Spyder Active Sports has produced 24 limited edition jackets with Ardica Moshi portable heat and electronic charging power. Spyder produced a finite number of jackets as an avenue to test the innovation in a ski-based application.
Spyder said the jackets will be given to those with activity downtime who need a thermal boost, such as U.S. Ski Team athletes who are static on-mountain between race runs and members of the media standing for long periods in the cold. Four jackets will be given away to lucky consumers via social media campaigns in December and January.
The jackets contain a rechargeable lithium-ion battery pack with integrated microprocessor that provides the power to heat the jacket as well as charge electronic devices through a USB port and technology connector that contains a micro-USB, mini-USB and iPod/iPhone port. While the product is not available to the consumer until 2011, the Ardica Moshi technology will be added to two of Spyder’s Winter 2010 jacket styles for the test period: the Freaks Jacket for men, and the Knockout Jacket for women.
“The incorporation of Ardica technology into our jackets represents Spyder’s ongoing commitment to being at the forefront of technological innovations in the ski apparel industry,” Spyder senior merchandising manager Fred Dennis said. “We’ll test the heat pack’s validity and resourcefulness to those within our ski realm, and make commercial decisions based on our report findings.”
“The Moshi Power System has a technological intelligence that is unprecedented,” says Hap Klopp, Ardica executive director. “Ardica’s technology not only provides the power to keep us warm, it has also taken us off the grid to power a huge variety of personal devices.”
The jackets will be delivered to U.S. Ski Team athletes Lindsey Vonn, Julia Mancuso, Ted Ligety, and Steven Nyman, an additionally to the men’s and women’s coaches, Sasha Rearick and Jim Tracy during the Audi Birds of Prey World Cup races at Beaver Creek from December 4-6.
Members of the media will also receive sample jackets at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Whistler, British Columbia, allowing them to recharge electronics plus keep warm while covering the events. Ardica-enabled Spyder jackets will be on display in the Spyder Snowcoverage Media Lounge, the official house of the U.S. Ski Team, in the heart of Whistler Village during the Games.
