Icebreaker - Pure Merino

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

Glaciers, one of nature’s miraculous creations, may disappear in this century due to global warming.

Since 1990, Italy’s La Venta Association has played a leading role in the exploration of Patagonia’s largest glaciers. Starting in 1990, members of La Venta have carried out research on at least 30 glaciers around the world, which has allowed the identification of factors which cause the formation of glacial cavities and, particularly, the morphological and climatic conditions which in some seasons cause the ice to melt. Ice caves is only one of the many projects La Venta has been carrying on during these two decades, from Mexico to the Philippines, from central Asia to Antarctica. You can learn more at www.laventa.it

An expedition by La Venta, outfitted in Icebreaker Bodyfit and GT, in collaboration with the Italian IB team has just been completed to Patagonia and Perito Moreno and its neighboring glaciers.

We caught up with filmmaker/cameraman/producer Alessandro Beltrame to learn more.

Tell us about yourself
I’m a 41-year-old filmmaker with 30 years experience in outdoor sports, from skiing, biking, climbing to mountaineering.  I’ve been making videos for 15 years - take a look at www.agbvideo.com and www.vimeo.com/agbvideo/videos.

What was the purpose of your expedition to Patagonia to study the ice caves at Perito Moreno?
Exploring the ice caves inside the Hielo Continental Glaciers. Not only Perito Moreno, but also Viedma, Ameghino, Upsala and more.  Take a look at http://www.laventa.it/eng/catalog/ghiacciai-patagonici/ipercarsimo-glaciale.html.  The approach is scientific and documentary, my role was for a documentary.

Who was on the trip?
Fifteen men and three women, including 15 Italians and one person from Argentina, Mexico and Japan.

Why did you want to make a movie about it?
Two reasons:  for a scientific documentation and comparison during the years, then to produce a documentary about hyper-karst in Hielo Patagonico and its influence on the global climate, global warming and fresh water reserve.

When will your movie debut?
My agency AGB with La Venta is trying to produce the film, we have experience in collaborations with National Geographic and BBC, and the Italian national channels.

How did your Icebreaker apparel perform in Patagonia?
An Italian dealer friend introduced us to Icebreaker.  I had never used merino wool before.  It’s not only fabulous, it’s incredible! Really!  I wore Icebreaker baselayer for 30 days, from warm situations, with wind in El Calafate to ice camps on Moreno and Viedma.  Some items I wore for five or six days without any problems.  I have chosen IB for this experience, just the Italian dealer contact, no other way before to know and try it.

How can we find out more about your movie?
About the movie you need to wait some months, we are organizing the production, sharing the HD video with BBC, etc…

If you are interested in supporting the production, email Alessandro Beltrame at alessandro@agbvideo.com

Watch the Patagonia Ice Caves Project 2010 here

Patagonia Ice Caves Project 2010 from Alessandro Beltrame on Vimeo.

Adventure seekers love Icebreaker, and Icebreaker loves adventure seekers.  For that reason we were ecstatic to get involved when Anthony Bonello and his team at b4apres got in touch with us about their backcountry ski film that was being shot in the Himalayas.  To be exact they are based out of the Gulmarg Ski Resort in Kashmir.  Spending a good portion of the winter season in the cold and snow, these film makers are creating a documentary showcasing the beauty and culture of Kashmir in hopes to dispel the stigma that this is a dangerous place to travel.

Icebreaker could not think of a better way to help these extreme skiers and artists out than to provide them with some Icebreaker Merino socks, leggings and tops to keep the warm while hiking the mountains, packing film gear, scoping fresh powder lines and interviewing the locals.  Their film promises to impress and the team here at Icebreaker wish them all the best.

Here is a synopsis from Anthony on the film and their project:

b4apres Media’s debut film is a cultural documentary as seen through the eyes of skiers. We will travel into the mountains surrounding the Gulmarg Ski Resort, Kashmir in order to capture the aesthetic beauty of the landscape and the livelihoods of a people eager to dispel the stigma that Kashmir is a dangerous place to travel.

