October 24, 2007 (Steamboat Springs, Colorado) – SmartWool (r), the outdoor industry’s 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 SmartWool’s commitment to those who exude the SmartWool lifestyle and strive for athletic excellence.

“We are delighted to continue our relationship and help America’s best snowsports 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, SmartWool’s 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 SmartWool’s 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 varying 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 and shop.usskiteam.com. SmartWool also is available for purchase in many outdoor and sporting good retail shops.