Houdini paper fw16

Fall & Winter 2016

Ski touring for beginners

Karin Stöckel

Wooler Houdi

The adventurer’s paradox

The simple joy of walking up and skiing down a mountain.

We talk freeride and feminism with a skier that wants to change things.

The making of a new midlayer, from meadow to mountaintop.

Ina Vikøren writes about climate conscious adventuring.

Morten Christensen is a Norwegian skier and sailor that decided to combine his passions on a boat trip along the coast of Northern Norway. Here he is preparing lunch in his High Luft Sherpa Jacket. Photo: Marius Olsen

Hello!

We are Houdini, a Swedish outdoor brand for people who want the highest level of quality, performance and sustainability. Not one without the other. We offer a complete range of functional clothing, from underwear to shells.

Our products are made for people who love this planet as much as we do and therefore want to help make it a better place. In this Houdini Paper, we’ve gathered stories of things that fascinate and inspire us.

We hope you like them too!

01 Inside Houdini Big and small things from the Houdini universe.

03 Activity Learn the basics of ski touring together with UIAGM mountain guide Carl Lundberg.

05 People We talk freeride and feminism with Karin Stöckel, a skier that wants to change things.

07 Gallery Backcountry adventures in the Swiss alps, captured by photographer Linus Meyer.

11 Sustainability Ina Vikøren explains the beauty and benefits of finding adventure in our own backyard.

13 Design The making of Houdini’s new Wooler Houdi that goes from from meadow to mountaintop.

17 Collection Explore the highlights of Houdini’s 2016 Fall/Winter collection.

Text: Axel Lindgren, Ina Vikøren, Carl Lundberg Photography: Linus Meyer, Niclas Risvoll, Marius Olsen, Oscar Morin, Anna Öhlund, Marie Karlsson, Matti Bernitz, David Kvart, Kjell Ruben Strøm, Alan Morgan, Andreas Vigl.

Art direction and layout: Jesper Aggerborg Proofreading/Editing: Therese Iknoian Cover photo: Photographer Linus Meyer captured Axel Lindgren on the way down through Andermatt village after a long day in the backcountry.

www.houdinisportswear.com @houdinisportswear #houdinisportswear

01 Inside Houdini

Photo: Oscar Morin

Insider tips The Houdini team gives you their best advice on how to make the fall and winter a magical time.

Photo: Marie Karlsson

Marie Karlsson Marie is the chronically positive store manager at the Houdini shop in Åre, Sweden. She moved to Åre seven years ago, fell in love with the great outdoors, and has barely left the village since. Marie has been trying to arrange a badminton tournament on the top of Åreskutan for a few years, but the wind keeps stopping her plans.

Sunrise ski touring

“Set your alarm really early, when it’s still dark. Pack hot coffee and a sandwich. Strap on your ski touring gear and climb Åreskutan, or your own local mountain, in a slow and nice pace. Remember, we’re not after any records here. Enjoy your coffee at the top and soak up a magical sunrise. There’s no better way to start the day. I promise.”

Inside Houdini 02

Houdini

POW

The environmental organization “Protect Our Winters” has opened up local branches in both Finland, Norway and Sweden. Houdini has been working with POW since 2015 and will now be able to embark on an even closer partnership on a local level. POW’s mission is to mobilize the forces of snowsports in the fight against climate change. Read more and join POW at protectourwinters.org (plus, dot-se, dot-no, or dot-fi)

Sandra Söderin Sandra is the one pulling the strings in the Houdini design department. When you don’t see her at the Houdini office, or driving her kids around in her new cargo bicycle, she is most likely to be found on the beaches or mountains around Europe on some kind of board.

Cold water surfing

“You can surf up here in Scandinavia both in the summer and winter, but the wintertime is the most unique experience. It’s cold and dark, but some of surf spots around here are really cool. Hoddevika in Norway is a favorite.

The surf can be really good and the landscape is breathtakingly beautiful.”

Maria Granberg is back from Mt Everest

Houdini Friend Maria Granberg came back from her Mt. Everest expedition in June. Big congratulations to Maria for reaching the top (and coming back down again!).