We intend to single out the colorful and iconic local characters within the skiing culture of Gulmarg and convey their passion for the mountains. By allowing the Kashmiri people to show where they are from and significantly, where they are going, the essence of what Kashmir means to its people and what it can mean to the rest of world will be articulated. As foreigners with relatively little experience or understanding of Kashmir, we believe expressing the temperament of post-war Kashmir is best left to the locals.

With its fertile valleys and glaciated mountains, that form the very beginning of the Great Himalaya Mountain Range, the region has a distinct allure for skiers/snowboarders and travelers. With the world’s highest gondola rising to 3980m above sea level, the skiing potential is boundless. We intend to explore the mountains surrounding Gulmarg in search of the ultimate ski run.

To follow the trials and tribulations of making a film in India that is largely dependent on mother nature, check out b4apres.com

Watch the Gulmarg Ski Teaser video here

Our NZ team have just hosted the inaugural Icebreaker Sock On, Sock Off Competition.  Teams got together this week and were timed to see who were the quickest to dismantle their new Run socks from the packaging, put them on, take them off and assemble them back in the orginal packaging again (kind of like a sock boat race!).

Sounds easy, but it’s not quite…  Check out the NZ ‘Soxy Bitches’ team attempt at staking their claim for global dominance.  We wonder which Icebreaker office will beat them…

It’s all go in Vancouver at the moment for the 2010 Winter Olympics.  Icebreaker is proud to support Team NZ by supplying the official base layer to our athletes.  We’ve created a site  www.icebreaker.com/whatsnexttoyourskin to keep everyone up to date with what’s going on as the competition and hype heats up at this years winter Olympics Games.

Check the site regularly to see our latest blog posts, photos and video’s from the action in Vancouver and Whistler.

We’re also giving away Icebreaker product daily to the best photo we receive in our “What’s Next To You Skin” competition,  You can check out all the current entries (plus how you can enter yourself) here - we’d love to see a photo of you showing us whatever you have next to your skin!

Daily we draw a winner who will receive a new Icebreaker top and every entry will be in the grand prize draw to win a Limited Edition Icebreaker ‘Whistler’ top and Hat.  Drawn on March 2nd 2010.  View Terms and Conditions here.

Get photographing!

Hey guys - we love hearing your Icebreaker stories and checking out pictures of you in our gear.

Feel free at anytime to send your comments, stories, ideas and photos to: blog@icebreaker.com   We’d love to share it on our Blog and with other Icebreaker-ites.

Don’t forget to sign up to our fan page on Facebook or follow us on Twitter too.

We discover Fiordland National Park whilst shooting our new Fall/Winter 10 range.  Here’s a sneak peek for you before the new range is released next year.

Our CEO Jeremy Moon turned the big 4-0 on Wednesday (Sept 2nd).  We celebrated in style with a surprise birthday bash in Wellington.  The night was full of the usual Icebreaker party antics, including an Irish Dance by the birthday boy himself and our French team…

The Icebreaker Stink Patrol crack down on odour mules at the Outdoor trade fair in Friedrichshafen in Germany earlier this week.

It was Martina’s (our German PR & Marketing Manager) birthday during the Outdoor tradeshow in Friedrichshafen, Germany… and in true Icebreaker style the team decided to do an impromptu Haka for her.

Ringa pakia
Uma tiraha
Turi whatia
Hope whai ake
Waewae takahia kia kino

Ka Mate! Ka Mate!
Ka Ora! Ka Ora!
Tenei te ta ngata puhuru huru
Nana nei i tiki mai

Whakawhiti te ra
A upane ka upane!
A upane kaupane whiti te ra!
Hi!!

Translation…
It is death! It is death!
It is life! It is life!
This is the hairy person
Who caused the sun to shine
Keep abreast! Keep abreast
The rank! Hold fast!
Into the sun that shines!