Ski touring apparel · Test magazine 2025
Tech talk with Chris Mayer, W. L. GORE & ASSOCIATES
Product Specialist GORE-TEX Performance · Print page 144
Who is Chris Mayer? Product Specialist GORE-TEX Performance at Gore
Chris Mayer is Product Specialist GORE-TEX Performance at W. L. GORE & ASSOCIATES. He has worked at Gore since 2006, initially on Windstopper and GORE-TEX Snowsports. At the University of Bayreuth, he studied sport and economics for secondary-school teaching and earned a diploma in sports economics. Before joining Gore, he was a Senior Product Manager for Performance Running, Indoor and Tennis at a major Franconian sports company. His own mountain sports experience progressed from mogul skiing through freeriding to ski touring.
In the BACKLINE 2025 test magazine, Mayer explains the requirements for ski touring clothing: weather protection, breathability, low weight, freedom of movement and lasting durability must suit the intended use. He describes collaboration with brand partners on material selection and construction, alongside laboratory and field testing. He distinguishes waterproof GORE-TEX hardshells from windproof, non-waterproof Windstopper options for ascent-focused touring.
A key topic is the GORE-TEX product generation with an ePE membrane introduced in 2021, which Mayer says is PFAS-free and reduces CO₂ emissions. He also cites recycled outer fabrics, solution-dyed linings and electric rather than gas-powered steam generation at the Putzbrunn site. Alongside material quality, he emphasizes regular care to extend the useful life of weather-protective clothing.
GORE-TEX has been synonymous with weather protection for decades – what distinguishes your current technologies from older technologies?
Over 50 years ago, the invention of the microporous GORE-TEX membrane made the development of modern functional apparel, as we know it today, possible in the first place. The year 2021 marks the beginning of a new era: that's when we introduced a new GORE-TEX product generation with an ePE membrane. It is PFAS-free, reduces CO2 emissions, and at the same time meets the demands for weather protection and durability that people expect and are accustomed to from Gore.
Which innovations in your materials or laminates are specifically aimed at ski touring enthusiasts – and what are the biggest technological advances of recent years?
At Gore, we always develop new technologies with a 'Fit for Use' approach: meaning the products must be able to consistently perform what they are supposed to in practice. Ski touring is incredibly versatile: you need apparel that protects you even in the most extreme weather conditions. But it should also be as light as possible, shouldn't restrict you, and must be breathable. For two years now, three-layer GORE-TEX Performance apparel with the new ePE membrane technology has been available, which is also used by practically all our brand partners in their ski touring collections. This autumn sees the launch of the latest generation of GORE-TEX PRO products for extreme mountaineering and expedition use. 'PRO' has always been the highest standard and benchmark in terms of robustness and weather protection, combined with excellent breathability during intense physical exertion. To offer our brand partners suitable laminate technologies, all GORE-TEX technologies are developed on a scientific basis and continuously tested to the highest standards: from R&D and prototype development by brand partners to quality control of series production at manufacturing companies. To this end, we operate our own test labs at key locations worldwide: in the USA, China, and Germany. This is how we aim to ensure that our products are and remain high-performing. Trust is earned: we are constantly working to ensure that trust in us is justified. We make no compromises on performance.
Especially during ski tours, the climate is changeable – how do your technologies react to vastly different phases of exertion, such as ascent and descent?
Brand partners design their apparel for a specific application. They adapt the cut and features accordingly and select their materials from our comprehensive portfolio of various laminates. With our technologies and processing know-how, we support our brand partners in designing a meaningful, high-performing product for users. Design, application, materiality, and construction must all fit together. For example, is it about a universal all-round mountain jacket or a robust freeride jacket? Should it be an absolutely waterproof hardshell or an ascent-oriented, windproof but not waterproof jacket, which would be an optimal choice for many ski tours? For that, we also offer an ideal apparel solution with Windstopper technology. You don't have to worry about the purely mechanical durability of the laminates and apparel: our material tests begin long before we create a laminate from the aforementioned components. What the products endure in all development phases in our labs and later during field tests far exceeds what they encounter in practice with the end customer. This ranges from tear and abrasion resistance, crease and shrinkage behavior to colorfastness and absorbency. Physiologically, it looks a bit different: here, one's own body and physics set the limits. How does one sweat? What is the temperature difference between the body and the environment? The comfort and thus the practical usability of mountain sports apparel are significantly determined by breathability, as well as by feel and weight. It might surprise some: waterproofness plays a minor role. Because our membrane is always waterproof. The art is that it is simultaneously vapor-permeable, i.e., 'breathable.' Only this property makes apparel useful for strenuous sporting activities like ski mountaineering. To achieve maximum wearing comfort – because only then will the apparel be used willingly and meaningfully – these textiles must also be as soft and light as possible and function durably. And finally, the challenge is to combine all these properties in a laminate that is as robust as possible to ensure long durability. That's why we work closely with our brand partners. Even during series production, we continuously check a certain percentage of the manufactured products.
Sustainability has been a central topic in the outdoor industry for several years – what specific steps is Gore taking regarding more environmentally friendly membranes, recycling, and production?
At Gore, we consider everything holistically and responsibly, developing solutions on a scientific basis. Sustainable action has been an integral part of product development and strategic orientation at Gore Fabrics from the outset. The goal was and is to combine ecological and social responsibility with technical performance – long-term, fact-based, and in exchange with partners from industry and research. One example is the new GORE-TEX product generation with the ePE membrane. It is PFAS-free and reduces CO2 emissions. A large part of the outer fabrics consists of recycled polyamide or polyester, and practically all inner linings are spin-dyed, which enormously reduces water consumption. For example, we are also addressing the challenges of textile-to-textile recycling. While PET bottles are established as a raw material, the recycling of old textiles, for example, is significantly more complex. But we are not only responsibly developing our product technologies further, but also our manufacturing processes and the company itself. At our production site in Putzbrunn (near Munich), for example, a central gas-fired steam generation system was replaced by several decentralized electric steam generators – an important step towards reducing fossil fuels and increasing energy efficiency.
What does the future of weather protection apparel look like from your perspective – and what can ski tourers expect from Gore in the coming years?
What they could always expect from us: Fit for Use, best-in-class apparel that offers comprehensive, durable protection. For our waterproof GORE-TEX products, our globally unique quality promise has applied for over three decades: Guaranteed to keep you dry. We stand by the fact that the apparel you buy functions durably and do not pass on the responsibility to the brand partner or the buyer. Only for the regular care of their apparel are they themselves responsible. This is very simple, extends product life, maintains performance, and protects the environment and your wallet.
