Ski Racing Volume 41 Issue 3

The latest issue of SkiRacing magazine just showed up in our inbox. It was on display this week at the Beaver Creek and Aspen World Cup stops. While the majority of the issue focuses on the US nordic and snowboard teams there is some great inside coverage from Levi on Bode's first slalom podium since 2004.

We're a bit partial to page 7-

Casey Puckett- All Out

Casey Puckett joined KJUS as a team rider last season. He had a pretty good season with a number of podiums including a bronze at the X-Games. However, along the way he had a couple of injuries including an amazing crash in Grindelwald. Rehab is complete on his shoulder and Casey is ready for the season. He is also back on the US Ski Team as a member of the inaugural skier cross squad. Here is video that the ski team just released on Casey and the upcoming season.

New Management Team Structure at LK International AG (KJUS Skiwear)

Today LK International AG (KJUS Skiwear) announced the new management team structure.

Nico Serena, former head of sales, takes over the responsibilities of the design and product development department. Daniel Schaffo, who former lead the marketing department, is now also responsible for sales and will be leading both sales & marketing.

Didi Serena- President & CEO
Reto Holzmann- COO & CFO
Nico Serena- Head of design & product development
Daniel Schaffo- Head of sales & marketing
Roman Stepek- Head of production & supply chain management

Tech Tuesday- Ultrasonic Welding

Our ski jackets and pants are waterproof thanks in part to Dermizax. Another ingredient to the waterproof recipe is seam sealing. Where ever stitches are made they need to be seam sealed to ensure that the jacket does not leak.

Instead of stitching, on some of our jackets we use a method called ultrasonic welding. Essentially, a high velocity wheel bonds the pieces of the jackets together with out any stitches. It creates a very strong, clean, and waterproof seam. We also use it in the collar of a number of our jackets for design detail. Below is an example of an ultrasonic welder in action.

For our men's and ladies PRIME jacket- a 4-way stretch, 800 fill down waterproof jacket- we used ultrasonic welding to form the baffles of the jacket. On the jacket these baffles are curved, which is technically very difficult to keep the seams flat.

Vote for Lasse!

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

Happy Halloween!

Tech Tuesday (a day late): PrimaLoft

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.