Icebreaker - Pure Merino

Congratulations to our Graphic Design team in our Wellington Head Office.  It was announced today that 3 of our designs are finalists in the Designers Institute of New Zealand Best Design Awards 2010.

Nice work guys!

Check out their stunning work here:
Icebreaker GT Technical Baselayer Packaging
Icebreaker Merino Socks Packaging
Icebreaker Office Interior Art

Feedback from another satisfied Icebreaker customer…:

“I cannot express enough my extreme satisfaction with your product during our 21-day trip to Mongolia.  We were horseback riding, camel riding, kayaking and camping.  The trip of a lifetime!

Since we needed to pack light - I was especially drawn to the low-stink factor of your shirts.  Everyone else on the trip was spending time doing laundry when we got into camp - but I just kept on having fun because my shirts didn’t stink!  (And I looked good and felt comfortable).

Thank you for your great product!”

- Debra Gagner, Minneapolis, MN

It was my nephew’s birthday yesterday. I gave him the Explorer Hoody, he said he loves it because it makes him look like Batman…

Too cute, oh to be 4 again! Check out Angus below.

 - Cathy Jackman, Icebreaker Global Production Coordinator

In the name of science, we forced ourselves to have a quick sniff under the last four competitors’ armpits. This took some convincing as the shirts are now completely filthy, and look as if they should smell bad enough to kill small animals. However… as any Icebreaker fan will know… our tees smelled surprisingly good. There was in most cases a wee whiff of body odour, combined with a faint smell of Old Spice / Lady Speed Stick deodorant (depending on gender), but you really had to try hard to smell it. And considering that we’ve put these shirts through an incredibly sweaty, dirty field test for four days… well, our Icebreaker smells like a rose garden compared to the standard cotton tees everyone is used to wearing.

At the end of our four intense days of harvesting, our seven competitors logged over two hundred working hours in Icebreaker. The winner of this year’s challenge, with the most hours in his shirt (a whopping 51), is Jochim Farms patriarch Marc Jochim. Try as we might to beat him, Dad just got up earlier and worked later than everybody else- so he deserves every bit of the Harvest Challenge fame and fortune which is now his. We took him out to the Inverness Bar and Supper Club to give him his Icebreaker prize (an awesome Beast 150 weight Argon Crewe top), meal, and trophy (a tiny merino sitting in a frying pan, to keep with the ‘Sheep in Heat’ theme).

A big thanks to Icebreaker for sponsoring the 2010 Icebreaker “Sheep in Heat” Harvest Challenge, and for making such a fantastic product. Another thank you goes out to Icebreaker from my mom, who says “I had to wash a lot less laundry this year! It was great!”

Signing off now from the Icebreaker field office in Inverness, Montana, until next year…

- Allison Jochim, Icebreaker Graphic Designer

Another competitor bites the dust! Only four left in the Harvest Challenge! And speaking of dust . . . boy is there a lot of it. Wheat chaff is everywhere, floating in the air, sticking to hair and skin, coating the insides of our lungs and turning our Icebreaker shirts from white to brown. (Before and after picture of shirts included for comparison). And STILL the shirts aren’t smelling or itching! Well, mine doesn’t smell or itch, at least - we may have to have a smell test tomorrow to confirm across the board.

- Allison Jochim, Icebreaker Graphic Designer

Progress report: things are getting interesting out here on the farm. The shirts and the competitors were pushed to the max today when we ran into a few problems (or “opportunities to excel” if you prefer the phrase). First, one combine harvester ran into a wet patch of grain, which plugged up the machine’s internal mechanics. Unplugging the machine is not a fun job - let’s just say all involved got pretty sweaty. Next, another combine ran over a large rock which happened to lodge in the intake reel so tightly that it had to be removed with a sledgehammer. (Tempers were high by this stage - I had to snap a picture of the rock from inside the cab of my moving combine so as not to stir the pot.) Third, the air conditioning went out on one of the combines for the last half of the day. SWEAT CITY! The poor driver of that combine really should get some bonus points. And finally, one other thing went wrong which I have no energy left to describe. It was also a sweaty job to fix.Our beleaguered, sweat-soaked team is hanging in there, and marveling at how no one stinks yet.