“Living in the mountains truly is a world of its own,” Maira says. “The simplicity of life, months of bucket showers, the wild sound of We do not view sustainability as a separate field within our operations the winds rocking you to sleep, a new chalbut as an integral part of everything we do. Nature is our livelihood lenging experience waiting behind every ridge, and where we play, relax and recharge. We live on a fantastic planet weeks of soul-stripping pain, and a social depth and our band of designers, scientists, artists and engineers are pushing that comes from sharing the most intimate moboundaries to make it an even better place. ments with weird people in strange places.”

We have no sustainability work.

Just a lot of work.

Planetary Boundaries

There is no inherent contradiction between sustainability and good business. On the contrary, nature is our most important asset and we believe treating it as such is a prerequisite for good business.

A safe operating space for humanity Climate change

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Land system

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Together with our end users, we are transforming the way we look at consumption. With Houdini Rental, Repairs and Reuse, we extend the lifetime of our products and in the case of Houdini Rental, we provide access to our products as an alternative to ownership. When a Houdini garment finally wears out, we make sure to recycle it. Our recycling system has been keeping wornout clothes from landfills and incinerators since 2006.

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Photo: Anna Öhlund

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Our work starts with our products. We want to produce less, but better products. Sometimes that means inventing new and better things, but it’s always about making things that last. Clothes that by their quality, style and functionality simply don’t need to be replaced. When producing them we never compromise with the technologies we choose or the suppliers we work with.

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Learnings from the Planetary Boundaries assessment Beyond zone of uncertainty (high risk)

In zone of uncertainty (increasing risk)

Below boundary (safe)

Source: Steffen et al. Planetary Boundaries: Guiding human development on a changing planet, Science, 16 January 2015.

Daniel Alfredsson

Part of our job is to monitor our impact on the planet and re-evaluate

“Danne” is Houdini’s sales rep in northern Sweden. After many long hours on the road, Daniel knows so well all the off-the-beaten-path ski shops and forgotten mountain resorts in this sparsely populated part of the world. He has also developed an impressive sixth sense about roadside restaurants that will serve food that is actually edible.

Hiking on Helags

“I have a little cabin in Ljungdalsfjällen, which is close to Helagsfjället.

Bring your family here in the fall when the colors are changing. It’s absolutely gorgeous. The summit hike was named the 3rd best in the world by National Geographic, but I think it’s a little bit better than that. Hike the summit or not, pack some good food, and just enjoy the views.”

If you don’t care to own one you can rent your BFF online or in one of our stores.

the work we do. In partnership with scientists from the Stockholm In fall 2015, Houdini and Resilience Centre, we have initiatedAlbaeco the first ever corporateinitiated Planetary Assessment. This will give us a holistic view and a the first-everBoundaries corporate Planetary Boundaries deeper understanding of our impact today so that we can take towards significant improvements tomorrow. assessment,measures a holistic approach to sustainability Our first goal is to have zero negative impact, but we don’t intend based on science the Stockholm to stop there. from We want to move beyond zero, and become a rege- Resilience outdoor brand. Why settle for less bed, when you can Center. Thenerative process of mapping a company’s actually be good? overall ecological is complicated and BFF, our line of footprint waterproof/breathables embodies our philosophy.

Like all Houdini shells, BFF is made from recycled fibers and thanks time consuming.

A membrane finalit isassessment to a pure polyester fully recyclable. BFF is a soft,is still some silent, stretchy and lightweight shell layer with a clean and timetime away, but the process is very less design.

BFF means “Best friends forever” - a suitableenlightening. name for a shell designed for years of ski touring, kayaking, biking, bird “We already noticed effects of the watching and playing with yourthe kids. assessment even though we are far from done,” says Eva Karlsson, Houdini CEO. “It forces both us and our vendors to really look at the entire operation and go all the way back in the supply chain. It brings the awareness about these questions to a whole new level.”

Throughout the lifetime of your BFF we will assist you with spare parts and repairs.

If you’d rather buy your BFF second hand or later sell yours we provide this service.

When your BFF finally wears out, bring it to us for closed-loop recycling.

