Stories
RISK RESPONSE & RESCUE - MAKING A DIFFERENCE
For most sane people, risk is an element we prefer to minimise. Skiers know all too well that risk exists in the mountains, but generally we prefer to minimise our exposure to it. Matt de Waard, mountain lover, skier, fire fighter and Senior Consultant at Risk Response and Rescue is clearly no ordinary sane person as he not only thrives on risk, he’s built a career around it. “Risk Response and Rescue provide advice and consultancy services on safety and emergency management, training and personnel for some of the nation’s biggest infrastructure projects, recreational pursuits and iconic locations,” he explains. “Basically, we do emergency and safety management. Usually our clients ask us to provide advice and consultancy to implement emergency management systems. We then also provide training, and operations for high risk activities – essentially across land, marine, aviation, alpine and underground environments. This puts my team and I in a range of high risk operational environments during a range of conditions.” “Quite often we might run a mine rescue program out in Cobar, and one of the subject matter experts for life-support may be a ski patroller from the Snowy Mountains. That might seem strange but it’s actually typical for a ski patroller from Thredbo to see a heck of a lot more trauma than a mine rescue guy working out in the bush. We try to bring people from different industries together to try and cross-pollinate what we do.” As you’d expect, operations like Risk Response place a lot of stress and reliance on their gear: “One week I might be underground in a mine on Monday, and then by Wednesday I’ll be ski-patrolling in Perisher, and then hanging off the Sydney Harbour Bridge a week later. We get to do all sorts of fun stuff.”. After 19 back-to-back winters between the United States and Australia, de Waard takes the job in his stride, but says having good quality equipment is factor number one in his preparation: “Naturally, you’d expect that an operation like ours requires a broad range of specialised gear and equipment alongside a lot of cool toys. We rely on our gear to perform to the highest possible level so that we can focus on the important tasks at hand. This is why we’ve come to rely so heavily on Le Bent and their products,” he told us. “Through all our work, from ski patrolling to working with Snowy Hydro and Alpine Rescue units we get out and about all the time. One of the things we really like about the Le Bent gear is that first and foremost it’s comfortable. I’ve been using the bamboo and merino socks since they were released and I cannot fault them. I’ve never had a bad day out in those socks. I’ve tried a fair few brands and ripped through them pretty quick – it tends to happen when you’re in ski boots 220 days of the year. They cannot be beat.” Since Matt and the team at Risk Response first got wind of the rest of our products from baselayers to facemasks they couldn’t wait to try it. “It was an easy decision. You can wear the gear all day without it getting too itchy or too uncomfortable. It never seems to be too hot or too cold. It’s always just right.” If there’s one thing that Risk Response knows when they see it, it’s quality and durability. For the average consumer, you can rest assured knowing that if our gear can stand up to what Risk Response can throw at it, it will last anyone else for years to come.
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WAY EAST (TRAILER)
After a trip to Norway last year, this winter’s adventure for Aline Bock and Lena Stoffel meant turning WAY NORTH into WAY EAST and looking to more distant horizons for another exciting project for the two friends. The small team - consisting of Aline; 2010 Freeride World Tour Champion, Lena; professional freeskier, filmmaker Mathias Koegel, and local guide and photographer Aaron Jamieson - met in Hokkaido to prepare for a late winter sojourn. Equipped with skis and boards for all kinds of waves and snow, they set off in search of the famous Japanese powder snow and perfect waves but also to discover the reality of life in Japan, post-Fukushima. “ We wanted to get our own personal insight of the situation and the reality of nuclear pollution after the accident and even more importantly, get to know what the local population thinks about it“ says Aline. The adventure would take them several thousand kilometres around Hokkaido on a surf, snow, and camping adventure through the mountains to the ocean and covering some of the least-visited and undiscovered corners of the island. We are proud to be supporting this amazing project, stay tuned for the full release. directed & shot by Mathias Kögeledit & sound design by Mathias Kögeladditional footage by Aaron Jamieson
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"THE RISING GAIJINS"
Three freeskiers & two snowboarders from New Zealand become...“The Rising Gaijins" A short film by Jake Munro of 3 freeskiers & 2 snowboarders from New Zealand who set aside their differences on a trip to the backcountry of Japan & later become.. “The Rising Gaijins’. Featuring Our Line-Up Members - Harry Pettit and Rupert Paterson along with Nick Brown, George Pengelly & Jack Spence.
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DON’T GET LEFT OUT IN THE COLD THIS WINTER.
