breathability ratings,” said Stearns. “For instance, a customer
in the Pacific Northwest might need something different from
someone in the northeast.”
She says there is a trend towards three-layer fabrics which
are waterproof and breathable, although she points out that
three layers are not necessarily more waterproof than a two-layer
garment. Brighter colors are becoming more popular for
snow operations, for safety and visibility, and reflective trim is
an additional option.
Mountain Uniforms takes pride in offering 100 percent
seam sealing and uses only top-notch fabrics. These include
the Toyota Gelanots line – premium heavy-duty, durable and
fade-resistant Japanese materials with waterproof, breathable
laminated membranes, plus a durable water repellent coating.
The Nevada-based company guarantees that customers can
get the same styles and colors indefinitely; indeed, clients have
re-ordered a decade or more after their initial shipments.
“Quite frankly, we’ve carried some of the same designs since
inception, just making improvements along the way, like
changing a clipboard pocket to an iPad pocket,” said Stearns. “I
think their popularity stems from people wearing our stuff and
never forgetting it. There was a fire department guy who re-tired
and he said the best thing they ever did was let him keep
his Mountain Uniforms jacket.”
Three-quarters of the company’s business comes from cus-tom
orders. The remaining 25 per cent is derived from an on-line
store, which stocks over-runs on the most popular items
with no minimum purchase requirement. Occasionally, local
customers from the California Highway Patrol, the Nevada
Highway Patrol or area ski personnel stop in for a pair of cargo
pants, a radio vest or another piece of gear.
Regardless of where customers are located, Stearns and her
staff take pride in listening to feedback from all of them. When
it comes to price, Mountain Uniforms generally charges a bit
less for what Stearns considers more value, such as premium
fabrics. Of course, you can’t put a price on the company’s dedi-cation
to customization.
“It’s not like a consumer brand that is modified for a ski
area. We wanted to make something more industrial and not
about the name. We’ve never promoted the Mountain Uni-forms
name, and I think the challenge was overcoming the
big-name brands and selling something customized for indi-vidual
use and purpose. People recognize us for our quality
and repeat service.”
Looking ahead, Stearns says Mountain Uniforms will be pay-ing
attention to developing industry trends that will inform fu-ture
product design.
“We have our ear to the ground and we’ll go where we’re led
by our customers. We don’t force the direction. As the ski in-dustry
changes, we’ll change with it. We’re just going to con-tinue
doing what we do best.”
Lisa Gordon is a freelance writer and editor, and the owner of
Mustang Media. Contact her at lisa@mustangmediaservices.ca.
WARM WEARABLES
22 September 2020 | snowopsmag.com
/snowopsmag.com
link
/en.html
