Icebreaker - Pure Merino

“I just completed an unsupported trekking traverse of the Himalayas this past week.  The hike was over 2,600 kilometers and a whole lot of elevation gain and loss, at least the equivalent of summiting Mt. Everest over 20 times. I hiked from the easternmost 8,000 meter peak to the westernmost 8,000 meter peak averaging about 40km per day and hiking for the past three months.

Thanks to Icebreaker merino I  was able to wear the same baselayers for the entire trip only washing them out in creeks and rivers, never even using soap!  Three months, 10-15 hour hiking days through hot and humid and cold and snowy, and using only 2 shirts and 1 pair of boxers!”

- Justin Lichter, Icebreaker Athlete

Two weekends ago my Icebreaker workmates Aleisha, Casey, the Ramotaur and I travelled to Noosa on the Sunshine Coast of Queensland, Australia for the first Mountain Designs Adventure Race of the year. With record numbers and over 150 teams entered, it was a great way to spend a Sunday. In bright sunshine we trekked, paddled and mountain biked through the Noosa Hinterland Trails and capped it off with a muddy obstacle course.  The Ramotaur welcomed us 5hrs later as we hobbled over the finish line.

The Icebreaker GT kit we had on held up great. After 5hrs of intense racing our tops were dry and odour free. It was great to see so many competitors rocking Icebreaker tattoos. Thanks again to the crew at In2Adventure and Mountain Designs for hosting a great event.

Robert Barlow – Marketing Manager, Icebreaker Australia

On April 25, 2009 our two-man expedition reached its goal of skiing unsupported and unassisted to the North Pole. We are the first Americans to accomplish this feat, which has been called the ‘hardest trek on the planet.’

We knew that our success might just be dependent on our feet. We chose our socks carefully and loved the socks that Icebreaker provided for us! Our feet have never been happier on an expedition.

Together, the skier hyperlight and skier-midweight sock provided a very versatile layering system for our coldest days and our warmest ones. We had beautiful feet even at the very end.

The expedition took three years to plan. Our testing and research paid off. If we were to do the expedition over again we would have brought 97% of the same equipment.

Our 55-day expedition covered over 500 miles, faced -60 degree F temperatures, endless fields of ice rubble, open water and in the end a ceaseless southerly drift. During the exhausting sprint to the pole we slept only 3 of the final 66 hours of the expedition.

Our website www.northpole09.com contains our complete expedition blog and the most up to date news about the expedition project.

 - John Huston and Tyler Fish, Victorinox North Pole 09, the first American expedition to reach the North Pole unassisted and unsupported