Words by Sarah Forrester- Wilson

Tom Le Mesurier, a student at Brunel University, has designed a thermal vest produced to prevent hypothermia in extreme conditions. As a keen shredder himself, Tom is well aware of the dangers of backcountry riding, and reckons his vest could help save lives when the shit really hits the fan off piste.

Tom says that “I’ve seen incidents where people have had injuries or have been knocked unconscious an I realised that this could lead to other problems such as hypothermia.”

We all know that the mountain can be pretty unpredictable at times, and having some extra safety gear like Tom’s vest could potentially give you those extra few minutes in a sketchy situation.

The ‘Hyprotection’ vest works by heated strips inside an underarm pocket that are triggered if the wearer’s temperature drops too low. It was Tom’s final project for his Industrial design and Technology degree.

We reckon this is great idea and we’d be interested to see if it takes off in the industry.

Good luck Tom!