We’ve already seen (or haven’t) the nearly invisible waterproof zippers that Columbia introduced on its sportswear designed for various Olympians competing at Sochi. But the uniforms designed specifically for the US moguls ski team have another hard-to-spot feature that could give them a small advantage in competition.
Despite the hilly terrain they have to tackle, moguls skiers are judged on how smoothly they make their way down a bumpy course. So Columbia developed the subtle “snow camouflage” pattern used from the mid-waist down on the outfits pictured above to break up the white fabric and help mask body movements during a run.
The idea is to make a skiier’s movements look smoother down a run, when in fact they’re probably bouncing around just as much as their competitors. So is trying to fool the judges this way cheating? It certainly isn’t against the rules. And in this day we’ve all but accepted that equipment plays a huge role in an athlete’s success — whether or not that goes against the original intent of the Olympic games. [Gear Junkie]
Picture: Patrick Deneen/Getty Images