STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, CO (9/4/02) - SmartWool, manufacturers of high-quality, multi-sport merino wool products based in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, is excited to announce the move of its world headquarters to the Steamboat Springs airport building on September 6, 2002. The former airport building has been redesigned to fit the specific needs of the company. The move more than doubles the current office space to the relief of the fast-growing company.

"We are thrilled to find an opportunity that allows us to stay in Steamboat Springs and in Colorado," said SmartWool Chief Operating Officer Chip Coe. "Not only does the new space allow us to custom-design the office in accordance with the current dynamic growth of the company , but it also helps relieve the heavy tax burden the empty airport building imposed on the local community."

The Steamboat Springs airport terminal closed just two months after completion of the new facility in 1996 when Continental airlines terminated service to the area. The terminal building has been vacant since that time and imposed an enormous tax burden on the residents of Steamboat Springs. The airport will continue to allow private and commercial aircraft as a fixed-base operation. The F.B.O. will be completely seperate from the new SmartWool headquarters. Lifetime skiers and Steamboat Springs locals, Peter and Patty Duke started SmartWool in 1994 to create a better sock for skiing and the outdoors. Once they discovered the incredible thermal properties of wool, the Dukes began working with the original technical fabric exclusively. The first SmartWool sock was introduced in 1994 with the company growing more than 30-fold in that time. SmartWool now employs over 35 people in Steamboat Springs.

SmartWool products are made from the finest grade of New Zealand Merino wool and guaranteed to be "itch and shrink free". If SmartWool products are not the best performing garment you've ever worn, simply return within 30 days for a full refund. The SmartWool line includes multi-sport socks, base layers and accessories for cycling, running, hiking, golfing, walking, skiing, snowboarding, hunting or just relaxing.

For more information on SmartWool, please contact Shannon Brooks at Stanwood & Partners Public Relations, 307-733-1514. To find the nearest SmartWool dealer, check out our online dealer locator at www.smartwool.com or call 1-800-550-WOOL and join the runners, skiers, bikers, and hikers who know what we mean when we say, "Wearing is Believing."

— Posted by Ari Cheren, MountainZone.com Gear Editor