"In March of 2005 two friends and I traveled to NW China and the Altai Mountains, searching for remnants of the ancient skiing traditions that come from this region. We traveled by horsedrawn sled and skis for 4 weeks and even though it was March and into early April the weather was quite cold, often below zero at night. I wore my Cumi hat pretty much the whole time I was there and loved it. Very warm but not clammy and a good fit that held its shape the whole time. When the weather was warmer or we were working hard I could tie the ears up. When it was really cold, I could pull the ears down and be cozy. Lots of good comments from the locals too. They are masters of felting and have recognized the warm qualities of this technique for over 1000 years. I hope to go back again this year in January to finish up the story and plan to use this as my main hat in what will be truly cold midwinter conditions. The hat will also be my main ski hat for skiing in the NW interior and BC. I have a zillion winter hats, but this is my favorite!"

Nils Larsen, telemark skier/owner of freeheels.com
Curlew, WA, USA