And we’re down one more competitor - the youngest participant in the Harvest Challenge claimed that her Icebreaker was giving her a “farmer’s tan”, and opted to change into a swimsuit top for better tanning purposes. Normally Icebreaker merino’s UV protection is a plus - but apparently not for tan-conscious teens. The Harvest Challenge is really separating the wheat from the chaff, if you catch my drift.

Five hardy and determined competitors remain (pictured), and we’ve all logged a similar amount of hours. May the best harvester win.

- Allison Jochim, Icebreaker Graphic Designer

The Harvest Challenge has officially begun in top form, with the thermometer at 95ºF (35ºC). No problems with the shirts yet, but we’ve got a long way to go.A few different shirt-wearing strategies are beginning to evolve . . . two competitors are trying to keep their Icebreaker shirts clean by wearing protective shirts or overalls on top of them. The rest of us feel this strategy is complete rubbish which may result in heat stroke.

In a surprise development, one competitor has withdrawn from the challenge, stating (perhaps frustratingly) that white was not her colour - but that she’d be happy to join in the spirit of the challenge by wearing one set of Icebreaker socks for the rest of the harvest. Would one propose an alternate set of rules to an Olympic judge, or to Simon Cowell? Absolutely not. Immediate disqualification.

The standard apparel of choice for a farmer during a typical wheat harvest is the no-frills white cotton Hanes Beefy T. Cotton may be a classic, but cotton tees get notoriously stinky in the armpits, and it will be interesting to see how the merino tees measure up. One harvest veteran was asked, “How hard would it be to wear one of your white cotton t-shirts for the whole harvest?”

“Oh,” he said, and then there was a pause. “Pretty hard.”

The same harvest veteran was asked to show me his Icebreaker (hidden under a protective layer of denim)… and he busted a move straight out of a Calvin Klein ad (pictured)! Nice one Dad!

 - Allison Jochim, Icebreaker Graphic Designer

Reporting live from the Icebreaker field office in Inverness, Montana…
We’re about to give Icebreaker a wear test like it’s never had before.We know Icebreaker merino performs flawlessly on ski slopes and in the bush - not to mention on the street and at the gym. But how will it perform in the dusty, sticky, oppressively hot wheat fields of rural Montana during the Jochim family farm’s annual harvest?

Headed by Icebreaker employee Allison Jochim (fourth from left), our intrepid team of field testers are about to risk personal comfort, dignity, and basic levels of hygiene in the 2010 ICEBREAKER ‘SHEEP IN HEAT’ HARVEST CHALLENGE.

The rules are simple: whoever wears their Icebreaker 150 weight top for the most hours of the harvest will WIN (competitors may take off the top to sleep at night but may not launder it between wearings).

First prize is a free Icebreaker top, dinner for two at the bar, the 2010 Icebreaker Sheep in Heat Commemorative Champion’s Trophy, and an unending stream of praise and glory. Second place is a handshake.

Right now we’ve had a bit of rain and the wheat is not dry enough to cut, but we’re expecting to be ready to go tomorrow. We’ll also be adding a few more competitors when the out-of-town crew arrives.

And if there are any farmers reading this . . . yes the crop looks good!

Hi everyone my name is Randy Schultz and I am writing to tell of an amazing adventure I have recently been on.

Two months ago a dream of mine came true. I was invited to join a team of elite athletes to go north of the Arctic Circle to spend 28 days living in tents on ice and climbing mountains to reach the summits so that we could jump off!

I am a Canadian BASE jumper and this wonderful area was not only one of my highest priority destinations but also a very rare opportunity to explore a northern region of my incredible home, Canada.

The trip by no means was easy or very comfortable, but more than anything it was completely amazing and fulfilling.

The trip started as such, Kamloops to Ottawa then private charter to Iqaluit and onto Clyde River, one of the last most northern habitations in Baffin Island. We spent a quick night there setting up tents on the frozen tundra, with a slap in the face realization of where we were. Two tents with bags in them lifted off the ground and flew a couple hundred feet away twirling like leaves in the wind. This wonderful place is truly rugged.

With an early rise and some boiled snow and dehydrated food we were on the snowmobiles and Kamoteks (special Inuit sleighs). A five to six hour ride across the tundra and ice fields guided at this point by wise Inuit guides. We stop for an excellent lunch of Arctic Char and Bannock right beside my first iceberg, beautiful and blue looming thirty feet out of the frozen ocean.

