First published March 20, 2014 in the Vancouver Sun (link)
Everyone else on the flight to Florida was likely thinking about beaches and warm weather, but Dimitri Poliderakis was still reflecting on the tough time he had keeping his face warm and his goggles fog free on a cold winter day skiing in Quebec.
Every scarf and face mask he tried out on his ski trip either left his goggles fogged up or his face freezing.
And so Poliderakis, who was flying to Florida for a family vacation, started thinking about creating the perfect scarf for skiing.
“It seemed like almost every piece of equipment had been optimized for performance, but the scarf hadn’t changed since the invention of the tube neck warmer,” Poliderakis said in an interview. “I tried on different types of scarves, balaclavas, polyester neck-warmers and face masks, as well as bandannas, but every one of these either slid down my face as they got wet and frozen, or worse, forced condensation to fog up my goggles.”
With four hours left on his flight, Poliderakis started drawing sketches of scarf prototypes, specifically intended for skiers and snowboarders. Fast forward a few years, and the Montreal entrepreneur believes he has now engineered a stylish, user-friendly scarf design that keeps skiers and snowboarders warm, dry, and comfortable.
North45 is a patent-pending Merino wool scarf, constructed with two overlapping parts. The main section of the scarf covers the face, and a bottom section covers the neck, allowing breath to escape in between the two areas and keeping the goggle lens free from fog.
The scarf is held in place by two magnets, one integrated into the scarf and a second one that attaches to ski goggles — any brand — with industrial strength 3M 2-sided tape.
This ensures the scarf stays in place to protect your face when you’re skiing or snowboarding but can be easily pulled down when you want to talk.
Early sales figures indicate interest in North45 is high. Following a successful crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter last December, where the start-up raised more than $8,000, surpassing its $5,000 goal, Poliderakis says he has already sold another 300 scarves at $49.99 each from the company website
Poliderakis said feedback from customers has been overwhelmingly positive but he is already planning new products. North45 is releasing a thinner version of the scarf at the beginning of next season.
For more information about North45, go to north45.ca.