Stories
"THE RISING GAIJINS"
Three freeskiers & two snowboarders from New Zealand become...“The Rising Gaijins" A short film by Jake Munro of 3 freeskiers & 2 snowboarders from New Zealand who set aside their differences on a trip to the backcountry of Japan & later become.. “The Rising Gaijins’. Featuring Our Line-Up Members - Harry Pettit and Rupert Paterson along with Nick Brown, George Pengelly & Jack Spence.
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DON’T GET LEFT OUT IN THE COLD THIS WINTER.
How to choose the perfect thermal underwear. BASE LAYERS Picture this: you've scored first chair of the day and there's 45cm of blower pow on the ground. Your chair crests the ridgeline and you feel an icy cold blast of deep Antarctic wind. You tuck your chin a little deeper into your face mask; you know what storm skiing is all about and your base layer game is on point today. You skate a couple steps and ski toward the next chair as you steal a glance to your left; all those suckers inside, you know what they got wrong? Their thermals. Getting your ski base layers wrong can be one of the most uncomfortable, and even most dangerous mistakes you can make in the mountains. If you're not prepared for what the weather will be doing, then you’re not prepared for anything. So with all manner of options on the market, what makes the perfect set of thermal underwear? Le Bent are unique in this space as we offer a unique bamboo and merino blend that allows us to offer a silky soft hand feel that keeps our customers coming back for more. What Material Is Best?When deciding on the perfect set of men’s, women’s or kid’s base layers you have two options: synthetic or natural. Synthetic baselayers are generally spun with a variant of thermoplastic polymers that will work to keep you warm, but who wants to wrap themselves in plastic, right? And often they tend to stink before the day is out. Natural thermal fibres have traditionally been spun with merino wool. If it’s good enough to keep a sheep warm, then it’s good enough for humans. So, what’s the catch? Scratch. While merino wools are the perfect insulator, they’re not the perfect fabric to have pressed against your skin for twelve hours a day. So the question arises: what’s the perfect fibre? Honed over years of high-tech research and development, Le Benthad the bright idea to combine the benefits and sustainability of bamboo rayon fibre with the warmth and durability of merino. The result? The highest quality, comfort and performance you can expect from any other material. As the thermal will be the closest to your skin, the advanced wicking properties of the bamboo and merino blend ensure that moisture is worked quickly through your layers, keeping you both warm and dry with no odour build up or stink. The bamboo ensures the fabric feels nice and soft on the skin with no irritation, no itch. And no matter which weight you choose, you’ll barely notice it’s there thanks to the semi performance fit that’s designed specifically for being active in the mountains, insulating you from the elements. What Fabric Weight Do I Need?The final consideration is weight. As you’ll be aware, varying conditions call for varying levels of insulation, and getting it right starts at the base. Lightweight to midweight, Le Bent offer two options: a 200gm or 260gm variant – 200 for milder conditions – think Australian winters, or spring skiing overseas – and 260 for when it’s really blowing from the Arctic – think mid-winter in the Rockies, Europe or Japan. At Le Bent we call it our Platinum Blend and the quality of finish is immediately noticeable. It’s a unique combination of Mother Nature’s finest attributes – the growth, sustainability and softness of bamboo combined with merino, the finest natural insulator known to man kind. It’s not rocket science, it’s simply the result of years of research and design, innovation and a deep-rooted love of the mountains. No matter if you’re a skier, snowboarder, man woman or child, Le Bent has a perfect set of men’s women’s and kid’s base layers for you. Let us take care of comfort, so you can focus on having a good time. Click here to see what ActiveJunky had to say about the base layers.
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SEEKING NIRVANA - PT. 3: THE LUCKY STRIKE
This band of seekers have found a treasure, a mother lode if you will... it's time to stake their claim and strike it rich! This treasure.... it’s not the conventional kind ... gold, diamonds or other such things ... this treasure is much more rare. Found only in the alpine, an land of unrelenting rock and ice, caped with soft and endless snow. Seeking Nirvana 1.3 - The Lucky Strike from Seeking Nirvana on Vimeo. Created by:Mike Henitiuk ~ @mikeheniJoe Schuster ~ @joe_schusterRiley Leboe ~ @rileyleboeMatt Margetts ~ @mattmargetts Follow:@seeking.nirvana Fellow Traveller:Josh Bibby Video Editing, Sound Design and Color Grade:Leigh Powis Cinematography:Taylor Loughran Aerial Cinematography:Dylan Ross Narration:Colby James WestJay Henitiuk
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SEEKING NIRVANA - PT. 2: CABIN FEVER
Childhood friends embark on a journey past roads-end. Far from civilization, deep in the wilds of the British Columbia, time slows as they align with their surroundings. Battling blizzards they quest towards untracked landscapes of powder glory. Through trial and triumph they tirelessly press on. The snow falls, the angst builds. Fever has set in... Seeking Nirvana 1.2 - Cabin Fever from Seeking Nirvana on Vimeo. Strange adventures await, Seeking Nirvana. #StrangeAdventures #SeekingNirvana #CabinFever
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SEEKING NIRVANA - PT. 1: HOME
We are stoked to be involved with this new series Seeking Nirvana featuring Joe Schuster, Mike Henitiuk, Riley Leboe and Matt Margetts. Sit back and enjoy the best of Canadian pillow lines and deep pow amongst their home mountains, the Coast Range. This is the mountain village of Whistler, 675m above sea level. Forested with old growth fir and cedar. An important black bear habitat. Criss-crossed by deep valleys making way to endless glaciers. There are few paved roads but instead many miles of intersecting logging roads and dirt trails. It is an El Nino year. We are on the far edge of the Howe Sound, famous for fierce storms, which will make landfall from the west, come December. 4 men make haste into the storm in search of vast powder bowls, to which the mountain village has garnered a reputation. A difficult task, travelling the unchartered terrain, requires the groups combined wits. Only persistence and a spot of luck will reward success. The adventure begins in the mountain village they call home but foreign lands beckon. A journey awaits and a feeling desired. We follow this group, through trials and triumph, Seeking Nirvana. Seeking Nirvana 1.1 - Home from Seeking Nirvana on Vimeo.
