Name: the north face

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Introduction: THE NORTH FACE, also translated as the face of the north, the face of the north USA

In 1966, two avid hikers established a small mountaineering supplies retail store in San Francisco, USA. It soon developed and became a famous company selling professional mountaineering and hiking equipment. The name The North Face (TNF) comes from the fact that in the northern hemisphere, the north slope of a mountain is the coldest, most snow-covered, and most difficult to climb side, implying that true mountaineers are always fearless. Face the difficulties head on.

In 1968, The North Face began to design, produce and sell its own brand of outdoor equipment. By the late 1980s, TNF became the only company in the United States that produced jackets, ski suits, backpacks, tents, etc. Manufacturer of series of outdoor products.

The 1990s was the time when TNF shined. In 1996, they launched the Tekware series, which ushered in a new era of outdoor clothing. Its revolutionary materials and designs made TNF a 5A-level outdoor adventure products company in the United States. The Tekware series of clothing provides unprecedented comfort and safety protection for all types of outdoor adventure enthusiasts.

Later, TNF selected La Sportiva S.r.L - the world's best mountaineering shoe manufacturer - as its partner, and in 1999 it got involved in the design and production of mountaineering and hiking shoes.

After 36 years of development, TNF has become a well-known outdoor product brand around the world. It has always been closely integrated with outdoor adventure activities in harsh natural environments, and through continuous technological innovation, design and production Produce outdoor equipment with increasingly higher comfort and safety performance to meet the needs of all levels.

As long as a person knows where to go, the whole world will make way for him.

David Starr Jordan

In 1966, the hippie wave gained completely overwhelming power in San Francisco.

Walking north from the beautiful urban area of ??San Francisco, passing the world-famous Golden Gate Bridge, you will find Mullian County, which is located on a long and narrow peninsula, facing the Pacific Ocean on one side and the Golden Gate Bay on the other. The scenery is indescribably beautiful. Malian County is dotted with hills and there are many tall redwoods. These redwood forests are very well protected and have a primitive style. Facing Kinmen Bay, there is a very famous small fishing port called Shashaliduo. The neat streets and beautiful shops are impressive. Marian County residents have one of the highest incomes in the United States, so they have money and leisure to engage in outdoor sports. Hiking and biking are one of the main activities.

Backpacking was a way of life for young people of that era. If you see a person carrying a Swiss Army Knife, carrying a backpack from brands such as Kelty, JanSport or Wilderness Experience, wearing a jacket from Holubar or Sierra Designs, and wearing hiking boots from brands such as Todd's or White's, in a small He appears in towns, coasts, train stations, and youth hostels. In all likelihood, he is definitely a backpacker.

They take things as they come, leaning against walls and trees wherever there is, sitting wherever there is a floor, and the buttocks of their jeans are always worn white. They ate all kinds of food, including hamburgers, hot dogs, long rolls, Japanese rice balls, and Indian curry rice. They talked about their favorite music, such as John Coltrane, Jacques Brel, Mikis Theodorakis, Rolling Stones or The Grateful. Dead and others were at odds with each other, and when saying goodbye at the train station, they often gave each other their favorite audio tapes. This feeling is beautiful.

Doug, 20, and Thompkins, 22, live in Marian County. They are such backpackers and are very good friends.

Not only do they often hike and camp together, Doug loves mountaineering and also likes to make some mountaineering equipment. Thompkins didn't know when he became obsessed with rock climbing. Now they're taking a van to climb Mount Whitney in the Sierra Nevada.

It takes about five or six hours to drive east from San Francisco, passing through Yosemite National Park, taking Highway 580 to Highway 205, and then turning to California Highway 120 eastbound. Although the journey is shorter, it requires climbing over the Diogo Pass at an altitude of 3,031 meters. In winter, the mountain is covered with heavy snow and the road is rugged and thrilling.

There is nothing better than walking on the trails in Yosemite National Park. The feeling of being in the mountains cannot be found in the city. Get close to the grass, trees, moss and stones, and appreciate the beautiful scenery carved by nature over thousands of years. Under your feet is the moss growing on the stones. This is the most primitive plant, gradually turning into a layer of mud so that more complex grass can grow in the future. Tree. On both sides of the path, there are mountain bushes and some cold-resistant plants, such as squid, which are always struggling for survival, recirculating natural waste, and making full use of things in such extremely high places.

