Australia’s elite winter athletes unveil 2018 Winter Olympics technical kit
Announcement posted by XTM 20 Oct 2017
With just over 100 days to go to PyeongChang, Australia’s Winter Olympic Team are heading into the Games season fired up and - as of today - kitted out in the latest highly technical, environmentally conscious gear.
PyeongChang 2018 hopefuls, Matt Graham, Britt Cox, Dani Scott, Jarryd Hughes and Dave Morris joined the Australian Olympic Committee to unveil the uniform, including competition-grade gear and gloves designed based on their feedback and produced by XTM Performance, who have decked out the Winter Olympic Team since 2006.
“We’re very excited to have XTM on board once again for the 2018 Olympic Winter Team,” said Chef de Mission, Ian Chesterman.
“PyeongChang 2018 will be the fourth Winter Games that XTM has supplied the Team with gloves, après boots, socks, bags and thermals. I know they will once again deliver products that the athletes love and will contribute to their best performances at the Games.”
XTM Founder, Pete Forras is well-versed in the athlete’s world, an Australian Olympian himself having competed in downhill and downhill combined in the 1988 Games in Calgary.
“It is such an honour to be the only Australian snow brand making gear for such an amazing group of athletes to compete at the Games in. I remember how special it is to get your hands on the uniform for the first time and its awesome to be able to share that with them,” he said.
The technical kit provided by XTM incorporates world class fabric innovation – the gloves and base layers are made from 100% Australian Merino which is biodegradable, sustainable, animal friendly and natural. XTM is also the only true Aussie brand to work with Gore-Tex in gloves, a global leader when it comes to moisture control technology which will be so important for our athletes competing in South Korean climates at that time of year.
XTM’s operations have also been reviewed for their environmental impact, so the athletes’ uniform is 100% offset with Carbon credits keeping it responsible and of course, technically state of the art at the same time.
It wouldn’t be an elite winter athlete’s kit without a one piece – the team will be packing a full Merino onesie to beat the South Korean chill, which was tried and tested by Aerial Skier Dani Scott. Scott said she likes to know that the products are made with the intention to protect the environment they all rely on for their sports.
“The team are going to be stoked to be wearing that Merino onesie when they hit the ground in February, and it’s good to know there is the intention of doing the right thing by the planet built into our gear. It’s a simple, but really important thing that we can do so that is great,” said Scott.
In addition to consulting with the athletes on the uniform pieces they have put together for the whole team, XTM also works closely with team members to create new products for them. Chumpy Pullin’s got a great new glove, “the ACP” - also favoured by fellow Snowboard Cross team members including Belle Brockhoff - that has a Kevlar backing in the back of the palm for protection in the event of a bad fall. The speed guys and biathlon cross countries will be wearing a brand-new glove at the Games as well.
Medal hopefuls, Aerial Skier Dave Morris and Mogul Skier Britt Cox also work closely with Forras and his team. Morris will be rocking XTM’s new Fable glove at the Games, while Cox favours XTM’s white leather Platinum glove as her chosen glove for competitions.
“It is really exciting getting the uniform and seeing it all together. I have been with the XTM family for a while and they are just so passionate about skiing and Australian snow sports in general, which I am too obviously! It’s great that they can share this with our team and really understand what we need in competition and conditions like PyeongChang,” Cox said.
While Winter sports are celebrated in Australia, it is probably underestimated given how high we achieve on an international stage - Australia punches way by our weight on Olympic medal return basis.
“This team has got the lot - with World Championships winners, promising newcomers and some great comeback stories. We had 40 podiums last year so that's 40 times Australian athletes have been on the podium over a range of sports on the world stage at the highest level of competition,” said Forras.
Forras says one of the greatest opportunities the winter team have as a Southern Hemisphere nation is being able to train in a home environment in the off-season. Many of the biggest competitions are held in the Northern Hemisphere from December to April.
“The guys are able to really focus on that improvement and then go over and do it again in the northern hemisphere in the glaciers as a lead in to their competition time. We live winter to winter, but that keeps us really hungry and able to improve at a faster rate,” Forras said.
- ends -
For interviews with Pete Forras, additional images or videos of the Winter Olympic athletes and the PC2018 uniform by XTM Performance, please contact Emma Hornsey on 0415 842 801 or emma@xtm.com.au.
About XTM Performance
XTM, an abbreviation for the term ‘cross the mountain’ or ‘X-The Mountain’, has carved out a niche supplying accessories and skiwear internationally. Returning as Olympic partner for the fourth time in 2018, XTM Performance is a brand that caters for all types of adventurers. Lessons learned from working with the most talented athletes on the planet are showcased throughout the entire XTM range. Working with the world’s most advanced materials and technologies, XTM Performance manufactures more than half a million units each year, which are sold in 24 countries. As one of Australia’s leading outdoor and snow brands, XTM will forever endeavour to work with the most advanced materials and technologies in the world to continually create products of gold medal quality - all from their Torquay beach shack.
