Icebreaker - Pure Merino

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In a surprise development, one competitor has withdrawn from the challenge, stating (perhaps frustratingly) that white was not her colour – but that she’d be happy to join in the spirit of the challenge by wearing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!