As the sun was about to set, an icy cold wave enveloped the car. Doug wrapped his tattered coat tightly and stared at his shoes. They were made of rough, velvet-colored fur and were trimmed with lace at the ankles. They've watched him cross ranches in Northern California, cut timber in Oregon, haul tuna in Lake San Pietro, followed him on countless trucks from New York to California, and stayed with him on the decks of cargo ships sailing through the Panama Strait. superior. The paper-thin soles were now cracked and the fur was as worn and tattered as his backpack.

Thompkins still recalls his days in the Grand Canyon of the Colorado River.

"I am familiar with rivers, ancient, ghostly rivers, and my soul has become as deep as the river." He still remembers the first time he read JOSEPH's "Coordinate System Danny" and "Seaside" "Wild Chrysanthemum" and "Our Story". It was the accumulation of his long life, so it was firm, solid, clear, and clear. That transparent perception, deep experience, composure in confusion, and strength rising in pain helped him wake up from his sinking.

Thompkins can never forget the vast swaths of wild chrysanthemums in the Colorado mountain fields, because he will always think of the words written by JOSEPH: "Use this life that once bloomed to remember the suffering in my heart." They are not only Merely to commemorate suffering, they also bear witness to the exuberance of life, its abject tenacity, and its blossoming joy.

The depths of the canyon were silent, with the roar of the river and the clapping-like snapping of cottonwood leaves on the plateau below rarely heard. Because all these sounds were swallowed up in the space of this abyss.

Thompkins climbed the Red Wall Cliffs at the Grand Canyon, which is 550 feet tall, almost as tall as the Washington Monument. It is gray-blue limestone, but the iron salt seeping out of the rock gives the cliff surface a sunset-like color. Above the "Red Wall" are alternating layers of red sandstone and 1,000 feet of shale, then layers of light blue sandstone, and the uppermost layer is yellowish limestone.

A bump brought the two of them out of their reverie. Outside the carriage, a very intimidating bighorn sheep was watching these uninvited guests from a high cliff. It was the master of the Rocky Mountains. Its eyesight is roughly equivalent to that of a telescope with eight times magnification. Its feet are suitable for running on rugged areas. Its hoof edges are hard, capable of walking vigorously and with endurance. The center of its hoof has a mysterious cup-shaped muscle that is as soft as gum and has suction, allowing it to grip steep cliffs. The hillside also has splayed toes and false hooves, which can control the speed when going down the mountain. Doug said to Thompkins: "This guy should be the best climber in the world."

The journey is lonely, and their dusty faces are as empty as their pockets. Their hands were calloused from years of hard climbing. They stared at the open car door in silence, like thinkers in pain.

The Sierra Nevada is majestic. To the east is Morgan Peak (4190 meters), a high wall of white granite, and to the west is the opposite high wall of 3912 meters Star Peak. There is a steep spire in the south called Xiongjian Peak (4179 meters), which is covered with a lot of snow and glaciers.

The southwest is a mountainous complex with several granite peaks and large glaciers over 4,000 meters tall.

This is the main vein of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, which separates the Pacific Basin from the inland Owens River Basin. The highest among them are the Albert Peak at 4180 meters and the Daidu Peak at about 4150 meters. Confucius Peak is located in the central crown area of ??the Sierra Nevada Mountains, on the northeastern edge of Yosemite National Park, with an altitude of 3837 meters. This is the highest peak in the Sierra Nevada north of Diogo Pass.

They have climbed all of these peaks before, but this time they chose to climb an unnamed peak next to Mount Whitney with an altitude of 4,418 meters from the north face. The north face route of the Unnamed Peak is more challenging and more difficult, and they always like more creative climbing methods.

The camping site is next to a pond with an altitude of 3248 meters. The ground around it is flat and suitable for camping. They continued to climb up a very steep rocky slope, and several slender streams rushed down from it. A small meadow grew beside the water. Although it is only a few dozen square meters of isolated green, it is full of colorful wild flowers. There is a steep rock wall on the right side of the meadow, and a very steep moraine slope composed of loose gravel on the left side. Above that were vast stretches of loose moraine, sometimes sinking a foot with every step.