03 Activity

The simple joy How to get started with ski touring

Carl Lundberg and friends in Romsdalen, Norway. Photo: Linus Meyer

It seems like everyone is talking about ski touring and splitboarding these days. There is not a chairlift in sight in snowsports magazines and films.

The appeal of accessing the great white beyond the tracked up resorts is obvious. It can also be a little intimidating with all that new gear and the safety considerations too. But, we promise you, it is not as complicated as it seems and you don’t have to buy all those new things that your ski shop is filled with.

Together with UIAGM mountain guide and Houdini Friend Carl Lundberg, we have tried to sort out the basics of the simple joy of walking up and riding down a mountain. Carl Lundberg has worked as a mountain guide for 10 years.

Apart from this, he is also an engineer, has a doctorate in robotics, and is a rookie beekeeper.

Last year he decided to do something about the carbon footprint of his skiing so he started Skitouring Scandinavia.

His vision is to handle all aspects of a ski trip while keeping a close eye limiting any environmental impact. This includes, for example, limiting destinations that require air travel, using rail transport whenever available, and eating local and organic.

Carl really proves skiing green sacrifices neither smiles nor quality of skiing.

Follow @skitouringscandinavia on Instagram or Facebook and check out his services on skitouringscandinavia.com.

Activity 04

Photo: Linus Meyer

Getting started If you are not already targeting off-piste, it’s time to start. And not only when conditions are at their best. While touring you encounter all types of snow and you get the most out of it if you come prepared.

Before heading off-piste you need to know the basics of avalanche safety and always read avalanche bulletins.

Start out by touring in the terrain next to the pistes. Pick a place where a resort manages the avalanche hazard as well as a day with good visibility. This gives you the option to sneak back to the piste if things do not work out for you. Be sure to check your insurance coverage before you head off-piste.

Photo: Matti Bernitz

Gear Essentially, you need three things to start touring: A pair of skis with touring bindings, a pair of climbing skins and an avalanche kit. The avalanche kit consists of a transceiver, an avalanche probe and a shovel. Don’t forget that you have to practice with them. Someone in the group should bring a first-aid-kit.

When it comes to skis and bindings, you can basically use any alpine ski, but you need a touring binding where you can detach the heel for walking. A touring boot with a walk mode makes everything a lot more comfortable, but you can try shorter tours using a regular ski boot. You also need a pair of climbing skins that fit your skis. Skins are strips that attach to the bottom of your skis to provide traction on the ascent. Availability has literally exploded the last couple of years and most of the gear out there does the job. If you don’t feel like buying everything, you can also rent in many ski shops.

Clothes Layering is the key to staying comfortable during ski touring. You will get very warm on the way up, and cold when you stop. You need a quick and easy way to regulate heat. A base layer to keep you dry, a mid layer for warmth, a shell layer to keep wind and water out, and finally an extra thermal layer to put on top of everything if you need.

If you have those four components you can easily combine them in different ways to suit every situation. At Houdini we have multiple options for everything but here’s one suggestion.

Base: Airborn Crew and Tights. Mid: C9 Jacket or C9 Houdi.

Shell: Ascent Jacket and Pants. Thermal: Dunfri and Sleepwalker.

Photo: David Kvart

Safety Even if you are learning to do it by yourself, you should still count on experienced friends or go with a guide. There are also a few items that must be considered before heading into the backcountry: Avalanche safety, navigation, first aid and rescue, weather, and a realistic Plan A and Plan B for the day. You can study avalanche safety for years and this topic requires more time and space than we have here, but there are plenty of good books and courses where you can learn the basics.

Also remember to plan your day so you don’t get caught on the mountain in bad weather conditions. Touring with a guide is a great way to learn about safety. That’s some of the basics of ski touring.

Now get out there, have fun and enjoy the great outdoors!

05 People

Photo: Linus Meyer

Karin Stöckel: Freeride and feminism In 2013, she came out of nowhere and won the Scandinavian Big Mountain Championships with a bang. Now, she is one of Europe’s most promising young freeskiers.

Who is Houdini Friend Karin Stöckel? We discovered a person who can’t decide whether she wants to focus on a harsh reality or would rather escape to fluffy clouds of fresh powder.

