Glove leather technology helps skier achieve Antarctic first
23/01/2012
Ms Aston set out from the Ross Ice Shelf at the foot of the Leverett Glacier to start her journey on November 25. Skiing up the Leverett Glacier, through the Transantarctic mountains, the 1,744-kilometre route next took her onto the Polar Plateau and the geographic South Pole, where she was able to re-stock her supplies.
Her trek continued across the Polar Plateau to the coast of Antarctica at the edge of the Ronne Ice Shelf. On January 22, Ms Aston sent a message on Twitter saying she had reached her destination, the Hercules Inlet, after 59 days.
Among the life-saving pieces of clothing and equipment that she relied on was a pair of Redline mittens from UK outdoor brand Mountain Equipment. The Redline is made from durable and water-resistant Armortan goatskin leather from Pittards. Pittards continued commitment to research and development has enabled the company to become market leaders in the supply of high quality, performance leathers for the sporting goods market.
Armortan is a technology that improves the abrasion-resistance of glove leather, which works by encasing the fibril bundles in the leather’s structure with microscopic ceramic plates, making the leather more resistant to abrasion.
Reacting to the news, Pittards’ sales director, Mike Dodd, said: “We’ve had quite a bit of positive feedback from outdoor brands who have supplied gloves made with Armortan goat leather for polar expeditions and we are delighted to have another satisfied user in Felicity Aston.”
He explained that this type of specialist leather was particularly suited to her journey because of the extra tactility leather can offer compared to substitute materials. More tactility means more dexterity, which in turn means the wearer can carry out more tasks before feeling obliged to take the glove off, exposing themselves to the risk of frost-bite. Secondly, its durability means a glove made from Armortan leather will not crack in even the coldest conditions and even after constant friction against a ski-pole for days on end.
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