glungezer Archives - polychromelab

Alpine Proof: World’s Highest Alpine Lab

5. Juni 2015/in adventure

Moving to Serfaus Fiss Ladis: World’s Highest Textiles Research Lab

A pile of moving boxes and trunks. The change of scenery takes shape. A change of scenery in the name of innovation. When we first introduced Alpine Proof we located world’s highest textiles research lab at the Glungezer on 2610 meters. This site is unique and extreme, but it isn’t extreme enough for Alpine Proof’s aims: At our new destination Serfaus Fiss Ladis Alpine Proof is able to analyse the interaction of man and textile under strain in alpine regions even better. The goal is to pursue innovation to its very limits to get world’s best textiles.

Part 2: How to Move an Alpine Lab?

To achieve our goals we take on us this extra workload the move means and dismantle Alpine Proof alpine lab at Glungezer and rebuild it in Serfaus Fiss Ladis. This is how it’s done: Weather at Glungezer always was indescribably extreme, one of a kind, majestic, about what it is remembering us on that very day like it’s trying to make our goodbye and move to Serfaus even harder.

And there it was! It’s spring in Tyrol and everywhere snow! It took only one night and suddenly one needs a quad to transport stuff of Alpine Proof alpine lab from 2610 meters into the valley. Thanks again to Gregor from Gufl youth hostel for borrowing us his quad!

After this uphill rollercoaster ride we started packing. This equipment contains a meteo station, batteries for solar panels from Goal Zero, concrete which we initially needed for fixing, cabels, dummies and our ergometer mountainbike which soon is enjoying the view on upper Inntal.

Here’s part one of our moving story of moving to Serfaus Fiss Ladis.

Continue reading our story with part three: the rocky trail of innovation.

Night Skiing vs. Product Test

6. März 2015/in adventure

Product Test at Night Skiing in Tyrol

Equiped with headtorches and a go pro we started at 2610 meters from our textiles research lab next to the Glungezer Hütte in Tyrol. In winter there are always some repairs to do. Additionally measured data by sensors, which we fixed to jackets for product testing, gives us insight concerning their functionality and resilience against exposure to nature.

Unfortunately work took longer as expected this time, so we had to go for night skiing on our way home. Beeing experienced with such incidents we had headtorches with us. Knowing the downhill route quite well after years of fieldtesting and product development at Mount Glungezer night skiing off the slopes wasn’t that dangerous.

At the Ready for Serial Production

Out and about in nature and Tyrol’s mountain range equipment easily is stretched to its limit. The wearout of gear is high, beeing outdoor about 300 days a year. When one is freezing, sweating, or feeling unpleasantly wind, or having to bear nature in any other way, one gets a lot of ideas of what else to wear to feel more comfortable concerning clothes.

At the ready, as you can see on the pictures, are new whole-body-clothing concepts, which we want to realise using polychromelab’s 3 layer laminate. By now there are only ideas and first prototypes to be tested at night skiing, but soon there will be more to tell.

Blog about Freeride in Tyrol

12. Januar 2015/in media

Blog Tirol interviews polychromelab about Freeride in Tyrol

Blog Tirol interviews Elisabeth Frey and designer Michele Stinco from polychromelab about their work at the Glungezer and Freeride in Tyrol. Both Elisabeth Frey and Michele Stinco are passionate athletes, especially in winter when freeride skiing is possible. Mount Glungezer is a tradtional, small ski region in Tyrol, which offers outstanding freeride conditions and slopes. Here one can “experience nature originally”, it is one of the best places for freeride in Tyrol.

Here you can read the german article about polychromelab and freeride on Blog Tirol. Thanks for this great post!

If you like articles from Blog Tirol, you can follow them here: Tyrol on Google+

And finally some impressions of a working day at mount Glungezer including an after work freeride skiing downhill. Enjoy the pictures!

Outdoor summer 2014 with polychromelab – part 2

16. September 2014/in adventure

A reversible jacket to rule them all

Did you miss the first part of our outdoor summer review 2014? No problem, you can read the full article here: Outdoor Summer Part 1. Today we continue with the story of polychromelab in a nature, in which a reversible jacket is needed, to be prepared for everything.

Good to hear that the OEAV recommends polychromelab jackets. On the picture you can see Gerald Aichner on a cycling tour through Greece.

oeav gerald aichner fahrrad jacke outdoor

For our alpine research lab polychromelab 2610 at the Glungezer in Tyrol we have bought a mountainbike to test performance in high altitude.

