Utah County company happy to be part of historic Antarctica crossing

AMERICAN FORK — With as much as Utah County has grown the past decade, it can be tough for businesses to stick out.

However, sticking is what one American Fork company is known for.

“It works very easily. You just pull the adhesive off in the back,” said James Aida while pulling the backing off of a black piece of tape.

Aida is the senior brand manager for KT Tape.

It’s an elastic tape used for pain relief and support by athletes, from weekend warriors all the way to professionals and big name Olympians.

“Every time we see an athlete wearing it, there’s absolutely a sense of pride to know that our products are helping these athletes perform at their best,” said Aida.

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Never, though, did KT Tape expect to be part of something so historic.

Wednesday, the day after Christmas, Colin O’Brady became the first person to cross Antarctica by himself without any help.

All 932 miles of it.

“Just overcome with joy and emotion. Tears streaming down my face,” said O’Brady during an interview with NBC News after completing the journey.

When he posted photos of himself on Instagram, there he was with KT Tape across his face.

The company’s logo was as clear as the arctic day.

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“It was a little surprising to see it show up at the South Pole,” said Aida.

Aida also says O’Brady isn’t even one of their sponsored athletes.

“The product that Colin was wearing was actually our blister prevention tape,” said Aida with a smile. “We don’t typically recommend people put our products on their face.”

O’Brady was using the tape for frostbite prevention.

"Absolutely remarkable," Aida said. “But again these athletes who are doing remarkable things . . . they figure out what they need to be able to perform at a certain very high level, and we’re just glad that . . . it was able to help him on his remarkable journey."

Aida says the first time the company noticed an athlete wearing the tape on their face was Park City resident and Gold Medal Olympic skier Ted Ligety.

There are pictures of Ligety wearing a large strip of blue tape across his nose during the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics.

The extra attention KT Tape is now getting because of the exposure just might help this Utah County company stick out a little more.

“We’re glad we were able to help Colin with his journey,” said Aida.

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