Ibex Wool Clothing Put to the Ultimate Test

A checkpoint at the 4th Dimension 24-hour adventure race.
Rain starts in October and doesn’t let up until July on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula. Rainfall averages 12 feet per year in this temperate rain forest. DART-nuun team member Glenn Rogers was the course designer for an epic late summer race called the 4th Dimension Adventure Race staged on the spectacular peninsula. The first cold weekend of the season caught teams by surprise. It can be wet, even when it isn’t raining. Three teams got soaked from wet bushes and pulled out of the race due to hypothermia.

Many more teams would have found themselves in trouble had the weather been the freezing cold rain a few of us set out in three weeks later to retrieve several of the checkpoint flags left over from the race. We biked, hiked out bikes, and because Glenn was the mastermind of the route that day, carried our bikes up steep cliffs. We were out for 7 hours, and totaled 10,000 feet of vertical gain for the day.

I dressed head to toe in Ibex wool bike clothing underneath Gore Tex outer layers. For once, I was the warmest person in the group. Although the rain was biting cold on our faces, I was able to keep warm by staying in motion. My Ibex under layers became damp from perspiration, so I was not completely dry. However, the hardshell Gore Tex prevented the freezing rain from getting inside, and wool has the lifesaving property of insulating when wet. Ibex wool clothing insulates significantly better than any other bike clothes I have used. It was neat to be moving fast through such an extreme environment, and still be able to maintain some physical comfort.

I find Ibex clothing to be comfortable, and, being wool, it does not retain as much odor as polypro.

For my upper body, I wore Ibex Long Underwear Top ($60), Ibex Arm Warmers ($30), and my team-issued trustworthy Arc’teryx Alpha SL Jacket & Tau Pullover. For my lower body, I wore Ibex El Fito 3/4 Bike Knickers ($120), Arc’teryx Alpha SL Pants, and Teko wool socks. On my hands I wore Gore Tex lobster claws over Ibex Wool Glove Liners ($25).

Ibex wool can be purchased from http://www.ibexwear.com/shop.

Arc'teryx, Gamma MX

Personally I think that endurance athletes make the best product testers on the planet. We are in our gear for very long periods of time and we hammer on it. I wore my new Gamma MX soft shell from Arc’teryx exclusively for 17 hours of ski mountaineering during the 24 hours of Sunlight race this past weekend. I think without a doubt Arc’teryx makes the best gear on the planet, and this coat is probably the best I’ve ever worn. I fought the soft shell revolution while the industry buzzed and everyone I knew bought one - I somehow did not. Because of the 24 hours of sunlight was, well, 24 hours, I had laps that were completed in the mid teens as well as some that were -8 degrees. The only thing I changed was how many layers I had under this jacket. For the warmer afternoon laps I had one super thin layer on under the Gamma MX. In the dead cold of 2:00am I simply added another light weight breathable long sleeve. The wind stopper protection was perfect for the cold down hills in the middle of the night and because it’s soft-shell it breathed very well on the way up in the sun. It also dried extremely fast as well. This is the best technical piece of ski gear I own. You can find it for around $300.00 US.

Written by Matt Hart

Arc'teryx Tau AR

We were starting the race at midnight in the central rocky mountains of Canada. The tempurature was approximately 40 degrees. The race was to start with a 3 mile lake coasteering which would include running and swimming a lakeshore. There would be no avoiding the cold water as some shoreline was impassible due to steep cliffs. I was concerned that without the proper clothing hypothermia would set in. In a race like this, we don't carry extra dry clothes and we don't stop to change. And we wouldn't hit our first transition until mid morning. That meant we would be traveling through the night off trail in thick forest.

I chose to wear the Tau AR because of its ability to stretch while swimming and its breathability which would allow it to dry quickly and provide warmth into the night after we left the shoreline.
The shirt was unnoticable while swimming. No binding and complete freedom of movement. Once we were off the lake, the shirt dried quickly and maintained my body tempurature throughout the night. Finally, through heavy bushwacking, its form fitting design allowed me to get through the thickest underbrush without getting hung up.

Although it is not designed as a swimming layer, the Tau AR showed its ability to release moisture and dry quickly, which it was designed to do. It can be purchased for about $175.

Arc'teryx Alpha SL jacket

The Alpha SL is simple but very sweet. This jacket has worked its way up my favorites list based on its functionality and eight ounce weight, amongst other things. The laminated pit zips pay big dividends in keeping you cool and ventilated when you are working hard on your bike, running or climbing a mountain and the two ply 290NR Gore-Tex® Paclite® fabric keeps you warm when the temperatures outside dip down below freezing. The single chest pocket allows for critical item storage and easy access. My biking, climbing and snowboarding helmets all fit into the storm hood and the well placed draw cords allow for a more snug fit when appropriate. With proper layering underneath the jacket you can use the Alpha SL anytime during the year and it will likely earn its place on your outerwear podium. The Alpha SL is currently retailing for roughly $250 in selected Arc'teryx distributors and is worth every cent.
Contributed by Ryan VanGorder
Top Photo by, Erik Nachtrieb
Lower Photo by, Aaron Rinn