HOW OUTDOOR BRANDS CAN FINALLY AIM AS HIGH AS THEIR CUSTOMERS

In 1953, Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay were the first two people in the world to successfully climb Mount Everest - the tallest mountain on earth. It took another 25 years for mankind to figure out if the same ascent could be done without the help of oxygen tanks. It took yet another 2 years until anyone was able to successfully climb Everest during the even more difficult winter months.  

Edmund Hillary (left) and Tenzing Norgay (right) during the first successful Mount Everest Expedition. It wasn’t until 25 years later when Reinhold Messner and Peter Habeler were finally able to summit Everest without using supplemental oxygen.  Even later, in 1980, two Polish mountaineers were able to tackle the mountain during difficult winter conditions. 

Although all 14 peaks higher than 8000m have now been climbed without the use of oxygen tanks, there is still one that remains too difficult to ascend during the winter months - K2. 

 According to experts, this is attributed to the severe mountain conditions and weather found on the mountain. Due to its geographical position, K2 is much colder and windier than Mt Everest, requiring alpinists to face temperatures of more than 70 degrees Celsius below zero wind chill. Adding to the danger, weather windows are much shorter, which means that climbers must ascend and descend in less than three days - a nearly impossible feat.

 While mountaineers have been coming up with workarounds to complete such a challenging ascent in just three short days, commercially available gear has not nearly developed as quickly. This raises the question of whether outdoor brands are doing enough to innovate and create gear that allows for high-altitude mountaineers to stay light on their feet and warm in severe, cold and extremely difficult conditions. 

While mountaineers have been coming up with workarounds to complete such a challenging ascent in just three short days, commercially available gear has not nearly developed as quickly.

THE ALPINISTS’ INNOVATIVE CAPACITY

 There are many ways in which new generations of alpinists have been pushing boundaries and norms set by their predecessors. This includes climbing higher, climbing faster, and creating more technical routes that have never been climbed before.

 Simultaneously, the outdoor industry has been bringing lighter, safer and more functional gear to the market, especially in the middle of the last century. However, these improvements of apparel, tents, backpacks, footwear and hardware during that time are mainly triggered to the inventions of polyamides, like Nylon, that made the use of hemp ropes and heavy cotton textiles obsolete, just as the advancements in plastic injection molding largely replaced the use of heavy metals and allowed for more functional shoes. As a result, these product improvements are based on material- and manufacturing innovations that were lent from other industries and therefore are not self-sourced product innovations. 

As a result, these product improvements are based on material- and manufacturing innovations that were lent from other industries and therefore are not self-sourced product innovations. 

Furthermore, when taking a closer look at major achievements of mountaineers, commercially available gear has always been a relatively small factor in the alpinists success:

 After World War II, there was a race between nations to be the first to stand on top of Everest. Huge national expeditions sent a large number of climbers to the Himalayas. Out of all the climbers, only the ones in the best shape got to attempt to reach the summit. In 1953, former soldier Edmund Hillary, accompanied by Nepalese Tenzing Norgay, were part of the ninth expedition sent by the British and were the only ones up to that point to succeed. During their ascent, they used crampons without front spikes, which meant they had to pound steps into the icy slope. This was dangerous because it required an extreme amount of energy - something that they needed to conserve during such a difficult climb. 

 This was also the time when a new generation of alpinists grew up. One of the most notable was Reinhold Messner. Long-haired, bearded and always active in alternative green politics, Reinhold was a full time climber with a passion for the mountains. His success can be partly attributed to having crampons that are very similar to the ones used today while also having stronger, lighter and more durable synthetic ropes that were not widely available at the time. Though, it wasn’t just his equipment that gave him a competitive advantage.

Messner and his climbing partner Habeler brought the alpine style to the Himalayas and in 1978, they were able to achieve what mankind previously thought was impossible: The much smaller expedition was able to move quicker and react to weather changes more flexibly. Leaving the expedition behind as soon as possible and taking as little gear as possible to the final summit push is what briefly summarizes their style, which they themselves called “cheeky”.

The combination of their new approach to climbing 8000m peaks in combination with improved gear, such as lighter plastic boots instead of the typical hobnailed leather boots of the time, allowed them to climb Everest without the use of supplemental oxygen.

