For more than 140 years, Helly Hansen has created performance-driven gear for professionals. Utilizing The Open Mountain global campaign as its platform to inspire people to experience the power of nature, this Spring/Summer ’24 features Mountain Madness,
a 40-year-old U.S.-based guiding company founded by two American mountaineers.
As Helly Hansen’s first global campaign to highlight mountain guides, The Open Mountain explores how life-enhancing it can be to spend time outside, as well as what it means to be a professional in the outdoors, enabling those experiences.
In a short film, Helly Hansen features Mountain Madness guide, Sean McNally, and two clients as they attempt a summit in the North Cascade mountains of Washington State. Through their journey we discover that they not only achieve their goal of reaching the summit, but also experience the deeper successes achieved through
spending time in the mountains.
“Everyone has a different reason for wanting to reach the summit,” said McNally. “Though often it’s the bits in between you remember the most – the time spent with people, the friendships, the experiences, the knowledge sharing – before making it safely to the top.”
“I really enjoy watching people as they grow throughout a trip,” he continued. “It’s great to see the struggles as well as the high peaks; and being able to help them achieve
what they can obviously already do…I wouldn’t trade it for anything else in the world.”
To further support the campaign, Helly Hansen announced the return of Open Mountain
Month, an initiative designed to inspire and enable people to get outdoors. This June 2024, Open Mountain Month enters its third celebration of seasoned outdoor-goers and novices alike, aiming to encourage all people to experience the power of spending time in nature. By facilitating connections between outdoor enthusiasts and seasoned professionals, worldwide, through a variety of global and regional activities, educational resources, inspiring content and an event locator on its website, this momentum is set for continuous expansion.
Since the initial launch of Open Mountain Month in Summer 2023, the initiative has brought
together professionals and communities through in-person events, worldwide, across five
countries. From cookouts in Finland to exclusive campouts atop mountain resorts in Canada, participants gathered to enjoy the benefits of spending time outside as well as educate themselves on how to do so safely with guidance and tips from professional mountain guides and search and rescue teams.
This Summer, North American events include:
- Blaze the Trails with Helly Hansen (June 1-June 30 at Sea to Sky Gondola in Squamish, B.C., Canada)
- Helly Hansen Ascent Trail Challenge (June 15-July 15 at Whistler, B.C. Canada; open to all)
- Helly Hansen x Mountain Madness Red Mountain Guided Hike Giveaway (June 21 at Snoqualmie, W.A., U.S.)
- Helly Hansen x Association of Canadian Mountain Guides guided hikes (June 29 in Vancouver, Whistler and Golden, B.C.; Banff, A.B. and Mont Tremblant, Q.C., Canada)
- Helly Hansen Summit Sleepover (August 17-18 at Whistler, B.C., Canada; 10 winners with Instagram contest running in June)
“The Open Mountain campaign is a true representation of Helly Hansen,” says Joumana Lovstad, CMO, Helly Hansen. “To help people stay and feel alive while actively enjoying the
outdoors is our goal, which is authentically shared with the mountain professionals we work with. This message is so beautifully witnessed throughout this short film, and we’re excited to inspire others, both through this campaign and Open Mountain Month.”
For more about Mountain Madness or Open Mountain Month, visit www.hellyhansen.com.
