#JUDGEMONS

  Freeride World Qualifying Athlete @SebastianVarlet is a classic big mountain beast if you want to see what he’s capable of check his winning run from Rødal.   Having grown up in Les Gets France he has developed into a powerhouse of a skier who’s managed to claim 5^th place on the FWQ for the last two years.   The 4* event at the Remarkables is what has drawn Seb to the Southern Hemisphere and with inspection days, watching the 2* event and competition day he’ll be pushing our base layers to the limit in the high alpine.

JOURNAL

  DAY 1: Our first mission in New Zealand was to my favourite place – the clubbies! On the road with the Murray brothers and Julian Jamesa we hit Mount Olympus first, lapping around Little Alaska and finding so many fun lines! After that we carried on to Temple Basin, doing some epic sunrise missions and boosting chutes at sunset (check our Facebook for video evidence)! On the down days we were traveling through Makenzie Country, enjoying the lake views and the adventure! We had changing weather through the trip but I was always wearing the same gear,.. merino can handle every kind of weather. I was trying the Yotei power hood during the day, and it was really good to stay warm and keep the neck protected from the elements. After the day on skis, we where hanging around the mountain hut, so I jumped in my monsie after a shower to stay comfortable! On the down days, I was always wearing the Approach jacket with the Yotei Longsleeve underneath and it was the perfect combo to feel your body breathing but also stay warm. DAY 2: Today we headed to The Remarkables for the 2* Freeride World Tour Qualifier event – The North Face Frontier. It was suuch a rad day, the sun was shining and everyone was throwing down in the Shadow chutes! It was pretty warm all day, so I was cruising around in nothing but my base layer but was perfectly warm even when the clouds came in! After the comp, we went to face check the Alta chutes ready for Wednesday’s 4* Freeride World Tour event which I’ll be skiing in, but the clouds rolled in at the last second obscuring the view. So instead of planning for the comp, we did as you always do when the vis gets a little sketchy – hot laps through the park with the boys! Another great day in the books, but I’m pretty amped to ski at the next event! DAY 3: The final day of my #JUDGEMONS period falls on a day of my own judgement – The North Face Frontier 4* event at Winter Games NZ. It’s such a cool set up over at The Remarkables, and I started the day at Basecamp at Alta Lake, looking up at the chutes and face checking my line!  Tom Brownlee and I talked about how I accidentally sent it to the moon last winter, followed by a bit of a recap of my Mons. I’ve worn my Yotei Longsleeve base for about 10 days straight at this point – through sun, wind, cold, skiing, sweating, sleeping, traveling – and still haven’t washed it. But as confirmed by Tom taking a good sniff of my armpits – it really doesn’t smell that bad! That’s got to be my favourite thing about Mons merino – its epic natural anti-stink properties are ideal for multiday missions! On the mountain today I layered the Yotei Longsleeve with the Approach Hoody and was pretty perfect all day. I usually roll a puffer under my ski jacket, but the merino mid layer is so much lighter and less bulky.. ideal for ripping down the chutes! My run today didn’t go quite as planned, but it was still an awesome day watching everyone tear down the chutes and cheer each other on. I’m already excited for next year – and you know i’ll still be wearing Mons!  

PRODUCT REVIEW

 

1. How did your Mons feel against your skin? Were you comfortable all day in it? The quality of the merino is really nice on the skin, soft and breathable. When you are skiing in NZ, the ski resorts are really small so you always end up hiking somewhere! Always good to not sweat too much on the way up but keep warm on the way down! 2. The weather on the mountain can be variable, do you think Mons merino is suitable for all conditions?  Mons merino can follow to all kinds of adventures/ weather. It will keep you warm, dry and not smelly at the end of the day, no matter the conditions. Ready to do it all again tomorrow!! 3. What was your favourite feature of your Yotei Longsleeve and why? I really like the Yotei Longsleeve. It’s warm but not too warm, the perfect layer for skiing during the day and keep on going to après ski or after ski activities without having to change! Wear with a neck warmer and you won’t get cold during the day and then take off the neck warmer to start the après – parfait!