Key Points: Wool specialist, The original technical fiber, wool is best suited to active users, Small town values of quality and service

Story

For Ibex co-founder and Vermont sheep farmer Peter Helmetag, wool has always been a family matter. His grandfather owned a wool mill in Pennsylvania.  Peter followed his own bliss by climbing mountains in places like Himalaya, Scotland, Africa, Spain, and Canada. Nearly forty years later, Helmetag is still wearing the wool, but now he treats himself to much finer, softer, and higher-performing wool garments—the ones he started to help design when Ibex was born in 1997.

Peter met John Fernsell in 1997, the two men brought together their enthusiasm for outdoor pursuits as well as their vision for a company that could bring “new” wool garments to other climbers and backcountry skiers.  The inspiration for Ibex was born from an innate sense that wool was better than anything else for activities in the changeable outdoors.  Wool is obviously a superior choice because it works better and is more sustainable than synthetics.  It just feels right.

Ibex set up its headquarters in Woodstock, Vermont and still calls the small Vermont village home.   Today, Ibex crafts clothing for every season, offering a complete range of outdoor apparel including baselayers, midlayers, jackets, and accessories.  At the cornerstone of Ibex is the Merino fiber, and a passion for the renewable, ultra-soft, high-performing fabrics knitted from this extraordinarily dynamic fiber.

Ibex works directly with family-run sheep stations in the high-alpine pastures of New Zealand’s Southern Alps.  The fact that the farmers are committed to sustainable practices as they humanely guard their flocks and care for the land that has been passed down through generations inspires Ibex to be mindful of the environment in every stage of the production of their garments, from sheep to shelf.

Spring 2012 Update:  We have the Shak product in stock and of course a great selection of the vests and 17.5 micon products like the Nelson.

If you have not tried the 17.5 micron Ibex merino product, you will not believe what wool can feel like.  Comfortable, soft, naturally anti microbial (anti-stink) and with a tremendous comfort range due to the natural properties of wool!