Available to consumers next Fall 2012 for $299, the Polar Hooded Jacket is a sleek, hybrid, body-mapped soft shell made of two new Polartec fabrics. This design maps key hot/cold zones and optimizes fabric placement for function and comfort, providing increased warmth and breathability where needed most.

The body is made of a new version of Polartec® Power Shield® soft shell fabric with a high loft fleece interior that’s both 25% warmer and 25% lighter thanks to a revolutionary new lamination technique. A new version of Polartec® Thermal Pro® is used in the sides, underarms and hood to insulate without inhibiting breathability and moisture vapor transport. Unlike down or classic synthetic fill insulation, Polartec® Thermal Pro® fibers won’t migrate, so The North Face was able to use an open mesh knit fabric on the inside to eliminate the vapor barrier phenomenon of most puffies.

The Polar Hooded Jacket combines the warmth of a puffy with the moisture-wicking properties of fleece and the protection of a soft shell to let climbers eliminate layers and give them freedom of movement. We’re not aware of a warmer, lighter, more compressible soft shell.

Polartec provides discounted rates on its fabric for MoJo to use in its product line of apparel and logo-wear. MoJo employs a full staff of single mothers and the proceeds from MoJo product purchases are dedicated to providing free childcare, higher than average wages, healthcare, and educational opportunities for MoJo employees.

We were thrilled to see a feature in the Boston Globe this week on MoJo, which will hopefully help to get the word out about an organization that we are proud to support.

According to the article, “MoJo, which has been operating for six months, expects to generate $3.7 million in sales in its first full year of business. The company has already scored contracts to produce jackets for Fortune 500 businesses like Accenture and Morgan Stanley, college fleeces for Big East schools, such as Syracuse, and blankets for the Dave Matthews Band and other musicians under the Red Light Management music label.

By the end of the year, MoJo hopes to open factories in struggling cities beyond Lowell, which was once a thriving textile center. The company plans to bring its model of manufacturing across the country to Detroit, Oakland, and New Orleans, cities where nearly half of single-mother households live below the poverty line. ”

To read the article in its entirety, click here. To Shop for MoJo products you can also go to www.momsandjobs.com/shop.

Check out some shots of Greg’s last few days and the video that his friends put together of his incredible journey to 2 million.

2 Million With Greg Hill from FD Productions on Vimeo.

However, in this month’s issue, VF writer Lenora Jane Estes checks in with Polartec Challenge Grant winner, Greg Hill, as he nears his goal of skiing 2 million vertical feet this year. (He has just over 18,000 to go as of today.) When asked how he would finish out the year, he said “I’ll finish on our local ski hill here in Revelstoke. There are a lot of people who are interested in the goal but aren’t backcountry skiers, so I made it accessible for everyone to witness my last hour. I’m going to hike up and finish on the ski hill so people can share those moments with me. Then I’ll definitely have a little bit of a party and wake up on January 1 feeling quite relaxed.”

To read the entire article-click on this link- www.VanityFair.com

Also check out this awesome video documenting the past year of Greg’s life and hard work and dedication that it took to get here. Good luck in these final few days Greg!

2 Million With Greg Hill from FD Productions on Vimeo.

So, why is it so cool?
Polartec NeoShell is completely waterproof (10,000mm) but unlike most hardshells on the market today with zero airflow, NeoShell allows actual air permeability (0.5 CFM or 2 l/m2/sec). Even a tiny amount of air permeability, imperceptible from a wind chill standpoint, accelerates moisture vapor transport significantly. While traditional shell fabrics require heat and pressure to build inside the garment before the membrane begins to work, Polartec NeoShell breathes actively thanks to an exclusive sub-micron fiber membrane with unprecedented air permeability. Pretty cool, huh? Here’s a diagram for you visual learners out there.

Big Shoes to Fill
This launch comes on the heels of the incredibly successful introduction of Polartec Power Shield Pro that won three “Gear of the Year” awards this fall. We are overhauling expectations for outerwear performance and creating a much drier, less steamy experience for technical users. The momentum is exciting for us, and we are eager for NeoShell to hit the market so our consumers can give it a shot.

Liberating Adventurers from Terrible Conditions
Ok, it’s not solitary confinement, but being stuck outside in layers that never dry, stay cold and wet, or never breathe enough to cool you off after a tough slog is still pretty brutal. You zip and unzip, layer and delayer, hat on, hat off. The awkward dance of a miserable athlete. With NeoShell, we aim to free you from the annoyances that you have considered for so long to come with the territory. Check out what cold baselayers have done to tele superstar Nick Devore.