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JOE SCHUSTER - REDBULL COLDRSUH
Watch our Line-Up Member Joe Schuster destroy the top cliff and send him a vote!
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IDEAS WORTH WEARING - ACTIVE JUNKY
Thanks for the great review Active Junky! It's great to see Le Bent gaining momentum and awareness for our unique bamboo merino blended products. http://activejunky.com/articles/baselayers-from-le-bent?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=post&utm_term=baselayers-from-le-bent&utm_content=2474&utm_campaign=fb_article
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RUSS HENSHAW // DOUBLE CORK TO RAIL
When you thought it couldn't get much more insane, Russ Henshaw throws down a dub cork 1170 to rail. Here's what was going through the mind of a madman. Congratulations on stomping the first ever double cork to rail. Thanks mate. I’m super stoked to walk away from that trick in 1 piece. How good was it to finally get a chance to nail this trick, especially at your home resort. This trick has literally been playing on my mind for the last four or so years. I’ve always thought it was possible but it wasn’t a trick you could just do on any kind of set up. I’d tried to organise getting the features built in the past for film shoots but for some reason or another it just never happened until this year with Perisher. I’m lucky enough to have Perisher and Redbull as sponsors and without those guys I wouldn't have been able to organise getting this feature built.I was obviously pretty nervous in the lead up to the day of trying the trick. But once I landed it I felt like a weight had been lifted and my mind was almost at ease knowing I wouldn’t be wondering anymore if it was possible. What was going through your head prior to dropping in? Nothing. I know that sounds stupid but when you are in the zone your body takes over and you are thinking of nothing. It's almost as if your body goes into cruise control and from there on out everything just happens. Its a hard one to explain really. What’s next for Russ Henshaw? I want to compete for as long as my body allows me and then I would like to slowly start moving into filming in the backcountry! We are certainly stoked for you mate, fly that flag for Australia! Filmed and Edited by Lucas Wilkinson.
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THE FUTURE OF HOW WE DRESS, IT'S GETTING TECH.
Here is a great article written by Chillfactor on a few trends that are driving the technology in ski and snowboard gear. We are proud to be showcased as an innovative company developing new and exciting first on skin products. There are three trends driving technology in ski gear right now: backcountry skiing, powder skiing and urban life. These trends are dictating how we dress ourselves for a day in the mountains, and brands are responding. Backcountry skiing is seriously pushing technology; there it’s all about lightness, ventilation and safety. Meanwhile, our insatiable thirst for powder snow holidays determines that we dress for more extreme climates (for example, January in Hokkaido is not the same as January in Heavenly). So we are buying outerwear with better waterproof and breathability ratings, and figuring out that to be warm it’s better to layer up. But we don’t all want to look like Norwegians, we want our gear to be versatile, so we’re demanding this stuff in an urban design language that lets us move seamlessly through different social contexts. TECH Gore Tex is still the benchmark for quality outerwear. But Gore has its downsides too. For all its breathability, waterproofing and durability, it is kind of stiff to wear. Also, the standards Gore Tex requires for garments to achieve their waterproofing ratings tend to limit the way in which Gore Tex outerwear can be made. The result is that a lot of Gore Tex stuff looks similar. Right now brands are throwing a lot of money at R&D to develop fabrics that have the waterproofing and breathability of Gore, but are soft to touch. The ISPO award-winning North Face Fuse Brigandine Jacket is built from HyVent® Alpha fabric using FuseForm™ construction to deliver a lighter and more durable jacket with the benefits of four-way stretch, water channelling texture, and a more modern look and feel. It’s a contender. Rip Curl has been playing with four-way stretch fabrics for a few years now, and the same theme continues in 2015 with their Sam and Victor Ultimate Gum jackets that also have maximum waterproof and breathability ratings. The North Face's revolutionary FuseForm construction delivers a fabric that's lightweight and durable – especially in high-wear areas Image:: The North Face/Andrew Miller The trend in underlayers is that you can’t beat natural fibres. We have seen a proliferation of Merino products, and all-Merino brands, in the last few years. Among them is Le Bent. Le Bent has created a niche for itself by innovating a blend of Australian Merino wool and bamboo. Merino has incredible water-wicking properties and is remarkably breathable. Bamboo offers similar properties to Merino but has superior softness similar to silk or cashmere, combined with an ability to control odour-producing bacteria, so it’s very hygienic and hypoallergenic for those who have