An
interesting story about aerogels, thin slices of material that are filled with air and have an amazing capacity to
insulate. Aspen Aerogels makes the stuff and has been selling it to
everyone from Boeing (who uses it to insulate turbines), the government (for Apache helicopters to foil the navigation
systems of incoming heat-seeking missiles) and, most importantly, apparel makers. A demo of the material had the
company’s CEO hitting one side of the fabric with a blow torch while the other side remained cool to the touch. The
technology is actually quite old, dating back to 1931, but
the widespread number of uses it creating all sorts of interesting opportunities. In the case of
ski apparel, imagine yourself skiing the backcountry and being
attacked by a pack of wolves or grizzly bears with blow torches. Instead of screaming and writhing as you are burned to
death, you can simply kick back and smile as the wild animals try their best to flambe you. Gotta love new
technology.