How to choose the perfect thermal underwear. BASE LAYERS Picture this: you've scored first chair of the day and there's 45cm of blower pow on the ground. Your chair crests the ridgeline and you feel an icy cold blast of deep Antarctic wind. You tuck your chin a little deeper into your face mask; you know what storm skiing is all about and your base layer game is on point today. You skate a couple steps and ski toward the next chair as you steal a glance to your left; all those suckers inside, you know what they got wrong? Their thermals. Getting your ski base layers wrong can be one of the most uncomfortable, and even most dangerous mistakes you can make in the mountains. If you're not prepared for what the weather will be doing, then you’re not prepared for anything. So with all manner of options on the market, what makes the perfect set of thermal underwear? Le Bent are unique in this space as we offer a unique bamboo and merino blend that allows us to offer a silky soft hand feel that keeps our customers coming back for more. What Material Is Best?When deciding on the perfect set of men’s, women’s or kid’s base layers you have two options: synthetic or natural. Synthetic baselayers are generally spun with a variant of thermoplastic polymers that will work to keep you warm, but who wants to wrap themselves in plastic, right? And often they tend to stink before the day is out. Natural thermal fibres have traditionally been spun with merino wool. If it’s good enough to keep a sheep warm, then it’s good enough for humans. So, what’s the catch? Scratch. While merino wools are the perfect insulator, they’re not the perfect fabric to have pressed against your skin for twelve hours a day. So the question arises: what’s the perfect fibre? Honed over years of high-tech research and development, Le Benthad the bright idea to combine the benefits and sustainability of bamboo rayon fibre with the warmth and durability of merino. The result? The highest quality, comfort and performance you can expect from any other material. As the thermal will be the closest to your skin, the advanced wicking properties of the bamboo and merino blend ensure that moisture is worked quickly through your layers, keeping you both warm and dry with no odour build up or stink. The bamboo ensures the fabric feels nice and soft on the skin with no irritation, no itch. And no matter which weight you choose, you’ll barely notice it’s there thanks to the semi performance fit that’s designed specifically for being active in the mountains, insulating you from the elements. What Fabric Weight Do I Need?The final consideration is weight. As you’ll be aware, varying conditions call for varying levels of insulation, and getting it right starts at the base. Lightweight to midweight, Le Bent offer two options: a 200gm or 260gm variant – 200 for milder conditions – think Australian winters, or spring skiing overseas – and 260 for when it’s really blowing from the Arctic – think mid-winter in the Rockies, Europe or Japan. At Le Bent we call it our Platinum Blend and the quality of finish is immediately noticeable. It’s a unique combination of Mother Nature’s finest attributes – the growth, sustainability and softness of bamboo combined with merino, the finest natural insulator known to man kind. It’s not rocket science, it’s simply the result of years of research and design, innovation and a deep-rooted love of the mountains. No matter if you’re a skier, snowboarder, man woman or child, Le Bent has a perfect set of men’s women’s and kid’s base layers for you. Let us take care of comfort, so you can focus on having a good time. Click here to see what ActiveJunky had to say about the base layers.
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SEEKING NIRVANA - PT. 3: THE LUCKY STRIKE
This band of seekers have found a treasure, a mother lode if you will... it's time to stake their claim and strike it rich! This treasure.... it’s not the conventional kind ... gold, diamonds or other such things ... this treasure is much more rare. Found only in the alpine, an land of unrelenting rock and ice, caped with soft and endless snow. Seeking Nirvana 1.3 - The Lucky Strike from Seeking Nirvana on Vimeo. Created by:Mike Henitiuk ~ @mikeheniJoe Schuster ~ @joe_schusterRiley Leboe ~ @rileyleboeMatt Margetts ~ @mattmargetts Follow:@seeking.nirvana Fellow Traveller:Josh Bibby Video Editing, Sound Design and Color Grade:Leigh Powis Cinematography:Taylor Loughran Aerial Cinematography:Dylan Ross Narration:Colby James WestJay Henitiuk
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SEEKING NIRVANA - PT. 2: CABIN FEVER
Childhood friends embark on a journey past roads-end. Far from civilization, deep in the wilds of the British Columbia, time slows as they align with their surroundings. Battling blizzards they quest towards untracked landscapes of powder glory. Through trial and triumph they tirelessly press on. The snow falls, the angst builds. Fever has set in... Seeking Nirvana 1.2 - Cabin Fever from Seeking Nirvana on Vimeo. Strange adventures await, Seeking Nirvana. #StrangeAdventures #SeekingNirvana #CabinFever
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SEEKING NIRVANA - PT. 1: HOME
We are stoked to be involved with this new series Seeking Nirvana featuring Joe Schuster, Mike Henitiuk, Riley Leboe and Matt Margetts. Sit back and enjoy the best of Canadian pillow lines and deep pow amongst their home mountains, the Coast Range. This is the mountain village of Whistler, 675m above sea level. Forested with old growth fir and cedar. An important black bear habitat. Criss-crossed by deep valleys making way to endless glaciers. There are few paved roads but instead many miles of intersecting logging roads and dirt trails. It is an El Nino year. We are on the far edge of the Howe Sound, famous for fierce storms, which will make landfall from the west, come December. 4 men make haste into the storm in search of vast powder bowls, to which the mountain village has garnered a reputation. A difficult task, travelling the unchartered terrain, requires the groups combined wits. Only persistence and a spot of luck will reward success. The adventure begins in the mountain village they call home but foreign lands beckon. A journey awaits and a feeling desired. We follow this group, through trials and triumph, Seeking Nirvana. Seeking Nirvana 1.1 - Home from Seeking Nirvana on Vimeo.
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IDEAS WORTH WEARING - ACTIVE JUNKY
Thanks for the great review Active Junky! It's great to see Le Bent gaining momentum and awareness for our unique bamboo merino blended products. http://activejunky.com/articles/baselayers-from-le-bent?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=post&utm_term=baselayers-from-le-bent&utm_content=2474&utm_campaign=fb_article
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JOE SCHUSTER - REDBULL COLDRSUH
Watch our Line-Up Member Joe Schuster destroy the top cliff and send him a vote!
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