Lasse Kjus has been nominated for the Name of the Century for Follo, Norway- the translation may not be perfect. Lasse is one of 10 candidates who have brought the most recognition to the Follo area of Norway.
Lasse grew up in Siggerud, Norway, about a half hour south of Oslo. He learned to ski at Troll Valley ski area and from there went on to be one of the World's all time great skiers and the name sake of KJUS skiwear. You can read more about Lasse, his new found love for flying and his candidacy here- http://tinyurl.com/5taqg7
Polls are open. Vote early and often. You have until November 7th to cast your ballot for Lasse- http://tinyurl.com/552mha
It's the time of season when all our sales reps are out visiting each of our KJUS dealers and conducting clinics to better educate the sales staffs on our brand, products, and partners. Last season, Dermizax, waterproof breathable technology used in KJUS jackets and pants was the hot topic and one of our most viewed posts is on the topic. This season it seems to be PrimaLoft. Yesterday, we conducted a clinic in Wellesley, MA at St. Moritz ski shop and before the clinic even began, one of the associates there began asking me about PrimaLoft.
PrimaLoft was developed by Albany International in the 80's for the US Army. The Army needed an insulation that was effective in cold wet environments for outerwear and sleeping bags. Since then PrimaLoft has become the insulation of choice for numerous outdoor and ski companies for gloves, sleeping bags, jackets, boots, vests, etc. Additionally, PrimaLoft has a burgeoning business in the bedding market, due to its soft feel and hypoallergenic properties.
KJUS uses PrimaLoft in many of its pieces. PrimaLoft is a great insulation because it has a nice loft like down, is as warm as down, but retains its insulation properties when wet and dries quickly unlike down. PrimaLoft also is very compressible and is windproof. The combination of these properties allows us to develop garments with exceptional warmth, but with little bulk.
One of the highlights of our clinics is the "PrimaLoft Challenge". In this demonstration we ask a sales associate to come up front and hold out both hands and close their eyes. We then place a swatch of PrimaLoft in their hand. Without fail, the only way the associate can differentiate which hand the swatch has been placed in is by a warming sensation in that hand. The test demonstrates how lightweight the insulation is and how warm it is. You can take the test yourself or try it on friends by requesting a Challenge Kit from PrimaLoft.
It is very easy to tell if a jacket is made with PrimaLoft. Just grab the fabric of jacket and you'll notice that in a garment with PrimaLoft the fibers have a silky and almost oily feel as they easily slide between your fingers. It's sometimes faster than checking for a hang tag.
Recently, PrimaLoft introduced a new product, PrimaLoft Yarn, to be used in sweaters, socks, scarves, and blankets. PrimaLoft Yarn fibers are half the size of Cashmere and 40% smaller than Merino for a super soft yarns with performance properties. This season, we introduced the Ladies Arolid sweater using the Merino wool blend PrimaLoft Yarn. It's a 50/50 blend of PrimaLoft and Merino that dries faster and wicks better than pure Merino. Today, PrimaLoft announced the launch of a website dedicated to PrimaLoft Yarn. One of the coolest aspects of the site is the video demonstrations of the manufacturing of the yarn.
Besides the Arolid sweater (pictured) some of the popular pieces in this season's KJUS Collection with PrimaLoft include the Ladies ELVES, VIPER, and FORMULA jackets, BARROW and FORCE insulators, and SEQUENCE pants. The STAR, EXCEL, and PIKES jackets and BARROW and FORCE insulators are the more popular KJUS men's pieces with PrimaLoft insulation.
You can view all the KJUS pieces with PrimaLoft and all the colors they are available in at www.kjus.com.
We just released the 2008 issue of our annual magazine KJUS World. The issue is filled with spectacular images from our photoshoot in St. Moritz last season as well insightful stories on speedriding and our athletes Bode Miller and Casey Puckett. As was the case with last year's issue, there is also an overview of the complete line, including our new SPIRIT Collection.
Last season's issue was in a very large format, larger than tabloid. The size brought the images to life. This year the dimensions are much more manageable and the quality of paper is superb, which enhances the amazing images.
Click the cover image to download a preview of the current issue including a story on a trip to Hublot watches by Lasse Kjus and Bode Miller immediately following World Cup finals last season.
Copies of KJUS World are available at our dealers worldwide. If you don't have a dealer near you email us your address and we'll gladly mail you a copy.
Today we picked up the annual Outside Buyer's Guide. Held by many as the holy grail of gear reviews, the Buyer's Guide is filled with latest and best outdoor tools and toys for the coming season. Doug Schnitzspahn reviewed all the men's outerwear for the magazine including the KJUS FORMULA Jacket (page 36). If any of you ever wonder if these jackets are actually tested, wonder no longer. Doug visited over a dozen resorts and numerous days in the backcountry for the review and actually posted some videos from some review days on YouTube. As you can see in the video Doug was out on a few warm days. He told us afterwards that he was a little nervouse wearing the Formula on one warm day, but was really surprised and impressed at how well the FORMULA breathed. This is thanks to its Dermizax EV waterproof breathable membrane- learn more here.
Here is what Doug had to say in the Buyer's Guide:
The Formula is the Porsche of this test- damned pricey, just as flashy, but worth every cent. KJUS's designers tossed in everything from an integrated balaclava to a dedicated cell-phone pocket with a keeper leash. So plentiful are the hidden accessories that the goggle wipe features a graphic to help you find them all. Most important, though, the jacket performed along with the best in class. Stretchy Thinsulate insulation (enough for cold lift rides) and soft, four-way stretch fabric allowed free movement, while the waterproof-breathable membrane rivaled that of any hard shell we tested. Just maybe find a job that pays in euros to save some cheese.
Today we celebrated our one year anniversary of the KJUS World USA blog. We look forward to another great year for KJUS and the blog. It's been a pretty quiet summer, but fall is upon us and we'll have lots of news and information in the coming weeks and months ahead.
Thanks for reading and don't hesitate to drop a comment. We'd love to hear from you.
Yesterday our friend Rocky at The Goat wrote a post on our new Men's CIO jacket. As he mentioned it is available in colors other than white, however we haven't published images those colors... until now. Below is the full range of colors for the men's CIO.
KJUS Skiwear is a leader in functional ski clothing, with a straightforward design and perfect fit. KJUS uncompromising skiwear is light and offers the best possible freedom of movement
Lasse Kjus has been nominated for the Name of the Century for Follo, Norway- the translation may not be perfect. Lasse is one of 10 candidates who have brought the most recognition to the Follo area of Norway.
