The snow is finally receding, and after a long, dark winter the sun has arrived and the days are slowly lengthening. Time to get out of the house and explore half frozen lakes, thawing pine forests and winding mountain paths. Unfortunately for those who care about clothing, hiking & hill walking gear is pretty poor looking. Most of it is bright neon shades with uneccessary ‘futuristic’ detailing. In this way its not that different from other modern sportswear, as we exercise less and amateur contests give way to major commercial events, sportswear has become highly specialised and in the process lost much of it’s charm—cricket does without sweaters, rugby without rugby shirts. We used to run in sweatpants & t-shirt's but now feel inadequate without some proprietary polyester-blend with a buzzy name like ‘clima-heat-tek-cool.’ This is especially disappointing if you enjoy being outdoors for the sake of it. Not out of some competitive urge to conquer nature but simply for fresh air, sun and a sense of well being. Its not about having the most expensive gear or trying to be the best at exercising.