At Countryside Ski & Climb we were in awe this week at the news that a Chinese scientist has developed the world's lightest substance - carbon aerogel - with a density only one sixth of that of the air. The stuff is pretty interesting, not just because it appeals to our natural curiosity about all things super-light but it may also tick the altruistic box with its application to environmental spill disasters.
Patagonia is another company that pushes boundaries in its field and their design mantra has always been to take everything away until you are left with only exactly what you need in a technical garment. Never was this better illustrated than in Patagonia’s M10 Jacket this spring. It is a masterpiece of minimalism and performance and took a lot of hard work and complexity to make it look so simple. OK, it’s not quite as light as carbon aerogel but at 229g for a 3-layer nylon hard shell, we’re pretty impressed.