Proud partners!
We’ve been in pursuit of the Snow Leopard challenge since our first expedition to Peak Lenin in 2016. Leading up to that expedition we talked about sharing our story and (perhaps) inspiring folks to get out there, dream big and climb high. We thought that if we wanted to reach out to people we might need some help, and so we started looking for partners.
That year we reached out to dozens of brands, I had conversations about our added value to their business, our marketing proposition, and at some point a salesperson - belonging to a very large outdoor brand - was talking about the conversion between our blogs and their products. We never had the ambition of being a superstart athletes, so we had to step away from those conversations. Like with everything in life: sometimes if you create a bit more space, you see things more clearly - and it/they can see you.
Proud partners - part of the family
We came across two Dutch importers, local firms with a passion for outdoorproducts. In both cases things clicked. We don’t aspire to be superstar athletes, nor are we claiming to be special. We’re just climbers with a big goal, willing to share our path and looking for support. They understood our story and before we knew they were acting like our ambassadors towards their own brands!
Three years in this partnership and we just received a lot of new products that we we’ll get to use for our upcoming expedition and we’re super gratefull for that. Bags, clifbars, climbingshoes, energyblocks, gels, freeze-dried meals, X-bowls - you name it. Most of the times these folks remain in the background. Some might talk about them as being middlemen and maybe some big outdoorcorps might think that they can also deliver their products themselves. Perhaps they’re right, but in this leap of efficiency they stand a chance to loose a precious local connection. For me this local embedding is the key to creating a community around a brand and I think that’s the key.
Being organized is everything
It is such a magnificent thing to be supported by Sea to Summit. People who’ve been on expeditions know that being organized is everything. The pure joy of finding all your accessories - being it climbing gear or a toothbrush - without having to unpack everything is just golden.
Sea to Summit has supported us with just to many small and big items along the way. If I had to choose I would not want live without what we call ‘The Duffle’. This indestructible, 130 litre bag is just irreplaceable!
More than shoes!
Asolo was one of the first brands to partner up with us. I think of it as much more than just another outdoor shoe brand that I use to go climbing. It feels like we’re part of this big Italian family. We’ve been using the Magnum GV’s for years now. I’ve used them to get from basecamps to ABC’s, hiked with them in the Scottisch Highlands and took them with me to Patagonia. I must honestly say that I never had anything better than these approach shoes!
Making it good!
A old, yet new friend! We’ve been enjoying Clifbars, the energy gels and their blocks on our previous expeditions. Besides the fact that eating preferences in high-altitude is quite personal it’s also hard to find a good mix of protein, vitamines, fibers and nutrious value. We can truly say that Clif bar literally fuels our expeditions!