ArmaSkin News March 2022

Inspiration for the times   (Iran)

At ArmaSkin News our style is to feature folks who are wearing and generally loving our anti-blister socks.

But in this special time of international stress and tragedy we are breaking that rule and reporting on one inspiring woman who we are pretty sure is not wearing ArmaSkin.   We've not interviewed Leigh, known by the instagram handle @remoteleigh, but have figured out that she has Aussie roots but those roots haven't stopped her from travelling the globe including living for long periods in USA, as well as Japan and Georgia. In her own words: "I now find myself too Americanized to be seen as Australian, too Australian to be accepted as American and too curious about the planet to be tied to one nationality".

Currently Leigh is hiking solo across Iran.  (currently about day 43)

One of her recent posts says it all:

"While salt cave exploring on Hormuz Island, a young Iranian woman approached me to ask about my walk.
She had passed me a few kilometres back - waving as a back seat passenger in an island Tuk Tuk.
Visiting her family in Iran, (she now lives in Montreal) she was surprised to see a Western woman walking solo in Iran.
Why Iran, she asked.
Because it’s needed and long overdue, I replied. The West has failed to separate people from politics in Iran. My Iranian friends have been vilified and demonized over the years. Iranophobia never improved - it continues to get worse.
Iran is a beautiful country, stunning landscapes and the kindest people I’ve ever met. The world needs to know and see this!
Taken back by my explanation, she placed her hand across heart and thanked me.
Her parting words, I hope the West listens and follows your posts."

Ditto

Camping with Penguins     (Antarctica)

Over the last month Leslie has been experiencing the wonders of Antarctica.

"It’s 3:45 am. I’m lying on top of my sleeping bag, without a hat, socks or gloves on, sweating inside a tent in Antarctica . I can hear the iceberg-laden waters lapping a lullaby against the shore and the distant rumblings of glaciers calving. Something is happening out there and I'm eager to document it. I quietly slip on my @armaskin_protection socks and unroll @arcteryx warmest parka designed for the harshest conditions which I had stuffed into its own sack as a pillow. I can't wait to test this parka and see how resistant it is to wind and water. I extract myself from our tent, slip on the boots provided (@iaato_org has strict rules about not tracking pests or peeing or leaving or taking anything from this continent ) and posthole out as far as I dare to leave the safety of our camp. I make my way towards the shoreline until I could hear waves striking rocks. Turning off the red light of my headlamp, I am immediately engulfed in darkness. I could barely see my fingers in front of my face. At first, I feel exposed, vulnerable, which is unusual for someone who grew up camping, hiking, spelunking, mountaineering and fishing. Someone who came to Antarctica precisely to be alone with the coldest, driest, windiest, most hostile place on Earth.

A series of calving one after another like dominoes, ripples in greater volume. I could feel the ground trembling. Water rushes towards me, tries to swallow me. I cringe, expecting to be swept away into the channel. After my heart beat rises, the water calms down and I settle down into the soft snow. Surprisingly I don’t feel cold at all, cozy in my parka and completely waterproof in the Arc’teryx GORE-TEX bib I use for snowboarding. I doze. I listen. I breathe. Out of the darkness, blacks brighten to grays. There is no sunrise, just a gradual increase in contrast. I hear a whale surface for air. Kelp gulls tweet a sunrise greeting. And just when I start to worry that maybe I shouldn't be sitting out here by myself, I see six gentoo penguins take form not a stone’s throw away. They are all sleeping, some with their necks tucked into their backs, perfectly camouflaged in the austere black and white landscape."

You can see more posts from Leslie on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/lesliehsuoh/ 

Catracho on the PCT   (from Honduras to USA)

Erick is an ArmaSkin Ambassador and he reports that very happily he is one of the few on the Pacific Crest Trail over the first 200 miles who has avoided blister problems, 

That's Erick featured above and in our lead picture.

So far the Trail conditions have been pretty good with low temperatures and only a little bit of rain.

Although now living in the USA, including having served in the US armed forces, Erick is hoping to be the first Catracho (that's a person from Honduras) to complete the PCT. 

Erick is taking the right spirit into this adventure knowing that the 6 months and 2650miles of the PCT will throw all sorts of challenges at him.

"One of the best parts is not really knowing where I'll end up sleeping, what I'll end up seeing or where I'll get to see the next sunrise from.    I have yet to be disappointed"

You can follow Erick on Instagram via this link   https://www.instagram.com/dogfoot_trailing/   And if you do please say Hi for us!

Camino update   (France / Spain)

Over recent weeks we've been contacted by a slew of folks preparing for their Camino.  This is such a refreshing return to the world we used to know.

The Camino de Santiago, known in English as the Way of St James, is a network of pilgrims' ways or pilgrimages leading to the shrine of the apostle Saint James the Great in the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia in north western Spain, where tradition holds that the remains of the apostle are buried.

Roughly speaking it is 500 miles of medieval type paths, landscapes and towns spread across 15 regions of Spain.  Overnight stays for pilgrims are provided by regulary placed and affordable (read no frills) and friendly auberges.

