Retired ski patrol jackets from a Michigan ski resort are getting a second life far away from the slopes. Boyne Mountain has partnered with Vermont-based BirdieBlue to turn used ski patrol uniforms into a limited collection of bags rather than sending the old outerwear into storage or the waste stream.
The new Boyne Mountain Ski Patrol Collection is made from actual retired patrol jackets that previously spent their working lives on the mountain through powder days, storms, rescues and early-morning patrol operations. BirdieBlue is thoughtfully chopping up the old uniforms and rebuilding the material into fanny packs, sling bags and larger carry-all bags, with each finished piece retaining different colors, pockets, zippers and other details from the original patrol gear. Because the source material varies from jacket to jacket, no two bags are exactly the same.
Old Patrol Jackets Get A New Job
BirdieBlue specializes in turning discarded ski, snowboard and outdoor apparel into new accessories. The company’s upcycling process starts by manually breaking down old jackets, ski pants and other technical outerwear. Rather than simply saving the largest fabric panels, BirdieBlue says it attempts to reuse components including zippers, elastic cuffs and waistbands before sorting the recovered material into new designs.
“Every year, 92 million tons of clothing waste ends up in landfills. To put this in perspective, that is the equivalent of a garbage truck dumping a full load of clothes in a landfill every second. This is where BirdieBlue comes in. Your “garbage” becomes Birdie’s Treasure. BirdieBlue is committed to keeping as much of this textile waste out of landfills as possible.” -BirdieBlue
According to BirdieBlue, the retired jackets have been transformed into three products: a $59 fanny pack, a $139 carry-all and a $159 sling bag.
Each is handmade in Vermont from the former Boyne Mountain uniforms. The old patrol colors and recognizable pieces of the original jackets remain visible in the finished bags and the end product is super cool.
It Fits Into Boyne Mountain’s Larger Waste Goals
Finding another use for old uniforms also lines up closely with an existing sustainability goal at Boyne Mountain. Under the resort’s ForeverProject sustainability program, Boyne specifically lists increasing waste diversion from landfills as one of its objectives. One of the methods identified by the resort is partnering with outside organizations to donate or repurpose items, including uniforms and equipment.
Boyne Mountain is part of Boyne Resorts, which has set a goal of reaching net-zero emissions across its operations by 2030. The Michigan resort’s efforts include a 1.7-megawatt solar array containing 4,316 panels, efficiency improvements, recycling and other projects intended to reduce waste and energy use.
Turning used patrol uniforms into bags is a much smaller piece of that effort, but it addresses a problem familiar throughout the ski industry. Employee uniforms can take considerable abuse over several winters and eventually become unsuitable for their original purpose even when portions of the material remain usable.
Instead of treating the end of a jacket’s patrol career as the end of the garment altogether, the upcycling process salvages what is left.
BirdieBlue Has Been Doing This With Other Ski Areas
Boyne Mountain is not the first resort to hand over old uniforms to BirdieBlue. The Vermont company has previously worked with Stratton Mountain, turning retired ski jackets, lift attendant coats and mountain host uniforms into limited-edition bags.
BirdieBlue has also worked with outdoor brands and organizations on similar projects involving gear that was damaged, unsellable or otherwise at the end of its original useful life. That makes the Boyne Mountain collection part of a growing effort to find uses for technical outerwear that cannot simply be resold as used ski gear.
Very cool small business out of the great state of Vermont, check out the new Boyne collection and more HERE.
