Utah Startup Experiments with Revolutionary Ski Clothing Insulation System

October 6, 2008

Provo, UT - We've all been there. You're on the first chair of the day for early turns. The day starts off frigid, but warms up dramatically as the sun rises higher in the sky. There are but two choices available: go shed some layers, or sweat to death. Soon, however, there may be a third option.

Enter Klymit, a unique startup company formed in February 2007 in Utah's burgeoning outdoor recreation industry. Nate Alder, a former Brigham Young University student who describes himself as a "serial entrepreneur," envisions a day when insulating and fit properties of everything from ski jackets to ski boots can be controlled with the twist of a dial.

“Like Velcro, it’s a simple solution to a big problem,” Alder says.

The concept behind Klymit insulation is similar to the insulating qualities of an argon gas-filled double pane window. An airtight bladder made of commercially available waterproof-breatheable membranes is sewn into the garment. A tiny cartridge Alder's dubbed a "Klymit Hotshot" is connected to a valve and the bladder's baffles are inflated with a noble gas such as argon, krypon or xenon. The resulting free space acts as an insulating barrier between the outside air and the body, providing warmth and comfort. Noble gases are five times more efficient at insulating than currently available fabrics, Alder says. Sweat is still passed to the outside as current waterproof-breathable clothing allows.

Garments without the weight of fiber insulation are considerably lighter in weight, too, and are far more compressible for stowing inside a backpack or suitcase. The insulation will never pack out the way that fiber insulation does. Puncture resistant membranes and heat-welded seams eliminate the chance for leakage. Each jacket will nonetheless be sold with a patch kit for emergencies.

Getting too warm? No problem -- just open the valve to release some of the gas. Noble gases are omnipresent in our atmosphere, thus the release of the non-toxic, non-flammable, non-reactive gas causes no harmful effects to the environment. Getting cold? Just refill -- each lipstick-sized Hotshot canister provides seven to 10 refills in jackets or pants. Current U.S. regulations allow up to four of these canisters to be packed amongst airline luggage, and the gas will remain within the chambers in the garment for up to two months.

A number of clothing manufacturers are exploring ways to license Klymit's technology into their product lines. Alder anticipates that the first garments utilizing Klymit technology will hit ski shop racks in time for the 2009-10 ski and snowboard season.

Additionally, Alder is exploring using Klymit technology to not only insulate ski boot liners, but to develop a customized insulating fit system that will accommodate ski socks of different thicknesses and swollen feet. Filling a bladder in the dead space in the shell beneath a ski boot's footbed accommodates feet of all sizes and shapes. Paper-thin chambers in the liner body fill with noble gas for insulation.

Klymit's use in ski gloves is being explored as well, providing a versatile, less bulky solution to cold hands on the slopes.

Grow Utah Ventures recently named Klymit as one of 11 finalists in its first "Concept to Company" competition, developed as a way to encourage and support outdoor industry entrepreneurs with good ideas but limited resources. The company was selected from over 125 applications, including two international submissions and a handful of applications from outside of Utah.