In one way or another, we are all a product of where we grew up. For Karin Stöckel this means Kiruna, Sweden’s northernmost city 200 kilometers north of the polar circle. In the winter, the sun barely reaches over the horizon, but two things light up the city: On one side of town, the looming hills and structures of the huge iron ore mine; on the other side, the local ski slope, Luossavaara.

Karin has spent plenty of time at both, and they have both played a part in shaping the person she is today.

Just like any kid in Kiruna, Karin grew up ski racing in Luossavaara and continued to a specialized ski high school. After spending hours and hours chasing split seconds on rock hard groomers, Karin left the racing scene and soon discovered freeriding.

“When I was in school, they actively told us to stay out of the off-piste slopes,” Karin says. “All the rules and regulations became too much for me in the end. After school, I went to Riksgränsen with a friend who brought me out into the backcountry.

I was completely hooked from the start.”

Karin had a big breakthrough in 2013 when she came out of nowhere and won the famous Scandinavian Big Mountain Championships.

Now, she is one of Europe’s rising freeride stars, and competes on the World Freeride Tour Qualifiers. Last season she finished in a close third place after the final deciding competition had to be cancelled.

The last few years have followed a similar pattern for Karin. Work in Kiruna in the summer, spend the high season in the Alps, and then the bright spring season in Riksgränsen, Narvik, and in the mountains surrounding them. She spent the winter of 2015-16 in Champoluc, Italy, together with a majority of the Swedish up-and-coming women freeriders.

People 06

Johanna Bruhn and Karin Stöckel in Andermatt 2015. Photo: Linus Meyer

Karin Stöckel during an epic powder day in Courmayeur. Photo: Linus Meyer

“It’s great to be so close with the other girls on the freeride scene. I don’t feel any rivalry among us.

We push each other constantly and of course we compete against each other but we are still a team.

The freeride scene is very centered around men, but I feel that the women’s side is coming strong now. The progression is huge!”

If there is something that gets Karin going, it is the inequality between men and women. When we ask her what she would be doing if she were not skiing. The answer comes without hesitation.

“Politics! Especially when I’m home in Kiruna, I can’t help getting involved in the local politics.

I’ve always wanted to start a women’s branch of the miner’s union. People seem to think that

gender equality comes naturally if we just give it some time, but it’s a constant battle. I have so many examples of women being treated badly and being ignored by men in charge. But there is never enough time to do all those things.”

So, we want to know, how political is the freeride scene?

“Not very much at all, and it’s getting better.

I talk to my friends, both men and women, and I feel like I get a good response when I do. When it comes to freeride skiing, there are so many patterns and structured interactions I can’t help noticing.

Seemingly small things like who decides where to go, who goes first, etc. I don’t feel like I’m oppressed or anything, but there are inequalities and

someone needs to address them.”

So who does Karin Stöckel want to be? Does she want to live the dream on mountaintops in the Alps or fight the battle underneath a mountain in Kiruna? Peter Pan or Simone de Beauvoir? Both, of course. And it only seems fitting with Karin spending so much time debating everyone’s right to live at their fullest, regardless of norms or structures.

07 Gallery

On the other side of the mountain.

Andermatt, Switzerland In early March 2015, we called up a few friends in the Alps for some backcountry exploration around Andermatt, Switzerland. On one side of the Gemstock summit lies the regular ski resort of Andermatt. But, on the other side, in the Unteralp valley, we found our own little adventure in the Vermighel mountain hut. It’s unstaffed during the winter, but still open if you don’t mind lighting the stove and cooking dinner yourself.

With Karin Stöckel, Johanna Bruhn, Martin Krautschneider, Axel Lindgren. Photography: Linus Meyer.

Gallery 10

11 Sustainability

GREEN LIFEST YLE - WHITE MOUNTAINS

One of the greatest threats to our planet is thinking someone else will save it.

By Houdini Friend Ina Vikøren.

Houdini Friend Ina Vikøren in her own backyard at Vestlandet, Norway.

We knew the glacier well. Knew where the largest crevasses were, knew where the most risky seracs were, knew where the finest skiing was. The glacier was right in our backyard, and it was part of the huge playground for those of us who lived in Chamonix, France. A playground known for its big powderlines and massive climbs, the biggest mountain in Europe and the glacier, Mer de Glace.

