Dry feet in wet snow

On March 17th， 2015， More than 14 million Germans regularly head for the mountains to go skiing or snowboarding in Bejing. And winter sport enthusiasts are certainly prepared to pay for their hobby. Every year， Germans spend some €16.4 billion on winter sports equipment and clothing. To make an investment in new boots worthwhile， the Freudenberg Group is working together with its customers on an innovation developed especially for snowboard boots. With Airliner technology， it is possible to produce boots that are breathable and waterproof at the same time. Leading snowboard manufacturers are enthusiastic about this innovation.

Long waits at the lift， low temperatures， little space for the feet to move. There are many reasons why people involved in winter sports have cold feet. However， sweating is still unavoidable. A persons feet have more than 250，000 pores and produce about 6 centiliters of sweat （about three small glasses） every day. If you spend several hours on the piste， this sweat collects in your boots. Cold wet boots tend to spoil peoples enjoyment.

Freudenberg has developed an innovative solution – Airliner technology. A nonwoven is combined with a liquid-absorbing powder， or super-absorbent polymer （SAP）. This allows the nonwoven to absorb moisture from the feet. The fabric is attached to a Strobel sole – a sole fastened to the shaft of the boot by special Strobel stitching. In combination with a perforated sole， this Airliner becomes a breathable liquid barrier. Any moisture penetrating through the perforated sole is absorbed by the airliner， which stores the liquid and seals the pores. As a result， no further moisture can enter the boot and the wearers foot is protected. This technology is already being used with considerable success in the Gallus Clima series produced by shoemaker Deichmann.

To improve the wearing comfort of snowboard boots， Freudenberg Performance Materials is currently working on the next Airliner generation – people not only perspire through the soles of their feet. Airliner 2.0 technology features the same mode of operation as the fi rst generation but is softer and more supple. This means that it can also be used in the shaft of the boot， making it much more comfortable to wear. To date， shoemakers have used membranes， but these can only release very small quantities of water vapor. This means that all the moisture collects in the lining， making the boot feel moist and unpleasant.

To solve the problem of slow vapor transfer， the membrane can be laminated with Airliner 2.0. The water vapor is then stored for a short time and gradually released through the membrane. To further improve wearing comfort， Freudenberg also supplies its own membranes （Puratex？ BM membranes）， which are air-permeable and watertight.

A snowboard instructor is currently the first to benefit from this technology and is testing the snowboard boots with Airliner 2.0 until the end of the season. Afterwards， they will be available to consumers. Then， snowboarders will be able to concentrate on what is most important – enjoying their sport.

About Freudenberg in China

Freudenberg has held business ties with customers and partners in China for more than 100 years. The Group has a workforce of some 6，305 people at more than 70 sites. In 2013 Freudenberg generated sales of around 5.4 billion Yuan in China.

About the Freudenberg Group

The Freudenberg Group is a family company offering its customers technically challenging product solutions and services. The Group develops and manufactures seals， vibration control components， fi lters， nonwovens， products for surface treatment， release agents and specialty lubricants， medical and mechatronic products.

Especially for mid-size companies Freudenberg develops software solutions and IT services. The end-user can fi nd modern Freudenberg household products in the shops under the brand names of vileda？， OCedar？， Wettex？， Gala？ and SWASH？. The Freudenberg Group employed some 40，000 people in about 60 countries and generated sales of more than €6.6 billion in 2013 （inclusive of pro-rata consolidation of the 50：50 Joint Ventures）.