 Nowadays, elite alpinists aren’t simply passionate about the mountains. They can now be considered world class endurance athletes. For example, Ueli Steck, a Swiss climber and endurance athlete, holds the current record on the Eiger north face of 2:22h. In 1938 this route was first ascended by a Nazi-sponsored expedition that took 3 days with customary equipment and an innovative style at that time. Equipped with better equipment and even bolder techniques, young Messner/Habeler reduced the record to 10h in 1974.

Steck was not only the faster climber with better gear, but also did he climb the face solo, instead of in a rope team with climbers belaying each other. Only when the ice got really steep, he invested time to tuck the shafts of his technical ice axes into ice. Mostly, they were just used as poles, allowing him to create propulsion not only with his legs, but with his arms as well. These technical ice axes are nowadays creatively exploited for a technique they initially weren’t constructed for: When climbing in mixed routes, containing of ice and rock, or even in pure rock routes in cold conditions, alpinists put the sharp pick not only onto the ice, but onto the rock as well and pull themselves up the ice axe’s shaft, which saves the time to change from one technique to the other and allows alpinists to wear gloves even when climbing hard sections on rocks. Unfortunately, Steck died in a tragic accident in the Himalayas before proving the potential of his new style in the Death Zone.

 And the alpinist’s innovative capacity goes way beyond creating new climbing techniques.

Kilian Jornet, arguably one of the best endurance athletes the world has ever seen, set a new record for the fastest known time on the north route of Everest. He was able to make the round-trip from the northern Base Camp at 5100m above sea level to the peak at 8848m above sea level in just 26 hours. To set this round-trip record, Jornet himself was the one pushing the design for his own custom-made boots. 

This demonstrates how athletes are able not only to innovate their style of climbing, but to use their own knowledge of the sport to fill in a widespread gap in commercially available innovative gear. Unlike brands sitting in their R&D offices at corporate headquarters, athletes are able to test gear in real time and identify strengths and weaknesses in the design, tweaking and shaping quickly and efficiently. This in turn creates a stronger, more resilient product.   

 When it comes to summiting the K2 in winter, the biggest lack of adequate equipment is insulation materials. Currently there is no alternative to down-filled gear, the same insulation material humanity has used for more than 400 years and has been proven insufficient for K2 winter ascents numerous times.

Currently there is no alternative to down-filled gear, the same insulation material humanity has used for more than 400 years and has been proven insufficient for K2 winter ascents numerous times.

Because winter conditions are so severe and there is no current material available to insulate them from the cold, last winter’s expedition was training to build igloos - a very time intensive and energy-sapping technique. The alpinist’s creative workaround to rely on igloos comes from the industry’s lack of innovation. If a lighter and warmer alternative to down was created, alpinists could climb more efficiently and therefore eliminate the need to spend precious time and energy on activities such as building igloos. 

 ATHLETES AS BRAND AMBASSADORS 

 It is increasingly normal for sponsored athletes to be the ones coming up with groundbreaking innovations, both gear- and technique related. This is a fact that brands often ignore or fail to give weight to, considering the huge innovative capacity of alpinists they historically have developed. At the same time marketing campaigns often allude to the brands’ open innovation strategy, which raises the question of why brands are not willing to simply co-create with their sponsored athletes in the first place. This would be hugely beneficial to them as it would also provide a return on investment when sponsoring athletes as brand ambassadors. 

 Some brands have been trying to come up with innovative co-creations and complement their marketing strategy with great storytelling, and clearly there is potential. For example, it took the manufacturer 3 years to bring something similar to Jornet’s previously mentioned innovative boot to market.

 Such innovations and partnerships need to come about quicker to truly make progress in the industry. Additionally, the story needs to be communicated to customers in order to truly create an advantage over competition through creative storytelling and marketing.

 The downs of ducks and geese are undefeated when it comes to loft (warmth-to-weight ratio), compressibility and durability.

 Synthetic fibers stand a chance in an insulation comparison only when wet, making down the padding of choice for high-altitude mountaineers in conditions way below zero.

Down is also the main insulation material in regular streetwear and off the shelf outdoor performance apparel. 

 THE CRUX OF INNOVATION MANAGEMENT

 Although lack of ideas is one of the biggest problems of innovation management, it shouldn’t affect the outdoor industry because there is ample opportunity to partner with athletes across various activities. Furthermore, most outdoor brands are headquartered near mountains - such as Salomon, located in the French Auvergne-Rh?ne-Alpes. Studies suggest that encouraging talent to spend time outdoors enhances their ability for creative problem solving and coming up with new ideas. This is a strong argument for companies to encourage their employees to get out and explore.

