Podcast

Ep. 18 - On Making Technical Apparel in the U.S. with Bill Amos

Aaron Gerry

on Feb 28, 2024

• 2 min read

It’s rare to find American-made climbing companies. NW Alpine is one of them.

🧊 About the episode

It’s rare to find American-made climbing companies. The shortlist includes the likes of Metolius, Organic, Misty Mountain, UnParallel, and a handful of rope producers.

It’s even rarer to find technical apparel made in the U.S., which makes NW Alpine so distinct. And by technical, I mean purpose-built clothing designed for the elements, not adventureleisure masquerading as such.

Anywho, the idea for NWA was born out of the 2008 financial crisis. Founded by Bill Amos, a quote-unquote “climber dude” at the time, he wanted to understand what was happening and brushed up on economics. He concluded that basing the economy on financial shenanigans instead of manufacturing wasn’t the way to go.

So, his solution to one of the worst recessions in the history of the country was to create a pair of pants. At its height, the company employed 75 people and put millions back into the local economy.

In this episode, we talk about how NW Alpine is developing innovative apparel (in the true sense of the word), the economic and free trade factors that led to mass offshoring, and how many of your favorite brands are making huge profits off the back of exploited labor.

NWA harkens back to an older ethos for climbing companies. I particularly enjoyed this chat and hope you do too.

"What we're trying to do is just build a layer that lasts a really long time. People talk about sustainability and that sort of stuff and recycled materials, and a lot of that's largely just marketing bullshit from a energy consumption perspective. All that recycled material isn't any better than, you know, using virgin polyester.

There's always going to be waste in manufacturing. You can't make something and not have some consequence. But what we want to do is make less stuff and make it last longer."

🧊 Resources and links

Bill is graciously giving away two Black Spider Hoodies for listeners — one men’s and one women’s. To enter, head to our Instagram @ice_ice_beta to find the details.

Here is the video of Sir James Goldsmith predicting the future impact of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) in an interview with Charlie Rose (which we reference in the episode). And NW Alpine's blog also has a lot of great trip reports from the past 14 years.

This is the "contentious" IG post where Bill breaks down how much overseas workers are paid to make expensive outdoor apparel. He also shares insights on his LinkedIn.

You can connect with Bill:

📸 @nwalpinegear | 🔗 nwalpine.com

🧊 Credits

Episode cover photo provided by the NW Alpine courtesy of GearJunkie

Intro music by Hannah Noelle Enomoto (thanks, sis!).

🧊 Sponsors:

Big thanks to Blue Ice for supporting this show!

Blue Ice: Blue Ice is the best kind of ice, and also my choice when it comes to fast and light ice climbing gear. Their Aero Lites go in like a hot knife through butter and their climbing packs hit the sweet spot between function and lightweight. Designed to get to the point in the alpine, their gear is tested by mountain professionals between the Alps and the Wasatch. If you’re looking to get to the point too — and with a little less weight on your kit, check out Blue Ice’s gear at blueice.com or your favorite local retailer.