Green Mountain Hardware

Mountain Hardware has developed a reputation for making serious gear for hardcore outdoor athletes since 1993, partnering with other industry leaders on products such as Windstopper fleece and Gore-Tex XCR. In 2003, the company was purchased by Columbia Sportswear but has still managed to differentiate itself among competitors by continuing to roll out state-of-the-art apparel with an uncompromising devotion to quality and features.

The new line of jackets is no exception. The Refugium (for men) and Radiance (for women) are low bulk, high fashion choices for people looking for some fancy technology in their outerwear.

Mountain Hardware has partnered with Ardica, a small San Francisco based company specializing in portable power sources to create an wiring system that is woven into the new jackets to support heat panels and charging system for personal portable electronics such as iPods and cell phones or others with an available USB charger. The heart of the new high tech hardware is a charging system that operates on seven small rechargeable batteries contained in a flexible foam sleeve, weighing less than a pound. Popular Science magazine claimed the system could deliver nine hours of heat or 11 iPhone charges before it needed to be plugged in.

Ardica has worked on projects in the past for the US Army designed to "significantly reduce the war fighter's operational burden and improve mission effectiveness through extended endurance of soldier-borne electronic systems" - although the system developed for the military is based on a fuel cell system, not batteries. Maybe some day...

The Refugium and the Radiance are due to be available later this month in a limited release - only 25 retailers will be offering them. The jackets themselves have an MSRP of about $230 and by the time you're done with the battery system ($145) and adapters ($50) you're going to be looking at a pretty pricy set up. Expensive? Sure. But if you are determined to be the most Renewable, Reliable and Remarkable ski bunny on the lift this winter, the new Mountain Hardware jackets might be just the ticket.