Mountain Hardwear is a subsidiary of

Columbia Sportswear The Columbia Sportswear Company is an American company that manufactures and distributes outerwear, sportswear, and footwear, as well as headgear, camping equipment, ski apparel, and outerwear accessories. It was founded in 1938 by Paul Lam ...

based in

Richmond, California Richmond is a city in western Contra Costa County, California, United States. The city was municipal corporation, incorporated on August 7, 1905, and has a Richmond, California City Council, city council.

that manufactures and distributes apparel, accessories and equipment primarily for the high performance needs of

mountaineering Mountaineering or alpinism, is a set of outdoor activities that involves ascending tall mountains. Mountaineering-related activities include traditional outdoor climbing, skiing, and traversing via ferratas. Indoor climbing, sport climbing, a ...

enthusiasts and outdoor

athletes An athlete (also sportsman or sportswoman) is a person who competes in one or more sports that involve physical strength, speed, or endurance. Athletes may be professionals or amateurs. Most professional athletes have particularly well-develo ...

, as well as for consumers who are inspired by the outdoor lifestyle.

History

Mountain Hardwear was founded in 1993 in

by a small group of former employees of Sierra Designs. Soon after, Mountain Hardwear's first sponsored athlete,

Ed Viesturs Edmund Viesturs (born June 22, 1959) is a high-altitude mountaineer, corporate speaker, and well known author in the mountain climbing community. He is the only American to have climbed all 14 of the world's eight-thousander mountain peaks, and ...

, the first American to climb all fourteen 8,000 meter peaks (8000ers), helped develop several of the company's products. Today, Mountain Hardwear continues to associate with elite Alpine athletes.

acquired Mountain Hardwear in 2003. The company is headquartered in

. Mountain Hardwear opened its first retail location in

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

in April 2008. A

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is a port, seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the county seat, seat of King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in bo ...

retail store opened on December 5, 2008. The company has over 90 people in their California office, and more than 35 sales reps and associates in the United States and other countries.

Timeline

*1993 Mountain Hardwear founded *1995 First

window A window is an opening in a wall, door, roof, or vehicle that allows the exchange of light and may also allow the passage of sound and sometimes air. Modern windows are usually glazed or covered in some other transparent or translucent materia ...

use in tent flies *1996 Pioneered

Windstopper Windstopper is a windproof breathable fabric laminate made by W. L. Gore & Associates. One of its most common applications is a lamination with polar fleece, to compensate for fleece's lack of wind resistance. Unlike Gore's well-known Gore-Tex ...

Fleece *1997 Storm Light (later named Conduit) waterproof/breathable membrane introduced *1999 Welded technology first used in apparel *1999 Conical Waists (patent) on pants and rotated seams on shirts for

backpacking Backpacking may refer to: * Backpacking (travel), low-cost, independent, international travel * Backpacking (hiking), trekking and camping overnight in the wilderness * Ultralight backpacking, a style of wilderness backpacking with an emphasis on ...

*1999 Babu Chiri Sherpa is the first person to overnight night on Everest summit in MHW tent *2000 Pioneered

Gore-Tex Gore-Tex is a waterproof, breathable fabric membrane and registered trademark of W. L. Gore & Associates. Invented in 1969, Gore-Tex can repel liquid water while allowing water vapor to pass through and is designed to be a lightweight, waterpr ...

XCR *2001 Partnered with

Gore Gore may refer to: Places Australia * Gore, Queensland * Gore Creek (New South Wales) * Gore Island (Queensland) Canada * Gore, Nova Scotia, a rural community * Gore, Quebec, a township municipality * Gore Bay, Ontario, a township on Manitouli ...

to develop

next-to-skin garment fabric *2002 Launch WindStopper softshell *2003 First waterproof sleeping bags *2006 Exodus Backpack System *2008 Introduced 25D Hollow-core tent flysheets *2009 Pioneered OutDry 3D lamination technology for gloves *2011 Pioneered DryQ waterproof/breathable fabrics *2011 Introduced ultra-light ripstop fabric - Ghost Whisperer - in anorak and down insulated jacket

References

{{Reflist

External links

Official Website

Official Blog
1993 establishments in California American companies established in 1993 Camping equipment manufacturers Companies based in Richmond, California Mountaineering equipment manufacturers Outdoor clothing brands Sportswear brands

History

Sponsored athletes

Timeline

References

External links