Our relationship with Pertex® began in the spring of 2008, when we set out to build rain shells that were tough enough for the mountains but light enough to live in a pack. That partnership first showed up in the Revel and Reflexa Rain Collection, and later evolved into the Helium Rain Collection—now one of our longest-running best sellers. Nearly two decades later, that same Pertex®-driven DNA still runs through the gear our athletes rely on. In the trip report below, Ian Provo talks about his quick-strike mission into Wyoming’s Wind River Range with Max Djenohan and Neil Provo, where the Cloudchaser Kit, SuperStrand XT, and Super Alpine Down get put to the test. Words by OR athlete Ian Provo Within the first few miles of leaving the trailhead, I found myself deep in contemplation, my thoughts flooded with questions - Did I pack enough food? Too much food? How many pairs of socks did I bring? I hope I grabbed my Superstrand XT. Covering the essentials, I felt good about my pack job. It was the first week of May, 2025, when myself along with fellow OR teammates Max Djenohan and brother Neil Provo, joined three other friends for an eleven day ski tour loop through the Wind River Range. Mile after mile of slogging under the burden of heavy loads, fueled by excitement and anticipation, deeper, more critical questions filled my thoughts - did I bite off more than I can chew? Am I going to survive this tour? "The Winds" are notoriously rugged and remote. One hundred miles of granite encompassing the highest peaks of Wyoming, and a wilderness of astounding quality. There is no easy way to get there. The seventeen mile approach to our first camp was a reality check. I watched my younger partners, some of the strongest splitboarders I know who've been riding hard all year long, pull away into the unknown landscape. I was unprepared and I knew it, but was eager for an adventure. As a new father of a one year old boy, my time on skis leading up to the trip was limited. I was going from the couch right into the biggest ski tour of my life. I slogged into that first camp with my headlamp on, absolutely gassed, and threw down my massive pack. While the brutal one day approach took its toll on my body and spirit, the reward was waking up in position at the base of numerous granite masterpieces cloaked in ski lines. We hoped to ride as many as we could, then pack up and move camp to a new basin, repeating this process until the route was complete. I followed Neil and Max and a set of wolverine tracks to the base of a beautiful couloir on the south side of Fremont Peak, but couldn't continue. The guys charged ahead. I was cooked, and wondered if this is how my trip would go - struggling from one camp to the next, bypassing all of the radical high angle skiing that surrounded me. Our party carried on to the next camp, a dizzying trek under oppressive loads and a powerful spring sun whose rays were potent at eleven thousand feet. A never ending stream of sweat vapor poured from the leg vents of my Cloudchaser bibs with every stride. I collapsed when we reached our campsite, just happy to have made it from point B to point C. Once more, we were surrounded by epic ski lines situated in one of the most striking alpine basins in the country. The brilliant cosmos flashed with meteors from the Eta Aquariid stream and I hastily set up a time-lapse before surrendering to my sleeping bag. My ragged body was turning the corner, my strength was returning, and I was finally feeling optimistic for the days ahead. A fast moving, yet powerful storm was forecast for sometime during the middle of our trip. I wondered where we would be on the route when it hit, and if we'd have a safe spot to weather the elements. The winds arrived during the afternoon hours when we were miles away from camp exploring lines on the Dinwoody glacier. We realized we had left some critical pieces of gear out to dry back at camp, so we hustled back to prepare for the worst of it. After collecting sleeping bags and pads that had flown half a mile in either direction from camp, we battened down the hatches as the storm front hit. For the next sixteen hours our camp was rocked by storm force winds - lightweight tents toppled in the gusts, drifts of snow piled high on our sleeping bags. I happily endured the winter-like gale in my Super Alpine Down Parka which was a critical piece to my sleep system - having only brought an ultralight summer sleeping bag on the trip. We emerged from the storm with everything accounted for and just a little bit of damage to the tents. It was more blow than snow, and soon enough the sun and pleasant spring weather returned. A few more lines were ridden. My backpack straps didn't cut as deep as we scaled a 12,500' mountain pass en-route to our third camp. Waves of energy seemed to pour down from the awesome peaks above, powering each step and filling me with inspiration. My questions were being answered. Tears of joy rolled down my face as I crested the saddle and gazed into a deep valley and across more impressive mountains. The following day, I would celebrate my 39th birthday atop one of those summits. Struck with the realization that I was entering a new chapter as a father, that these types of trips might be less common, I savored the moment. After a few thousand feet of perfectly soft corn snow, our crew settled into another spectacular campsite. The valley offered up big alpine faces, flowing corn runs, and steep couloirs slicing through granite spires. It took a few days to ski a fraction of it. Under much lighter loads, we set out to close up the loop. The bulk of our pack weight had been eaten up and on the eleventh day we easily glided out of The Winds and down to the town of Pinedale. My thoughts now focused solely on visions of freshly cooked cheeseburgers. Shop Pertex Gear Lear More about Pertex Meet the Athletes: Ian Provo Max Djenohan Neil Provo
