Mountain Hardwear
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| Mountain Hardwear Inc. | |
|---|---|
| Image:Mountain Hardwear logo.jpg | |
| Type | |
| Founded | 1993 |
| Headquarters | Richmond, California |
| Key people | Mike Wallenfels, President |
| Industry | Apparel, Outdoor Gear |
| Products | Outerwear and sportswear |
| Slogan | Radical Thinking |
| Website | www.mountainhardwear.com |
Mountain Hardwear, founded in 1993, is a California (USA) -based company that manufactures outdoor clothing, backpacks, sleeping bags, and tents. Columbia Sportswear purchased Mountain Hardwear in 2003 for a purchase price of $30 million in cash and $6 million in debt.
[edit] History
In 1993, a small group of people decided to get together and form Mountain Hardwear. In addition to working in the outdoor industry, the Mountain Hardwear founders were avid outdoors people themselves and included Jack Gilbert, Paul Kramer, Mike Wallenfels, Paige Boucher, Ingrid Harshbarger, Clareanne Knittel, Roberta Hernandez, and Alan Tabor. Newly-formed Mountain Hardwear had the challenge of bringing technologically-advanced products together to form a product line. Mountain Hardwear's first sponsored athlete, Ed Viesturs, the first American to climb all fourteen 8,000 meter peaks (8000ers) still works with the company to develop new products.
Two of those original products are still in the line today: the Exposure Parka [1] and the down-filled Sub Zero Jacket [2].
The company currently has over 90 people in their California office, more than 35 sales reps and associates across the United States and Europe, and representatives in Canada, Asia, South America, Australia, and New Zealand.
[edit] History of Innovation
- 1993 Mountain Hardwear founded
- 1995 First window use in tent flies
- 1996 Pioneered Windstopper Fleece
- 1997 Conduit waterproof/breathable membrane
- 1999 Welded technology first used in apparel
- 1999 Conical Waists (patent) on pants and rotated seams on shirts for backpacking
- 2000 Pioneered Gore-Tex XCR
- 2001 Partnered with Gore to develop Windstopper next-to-skin garment fabric
- 2003 First waterproof sleeping bags
- 2006 Exodus Backpack System
- 2008 Introduced 25D Hollow-core tent flysheets
