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Partner Product Release: Houdini - The Design of an Icon
Twenty years ago, at the forefront of performance and design, Houdini and Polartec embarked on a quest to create the perfect technical mid-layer. The mission was to redefine outdoor apparel. The result? The Power Houdi, a groundbreaking design that became an instant success and has remained virtually unchanged since its creation. Featuring a high collar, snug hood, and extended sleeves with thumb loops, the Power Houdi provides optimal protection from the elements, making it an ideal choice for cold-weather activities.
Mill Direct x Polartec: Meet the Makers
Since 2016, KK Greer of Mill Direct has been able to provide countless makers, designers and businesses with small-run quantities of Polartec fabric in a variety of technology platforms. Over the years KK has become familiar with the needs of makers and has a fresh approach to providing small quantity orders, which allows many talented makers and business owners the ability to source Polartec fabric at a scale that works for them. These business owners and small makers have a passion for creative design and continue to produce unique pieces that don’t skimp on attention to detail during the production process. Check out some of the great makers who source from Mill Direct Textiles and continue to spread the Polartec love.
Amy Rose: The Giant Sequoias
Through a new content series called RIP ‘N’ RUN, Amy Rose shares her story of how she surrounds herself in nature to nurture her mental health — with words and images that describe her 72 hour nano trips through some of our country’s most beautiful landscapes and national parks. It’s a story of observing the power we have within ourselves to get better.
The Toughest Stage: Monika Sattler
This summer I had the opportunity to ride with my gravel bike from Graun to Riva del Garda via the most stunning scenery. It started in the small, beautiful Italian town, Graun, which is located at the Reschensee. The first stage involved crossing first to the Austrian border and then to Switzerland via beautiful gravel roads and quiet paths to finish the first stage in Scuol where the fourth official Swiss language, romansh, is spoken. The next stage led via moon-like landscape and high gravel mountain passes to Livigno. This is definitely the toughest stage of all as it collects a lot of elevation gain on the way.
The Summer of Fleece
It’s no secret that a fleece midlayer is the best companion for cold-weather conditions. But when the weather starts to warm up, that fleece will come in handy more than you think. If you’ve ever been out in the summer sun all day then you know summer nights can feel extra chilly. Polartec fleece is such a versatile fabric that it can actually help keep you comfortable on summer days while giving you the right amount of warmth at night. We know what you’re thinking, “but isn’t fleece too hot and heavy to wear in the summer?” Not always. Polartec uses the Science of Fabric to knit, shear, and construct fleece into hundreds of different weights, thicknesses, and characteristics dedicated to keeping you comfortable no matter how warm. We can knit fleece so that it’s smooth and not fuzzy, light and not heavy, and breathable beyond belief. And UPF protection? We got you covered. Polartec fleece is truly an all-season solution to comfort. When it comes to summer activities, you’ll need it by the campfire, after a dive in a glacial lake, as a pillow on a backpacking trip, and when day turns to night. We curated a list of lightweight and highly breathable Polartec fabrics we call Summer Fleece. Ideal for fun in the sun: Microfleece, 100 Series Fleece, Power Grid, and Alpha Direct.
Polartec x Mill Direct Textiles
Since being given the keys, KK has brought a fresh perspective and helped grow the business like never before. She takes a different approach and offers a wide range of Polartec fabric technologies in many different styles and colors. She makes customer service a priority and goes above and beyond to make sure her customers get the fabrics they need, however much they need. Many of the employees at Mill Direct Textiles are also avid outdoor enthusiasts who test out the fabrics for themselves to give a first-hand perspective on what works well for different activities. The crew works hard to stay informed of all the different styles, colors, and technologies of Polartec fabrics so that the makers have the right material to be successful.
