Brand Spotlight: Mountain Hardwear

A History of Outdoor Innovation Wherever there are unclimbed summits to conquer or harder routes to establish, whenever there are athletes trying to push the boundaries of how fast and light they can ascend the highest peaks in the world, and on any adventure that requires the most technically advanced and highest performance gear, Mountain Hardwear is there. Since the company was founded in 1993, Mountain Hardwear has always been a brand with a clear focus on innovation and achieving the highest levels of performance and quality in their products. For the Toughest Places on Earth The story of Mountain Hardwear is interwoven with the careers of countless professional climbers, skiers and adventurers. These outdoor athletes have used Mountain Hardwear products to climb 8,000 meter peaks in the Karakorum, ski big-mountain lines in Alaska, and onsight 5.14, while also providing instrumental feedback and aiding in designing better products.

Soon after the company was founded, Mountain Hardwear teamed up with American mountaineer Ed Viesturs, who has since established his reputation as one of the greatest mountaineers in history by climbing all 14 of the tallest peaks in the world without the use of supplemental oxygen, among other amazing feats. Viesturs was an instrumental part of building Mountain Hardwear into the core Alpine brand that they are today, since he provided both the hands on research and expert design consultation needed to build elite technical clothing, while also using those same clothes, tents and gear to ascend Mount Everest, Annapurna and others. Viesturs gave the brand credibility as a serious outdoor company, as well as the visibility that comes with standing on top of the highest point on Earth with the yellow, white and black Mountain Hardwear logo emblazoned prominently on his chest.

 Ed Viesturs on the summit of Annapurna I

In recent years, Mountain Hardwear has continued to associate with elite Alpine athletes. They sponsor skiers like Michelle Parker, who has broken down barriers and raised the bar for female skiers; Ultrarunners Geoff Roes and Dakota Jones; as well as rock climbers and ice climbers with multiple first ascents and hard routes under their belts like Mike Libecki, Tim Emmett and Ethan Pringle. These athletes are sources of feedback and inspiration that lead to specialized, higher performance  products. Yet the soul of Mountain Hardwear has always lived high in the mountains, so naturally, elite Alpinist Ueli Steck has stepped into the footsteps of Ed Viesturs as the standard bearer for the brand on some of the world's most difficult routes.

Shop Mountain Hardwear at GearX.com

  Ueli Steck is one of the most impressive climbers of the last few decades, conquering everything from free climbs on El Capitan, free-solos of 5.13 routes, speed ascents in the Alps, and 8,000 meter summits. Some of his most memorable accomplishments include climbing Mount Everest without oxygen, breaking the speed record on the Eiger North Face, and soloing Annapurna I via an unclimbed route up the South Face in 28 hours. Steck prefers to climb as fast as possible, with minimal gear, a style that has inspired alpine climbing clothing and packs from Mountain Hardwear that are light, highly breathable, packable, and able to withstand rigorous conditions in the world's harshest climates.

 Ueli Steck's First Attempt On Annapurna I

 New, Industry Leading Technologies Mountain Hardwear has always had a focus on innovation and invention. They pioneered Windstopper fleece in 1996, welded clothing construction in 1998, Gore-Tex XCR in 2000, waterproof sleeping bags in 2003, as well an abundance of other technical advancements to clothing, tents, sleeping bags and backpacks. Presently, Mountain Hardwear employs a wide variety of proprietary technologies that match or exceed the performance of Gore-Tex, Primaloft, or other textile brands.

 

They utilize Dry.Q Elite technology for their waterproof-breathable garments, which is so breathable, that it will begin transferring moisture through the membrane immediately. Mountain Hardwear is so confident in this technology that they do not include pit-zips on many of their jackets, like Ueli Steck's Quasar jacket or the Plasmic rainwear series. For insulation, Mountain Hardwear has developed Thermal.Q Elite synthetic insulation, which is the warmest synthetic in its class due to a unique structure that mimics goose down. The Thermostatic jacket and B'Layman jacket each use Thermal.Q Elite insulation. For down insulation, Mountain Hardwear has developed a revolutionary hydrophobic down treatment  called Q.Shield Down, that infuses each down fiber with a water repellent coating that withstands repeated washing better than any other treated down on the market. Ueli Steck's Nilas jacket and pants, as well as a variety of Mountain Hardwear's sleeping bags use Q.Shield Down. Mountain Hardwear has been devoted to creating innovative, high-performance and quality gear that can go to the harshest climates, the summits of the tallest mountains and down the tightest mountain lines. If they continue to produce gear as they have for the last two decades, Mountain Hardwear will surely keep striving to find new technology to help outdoor athletes and enthusiasts achieve their goals.

 

Shop Mountain Hardwear!