It’s good to have friends in high places
And by ‘high places’, of course, we mean the mountains. Up there, above the treeline, we feel a little out of comfort zone. We know trekking here at Fjällräven, we’ve been doing that for nearly 60 years as a company, but up there where the trees don’t grow… well, that landscape requires more skill, expertise and technique. But we want to be up there. We long to wander among the high mountains, to feel their humbling presence surround us. So that’s why we’ve started a partnership with the Swedish Mountain Guides Association (Svenska Bergsguide organisationen, SBO). They’ve got the knowledge we need to explore that more rewarding, but unforgiving environment. By teaming up with The Swedish Mountain Guide Association, we can share expert knowledge of the outdoors, now including the world above as well as below the tree line.
“SBO shares our passion for nature, but more than that, it shares our passion for helping people explore and experience the natural environment,” says Andreas Cederlund, Fjällräven’s Product Communication Manager.
But if we want to go above the tree line, we need gear that can take us there and keep us there safely. So we developed a system of clothing designed specifically for mountaineering. It’s called Bergtagen and it’s been created with input from our own test team but also several of Sweden’s best mountain guides, including Stefan Palm. And this new mountaineering system needs testers, people that call the mountains their homes. And this is another reason why we’re decided to partner with SBO.
But our collaboration is more than that. We are also supporting the education of new SBO mountain guides – whom we met in Davos back in April as they embarked upon their mountain guide training – mostly with education around sustainability.
“We want to work with a serious long term partner who can support our education program,” says Magnus Lindor Strand, IRMGA guide and responsible for partnerships at SBO. “We need a partner who takes sustainability seriously and can add competence to our work plan and we really feel Fjällräven can do that. The other great match is the whole Bergtagen collection and concept, it really fits our values and life stories perfectly.”