Como Una: Devon O'Neil Juarez
“Look at that body to the right!” Mario Lopez shouts. “That was the last guy we brought out here.” It’s a balmy mid-January morning on a dusty dirt road in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. Lopez is kidding; it’s his way of acknowledging my apprehension and the world’s misperception of Juarez. The whole reason we are riding mountain bikes here is because it’s safe—or safe enough. We’re on our way to Don Rayo National Park, which, Lopez clarifies, is not actually a national park. Rather, it’s part of the Sierra de Juarez, a jutting cluster of peaks just southwest of the city that holds some of the best mountain biking in northern Mexico, all within pedaling distance from the U.S. border. I am riding in a group of three Americans and six Mexicans convened by Lopez, an elementary school teacher in El Paso whose family is from Juarez. Lopez is kind of like the mayor of the binational off-road cycling community that is bridged by the border. He mingles among our group, talking to each member and greeting anyone we pass, even the stern-looking Guardia Nacional soldiers who stroll up and down the Rio Grande levee.
Amy Rose: Hoh Rainforest
Through a new content series called RIP ‘N’ RUN, Amy Rose shares her story of how she surrounds herself in nature to nurture her mental health — with words and images that describe her 72 hour nano trips through some of our country’s most beautiful landscapes and national parks. It’s a story of observing the power we have within ourselves to get better.
What It Takes & Why It's Worth It: By Devon O'Neil
I wake up antsy. I stand in the sun outside my front door and stretch my arms, staring at a vertical ocean of blue. My mountain bike has been propped against the deck since last night, chain lubed, frame washed. Seeing it glint makes me feel how I imagine a dog feels when he’s about to get taken somewhere awesome. I head inside to tend to our kids and eat breakfast, almost embarrassingly excited to ride alone on a Wednesday in August. I estimate I’ll be out for six hours. I have a hard time not stopping and gaping on this loop. It is a rugged 32 miles with punishing climbs and descents and rarely more than a handful of people above treeline. You crest 12,300 feet three times, all on noodle-thin singletrack, and hike your bike a lot where it’s hard to breathe. Among the half dozen world-class big rides surrounding Breckenridge, Colorado, it’s easily my favorite simply because of where you get to go. There was a time when I would not have known this existed, much less understood how to do it. I don’t like to think about that prospect now, but it does take luck to find a life outdoors. I was born in Connecticut and grew up on an island in the Caribbean, sailing, surfing, and playing baseball. I rarely made time for mountains while at college in Vermont. I moved to Costa Rica after school, then Washington, D.C., where I worked in a cubicle in a giant office building. My twin brother Sean and I left after a year to drive west. We intended to spend one night in Breckenridge, visiting a friend, before continuing on to Portland, Oregon, the next day. I suppose the reason we stayed was the same reason why I still get giddy before an adventure at age 42. It seemed like it would enrich our lives. Our story is not all that unique in these parts. Everyone comes for a quickie. Only some glimpse the magic. Fewer still seek it—need it—long term. And only a fraction of those believe that what it takes is worth it.
Amy Rose: VT & NH
Through a new content series called RIP ‘N’ RUN, Amy Rose shares her story of how she surrounds herself in nature to nurture her mental health — with words and images that describe her 72 hour nano trips through some of our country’s most beautiful landscapes and national parks. It’s a story of observing the power we have within ourselves to get better.
Baker Boyd: Alaska
Baker Boyd grew up watching classic ski movies and Warren Miller Films to foster his love of the sport. His favorite segments were always filmed in Alaska, a land full of enormous, steep, and extremely unique terrains. At 30 years old, Baker took the pilgrimage for himself to the promised land for skiers. With help from locals and pilots from the Valdez area, Baker and his group of friends found a cooler spot at higher elevation where they could safely set up camp and hike. His six days in Alaska were some of the best runs of his life. Watch Baker ski through some of the craziest spines, flutes, and walls with effortless motion. Baker and crew were bummed to leave earlier than planned due to warming weather. But after a day of eating pizza and drinking beers, they couldn’t stop talking about returning to Alaska every year for the rest of their lives.
Patience: By Dillon Osleger
The seasons spent watching rivers run by, the hours ferried away looking under rocks and watching the waterline for bugs hatching, the tens of thousands of casts futilely laid out into eddies to lay limp on the water; each one unique in its ratio of frustration and confusion. There is little awareness of these trials affect on my actions as I light the fireplace with a sprig of cedar to warm the cabin with scent as much as heat, sit down at a desk strewn with feathers, fur, hooks, and tools, and cast a marionette play from the memories of insects relationship with seasons and fish.