One of the most common skiing routes down this glacier is called Vallee Blanche. It’s a pretty easy descent, but you can always add more challenging elements, lines and new ascents on your way down.

The starting point for the whole glacier trip occurs from the spectacular mountain, Aiguille du Midi, which is high and majestic gazing over the Mont Blanc valley. It takes approximately half a day to ride down the glacier, depending on your line and what fun you choose to include (a friend lost his ski in a crevasse once. At the very top of the glacier even. Not recommended as extra fun really). After the descent you arrive at bare spots in the mountain where the glacier more or less disappears and makes skiing challenging (exactly how challenging is dependent on the season). This is usually where you take off your skis, put them on

your backpack and begin the walk toward the stairs that are set up for a train that will take you back to Chamonix’s center.

It was during one of these walks back up the stairs, loaded with way too much equipment, that I started to get irritated. I was tired after a challenging descent on the glacier and thought it was absolutely ridiculous that the train station was so far away from the glacier’s arm.

The annoyance was quickly dismissed by the obvious logic about the melting glacier. As I climbed the stairs toward the train station I passed several signs with numbers of where the glacier had reached in years past. These years increased the further you climbed. It was when I observed the marks on the mountain showing where the glacier had previously been it occurred to me: It’s us. It’s us skiers, climbers, hikers, travelers, and outdoor enthusiasts who contribute in part to the melting of this glacier. And, in fact, to the retreat of glaciers all over the world. Indeed, the surface area of glaciers in the Alps has shrunk by 40% in the last 150 years. It is to about the time of the industrial revolution in 1850 that man-made climate changes, for example in terms of increased

atmospheric greenhouse gasses, can be traced with almost exponential growth. The retreat of the glaciers is mostly a problem of convenience for skiers, but it affects the availability of fresh water for irrigation and domestic use, mountain recreation, animals and plants that depend on glacier melt, and, in the longer term, the level of the oceans.

The negative consequences of the retreat of our planet’s glaciers are another sign of the fact that everything Mother Earth created is connected.

As John Muir put it: “When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the universe.” Before computers, telephone lines, Facebook, social media and television connected us, we all shared the same air, the same oceans, the same mountains and rivers. We are all equally responsible for protecting them.

This is where the outdoor person’s paradox strikes. And, as a skier, this paradox has ached in my heart several times and has been a central part of every one of my decisions about travel/holiday/ buying/lifestyle in recent years. The paradox is rooted in the fact that we who love the outdoors and are reliant on it to stay stable for us to do

Sustainability 12

what we love are also the ones who contribute to its destruction. With our wanderlust, destination curiosity, and desire to explore, combined with a huge focus on equipment, we contribute to carbon footprints, environmental degradation, and are also hurting our ecosystems. That’s why we have an even bigger responsibility to protect what we love. We have to give something back to the very nature that makes our passions possible.

As a skier, mountain girl and nature lover, I believe that I cannot just stand on the sideline observing my playground diminish. Also, in my own backyard in Norway, the glaciers are melting, winters are getting shorter and the temperatures milder. According to climate models, scientists are saying that we will get a ski season that is about a half-month shorter by 2050 if the long-term trends continue. The report “Climate in Norway 2100” explains how there will be an approximately 4.5º Celsius increase in annual temperatures and, in lower areas, the snow will disappear for many years.

Whether or not we let this happen, the actual extent of the climate change depends on how we are able to cut emissions, and how we can change our patterns of behavior. Also, the skiing and sports community has so much potential to stand unified with strong, loud voices and be influential role models about changes in actions and attitudes that reach way beyond our own circle.

I’m not saying that we should stop traveling, stop exploring, and stop buying equipment. These things are still important parts of our passions. I’m just saying we should stop doing it uncritically. I’m saying we should start to be more aware, raise more questions and start to analyze consequences of our own actions. It must be okay to indulge every once in a while, as long as one is aware of the conse-

quences. Consciousness creates change. Einstein once said: “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.” It’s not about giving up what you love to protect the great outdoors, it’s more about sacrificing some of the worst habits, picking your battles, and being a part of the solution instead of the problem. No one can do everything, but everyone can do something.