PyeongChang 2018 hopefuls, Matt Graham, Britt Cox, Dani Scott, Jarryd Hughes and Dave Morris joined the Australian Olympic Committee to unveil the uniform, including competition-grade gear and gloves designed based on their feedback and produced by XTM Performance, who have decked out the Winter Olympic Team since 2006.
“We’re very excited to have XTM on board once again for the 2018 Olympic Winter Team,” said Chef de Mission, Ian Chesterman.
“PyeongChang 2018 will be the fourth Winter Games that XTM has supplied the Team with gloves, après boots, socks, bags and thermals. I know they will once again deliver products that the athletes love and will contribute to their best performances at the Games.”
XTM Founder, Pete Forras is well-versed in the athlete’s world, an Australian Olympian himself having competed in downhill and downhill combined in the 1988 Games in Calgary.
“It is such an honour to be the only Australian snow brand making gear for such an amazing group of athletes to compete at the Games in. I remember how special it is to get your hands on the uniform for the first time and its awesome to be able to share that with them,” he said.
The technical kit provided by XTM incorporates world class fabric innovation – the gloves and base layers are made from 100% Australian Merino which is biodegradable, sustainable, animal friendly and natural. XTM is also the only true Aussie brand to work with Gore-Tex in gloves, a global leader when it comes to moisture control technology which will be so important for our athletes competing in South Korean climates at that time of year.
XTM’s operations have also been reviewed for their environmental impact, so the athletes’ uniform is 100% offset with Carbon credits keeping it responsible and of course, technically state of the art at the same time.
It wouldn’t be an elite winter athlete’s kit without a one piece – the team will be packing a full Merino onesie to beat the South Korean chill, which was tried and tested by Aerial Skier Dani Scott. Scott said she likes to know that the products are made with the intention to protect the environment they all rely on for their sports.
“The team are going to be stoked to be wearing that Merino onesie when they hit the ground in February, and it’s good to know there is the intention of doing the right thing by the planet built into our gear. It’s a simple, but really important thing that we can do so that is great,” said Scott.
In addition to consulting with the athletes on the uniform pieces they have put together for the whole team, XTM also works closely with team members to create new products for them. Chumpy Pullin’s got a great new glove, “the ACP” - also favoured by fellow Snowboard Cross team members including Belle Brockhoff - that has a Kevlar backing in the back of the palm for protection in the event of a bad fall. The speed guys and biathlon cross countries will be wearing a brand-new glove at the Games as well.
Medal hopefuls, Aerial Skier Dave Morris and Mogul Skier Britt Cox also work closely with Forras and his team. Morris will be rocking XTM’s new Fable glove at the Games, while Cox favours XTM’s white leather Platinum glove as her chosen glove for competitions.
“It is really exciting getting the uniform and seeing it all together. I have been with the XTM family for a while and they are just so passionate about skiing and Australian snow sports in general, which I am too obviously! It’s great that they can share this with our team and really understand what we need in competition and conditions like PyeongChang,” Cox said.
While Winter sports are celebrated in Australia, it is probably underestimated given how high we achieve on an international stage - Australia punches way by our weight on Olympic medal return basis.
“This team has got the lot - with World Championships winners, promising newcomers and some great comeback stories. We had 40 podiums last year so that's 40 times Australian athletes have been on the podium over a range of sports on the world stage at the highest level of competition,” said Forras.
Forras says one of the greatest opportunities the winter team have as a Southern Hemisphere nation is being able to train in a home environment in the off-season. Many of the biggest competitions are held in the Northern Hemisphere from December to April.
“The guys are able to really focus on that improvement and then go over and do it again in the northern hemisphere in the glaciers as a lead in to their competition time. We live winter to winter, but that keeps us really hungry and able to improve at a faster rate,” Forras said.
- ends -
For interviews with Pete Forras, additional images or videos of the Winter Olympic athletes and the PC2018 uniform by XTM Performance, please contact Emma Hornsey on 0415 842 801 or emma@xtm.com.au.
About XTM Performance
XTM, an abbreviation for the term ‘cross the mountain’ or ‘X-The Mountain’, has carved out a niche supplying accessories and skiwear internationally. Returning as Olympic partner for the fourth time in 2018, XTM Performance is a brand that caters for all types of adventurers. Lessons learned from working with the most talented athletes on the planet are showcased throughout the entire XTM range. Working with the world’s most advanced materials and technologies, XTM Performance manufactures more than half a million units each year, which are sold in 24 countries. As one of Australia’s leading outdoor and snow brands, XTM will forever endeavour to work with the most advanced materials and technologies in the world to continually create products of gold medal quality - all from their Torquay beach shack.