High-quality products and world-class customer service, delivered at a fair price. Arctica was founded on these three principles. In response to the lack of affordable, high-quality products available to ski racers, Arctica set out to revolutionize ski racing. Constant innovation and product development are at the heart of what we do. So, we are so excited to introduce our latest innovation, NexGen. NexGen is our exclusive new ski race suit fabric developed together with our fabric partner. Available exclusively at Arctica, over two years of development went into our new race suit fabric with the goal of creating a faster, better-fitting suit.
What’s special about the NexGen race suit fabric?
In short: NexGen race suits are faster, more comfortable, and offer better range of motion.
NexGen has more elasticity than other ski race suit fabrics, which makes it feel stretchier. More stretch means a better fit for everyone, including a wider range of body types. This also allows for better range of motion in a race suit – no more constricted, hunched-over feeling. The new NexGen fabric is FIS-legal, in the fastest way possible. FIS regulates the air porosity of race suits, to eliminate the use of nonporous fabrics which are unsafe. The FIS regulation requires that there must be a minimum permeability of 30 litres per m2/se; our RaceFlex suits are precisely at that regulation.
Race suit outer layer engineered for maximum stretch and durability.
Why change the race suit?
At Arctica, we are always trying to find ways to improve our products. Just like every ski racer, we’re competitive, and constantly striving to do better. Sometimes opportunity for improvement lies in the design, sometimes it’s in another element, like the fabric. We challenged ourselves and suppliers to create a better ski race suit fabric which is how NexGen was created.
Middle layer of microcellular film allows precise amount of air flow for maximum speed within the FIS requirements.
How did we develop the NexGen race suit fabric?
We work very closely with our suppliers to identify opportunities and improvements. For NexGen, we had the vision of a faster, better-fitting race suit, and challenged our suppliers to develop it. The development process took about two years, with multiple rounds of trial and error. For each trial, we test the fabric in the lab, for both stretch and air porosity. If it works well in the lab, we make samples and test those. Through that process, we continually discuss how we can improve the quality until we reach a point where we feel like we’ve hit our goal.
Race suit inner layer wicks moisture to keep you dry and comfortable.
Let’s get technical – what’s NexGen made of?
The NexGen race suit fabric is a new 3-layer fabric. Each layer has a technical purpose. The outer layer is built to be as durable as possible, challenging the relatively delicate nature of stretch-knit fabrics. It makes for a race suit that will hold up longer to the tough demands of a ski racer. The center layer is a microcellular film that controls air porosity. In layman’s terms, it is like a sponge with little holes. The size of the little holes is very precise to allow the least amount of air to pass through and still be FIS-legal. The inner stretch layer’s wicking properties make for a dry and comfortable feel against the body.
Arctica NexGen ski racing suits
What about the rest of the suit?
All of the favorite Arctica race suit features are incorporated into the NexGen race suit. 9-panel anatomic construction for a great fit, with elastic thread to maintain stretch properties consistently across the entire suit. Strategically located removable padding allows for customization based on personal preference. A pass pocket located inside the front zipper provides a safe and convenient place to store your pass and credit card. A spring-loaded front zipper tab stays in place – no distracting, flapping pieces. Silicone grips inside the leg cuffs grip to boots for a secure fit.
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