Awhile back we wrote a blog post with hints for blister proofing your Camino experience.

Here's a link in case you are interested: https://www.armaskin.com/blogs/armaskin/socks-for-a-blister-free-camino

Yukon 2020 is getting closer!!!   ( Arizona / Canada / Alaska )

For over 2 years now we've been anticipating the start of Art Huseonica's attempt to canoe the length of the Yukon.  For obvious Covid reasons that was delayed by two seasons.  We say "seasons" because the Yukon River is free of ice over its entire length for only 5-6 months of the year.

May is typically the start of the big thaw!

Not long after the thaw begins. Arizonian, and ArmaSkin Ambassador, Art will be dropping his canoe into that icy water!

While for the majority of the trip Art will be going solo he has been able to enhance the impact of his adventure by sharing the journey from time to time with one of the Yukon Territory's First Nations' representatives who will paddle a segment of the Yukon River with him.  Here's a pic of Coralee Johns, a member of the Wolf Clan in the Ta'an Kwach'an Council. She's versed in the Yukon fisheries, specializing in salmon and will be sharing the excitement as well as her wealth of knowledge with Art..

Dare we say it might mean that Art might have an inside chance of some fresh salmon on the barbie?

And yes, Art will be using ArmaSkin daily as their ability to keep his feet dry will be a great asset in what will be damp and cold times with relatively little foot movement to generate internal warmth.

You can follow Art's preparation and adventure via his Instagram account  https://www.instagram.com/kartshuseonica/   This is not to be missed!  We have visions of this being one extreme challenge against the elements!

And just for fun this is how part of the Yukon is looking before the thaw!.

Sweco Adventure Team  (Sweden)

It was great to see this report from Fredrik Nylan over in Sweden.  Fredrik is part of the Sweco Adventure Team (Sweden) and competes in Adventure Racing world championships.

Adventure racing (also called expedition racing) is typically a multidisciplinary team sport involving navigation over an unmarked wilderness course with races extending anywhere from two hours up to two weeks in length. Some races offer solo competition as well. The principal disciplines in adventure racing include trekking, mountain biking, and paddling although races can incorporate a multitude of other disciplines including climbing, abseiling, horse riding, skiing and white water rafting. Teams generally vary in gender mix and in size from two to five competitors, however, the premier format is considered to be mixed gender teams of four racers. There is typically no suspension of the clock during races, irrespective of length; elapsed competition time runs concurrently with real time, and competitors must choose if or when to rest.

Fredrik wrote, "Soon the competition is up and running for us and I thought I would take the opportunity to share some thoughts around my feet.
After many years of competition, the constant question has been. How to keep your feet in decent status during an adventure race? Now I think I have gotten the answer a little closer. Have tested socks from Armaskin for over a year.
It has worked superbly for me. Drove with those socks during the World Cup in Spain and have never had better feet. They have worked well in all conditions. When it has been warmer, I have only driven with them. During the winter I have driven with wool socks over.

ArmaSkin Toe Socks 

ArmaSkin recently undertook a satisfaction survey with customers who had purchased our new novel ArmaSkin Toe Socks.  As anyone who has tried on ArmaSkin they are a bit tricky to put on so adding toes into the mix is a real challenge.

The results happily indicated that, while certainly not yet reaching the level of satisfaction that we aim for, the toe socks are finding a niche of wearers who have special concerns related to their toes and are now fans of the toe socks.

We thank sincerely all the people who responded to our survey.  Some small design changes are being developed and we will be including a feedback form in packs for future sales.  Any feedback you can provide on this product is greatly appreciated.

ArmaSkin recently undertook a satisfaction survey with customers who had purchased our new novel ArmaSkin Toe Socks.  As anyone who has tried on ArmaSkin they are a bit tricky to put on so adding toes into the mix is a real challenge.

The results happily indicated that, while certainly not yet reaching the level of satisfaction that we aim for, the toe socks are finding a niche of wearers who have special concerns related to their toes and are now fans of the toe socks.

We thank sincerely all the people who responded to our survey.  Some small design changes are being developed and we will be including a feedback form in packs for future sales.  Any feedback you can provide on this product is greatly appreciated.

Customers Outside Australia Please Note:

For international deliveries, our new freight charge rate is a flat rate of $19 per delivery which includes the cost of tracking.

An additional IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT  is that if you are overseas and order 3 or more pairs then we will waive the freight cost entirely!

We do remind you also that we have resellers in major markets including USA, UK and many parts of Europe.   

Here's a link to our reseller list.

FOR THE AVID HIKER:  ArmaSkin Hiking Magazine :
This is a FREE curated collection of Hiking articles!

If you would like to get a regular dose of FREE articles for hikers please subscribe to our online ArmaSkin Hiking Magazine.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE LATEST EDITION

If you are a BLOGGER or have an interest in reaching this community, we might very well include your material in our Magazine for free.    Just email ian@armaskin.com to discuss.

ArmaSkin is Australia's own top selling, locally made, anti-blister liner sock.

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