irritations and allergies compared to wearing 100 per cent Merino. Le Bent have put a lot of time into research and development, the results speak themselves Image:: Le Bent “Aussie skiers deal with crazy domestic weather that fluctuates from cold and dry to extremely wet and warm,” says Simon Blondel, the co-founder and managing director of Le Bent. “By taking the best properties of both bamboo and Merino, we make base layers optimised for these conditions. This year we are adding garments with increasingly finer weaves and weights, like the Ultra Lightweight 160, Lightweight 200 and Midweight 260. These finer weaves are great at releasing heat when you need to cool down – like during the run - and especially retaining heat when you need it, like on a cold chairlift ride.” But why Merino? There are a lot of polyester and synthetic products out there that promise a lot, and they all seem to end in ‘Tech’. “Yes there are other products out there that work,” says Blondel, “but they can often irritate the skin, or smell after one wear. Nothing really compares to the materials we are using when it comes to temperature regulation and comfort.” As for mid-layers, mixed-fabric garments are the buzz. Companies like the North Face, Columbia and Arcteryx are using body mapping to develop mixed-fabric jackets that put down-fill where you need warmth, and synthetic in high heat areas for ventilation. This idea is in its early phase though; so far everyone we have seen wearing them looks like a combination of an overzealous gym junkie and European trail-runner. This product will surely take off, but not before it looks more flattering. DESIGN It is clear from a walk around the ISPO and SIA tradeshows that backcountry touring is pushing the design agenda. Ever a market leader, Patagonia has even launched a full backcountry touring line cut up into three price points. These pieces are light and minimal, with an intense focus on function. Nothing is there that doesn’t have to be, except for vents – they are everywhere. Orage is even putting ventilation down the front zipper line of its jackets, a truly genius concept. Yet even though function is at the top of the design agenda, we notice there is a distinctly urban design language filtering into otherwise technical garments. No longer are technical pieces niche products in boxy designs that come only in red or black. No, we’re seeing asymmetric shapes, metallic greys, military themes and a general tendency towards wearability off the mountain. It looks like we aren’t far off from a day where you can take a single jacket on your ski holiday and move seamlessly between the airport, on the hill, après ski and out to dinner. Rip Curl's line up of high-end backcountry outerwear blends fashion with function Image:: Rip Curl WEARABLE TECHNOLOGY There is a lot of buzz about wearable technology that we could talk about. But to be honest, we think it is still too early. The products on offer, like the Oakley heads-up display and iPhone integration into jackets and so on, are novel but not meaningful, at least not yet. Really, technology succeeds only when it integrates seamlessly into our lives to make them simpler. Right now they just seem to make things more complicated. Watch this space though. CHRIS BOOTH’S 10-POINT GUIDE TO HOW YOU SHOULD BE DRESSING IN THE MOUNTAINS. 1. If you want to be warm and dry, don’t buy a big, fat hot jacket. Buy a technical shell and then layer up underneath it. Trust me, it is much warmer and drier. Same with pants.2. Get the first layer right. Invest in Merino.3. If you buy one thing this year it is a lightweight puffer. Wear this over your Merino base layer. The heat from your body is captured in the loft and keeps you warm. Don’t put anything else between the base layer and your micro puffer; it reduces the amount of heat that makes it into the loft. You shouldn’t need anything more than these two layers under a shell but if you absolutely have to, add a soft shell between the puffer and the shell.4. You know those wrist cuff things that come inside your jacket? Cut them out, all they do is get wet and fill up space in and around your glove.5. Most of your heat loss comes through the gaps. Seal them up by wearing a buff or balaclava in a light Merino wool – no cotton.6. Put your phone as close to your skin as possible to conserve battery life.7. Don’t wear a belt because they add weight, add bulk around your mid-section, and they trap snow when you fall. The Velcro tags should be enough to keep your slacks up; if they aren’t your pants are too big.8. The best piece of ventilation in your entire outfit is your fly. Open it when you ski and you will instantly feel alive.9. Goggles on your head are never a good idea. If you need to take them off, stash them in a pocket and put your sunglasses on. No condensation.10. Don’t wear headphones when you go skiing because you are cutting off one of your key senses and missing out on a properly immersive experience in the mountains. You are also signalling to the world that you are anti-social; time to take them off and join the conversation. http://www.mountainwatch.com/snow-news/chillfactor/25559407/The-Future-of-How-We-Dress,-It's-Getting-Tech---The-Gear-Locker
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