There are outdoor brands that talk the talk, and then there are outdoor brands that walk the walk. Mountain Hardwear is a brand that does the latter – but it also climbs the highest peaks, skis the steepest lines and goes to some of the toughest places on earth. That’s because they kit out an elite roster of outdoor athletes – including top skiers, ultrarunners, climbers and mountaineers.
It’s a brand that dared to be different from the outset, originally founded back in 1993 by disaffected former employees of another gear company that shall not be named. Unwilling to compromise on quality or performance, they built unashamedly technical, high-performance equipment. It wasn’t about sales volume – it was about designing the best possible gear for the most demanding conditions. Soon after, Mountain Hardwear’s first sponsored athlete, Ed Viesturs, became the first American to climb all fourteen of the world’s highest peaks – summiting them all without using bottled oxygen.
That feat was testament to the brand’s original vision, to which they have stuck firmly ever since. And today, Mountain Hardwear is still dedicated to all those who live boldly – though luckily for us, that includes weekend day hikers as well as seasoned 8,000ers.
