Following an in-depth field testing program, Schoeller Switzerland is the recipient of the 2004 “American Alpine Institute Guides’ Choice Award” for schoeller-dryskin-extreme fabric used in Mammut’s mountaineering Champ Pants and New Age Jacket, also featuring the multi-purpose 3XDRY® finish.

“We’re extremely pleased to have received this award. dryskin-extreme was developed specifically for and has been the choice of many worldwide manufacturers of mountaineering apparel,” explains Tom Weinbender, President Schoeller Textil USA, Inc. “Schoeller continues to concentrate on the input provided by alpine guides and extreme users worldwide and this directs us to incorporate the latest technologies to fabrics which meet these demands.”

Over the past year schoeller®-dryskin-extreme was field tested by a core group of professional guides of the Institute. According to this independent jury, the intensity and constancy of use, the wear and stress that the gear receives during tests corresponds to the many years of use by a recreational climber.

“The ‘Guides Choice’ emblem is designed to publicly designate those items of equipment that are outstanding in their class, effective and functional for consumers, and distinguished by their durability and performance,” said AAI President, Dunham Gooding. This product was tested internationally under harsh conditions over an eighteen month period. It proved to be abrasion resistant, breathable and comfortable to wear.

The Guide’s Choice award is given annually at the summer Outdoor Retailer show in Salt Lake City, Utah to select items of equipment and clothing comparatively evaluated through the American Alpine Institute’s international field testing program. This highly sought after recognition designates technical gear and clothing to be of the highest quality in their product category.

“We talk to our guides and research different products to determine what to field test on the basis of innovative design for mountaineering, ice, rock or expedition climbing,” said Thierry Werderits, AAI Equipment Test Manager.