Ski & snowboard fleeces & jerseys

Fleece is a fantastic material with numerous advantages, especially when compared to natural fibres like wool and cotton. The main features of a good fleece jumper at a glance:

• Comfort: the fabric is lightweight, warm, breathable, and pleasant to the skin.
• Insulation: fleece is perfect as an insulating layer in your three-layer system. The material retains the warm layer of air around your body well.
• Packing size: there are super-compact fleece jumpers that keep you just as warm as the fluffiest ones.
• Sustainability: fleece is often made from recycled plastic bottles. It is important to buy a high-quality piece, though, so there’s less chance of tiny plastic particles being released when washing. 

When it comes to insulation and breathability, wool is hard to beat. The natural fabric is also antibacterial and temperature-regulating: a versatile powerhouse. But wool also has a few drawbacks:

• The fabric absorbs moisture and dries slowly. Therefore, once wet, wool is incredibly heavy and less suitable for outdoor activities.
• You can’t just wash wool in the washing machine unless your machine has a special wool wash cycle.
• Wool is quite expensive, especially if you opt for a special kind like merino wool.

To turn all those disadvantages into advantages, fleece was developed in the 1970s: the synthetic alternative with the same insulating properties. But without the drawbacks (or the sheep).