“We have to give something back to the very nature that makes our passions possible.”

A few tips to take with you on the road: Equipment - Usage, purchases and brand awareness. This one is mainly focused on energy use and its reduction. Here the “Reduce, Reuse, Repair, Recycle” principles come alive. I would stress the “repair” part. I think everyone, including myself, can let equipment have a little more time than perhaps first thought. Do you not have the skill to sew ski pants? Check with someone who can. Most sports shops and brands have added repair responsibility and can definitely help.

In addition, I encourage everyone to buy and sell more used clothes and equipment.

Material Consciousness. Did you know that most waterproof breathable membranes inflict environmental damage on nature? Are you aware if the labor and employee conditions in the factory of your favorite brand are satisfactory? Remember that every time we buy something new we support the brand behind it, and it will not continue to

produce unethically or harm the environment unless we stop giving a “bad” brand our money.

Take a moment to find and read the brand’s sustainability or CSR report to find out more. If it does not publish one, that tells you something too.

Limit your travel. I’ve been fortunate to spend a huge part of my lifetime in the mountains. In Scandinavia, we are so privileged to have access to a paradise of an outdoor life. Just outside the door.

With a little creativity, we don’t need help from the Alps or Japan to find cool skiing. Or from Bali and Morocco to get cool waves. Or from Yosemite or Red Rocks to access great climbs. We have it all here! In our own backyard! We can play a lot more in our own (or our neighbor’s’) backyard, and save the environment from all the traveling.

These are only a few thoughts to help you be more aware. If a green lifestyle can prevent our mountains from remaining brown over the winter and instead provide us with beautiful white peaks, I feel everyone should feel an obligation to join in.

We can use the voices we have to make, see and feel the change. The consumer power is currently greater than it has ever been, especially when it comes to climate awareness.

Finally, remember as I said earlier that no one can do everything but everyone can do something.

Be conscious, pick your battles, take care of what you love. Norwegians are known for being born with skis on. We don’t want our grandchildren to be born with roller skis on concrete grounds, or having artificial snow as our new pow.

Think green, let the mountains stay white!

See you out there :)

About Ina Vikøren is a Norwegian skier, adventurer and planet earth fighter.

She divides her time between finishing her master’s thesis in sustainable business development and promoting (and enjoying) local adventures.

Photo: Kjell Ruben Strøm

13 Design

From meadow to mountaintop THE STORY OF THE WOOLER HOUDI

This fall, Houdini is launching a brand new mid-layer in wool. But where does the wool come from? Who makes the fabric? How are the animals treated?

We trace the origin of the Wooler Houdi, from the farm in New Zealand to a textile mill in Northern Italy to the snowy mountains of Jotunheimen, Norway.

Italian textile manufacturer Reda produce their own merino wool on three farms in the New Zealand highlands. Photo: Reda

15 Design

The merino wool in the Wooler Houdi comes from three farms in the New Zealand highlands: Glenrock Station, Rugged Ridges and Otamatapaio Station. Photo: Reda

Reda’s fabrics are produced at the textile mill in Valle Mosso, Northern Italy. Photo: Reda

Houdini’s new Wooler Houdi is available in stores fall 2016.

Design 16

It is the end of September in the New Zealand highlands and the sheep are being sheared at Glenrock Station, Rugged Ridges and Otamatapaio Station farms. Temperatures are rising, snow is melting off the mountains, and the spring grass is growing. During the cold winter, the merino sheep grow a heavy coat and the process of shearing each one usually takes two or three minutes. Afterward, they are released back into the fields and onto the mountainsides where they roam freely.

These three farms are owned by the Italian fabric manufacturer Reda. Textile and yarn manufacturers usually buy wool much later in the supply chain when the wool is already washed and combed, but Reda has decided to take full control of the entire supply chain.

“Owning our own farms give us a superior way of making sure everything is done the right way,” says Fabrizio Goggi, communications manager at Reda. “Being respectful of animals and the environment is part of our mission, and it is a fundamental pillar of our business. It’s not possible to run a profitable business in the long term without being sustainable and well integrated with nature and the culture of the places we live and work in.”

