Archive for February, 2013
Head to Toe: Wool is wonderful for Skiing
Posted Wednesday, February 13th, 2013 by Rachel King in dressing for the outdoors, our fabrics
Nick went to St Anton skiing and came back singing the praises of wool. He was dressed head to toe in wool including his pants.
Nick's been a massive fan of Merino Wool ever since his sister discovered the benefits of Merino in New Zealand 15 years ago. This year the whole extended family was wearing Cambridge Baby base layers.
The best thing about wool for skiing is that it helps you cope with large temperature changes by reducing the heat transfer between the body and the environment. His woollies kept him warm in freezing blizzard conditions but when the sun came out he didn't have to strip off and carry any layers. He was even able to keep some of his layers on for a bit of apres ski dancing!!!
Another benefit of Merino (especially untreated wool like Engel's) is that it doesn't get smelly. Merino wool reduces the opportunity for odours to develop because it absorbs sweat and evaporates it into the air. Unlike synthetic fabrics, wool doesn't retain odours and freshens up just with airing out. In addition, the outer layer of wool fibres have a high concentration of fatty acids, which have anti-bacterial properties. The inner layers of wool fibre bind with acidic, basic and sulphurous odours that make up body odour. Nick was able to wear all his gear even his pants for the entire week.