You won’t believe it, but this picture is taken in June. Michele Stinco is trailrunning on snow. Luckily a polychromelab reversible jacket has a cooling and a warming side. Simply reverse!

trailrunning tyrol summer with reversible jacket

Conclusively we want to thank everybody who had helped to win the Eurobike Award 2014 for our reversible cycling jacket in collaboration with Pedaled.

wendejacke fahrradjacke pedaled polychromelab eurobike award

An exciting summer comes to an end. If you want your friends to know about the story of polychromelab, share the pictures on Facebook, Twitter and Google+. Thanks 🙂

Bilder zum Jacken-Test Glungezer

28. August 2014/in alpine proof

Outdoor Jacke in der Natur am Glungezer getestet

Der Glungezer liegt in der Nähe von Hall in Tirol und ist daher perfekt für das Textilforschungs-Hochgebirgslabor von polychromelab. Am Glungezer herschen aufgrund einmaliger Lage Wetterverhältnisse wie im Himalaya. Am Glungezer Jacke zu testen, ist hilfreich für die Produktentwicklung. Die Methode der Freibewitterung simuliert Tragestunden einer Jacke in der Natur.

Polychromelab hat sich dazu entschieden Produkte nicht am Schreibtisch hinter verschlossenen Fenstern zu entwickeln, sondern angewandte Forschung zu betreiben und Textilien unter Realbedingungen zu entwerfen. Denn draußen in der Natur bekommt man direkt ein Feedback, was eine Outdoorjacke wirklich aushalten muss. Darum werden polychromelab Produkte vom Moment der Idee an immer auch in der Tiroler Natur in den Bergen getestet.

Eine richtige Bergjacke: getestet am Glungezer

Eine wahre Bergjacke wird natürlich auch in den Bergen entwickelt. Das Testlabor am Glungezer macht es uns möglich, Jacken wissenschaftlich unter realen Wetterbedingungen zu testen. Im alpinen Hochgebirgslabor am Glungezer sammeln wir Wetterdaten und Leistungsdaten der Produkte und können auf diese Weise später garantieren, dass eine Glungezer Jacke auch hält, was sie verspricht.

Willst du eine echte am Glungezer getestete Jacke kaufen, dann schau in den polychromelab concept store. Oder schau dir den ZDF Fernsehbericht Auf dem Dach Europas über polychromelab und den Glungezer hier an.

Alpine Proof on Alpbachforum

22. August 2014/in Behind the Scences, Hinter den Kulissen

Alpine Proof – the alpine seal of approval

On the european Forum Alpbach the Standortagentur Tirol arranged on thursday 22.08.2014 the 13th technology-brunch. Representatives of Tyrol and Vorarlberg and diverse companies were there to talk about innovative research on textiles.

The most considerable project amongst others is the collaboration between polychromelab 2610 and the institutes for textile physics (Prof. Dr. Thomas Bechthold) and for ski and alpine (Prof. Mag. Dr. Werner Nachbauer) of the university of Innsbruck. Made possible by the support of the OEAV section Hall and the Glungezer Hütte there is now a chance for apparel companies to scientifically test their products and textiles under real conditions in the tyrolean nature.

Through the conception of polychromelab – because we put emphasis on apparel that keeps its promises – the project Alpine Proof came to live. Broad collaboration and financial support will take applied science for textiles to the next level. In winter 2013/2014 the first testing session already took place: tents by the german company Heimplanet were testet in the polychromelab 2610.

Here is the official news release by Standortagentur Tirol:

OTS_Alpbach_Forum_Alpine-proof

Are you interested in what a jacket that was tested in the nature of Tyrol is able to bear, then visit the polychromelab concept store.

Sport+Mode interviews Michele Stinco

27. Juli 2014/in media

The journal SpoMo Sport+Mode has heard from polychromelab because of the innovative way of product development. In the interview with Michele Stinco Viktoria Will presents the story of polychromelab and its alpine scientific research laboratory on the Glungezer in Tyrol.

Read the full interview in SpoMo Sport+Mode: Sport+Mode SpoMo Interview Michele Stinco polychromelab

The Cave under snow

14. Juni 2014/in alpine proof

After 7 hours of shovelling it was finally done: 5 meters wide, 3 meters deep. Quantities of snow.

We tested the tent The Cave by Heimplanet this winter in our alpine laboratory at the Glungezer, Tyrol this winter. The Cave was exposed to extreme conditions like storm and snow and stood the test. But the heavy snowfalls in spring buried the tent under meters of snow. Only now when snow is melting we could lift the tent.

3 months under masses of snow: The Cave is looking brand new and functioning flawlessly. An extreme test which wasn’t scheduled but brought quality to daylight.

www.heimplanet.com