The three farms are all connected to the ZQ program. It is a New Zealand organization monitoring animal welfare, environmental care, and social sustainability, as well as working to ensure the highest level of wool quality. Traceability and transparency is growing more and more important in the global economy. People want to know where the things they buy come from. At Houdini, we see it as our responsibility to give our customers that information. The level of traceability for ZQ wool trickles down to every single batch of wool that is shipped from New Zealand.

When the sheep have received their new summer haircuts and released back into the New Zealand highlands, the wool is packed into freighters destined for Northern Italy. Close to Turin in northern Italy lies the Valle Mosso. This is where fabric producer Reda is located. Reda has delivered wool fabrics to the fashion industry for over 150 years. Garments with the fashionable label “Made in Italy” have been made from Reda fabrics for a long time. This is where the raw wool is delivered from the farm in New Zealand. The wool is washed, combed, dyed, spun, twisted and finally woven or knitted into different woolen fabric. All this is done at the Reda mill in the Biella province.

Is it really necessary to ship wool all the way from New Zealand? Are there no local sources for wool?

“To produce our high-end fabric we need to buy the best raw material available in the world,” says Goggi at Reda. “This means wool from merino

sheep, and there are very few places in the world where it is possible to find a product of this quality.

None of them are close to Italy, and New Zealand is where we found what we were looking for.”

Wool has always been part of the outdoors in a traditional sense, but in recent years a technical revolution with wool fabrics have sparked a new wave of popularity. There are many reasons why wool is well-suited for active outdoor garments.

Wool is a highly insulating fiber. This means it keeps you warm when it’s cold, but also that it feels cool when it is hot outside. It’s also naturally odor resistant thanks to the anti-bacterial fatty acids in the fiber. This means you don’t have to wash wool as often as other materials. Hanging it out to air is usually completely sufficient. The new technical wool products are miles away from your old tradi-

tional woolen pullover and Reda is at the forefront of the evolution. The company also stands for a new level of ethics where animal welfare and both social and environmental sustainability are at the top of the agenda.

“We had been looking for years for an organic, renewable and biodegradable alternative for a midlayer that would meet our standards,” says Sanna Hörtig, designer at Houdini. “Really fine wool offers a superior feeling of comfort and can regulate body temperature like no other material. The idea was to make a version of our iconic fleece jacket, Power Houdi, in organic fibers. We have had the Power Houdi for more than 12 years, and it has the ultimate in cut and features. The Wooler Houdi is a reborn version in merino wool.”

Finding the right material proved to be a challenge for the Houdini team. The design and production teams spent many hours in meetings with fabric suppliers, but nothing really made the

Animal welfare according to ZQ ZQ is a New Zealand organization monitoring animal welfare, environmental care, and social sustainability, as well as working to ensure the highest level of wool quality. When it comes to animal welfare, ZQ merino growers must provide its five key freedoms for all animals.

FREEDOM FROM HUNGER OR THIRST ZQ-monitored merino sheep are farmed on a free-range basis, which allows them to forage as they please.

FREEDOM TO DISPLAY NORMAL PATTERNS OF BEHAVIOR ZQ merino sheep are free range and roam in open pastures with typically more than one acre each.

cut until they found the fabric from Reda.

“We had never seen a fabric like this before,” says Malin Wetterborg, Houdini material developer. “You almost don’t believe it’s wool. And that it is 100% wool is unbelievable. When quality of the wool is this high, and the fabric is made with such precision, there is no need to add anything else. Lots of brands mix wool and synthetic fabrics, but we never do. The reason is that wool mixed with synthetics cannot be recycled. Pure wool or an organic mix can be recycled and is also biodegradable. This is even more relevant now considering the challenge of microplastics in nature.”

The traceability and animal welfare monitoring behind the Reda wool was also a critical factor in its selection. Malin Wetterborg continues: “Throughout recent years there has been a number of controversies regarding animal abuse in the wool industry. Rightfully so, I must say. Mainly around the act of ‘mulesing’ (cutting away a part of the skin around the sheep’s butt to not attract flies), but also rough treatment during shearing. We wanted to make sure we selected a wool supplier that could guarantee no mulesing was performed and that the animals were treated well. Reda has a unique traceability and control with its own farms and the ZQ program.”

