{"id":21930,"date":"2017-10-26T14:40:40","date_gmt":"2017-10-26T21:40:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/?p=21930"},"modified":"2023-05-10T10:44:15","modified_gmt":"2023-05-10T17:44:15","slug":"behind-the-scenes-of-the-north-faces-summit-series-evolution","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/climb\/behind-the-scenes-of-the-north-faces-summit-series-evolution","title":{"rendered":"Behind the Scenes of The North Face’s Summit Series Evolution"},"content":{"rendered":"

For more than a decade, The North Face has designed its Summit Series<\/a>, featuring apparel, packs, and tents, to be the technical pinnacle of the brand.<\/p>\n

But like alpine climbers seeking to pare their kit to the essentials, the iconic outdoor gear maker has streamlined its Summit Series apparel offerings to better focus on the needs of mountain athletes and guides.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlpinism is minimalism,\u201d renowned mountaineer and North Face athlete Conrad Anker said. \u201cEvery detail must be thought through, and it must serve a purpose. These same values are what we plan for in climbing, and they are what our Summit Series embodies.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The North Face launched the Summit Series in 2000 but decided it needed refining after \u201cit ended up being a very large offering of product that was being used to help segment the market as opposed to meet climbers needs,\u201d as then-vice president for global product Joe Vernachio put it to Cool Hunting in 2015<\/a>, when the company re-launched a radically streamlined Summit Series.<\/p>\n

With a pared-down line, the company could put more effort and time into dialing in each individual piece of apparel for its function in ice climbing, alpinism and ski mountaineering, said Shelby Collins, a product line manager with The North Face. The series also contains gear aimed at those who want to go expedition climbing.<\/p>\n

This year, the company has added versatile pieces such as the Summit L3 Ventrix Hoodie (women’s<\/a> \/ men’s<\/a>), which can function as outerwear on bluebird days or as a fleece midlayer when conditions worsen. Perhaps the most immediately visible change is brighter colors to enhance visibility and safety in the mountains.<\/p>\n

But even with this year\u2019s additions, \u201cthere is no excess in this line,\u201d says Jennifer Radloff Davis, senior public relations coordinator with The North Face. \u201cWhile the line expanded from (fall 2016) to include a larger variety of styles, we were still very deliberate about what styles we added and why.\u201d<\/p>\n

The series remains \u201cthe most technical expression of our brand\u201d and a platform for the company to push the limits of innovation and technology, Collins said.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

One of the innovation highlights Collins points to is the fall 2017 Summit L6 Down Belay Parka<\/a>. This jacket features offset, engineered woven-chamber construction to eliminate cold spots and reduce stitching. Baffles, or dividers keeping insulation in place, <\/strong>are woven in at the material level instead of the traditional method of stitching separate layers together.<\/p>\n

Prior to the 2015 re-launch, the Summit Series had expanded, in part, because of its appeal to people who weren\u2019t necessarily into hardcore outdoor pursuits like ski mountaineering, ice climbing and alpinism, Collins said.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople really saw our product as being inspirational because of it being rooted in the outdoors and mountaineering,\u201d she said. Even though they might not be scaling Everest, people were drawn to the quality.<\/p>\n

Still, Collins says the relaunched line can be seen as The North Face getting back to its roots of products that appeal to hard-core climbers. \u201cOur roots are really what make us who we are,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The North Face\u2019s goal of making the best-in-class product for mountain professionals and Anker\u2019s input contributed to a re-focused Summit Series, she said. Anker worked with the design and development team to make sure each item was the absolute best for alpinism. \u201cHe had a huge hand in the re-launch,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe examined the kit we use for climbing in the Himalaya, the Alps, Alaska and the Andes and realized that a simpler, more dialed set up is better,\u201d Anker said. \u201cClarify the purpose; design for it, and commit to the end product.\u201d<\/p>\n

Anker, one of the most decorated climbers on the planet, compared the continuing refinement of the Summit Series to mountaineering itself. \u201cSetting a standard that we aim to improve on each season is similar to how we approach our own goals in the mountains,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The company learns a lot in the process of getting new technology to market, and as it refines the technology and perhaps finds ways to make it cost less it can find its way into other North Face products, Collins said.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

According to Collins, one of the innovations that began in concept with the Summit Series and the skiing and snowboarding-focused Steep Series is FuseForm technology. FuseForm garments use lighter, lower-density fibers in lower-wear areas and fibers that are thicker and more durable in high-wear zones. This reduces weight and creates a seamless transition between different areas of a garment.<\/p>\n

It also means waterproof shell garments and fleece layers have enhanced durability in some spots and increased breathability or warmth, respectively, in others, Collins said.<\/p>\n

In essence, the goal of all this behind-the-scenes work seems to be that the gear itself fades into the background.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe crunch of snow underfoot, the whisper of wind and the joy of sunrise are the reasons we visit the outdoors,\u201d Anker said. \u201cHaving comfortable gear allows for less distraction. The closer one is to the experience the more meaningful it is.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shop the Summit Series<\/path><\/svg><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For more than a decade, The North Face has designed its Summit Series, featuring apparel, packs, and tents, to be the technical pinnacle of the brand. But like alpine climbers seeking to pare their kit to the essentials, the iconic outdoor gear maker has streamlined its Summit Series apparel offerings to better focus on the needs […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":21935,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,387],"tags":[734,727,1538],"internal-tag":[1679],"class_list":["post-21930","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-climb","category-hike","tag-climbing","tag-latest-posts","tag-new-products","internal-tag-pre-redirect-climbing"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/rei.com\/blog\/climb\/behind-the-scenes-of-the-north-faces-summit-series-evolution","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Behind the Scenes of The North Face’s Summit Series Evolution","url":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/climb\/behind-the-scenes-of-the-north-faces-summit-series-evolution","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/climb\/behind-the-scenes-of-the-north-faces-summit-series-evolution"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2017\/10\/TNF4.jpg?resize=150%2C150","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2017\/10\/TNF4.jpg?fit=1926%2C953"},"articleSection":"Climb","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Michelle Flandreau"}],"creator":["Michelle Flandreau"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Uncommon Path \u2013 An REI Co-op Publication","logo":""},"keywords":["climbing","latest posts","new products"],"dateCreated":"2017-10-26T21:40:40Z","datePublished":"2017-10-26T21:40:40Z","dateModified":"2023-05-10T17:44:15Z"},"rendered":"