everyone wanted to talk about Neoshell, this winter its Alpha. as part of Polartecs aggressive campaign to update functional fabrics and the way they are used, more and more fabrics are being developed and more and more interesting ways are being found to use them. variations for applications: theres more than one Alpha…
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whilst everyone has been watching Neoshell and now Alpha rise as part of Polartecs new system of fabrics, Powershield – Polartecs softshell contender – has been quietly evolving in amazing new directions. initially sidelined as ‘just another membraned softshell’, Powershield has become its own branch of smart-textile evolution, spawning variants that blow away old ideas about…
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with the bosses just back from OR and Polartec HQ having delivered our data right into the main vein, the latest beta on Alpha, the Neoshells and their applications is in keep an eye out for this little tag tested on humans so, several months of testing across a wide range of conditions by TMP…
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