Real Life Stories

Julie Hutchinson-SmithHer 4-year-old loves his “GoTex” gear

"I was practically born in the woods and find I just cannot breathe unless I am 'out there' — especially skiing. I had cause to worry, however, when my son was born. I thought maybe my skiing days were over until he was much older.

He is 4 this year and thankfully this is his third year on snow! But this was the first year at a real ski area instead of our backyard. As we prepared for his first trip up the chairlift it began to sleet/rain/snow and everyone headed for the lodge ... but us. Undaunted by the horrific weather in our GORE-TEX® outerwear, we had the entire mountain to ourselves! We skied as many runs as we could before the mountain closed. We came in warm and dry, yea!

Then came the tantrum from having to go home. Most parents would cringe as to the magnitude of this tantrum. Not me. 'This is GREAT!!,' I thought secretly to myself with a coy smile. For this means my son is hooked and that, my friends, is a beautiful thing. My son now asks for his GORE-TEX® gear by name whenever it looks like even the slightest bit like crummy weather. He pronounces it 'GoTex,' which really fits if you think about it!

We're now looking forward to spring for his first backpacking trip. I'm sure he won't let me forget our GORE-TEX® outerwear and boots! Thanks GORE-TEX for securing a great future of outdoor endeavors with my family!!"

Julie Hutchinson-Smith, Mount Vernon, New York