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February 12-18, 2009
buzz@boulderweekly.com
• Main Elevation story—Easy powder
• Upcoming Events
 Ski wear with soul
by Isaac Woods Stokes
It’s not the years, it’s the mileage. If this describes the way you love/use/abuse and otherwise test the limits of the manufacturers’ stated warranty, you ought to be running Patagonia. Call it “Pata-Prada” or whatever — whatever — but this is a company with a gold standard of quality and has a golden-hearted ethos toward the environment in which its goods are designed to frolic.
Witness the Powder Bowl ski jacket and pants combo. The jacket features a 100-percent-recycled polyester shell. That’s right — 100-percent completely recycled material, not the George W good-enough-for-guvmint-service token 10-percent threshold others use. This technical piece is engineered for big-mountain climates. Think Silverton spinthrift all-day campaigns. The H2NO breathable/waterproof barrier combo’d with the DWR finish will keep you comfy on endless bootpack slogs. Creature comforts such as an iPod sleeve, two hand-warmer pockets, integrated stash spots for your beacon, camera, pass, and pit zips round out the package. The built-in powder skirt attaches seamlessly to the Powder Bowl pants, which utilize the same recycled fabric. The pants have a smooth mesh lining for easy layers, articulated knees and a gusseted crotch for easy mobility whether you’re gouging corduroy or ragdoll-ing through deep pow.
These are all top-notch specs. But if you really want to see the soul, and soul searching, of Patagonia go to their website and examine the “Footprint Chronicles.” Aside from a fascinating interactive web demo of the who/what/when of how their goods are made — complete with multiple photos of the actual Far East factories, the fields in Turkey where organic cotton is grown, etc. — you are given an honest appraisal of how much CO2, waste and energy was associated with a given Patagonia item, along with admissions about certain toxic elements the company aims to eliminate. How’s that for introspection and keeping it real? Look out for super spring deals on these items and more under web specials at Patagonia.com.
Respond: letters@boulderweekly.com
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