Here is a rundown of how summit day went for the team.

Upon descending, we were able to check in with one of the team medics to see how everyone is holding up at such high altitude.

Here is a rundown of what today’s climb will entail from trip member Erik Weihenmeyer: “From the northern end of the lake near basecamp, we climb slabby terraces and snow slopes beneath the main glaciers of the South-West Face and gain access to the ridge overlooking Lobuche and the Khumbu Glacier. At the point where the glacier face and ridge meet we will establish our high camp. We will have fixed ropes established to secure travel (slopes with a gradient about 45 to 50 degrees).”

On Wednesday, weather permitting, the team hopes to summit Lobuche East, at 20,192ft. We wish them good luck and will keep you updated on their progress.

Here are some great photos from yesterday’s hike into Lobuche base camp.

Hiking down into Lobuche base camp

Breakfast at camp

Check out this video of soldiers Steve Baskis, Chad Butrik, Ike Isaacson and Chad Jukes reflect on their motivations for coming on the expedition.

In a recent post on the Soldiers to the Summit blog, Support Team member, Erik Weihenmayer commented on navigating the busy city without sight–”Walking down these crazy, narrow streets with taxis, tuk-tuks and rickshaws flying by is probably the most dangerous part of the expedition. I grab a teammate’s arm and weave, bob and jump around trying to follow my guide’s cue. When I feel a bumper or hot tailpipe against my calf I know it’s time to jump. A tuk-tuk cracked me in the elbow early today. I’ll be psyched to get up to the Khumbu tomorrow–having survived Kathmandu. The diesel fumes and pollution are rough here, as well, so I think the whole team is pretty excited to get up into the clean mountain air where, at least for the first few days, stepping in yak dung will be our only real danger.”

Climber Chad Butrick also commented in a recent blog post about his trek through Namche Bazaar and the members of the team-”The mountains are so big. We were able to see Mt. Everest for the first time today on our trek to Namche. As one of our guides described this place we are “crossing the threshold” above the tree line.”

“This team is excellent. There are a lot of very capable guides and soldiers. It is AWESOME getting to know these incredible people. As we continue our push up the mountain I know that we are all going to stand on top of something and I cannot wait to share those experiences with this group.”

Take at look at the group’s most recent video-Soldiers Nicolette Maroulis, Justin Moore, Katherine Ragazzino and Cody Miranda look inside to talk about their motivations for coming on the expedition.

So lets see, it turns out that Leonardo Da Vinci sketched the first bicycle in the now famous, Atlantic Code. The bicycle then went through quite a few design changes in the late 1700’s until in Dunlop invented the pneumatic (compressed air) tire in 1888. Then things really took off. In the early 1900’s, cycling races were organized in Western Europe and in 1870, the first Italian road race was held between Florence and Pistoia: 33 km covered in about 2 hours. The first ‘classic’ Italian race was the Turin-Milan in 1876 at 150 km.

In 1909, six years after the first Tour the France, thanks to the editor of the main Italian sports newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport, the second of the Grand Tours, the “Giro D’Italia,” was started. He founded the race primarily to increase his circulation, but now the race obviously has a reputation as one of the top three hardest stage races in the world, alongside the Tour and the Veulta de Espana of course.

This weekend, Polartec will sponsor the Val di Fassa Bike, a mountain bike race we consider to be an emerging new event in the European bike world. In its third year, the Val di Fassa hosts three separate races, each for different ability levels. There are three lengths to this race, all three begin in the same location however. The “Marathon” track, for bikers that are part of the Italian Championship, is just under 40 miles with a difference in height of a grueling 9055ft. The “Classic” track of approx 30 miles with a difference in height of 6909ft., and the “Short” track, which is dedicated to biking enthusiasts, runs about 30 miles with an elevation gain of just over 3000ft.

Polartec representatives will be around for the event and we will present the winners and top 12 finishers of each category with Polartec prizes. We will also be receiving updates from the event from our Italian representatives and will keep you in the loop with photos and announcements of the winners. Until then, if you speak italian, head here for more info. http://www.valdifassabike.it/ If you don’t speak italian, go have a glass of wine, its close enough.