The Smartwool community is a collection of people who believe that time outside is valuable, restorative, and essential for everyone.  When Smartwool started making socks back in 1994, their founders simply wanted to be able to ski longer without getting cold toes. That’s when they discovered the benefits of Merino wool as a performance fabric. It was soft (softer than any wool they had ever felt), moisture-wicking, thermoregulating (warm when it’s cold, and cool when it’s warm), sustainable, and odor-neutralizing—helping to keep feet dry, comfortable, and warm for longer than the synthetic socks they were wearing at the time. It worked so well, in fact, that they use it in almost every single item they make.