When the fabric is finished in Italy, it travels north to Spectre in Auce, Latvia. Here, the fabric is cut, sewn, packed and finally shipped to the Houdini warehouse outside Stockholm, Sweden.

It is now ready to be put to the test in the great outdoors. One of the Wooler Houdi prototypes was picked up by Josef Nyström, Houdini sales rep in Norway, and currently graduating mountain guide.

“It was a cold summer in Jotunheimen and I had to put on all the clothes I had brought for a climbing trip. I’ve always been a fan of natural materials, and I like that the Wooler Houdi has the awesome feeling of fine wool combined with the technical performance. I could use it for high-intensity activities and, when it got wet, it dried much faster a regular wool sweater. It’s a super nice alternative to a synthetic fleece if you prefer natural materials.”

As colder fall weather starts to arrive in Norway and the first snow falls in the mountains, it’s time again for the spring shearing in New Zealand. If we take good care of our woolly friends and give them plenty of space to roam, they will give us the world’s best natural performance material in return. That’s the beauty of wool.

Read more about the new Wooler Houdi and see available colors on houdinisportswear.com

FREEDOM FROM DISCOMFORT OR INADEQUATE SHELTER ZQ merino growers must ensure that their sheep have adequate shade and shelter available at all times.

FREEDOM FROM UNNECESSARY PAIN OR DISTRESS ZQ merino growers must handle and manage sheep to avoid unnecessary stress and pain. Mulesing is not permitted on ZQ merino farms.

FREEDOM FROM SIGNIFICANT INJURY OR DISEASE ZQ merino growers are required to regularly monitor stock, prevent disease and illness, and rapidly diagnose animal health issues.

Fall & Winter

‘16/17 The goal is not to be the latest news.

It is never to become old.

W’s Cross Top

M’s Activist Message Tee

M’s Alpha Boxers

W’s Mix Mid Tights

Design is sometimes about inventing new and better things. But it is always about making things that last.

Items with their quality, style and functionality simply don’t need to be replaced.

The world needs less, but also better things. We make sustainable products with versatile functionality, timeless aesthetics, where the entire lifecycle of the product is taken into consideration.

M’s Airborn Crew

W’s Airborn Tights

W’s Activist Tights

M’s Activist Crew

W’s Alpha Zip

M’s Alpha Crew

W’s Airborn Zip + Tights

W’s Outright Jacket

M’s East And Vest

W’s Power Houdi

W’s High Luft Houdi

W’s Wooler Houdi

Sleepwalker

W’s Wooler Houdi

Endure Shorts

W’s C9 Houdi

Mr Dunfri

The photo is taken by Alan Morgan, a retired Professor of geology in Canada. He first visited Iceland in 1960 when he was 17 and has returned many times.

This photograph was taken while he was leading a group of American geologists at Landmannalaugar in central southern Iceland.

W’s Ascent Jacket

M’s Aegis Jacket

M’s Ascent Guide Pants

W’s Aegis Pants

W’s Corner Jacket + Pants

M’s Corner Jacket

M’s Lounge Crew

M’s Wayward Anorak

W’s Candid Jacket

W’s Altitude Cardigan

W’s Motion Pants

M’s Candid Pants

M’s Lodge Pants

W’s Log Tunic

M’s Wolf Shirt

Houdini Friend Martin Krautschneider exploring the backcountry in Seefeldt, Austria. Photo: Andreas Vigl

W’s Spehric Parka

M’s Altitude Crew

W’s Pitch Jacket

M’s Sherlock Coat

W’s Marple Coat

M’s Thrill Twill Pants

W’s Commute Pants

M’s Action Twill Pants

W’s Spheric Parka

Morten Christiansen taking a well-deserved break during his ski and sail trip in Northern Norway. Photo: Niclas Risvoll

Bye bye!

Thanks for reading and don’t forget to recycle this (already recycled) paper, or give it to someone you like.

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