A couple hours later we arrived, mind blown, as the land had gone from flat to five thousand foot shear walls of glorious proportion. I have lived in the mountains most my life and travel to mountainous regions often but I have never seen such a display of our ice age, smooth paths carved into the mountains straight to the ocean. And not just a few - as far as you can see all around you. I was in a living piece of my own heaven.

We joined up with the other half of our team who had arrived the day before due to the amount of gear and size of group. We set up our tents and the team shut down, we all know tomorrow is jump day.

Our camp is situated right below some amazing 3500 foot cliffs with summits not far off, just a few hours to reach. As I lay going to sleep I realize how truly stoked I am to have geared myself the way I did, the wind blowing, the freezing cold setting in, and me comfy in my tent warm and safe from the elements.

For this I need to thank Icebreaker for my base layers, as well Taiga for my outer layers and sleeping bag, and Hillsound crampons for grip on ice later in the trip (so necessary for safety), and all my friends and family that helped me so much to make this trip a possibility. Thank you all for believing in your friends and sons dream.

In total - I climbed 18 mountains, 70000 vertical with 17 flights! This trip brought me so much, I am extremely grateful for my safe experience of this truly amazing rarely touched piece of our country and world…..YAHOO FREEDOM!

Below I have attached a link to our groups slide show compilation of our trip, put together by a fellow jumper and personal friend Douggs, it gives a view of our adventures, experiences, friendships, hikes, flights and camp site.

I hope it finds you all entertainment.

Baffin Island Photo slideshow 2010 from douggs on Vimeo.

-Randy Schultz, Canadian BASE Jumper and Icebreaker fan

After our wonderful sailing experience my family and I spent some time on the island of Crete. My dad decided it would be a fun idea to walk the Samaria Gorge - the longest gorge in Europe.

The gorge is 16 km long, starting at an altitude of 1,250m at the northern entrance, and ending at the shores of the Libyan Sea in Agia Roumeli.

Dressed in Icebreaker GT and Superfine, the family was all geared up to tackle the gorge - we had convinced ourselves it was nothing more than a “walk in the park”. Everything we read said you only needed a medium level of fitness, there was a well worn “footpath” to the end, and as it was all downhill it wasn’t very strenuous. I mean, we had all done the Tongariro Crossing, this would be a piece of cake - right?

WRONG! The guide on the bus had warned us - if you are having any knee pain within the first 4km, then turn back…it’s only going to get worse. At the 4km mark, after a very steep descent, I had rolled both of my weak ankles numerous times, and my left knee felt like it was facing the wrong way. I then started favouring my right knee, which started feeling the strain very quickly!

The terrain was definitely not what I would describe as a well worn footpath - more of an uneven rocky stony trail - often there wasn’t a trail to follow and you made it up yourself.

The hardest part was trying to beat the heat. We started the gorge at 8am but were advised to try and finish before pm as the last 3km were exposed. With temperatures in the high 30’s, walking in the blazing sun was to be avoided - so keeping a fast pace became essential.

We had a quick stop at the half way point, the ancient village of Samaria where we lunched with the Kri-Kri’s - Cretan goats that are only found in that area.

We made it through the most famous part of the gorge, the Iron Gates, where the sides of the gorge close in to a width of only four meters and soar up to a height of 500m.

We reached the 14km mark at a painful shuffle. Mum and I were experiencing bad knee pain from the constant downhill over rocks, and my feet were more than ready to get out of my trail shoes! The shoes and Icebreaker socks came off, and the jandals went on…and suddenly I thought I was hallucinating. Up ahead was a small shack with a sign “Bus to Port - 1 EURO”. Not surprisingly I was the first person on that bus for the last 1km ride to Roumeli!

We shuffled into a taverna, put our feet up, and enjoyed ice cold beers for the rest of the afternoon before a ferry took us back to Hóra Sfakíon.

Wearing Icebreaker was a saviour - the heat was intense, but our tee’s kept us cool and dry. I have no doubt that wearing Icebreaker socks saved our feet from blisters!

Luckily the knee pain only lasted a day, our calves and feet were back to normal a couple of days after that…but the photos will last forever!

- Leah Evans, Global Communications Executive