 Another big inhibiting factor on the process of bringing innovative gear to market is managing talent. Outdoor brands who are in the right location should be able to attract people full of ideas, having experience and expertise about the customers they are designing for and the ability to connect with their sponsored ambassadors.

 There is a huge market opportunity here that brands should enhance. In 2017, the outdoor market was worth 887 billion USD in the USA alone, out of which almost 185 billion USD were from product alone. The remaining 700+ billion came partly from the wallets of nearly 648 alpinists hoping to claim Everest that year. In fact, guided trips to the top of the world are now available for almost anyone who can afford to spend at least $45,000 USD. These amateur climbers are just as likely as pros to invest in lightweight, state-of-the-art gear for two simple reasons: they generally have the funds to do so and given their low experience level, they are slower climbers in desperate need of efficient gear.

These amateur climbers are just as likely as pros to invest in lightweight, state-of-the-art gear for two simple reasons: they generally have the funds to do so and given their low experience level, they are slower climbers in desperate need of efficient gear.

 Modern high-altitude mountaineer with down suit, insulated boots, aluminum ice ax and stainless steel crampons. In 2018, only 1 out of 802 mountaineers reached the Everest summit without using supplemental oxygen.

THE INDUSTRY’S NORMAL ROUTE

 More than in any other industry, what most consumers care for when it comes to gear is sustainability. 

 Patagonia, with roughly 1 billion USD sales in 2018 is one of the biggest apparel brands in the industry. As a brand, they claim to be in the business of doing the least harm possible while making clothing by doing everything they can to support environmental efforts around the world. One of their most successful marketing campaigns to date is “Don’t buy this jacket”, which raised consumer awareness around the negative impacts that buying more than you need has on the environment. This resonated incredibly well with their target audience and ironically was one of their most successful monetary campaigns to date.

 It should come as no surprise that outdoor brands can make the biggest difference in their sustainability efforts by investing deeply into their Research & Development efforts. The rewards for sustainable companies goes beyond just financial. Europe’s biggest outdoor trade fair OutDoor by ISPO has its own innovation award valuation classes for eco responsibility. In America, brands are recognized for their efforts through awards by organizations such as the Outdoor Retailer. A few examples of these innovation award winners in 2018 were electric bikes, products made from natural materials, recycled jackets, repair ribbons and more. The product of the year in 2018 was a 100% recycled, biodegradable synthetic insulation fiber. 

 However, in terms of isolation, synthetic fibers, regular, recycled or even biodegradability, there is no material currently on the market that lives up to the quality of down material. Even though one might think that extruding such a fiber using regrind or biodegradable plastic should not be such a big deal, given that first advancements here had been made before Messner wore his first plastic boots in the 1970s.

Down, biodegradable by defintiion, might also be petroleum-free, but comes at another sustainability price. Keywords: Farming related greenhouse gas emission and unethical animal farming, to only name two.

It might be too big of an ask anyways to outbid 150 million years of evolution coming up with alternative solutions to the universally accepted and loved down material. However, when looking at it holistically through the business lens, brands will still arguably be more successful and profitable if they commit to a sustainable and practical approach rather than settling for something sustainable but ineffective. Neglecting the sustainability aspect in the value creation chain is something business cannot do if they are trying to stay competitive and ahead of the curve.

Brands will still arguably be more successful and profitable if they commit to a sustainable and practical approach rather than settling for something sustainable but ineffective.

 Progress related to sustainability shouldn’t hinder innovation on the performance side of the business. Combined with a narrative around the first successful K2 winter ascent, a recycled synthetic insulation material could be a huge win for whichever company is brave and bold enough to invest in its research and development. Such a material has the potential to be an industry favorite, winning awards and differentiating the brand in the market. This brand could greatly increase its top line and enhance its reputation amongst professional climbers and consumers alike.

Now, all that’s left to do is for them to spark conversations with professional athletes, who can help design the materials based on their expertise, and serve as spokespeople for the brand by offering their stories to the world. 

 And to wish everyone currently on their K2 Winter Expedition, including Nirmal Purja, fastest to climb all fourteen 8000 meter mountains in just over 6 months, all the best in their attempts to be the first human to climb K2 in winter this very season.