These days, it’s not very often you see someone on the mountain without some sort of covering on their neck and face. Some prefer neck tubes, while others prefer balaclavas or even bandannas. The function of the products is the same—to keep the head, neck, and face dry and warm as well as protected from the sun—but not all neck tubes and balaclavas are created equal.
BlackStrap first came on to the ski and snowboard scene in 2010 when the brand introduced its first three products to market: a neck tube, a bandanna and the hood balaclava. While the neck tube is still in production and the bandanna has been discontinued, the hood balaclava is the real star of the BlackStrap show—always has been and seemingly always will be.
“Sixty percent of all of BlackStrap’s sales come just from the hood balaclava,” BlackStrap’s VP of Innovation, Jim Sanco, tells me over the phone. “The hood balaclava is what set the pace and set us apart from top to bottom, from the function to the colorways and all that stuff. Since then, with all the changes and all the things, where we’ve been and gone, a lot of the true form and functionality of that product remains unchanged.”
Available in both adult and kid sizes, the hood balaclava is made of the brand’s proprietary TREO fabric and unique hinge system for comfortable and functional wear. The fabric is a poly-nylon composite developed domestically by the brand that is both warm and breathable, quick-drying as well as rated UPF 50. Because BlackStrap is also a wholesale manufacturer and textile development company, all of the fabrics used by BlackStrap are exclusive to the brand, which means you can’t get this quality without the BS button attached.
“Another thing about our TREO fabric, and this is big for me—I’ve got two kids, and we live 20 minutes from the mountain, so it’s a part of our everyday life. Our fabrics are all extremely machine washable and dryable,” Sanco adds. “You don’t get that if you make anything out of plastic. If you make it out of a bottle, upcycled poly-pro, you just don’t get that. You’ll lose color, you’ll lose fit and form because, again, heat on plastic is going to mold. With our stuff, I take all of our base layers, face gear, everything, we’re not a laundry-sorting family, it all goes in together, dries together and it all comes out great. You don’t lose the fit and form, the color lasts and our fabric is second to none, it won’t crack, fade, peel, or anything like that. We make products that not only work great on-hill but also have a really long life.”
A brand dedicated to going really wide in color but narrow in style, BlackStrap’s offerings are strategic in their function but are offered in a wide array of unique colors and prints that have become synonymous with the brand. So whether you’re someone who prefers an all-black kit or someone who is the physical embodiment of the rainbow, BlackStrap has a hood balaclava, among other things, for every style that is guaranteed to protect your neck and face from the harsh winter and spring skiing elements day after day, season after season.
