“How does designing specialist, ergonomically driven protective apparel for winter sports increase how safe or secure an athlete feels when wearing the clothing?”
Abstract:
Within the outdoor apparel industry there are various components required in creating weatherproof and climate specific clothing. Clothing taken into the wilderness by freeride skiers and snowboarders must fit seamlessly to an individual’s muscle structure. Ergonomically driven clothing made for this type of sport must not only keep an athlete physically safe and comfortable but mentally secure. Freeride skiing and snowboarding is considered one of the most dangerous competitive and recreational snow-sports with riders navigating often uncharted natural terrain. To understand how clothing affects these athletes’ psychological, and consequently physical performance, one must address ergonomics, body movements, and individual variations within designing specialist protective outdoor apparel. This thesis examines a wide range of examples from scientific journals to address different components required for technical apparel design. These include studies on human factors, ergonomics and materials, and case studies on extreme athletes and their psychological tendencies. Rossi’s heat balance equation: M-W=E+R+C+K+S (2009), garment design, insulation and body mapping in Havenith et al. (2011), and the Sensation Seeking Scale (SSS) developed by Cohen (2016) are all primary examples used within this thesis to further prove the link between the comfort and protection of technical apparel, and how it can positively impact an athlete’s performance within extreme winter sports. These three sections are paramount in the design of outdoor apparel, in order to enhance an athlete’s experience and create garments that work with the body to process both bodily and environmental changes. In addition to this, advances in research into the field of cold climate technical apparel will be investigated, alongside its enormous potential to develop more innovative and sustainable ways to design customised and specialist clothing for athletes exposed to the harsh climates seen in the remote mountains around the world.
For the full text, please contact Abigail via the email which can be found on the 'BIO' page.
Copyright Abigail Burgess, 2019.
