The Alaska Pacific University Nordic Ski Center has started testing its new high-end custom race suits, body mapped with carbon fibers to enhance temperature management in all conditions. Thanks to a partnership with CRAFT Sportswear North America, APU will benefit from the same high tech design apparel as the Swedish National Nordic ski team.
From the elite team to the junior club, APU will be training and racing in CRAFT custom gear, creating a unified look across all APU programs.
“We got our one piece race suits this week, and have been able to test them out in intervals during training,” said Becca Rorabaugh, a member of the APU Nordic Elite team. “The legs are the perfect combination of fitted and fast, while the top allows the shoulders range of motion.”
Rorabaugh equated the team’s new race and training gear options with selecting the perfect skis for snow conditions.
“It’s important for skiers to optimize our layers so that we can train in any conditions, whether we’re dealing with horizontal sleet at 35ºF on Eagle Glacier, 0ºF in Fairbanks, or perfect 20ºF extra blue tracks in West Yellowstone,” Rorabaugh said. “As professional skiers, we spend a lot of time perfecting our ski selection for all different snow types and temperatures. The best skis often test well in a range of conditions, so why should our training and racing gear be any different?”
Anchorage communications firm, Yuit LLC, designed the custom suits that CRAFT produced. The Craft team says they could not be more excited about the new partnership and will be cheering for the APU team throughout the season.
Craft’s new Nordic custom program offers world-class performance and personalized service, with Elite and Performance collections designed for professional athletes and teams of all levels.
About CRAFT: CRAFT is the pioneer of functional apparel for serious athletes. Since 1977 CRAFT has devoted itself to developing innovative clothing built to withstand extreme weather in all conditions. CRAFT works closely with its many sponsored athletes and national teams, and focuses on designing the highest performance gear. The brand’s foundation is its authentic understanding and love for the sporting culture, reflected in its strong involvement in cross-country skiing, biking, running and alpine skiing. Constantly working on optimizing construction technologies and innovative materials, CRAFT Sportswear is the ideal training and competition gear for all activities year-round. For more information on Craft in North America, visit www.craftsports.us.
