About the Company
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Ridge Merino is based in Mammoth Lakes, California, in the heart of the Eastern Sierra Nevada where high desert meets deep snow and 14,000 foot peaks.
We wanted our products to evolve in an area where life means working and playing outside in a wild and highly variable environment. This is a place where people backcountry ski in the morning and go bouldering in desert sunshine in the afternoon.
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Yes! Come visit our store and headquarters in Mammoth: Ridge Collective, 4 Alpine Circle, Mammoth Lakes, CA 93546. You can find our gear in several other stores throughout the U.S. and internationally.
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Husband-and-wife team Susan and Jeff Russell founded Ridge Merino in 2014.
With backgrounds in marketing and product development, and a passion for functional, high-performance apparel, they saw an opportunity in the outdoor space. While Merino wool base layers were gaining traction among athletes, no brand felt truly accessible or relatable to the everyday consumer.
Together they set out to build a grounded, approachable company focused on crafting high quality Merino gear without gimmicks or compromise. Read more about us.
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1% For The Planet is a global movement of more than 4,800 companies pledging to donate at least 1% of annual sales to environmental causes. The movement began on a fishing trip Yvon Chouinard and Craig Mathews took after discussing the inherent environmental impact of running a business.
We’ve been members of 1% For The Planet since day one. The organizations we support annually are Protect Our Winters, Breast Cancer Prevention Partners and the Eastern Sierra Avalanche Center.
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Yes, we sell electronic gift cards online, and we sell physical gift cards in our Mammoth retail store. For e-gift cards, you can schedule delivery. Buy one.
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We love to hear from people. Email us at info@ridgemerino.com or call (760) 914-2008. We’re open from Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pacific time, and we’re closed most holidays.
About the Clothing & Gear
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All of our clothing starts with all natural Merino wool. Much of our clothing is 100% Merino wool or Merino blended with other natural fibers.
We use synthetic fibers sparingly to improve durability and performance. We often engineer our Merino/synthetic blended fabrics to have Merino wool inside against your skin and synthetics on the exterior.
Creating longer-lasting products is one way we tread more lightly on the planet, and using other types of materials can help the Merino last longer. We’re proud to make gear with incredibly high Merino wool contents.
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We work with longstanding supply chain partners and manufacturers in Thailand, Vietnam, China, the Philippines and the United States. All of our socks are made in the United States.
All of our wool comes from non-mulesed sheep and is sustainably sourced from certified humane sheep farmers in Australia and New Zealand.
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Most of our clothing and accessories can be machine washed on cold or warm and hung up to dry. Our beanies are hand wash only. Refer to the care label on each garment or see our Merino care page for detailed instructions.
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When properly cared for, our clothing won’t shrink more than industry standards. Heat is the main driver of Merino wool shrinking, so we recommend hanging your clothes to dry. If you do use the dryer, use a tumble dry setting on low.
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See our size guide to determine your size, and reach out if you have any questions.
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Yes! In addition to skiing and snowboarding, our customers love Ridge Merino gear for all types of outdoor activities—from hiking and backpacking to camping, climbing, fishing, yoga, mountain biking, trail running, pickleball, horseback riding, gardening... the list goes on.
Our Merino wool apparel is exceptional for travel too because it's lightweight, comfortable, versatile and can be worn much longer between washes due to its anti-odor qualities. Trust us. Wear it on a long-haul flight and see how fresh you feel afterwards.
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Yes! People often think of wool and Merino wool for winter only, but the versatility is part of what makes Merino wool such a great natural fiber. Merino wool is naturally breathable, moisture wicking, temperature regulating and odor resistant. Our lighter weight collections are perfect for hot summer days. Check out our Solstice Sun Hoodies, Journey T-Shirts and Canopy Merino Tencel Collection.
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We use superfine, high quality Merino wool that doesn’t itch. Most of our gear is made with 18.5 or 17.5 micron Merino wool. The finer the wool, the less it itches. Our clothing is super soft, and our customers are often thrilled to find it’s not itchy at all. Check out the reviews to see what other folks think.
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It is! With enough wear or exposure to smells, any garment is going to stink, but if you’re used to cotton or synthetic clothes, you’ll be amazed by performance Merino wool apparel. Merino wool is antimicrobial, so its odor resistance is all natural, and it really does work. Our customers, team and athletes all put it to the test with back-to-back wears on long hikes, ski tours and international trips.
