Groundbreaking, game-changing sports apparel technology, is the sound of it, with Columbia Omni-Freeze ZERO, a radically new fabric for handling perspiration and body cooling. Far different from current technical materials that work to get rid of sweat by wicking it away from the skin, Omni-Freeze ZERO uses sweat as an activator for tiny polymer rings that swell with moisture, allowing air to circulate around them—your sweat actually powers the cooling! Or more simply put by Columbia: “Little blue rings that lower the temperature of the shirt.” Reports say that wearing this gear in hot and sticky situations is actually cooler than stripping down! The little blue rings are coming to an extensive selection of Columbia clothing, footwear, and accessories in 2013.