Eddie Bauer introduces adaptive ski jacket and bibs
Eddie Bauer’s new BC Flyline Adaptive Ski Kit is a snow jacket and bib combo designed to meet the comfort and performance needs of sit skiers.
Designing and testing the BC Flyline Kit with Trevor Kennison | Eddie Bauer.
Michael Franz, New Mobility February 25, 2022
The BC Flyline Adaptive Jacket offers a waterproof polyester shell with synthetic insulation that stays warm when wet, and articulated sleeves and stretch material for more freedom of movement.
The BC Flyline Adaptive Bib features the same waterproof properties as the jacket with extra insulation in the hips, butt, and backs of the legs. The bib is designed without seams on the back to reduce pressure points and is shaped to help prevent the fabric from bunching up when seated. Insulated gaiters provide protection for the lower legs and prevent the pants from riding up. The bib also has adjustable suspender straps to accommodate different torso lengths, and a fabric cut that comes higher up the back to provide additional warmth and prevent the straps from falling off the skier’s shoulders.
The Flyline bibs, pictured here, have extra insulation in the rear and were designed to offer full coverage while seated. New Mobility
The BC Flyline Adaptive Bib features the same waterproof properties as the jacket with extra insulation in the hips, butt, and backs of the legs. The bib is designed without seams on the back to reduce pressure points and is shaped to help prevent the fabric from bunching up when seated. Insulated gaiters provide protection for the lower legs and prevent the pants from riding up. The bib also has adjustable suspender straps to accommodate different torso lengths, and a fabric cut that comes higher up the back to provide additional warmth and prevent the straps from falling off the skier’s shoulders.
Eddie Bauer collaborated with wheelchair user and mountain sport athlete Trevor Kennison to design the Flyline kit. “After years of skiing in traditional jackets and bibs, it became apparent that ski outerwear was not built for someone to use them in a sit ski like I was,” said Kennison in a release. “Working with the design team at Eddie Bauer allowed me to make sure this kit had all the features I had ever wanted. There were numerous rounds of testing and fine-tuning. I would take the kit into the field for a couple of days, then provide photos and notes on small adjustments for the designers to make until it was the perfect kit for a sit skier.”
The first production run will consist of 100 kits and Eddie Bauer has committed to continue production of its adaptive line regardless of its profitability. “I have no idea if there’s a market. We don’t have a financial expectation,” said Damien Huang, the CEO of Eddie Bauer. “We won’t stop doing it if it doesn’t grow in the future.”
The BC Flyline Adaptive Jacket is available in four sizes for $549, and the BC Flyline Adaptive Bib is also available in four sizes for $499.
| Designing and Testing the BC Flyline Kit with Trevor Kennison. Eddie Bauer athlete and pro skier Trevor Kennison is the first ever adaptive athlete to take on the Big Air Jump at the X Games, as well as the first to have participated in the Kings & Queens of Corbet’s in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Here, Trevor explains how he worked with the Eddie Bauer design team to build a sit-ski kit with unique features—such as pant legs that don’t roll up in a sitting position and zippers located in places that don’t put pressure on the spinal cord—to meet all his specifications on the slopes. Eddie Bauer. Youtube Jan 26, 2022 |
Source New Mobility