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It depends on how frequently you wear it, what you do in it, and what piece of gear you’re wearing. Being a natural fiber, Merino wool can’t last forever. It is, after all, biodegradable. But we work hard to create gear that lasts longer than a lot of other Merino options out there.
Much of our Merino wool clothing features our (m)Force corespun technology or Axio technology, which allow us to create lightweight and ultralight clothes with high percentages of Merino wool that hold up well over time. Learn more about our fabrics.
To extend the life of your Merino wool clothing, machine wash on cold and hang to dry. Avoid washing with jeans, heavier jackets and items with heavy buttons or zippers. Avoid getting the fabric caught in backpack straps or buckles.
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Every fiber used to make clothing has pros and cons. We’ve built our company around Merino wool because we believe so strongly in its benefits.
Merino wool is all natural, biodegradable and renewable. Synthetic fabrics are made from chemically-produced fibers and include polyester, nylon, acrylic, rayon and a few others.
Synthetic fibers are much cheaper to buy than natural fibers like Merino wool, so synthetic fabric clothing can be cheaper, but that’s not always the case. Synthetic fabrics often contain PFAS (or forever chemicals), and microplastic shedding can be an issue with these garments. All of our clothing is PFAS-free and has no microplastics.
Natural fibers like Merino wool, cashmere, Tencel and cotton do have some trade-offs. Synthetic clothing can be a bit more durable, so you may find lighter weight clothing with higher durability in synthetic materials. Synthetic clothing also tends to retain odors much more, while Merino wool is naturally anti-microbial and odor resistant.
Shipping & Orders
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For orders over $49, shipping within the U.S. is free. For orders under $49, U.S. shipping costs $5. Shipping rates vary based on location for international orders.
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Orders are fulfilled Monday through Friday with normal holiday closures. Most orders ship the same day or the next business day. Once shipped, free standard shipping and regular standard shipping take 2-7 business days, and expedited shipping takes 1-2 business days.
International shipping varies widely and may exceed the estimates you see at checkout. If you need a more precise delivery timeline, contact our customer service team at info@ridgemerino.com.
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Standard shipping uses various carriers including USPS. For expedited shipping, we usually use UPS 2-day but reserve the right to ship with other carriers.
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We do! But we don’t offer free shipping internationally. Your shipping cost will be estimated once you enter your international address during checkout. Transit times can take a while, so if you have specific requirements, contact us and we can give you a more accurate estimate.
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We're not able to offer this service at the moment, but we invite you to shop in person at our Mammoth store. Feel free to contact us to confirm availability of the items you're interested in before you stop by.
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There’s no way to change or cancel your order after it has been placed, but contact our customer service team as soon as possible and they'll be able to help.
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We accept payments via credit card or debit card, Paypal, Venmo, Amazon Pay, Google Pay or ShopPay (including ShopPay Installments).
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Once you add an item to your cart, you’ll see a small plus sign in the cart next to “Discounts.” Click the plus sign to open the discount code box, enter your code, then click Apply. Once you reach the checkout, you’ll also see a box for “Discount code or gift card.”
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Once you reach the checkout, look for “Discount code or gift card” to the right on a desktop or above the shipping details on a mobile phone. Enter your gift card code there and click Apply. You’re also welcome to redeem a gift card in our store in Mammoth Lakes.
Returns & Exchanges
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Yes! We offer free returns and exchanges for U.S. orders within 90 days of purchase as long as items are returned in new condition (unworn, unwashed, undamaged and clean). You're welcome to exchange for a different size or color or an entirely new item—shipping is on us. See our full return policy.
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Our returns portal walks you through the simple process to make a return, exchange, or shop with store credit on our website. Please see our return policy and don't hesitate to reach out to our customer service team if you have any trouble along the way.
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Yes, all products are covered with our Ridge Guarantee. If you're not satisfied with the quality of your Ridge product, you can send it back for a repair, replacement or refund per our discretion. We provide a complete warranty against manufacturing and material defects for their lifetime. Normal wear and tear isn't covered by the guarantee, and we encourage taking good care of your clothing to extend its life.
Affiliates, Pro Deals & Discounts
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You can sign up for emails and text messages on this page. Once you submit the form, you’ll get an email to confirm your subscription. Click confirm to get a second email welcoming you to the Ridge family with a unique, one-time-use promo code for 15% off your first order. Be sure to check your spam or promotions folder if you don’t see those emails.
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We typically have online sales leading up to Memorial Day, Labor Day and Black Friday/Cyber Monday. Occasionally we have smaller sales or flash sales. Sign up for our email/text message list to hear about sales and get early access.