“As we started this company, it was all about taking wool to a more technical place,” said Timm Smith of Voormi, makers of high-performance wool garments in Colorado’s San Juan Mountains. “Can we make something that is soft and sweater-like in nature, thermal like a fleece, but gives you a whole added degree of protection against wind and weather?”
The answer is yes.
Since they quietly emerged in the outdoor industry, Voormi has built a dedicated following and consumers can’t get enough. Today, their award-winning pieces are a must for skiers, hunters, anglers and climbers.
Using soft-select Merino wool from ranchers in the Rocky Mountains, Voormi has developed ways to push its natural attributes even further, making base layers, insulating layers and now even outerwear pieces that are as rugged as a burlap sack but as soft as an old blanket.
Founder Dan English leaned on his career in the outdoor industry to develop his concepts, while his son, Dustin, tested their prototypes against the harsh conditions of Denali in Alaska, where he guides climbers on the highest mountain in the nation. Dustin’s sister, Megan, also puts Voormi ideas to the test while working on the ski patrol at Wolf Creek Ski Area up the road, among the most brutal conditions in the lower 48.
They call their model a micro-brew approach – small batches of high-quality products. There’s no corporate sponsorship here.
“Our products will be on Everest because guides bought our products and put them on Everest,” Smith said.
We stopped by their headquarters in Pagosa Springs, Colorado, to get a closer look at what they’re all about, and see how they are taking wool to new heights.
