Thursday, February 11, 2010

An Inspirational Journey to the Summit of Mt. Shasta



Please join me on Wednesday, FEB 24Th, 6:30-7:30pm, at THE CLEANERS AT ACE HOTEL PORTLAND, for a CLIMB AGAINST THE ODDS MT. SHASTA slide show and story about teamwork, passion, healing, struggle, and triumph. One mother candidly shares her story about climbing to the top of Mt. Shasta alongside cancer survivors on the 2009 CLIMB AGAINST THE ODDS team. Her goal is to inspire other's to join this great cause and to become part of this year's CLIMB AGAINST THE ODDS team, guaranteed to be an unforgettable experience of a lifetime. You don't have to be a mountain climber to be a part of this team, so please come and learn more about this amazing journey.

THE CLIMB AGAINST THE ODDS is a benefit for the BREAST CANCER FUND, the BREAST CANCER FUND identifies-and advocates for elimination of - the environmental and other preventable causes of the disease.

No Host Bar and light snacks provided, this event is FREE so please spread the word to anyone you think might be interested in an inspirational journey of a lifetime.

Please feel free to call me if you have any questions. kim - 503.913.0069

Many thanks to THE CLEANERS AT ACE HOTEL for their generous donation of space for this event.

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Cocona Xcelerator, is it really better?



While walking the aisles at Outdoor Retailer I walked into the Cocona booth to learn a little about their newest technology Xcelerator™ that I read about before attending the show. Excelerator™ is a new form of Cocona technology that allows them to apply their technology to WPB laminates and 3-Layer fabrications further expanding where they are able to use their technology that offers these key features:

1) Coconut Activated Carbon - is a recycled sustainable material
2) It rapidly pulls moisture away from the skin
3) It spreads moisture across the surface to increase evaporation and drying
4) It attracts and traps odors that are released when it is washed
5) Washing and drying are good for it, refreshing it's abilities.

In a nutshell (or coconut shell) it makes you feel better, and makes you less stinky when you are working hard. And because it manages moisture so well, if you sweat like I do, it helps you stay warmer too by effectively managing the excess moisture, not to mention the stink.

I'm always skeptical about new technologies, can you really tell the difference, is there really a benefit? How will the customer/consumer understand it? So they gave me a sample to try it out, and for the first time ever a sample from a fabric/technology vendor was actually nice looking and fitting too! They also gave me a glove to try that has their laminate, insulation, and fleece inside a trifecta of Cocona!



All set for testing, but winter isn't cooperating as well as I'd like in the Pacific Northwest, but I'm hoping to get it on the mountain maybe tomorrow. In the meantime I've been maxing it out on the aerobic end to see if the stink part really works. I've even been putting it on at the gym after a big sweaty workout to wear around until I cool down. (My other jackets tend to stink to high heaven from this) So far, I can't smell any odor at all on the interior of the fabric, but the YKK pitzip is not holding up as well, there is an obvious stink on the zipper tape that does not exist on the fabric near by. Hmmmm. Stay Tuned, and if you want to test too head to their site and tell them why you'd be a great tester.