STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, Colo. (October 24, 2007) ­ SmartWool®, a leading performance brand of wool-based apparel, socks and accessories, recently announced the continuation of its partnership with the U.S. Ski Team and U.S. Snowboarding as the official sock supplier through 2011. The partnership, that spans nearly a decade, reinforces SmartWool¹s commitment to those who exude the SmartWool lifestyle and strive for athletic excellence.

“We are delighted to continue our relationship and help America¹s best snow sports athletes prepare each winter for competition around the globe as well as get ready for the highest level of international competition when the eyes of the world are watching in 2010,” said Gardner Flanigan, SmartWool marketing director.

Made in the USA, SmartWool¹s PhD Ski Racer and PhD Snowboard Light were designed in conjunction with the U.S. Ski Team and U.S. Snowboarding. The new socks meet the demands of the high performance athlete facing various conditions. These elite technical racing socks were created with SmartWool¹s patented PhD technology and feature the four degree banded fit system. The socks are designed to provide ultimate feel under foot with sport specific cushioning in critical areas.

“SmartWool is a great long-running partner of the Teams,” said Ted Morris, the Team’s vice president of sales and marketing. SmartWool continues to provide our athletes with the most comfortable and top-performing product available and we are very excited to carry on our phenomenal partnership as we head to Vancouver.”

The U.S. Alpine Ski Team will be the first team to compete in the 2008 SmartWool elite racing socks when the World Cup opens on the Rettenbach Glacier in Soelden, Austria, Oct. 27-28. The athletes will face multiple weather and performance conditions throughout the competitive season that concludes the end of March each year.

“It’s good to have SmartWool supporting our athletes with product that keeps them going all season long,” Morris said.

Consumers can learn more about this year’s product as well as place an order at www.smartwool.com or shop.usskiteam.com.
SmartWool also is available for purchase in many outdoor and sporting good retail shops.

About SmartWool:
A wholly owned subsidiary of The Timberland Company, SmartWool® is a leading performance brand of wool-based apparel, socks and accessories. Nothing can compare to SmartWool® products for the ultimate in performance, comfort and easy care. SmartWool® fiber is superior at vaporizing moisture, controlling temperature and odor and is guaranteed not to shrink. It¹s also a renewable resource that illustrates the design genius of evolution. For information on the full range of SmartWool® products or to find a dealer near you, please log onto SmartWool¹s award winning website: www.SmartWool.com or contact Alli Noland, Stanwood & Partners PR, via phone at 307-733-1514 or via email at anoland@wyoming.com.

About the U.S. Ski Team/U.S. Snowboarding:
The U.S. Ski Team and U.S. Snowboarding are governed by the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association, the national governing body for Olympic skiing and snowboarding. The century old organization manages year-round nationwide development and elite programs, including the national teams, in six distinctly different Olympic sports: alpine, cross country, freestyle, nordic combined, ski jumping and snowboarding, as well as two Paralympic sports - disabled alpine and disabled cross country. USSA is based in Park City, Utah. For more information about the Teams, visit www.usskiteam.com www.usskiteam.com or www.ussnowboarding.com .