Icebreaker - Pure Merino

When I was asked to go to a media event, I had no idea what I was in for.  “Where are we going?” I asked.  “Hicksville,” they replied.  “Where is that?!” I asked. A Google search of Hicksville confirmed my fears… 1. Hicksville’s location is indeed a secret and 2. Icebreaker is sending me on a journey to the desert in what could be the most elaborate firing scheme ever. And I thought I had done quite well on my year review.

All kidding aside, I actually went to represent Icebreaker to a bunch of editors. Hicksville was our home for 2 ½ days. It was a fantastic couple of days, and the perfect environment to put Icebreaker to the test…hot days and chilly nights. Here’s a sample of the feedback we received from the media:

“We used the hell out of Icebreaker—and while I’ve always known what a great brand it is, it’s nice to use wool in the desert, not just on the slopes.” Rachel Sturtz (freelance writer whose stories have appeared in Esquire, Allure, Hemispheres, Women’s Health, Fitness, Shape,MensHealth.com, Runner’s World, Running Times, Competitor, ESPNW and ESPN HS, Capitol File, The Daily, and many more)

“My favorite part was the funkiness of it all. Really made for a memorable trip on every front… the Icebreaker stuff is a marvel.”
Tim Neville (freelance writer whose stories have appeared in Outside, Skier Magazine, The New York Times, and many more)

I made it out of the desert with quite a few more freckles, some new friends, AND my Icebreaker job.

Christy Bigelow – Icebreaker US Customer Service

Hayco Volkers, founder of Xhike.com and gearxtreme.com, recently talked with Jeremy Moon. Here’s a snippet of the interview:

Looking back on your Icebreaker adventure: what is your biggest achievement?

“Personally, I’m most proud of building a close-knit team. The direct result of this was being able to realise my idea and create a new product group. There were plastics and there was wool. And then there was merino wool − both technical and natural. This inspired our name: ‘breaking the ice’ − it was a metaphor for this new product group.”

What’s your opinion on the internet − in relation to manufacturers, customers and retailers? It seems that traditional retailers feel threatened by developments like online retail and social media.

“The physical shop is generally the start of a relationship between customer, manufacturer and retailer. The retailer must learn to embrace the internet as a means to maintain that relationship. Three factors can undermine the relationship: Social risk − you bought the wrong product. Financial risk − you paid too much. And performance risk − you bought the wrong size.”

“For an online retailer, performance risk is the essential one. A wrong size has to be returned, and this causes disappointment, loses time, and (sometimes) creates additional costs. My vision for the near future is to change your living room into a dressing room. When a customer orders a size L shirt, the retailer sends three shirts (sized M, L and XL) and a prepaid return parcel. The customer then tries the shirts on, chooses the best fit, and returns the others in the parcel. The risks of unreturned shirts need to be included in your operational costs.”

What, in your opinion, is needed to convince consumers of the need for sustainability?

“Be transparent − provide insight into the operations of your organisation. True sustainability is realised through the entire business model of your company and product…”

“Icebreaker believes that it is essential for our wool to be of exceptional quality. This does not only apply to the wool, but also to how the sheep that provide it are treated. Every product that you buy from us comes with its own unique code, something we call the Baacode, which is traceable through our website. With it, you can see the living circumstances on the farm that has supplied us the wool that’s in your product. You can see who the shepherds are, how many sheep they have and the area on which they graze.”

Now that you head a successful business, we’re curious to know how you find the time
to pursue your outdoor activities yourself?

“I don’t head our business, I make sure it can be lead. I see myself as oil in the machine. I don’t care how many hours someone works, I care about the passion, judgment and responsibility they bring to the table… The same applies to me as to anyone within Icebreaker. It’s always possible to take time out to ski, mountain bike or be with your family.”

Hayco Volkers, founder of Xhike.com and gearxtreme.com

Last week, I made my first ever visit to Mt Nicholas, a merino sheep station at the foot of New Zealand’s Southern Alps, and Icebreaker’s biggest supplier of merino wool. I was on a mission to brush up on my knowledge of the merino sheep, put my Icebreakers to the test in brisk high country conditions, and get a taste of life on a station that spans a spectacular 100,000 acres (many of them on a ninety degree angle).

Here’s what I knew about NZ merino sheep before my visit:

• They produce the finest, whitest, wool fibre in the world.
• Their coats insulate to keep them warm in winter; in summer they shed their wool to stave off the heat.
• They’re fluffy and white.
• They say ‘baa’.

Here’s what I know about NZ merino sheep now:

• Their eating habits are similar to that of a goat, preferring dry twigs and shrubs to the lush clover other sheep thrive on.
• At night they feel compelled to climb to the highest peak they can find. (Kind of like a meerkat, but perhaps a bit lower on the Obsessive Compulsive Disorder spectrum.)
• The mountain peaks on which the Mt Nicholas sheep roam are so steep that the musterers and their dogs arrive for work via helicopter.
• They’re more petite than your average sheep.
• They’re also quite tasty.

But, it wasn’t all about the sheep. Or, the cows, pigs, hens or horses. Over my two-day stay, I discovered plenty of other things, including:

• It’s possible to raise two young children and 30,000 merino sheep simultaneously (just the former is ample for me).
• Deer and goats make great domestic pets – this is something Buck (deer) and Sally (goat) will attest to. Though, Jackson (dog) may beg to differ.
• A ‘crutcher’ is a person responsible for crutching sheep − removing wool from sheeps’ behinds − and is not to be confused with ‘a support to assist a lame or infirm person in walking’. Or anything else.
• New Zealand is home to some of the most awe-inspiring landscape in the world (and this is coming from an Australian…)
• Seven Icebreaker layers, including a trenchcoat, won’t weigh down your pack. GHDs, laptops, and phone chargers, on the other hand, will.
• Mountain running is not a sport I will ever consider taking up.
• Homegrown veges are delicious – even brussell sprouts!
• Some people don’t think twice about tucking into a venison pie after patting a pet deer. RIP Buck Senior?
• Electricity is something most of us take for granted (less so, people who generate their own).
• My workmate, Jo, is a competent truck driver, and not one to be deterred by the dark, a bumpy dirt road, or roaming animals (thanks for keeping my life intact, Jo!)
• Only one Icebreaker base layer is required (in conjunction with a sleeping bag) to keep a person toasty warm for a night in the shearing quarters, despite it being a measly 0 degrees outside.
• Sleeping bags are not conducive to sleeping, and should, accordingly, just be referred to as ‘bags’.
• Humans can survive without cafes.
• It’s possible to travel from Mt Nicholas to the airport − via water taxi and land taxi − within one hour.
• Under pressure, Queenstown taxi drivers are among the fastest in the world.

*No animals were harmed in the making of this trip. (I’m assuming the ones we ate died of old age.)

Jennifer Lane – Copywriter