After boarding the glacier, Doug discovered a ten-meter-high vertical gap on the cliff on the right. He estimated that the difficulty of this gap was about four degrees, and he was eager to try it. They climbed to the mouth above it. From here, the slope on the slide to the left is sometimes close to 70 degrees, but the stone quality is excellent. There are no loose stones that are easy to fall, and it is almost all solid granite. There are enough gaps in the slide for hands to cling on, and the protruding stone edges for feet to step on are often very narrow. The two of them were cautious, and they looked back from time to time to see the vast glacier about 500 meters below, which was majestic and breathtaking. Terrified. Thompkins bumped into a loose rock, which quickly dropped down the slide to the glacier, bouncing only two or three times in half a minute.

The slope of the slide became steeper, and they could not continue upward, and the rope ran out. It has taken 7 and a half hours. Only after descending, the two left angrily.

"Man, do you think our equipment and equipment are not adequate enough?" Doug said to his friend.

"Yes, can't you also make some mountain climbing equipment? Let's just open a store!"

Thompkins obviously thinks this is a good idea.

The two young men returned to San Francisco and immediately rented a small storefront in the city center. Behind the store was a processing workshop. Thompkins was in charge of sales, while Doug concentrated on processing with his machine. product. The store was naturally named THE NORTH FACE, and of course they didn't forget to go hiking.

In 1968, Doug and Thompkins officially registered THE NORTH FACE as a trademark. The first product was the SIERRA PARKA jacket (in English, SIERRA means mountain). The SIERRA PARKA jacket also became THE NORTH FACE. classic products.

"Never stop exploring" has also become the slogan of THE NORTH FACE products. Under the leadership of this spirit, THE NORTH FACE continues to challenge the limits of science and technology. After rigorous investigation, design, production process and athlete testing, it produces the most advanced and scientific mountaineering and outdoor products.

Introduction to The North Face’s classic products

1968---SIERRA PARKA

Since the establishment of The North Face in 1968, The North Face has produced high-quality products Down products enjoy a high reputation among outdoor sports enthusiasts, especially SIERRA PARKA down jackets, which are deeply loved by climbers. The SIERRA PARKA series of products were first created in the 1970s, and the SIERRA PARKA series of down products are still produced and sold today.

1970---RUTHSAC

RUTHSAC is a product of The North Face that improved the internal structure of the backpack. It was the first to use curves in the improvement and had an aluminum frame belt pad inside. . RUTHSAC used a unique and convenient zipper at the time, and used multiple partitions in the backpack to increase the effective volume. Today this technology has become an industry production standard.

1975---CAT’S MEOW

The CAT’S MEOW sleeping bag was designed to take advantage of the many advantages of Polarguard material, minimal bulk, minimal weight and portability. The good function of Polarguard is reflected in its use in cold and humid areas. It can block the intrusion of moisture. Today, CAT’S MEOW has become the most popular sleeping bag.

1975---OUAI INTENTION TENT

According to the theory of engineer R Buckminster Fuller, the oval idea was first used in the design of backpacking tents. This improvement was Epoch-making, it improves the industrial process of outdoor products. The North Face then developed shock-resistant, flexible aluminum tent poles that have become an industry standard today. This triangular design utilizes the inherent force ratio to allow the poles to evenly withstand the weight of the tent itself and external impact forces. Now all The North Face tents are products of this breakthrough design.

1976---Back Magic

In 1976, when The North Face was developing the Back Magic product, it proposed a design idea to improve the sturdy frame backpack. On the belt, a new nylon fabric is combined with an aluminum frame. This combination can offset the relatively independent forces from the waist and shoulders in different directions, making it more comfortable to carry.

1985---Mountain Jacket

Since the launch of the MOUNTAIN JACKET series of products in 1985, this product has become a must-have for outdoor athletes in high altitude and cold areas. In a complete sense, the all-weather MOUNTAIN JACKET series products are the first choice for many adventure teams, because all MOUNTAIN JACKET series products are produced in accordance with strict design standards.

1999---Micronamics

Micronamics is a new underwear fabric launched by The North Face. It is one of the most advanced underwear fabrics on the market. It can maintain body temperature, isolate moisture, and even It can maintain the temperature even when wet. It is especially suitable for wearing in cold climate sports.

2000---THE North Face 800 LTD

North Face specially produced the "800 LTD" limited edition down jacket to commemorate the millennium.

2001---MET5

MET5 is a high-tech jacket. The special fiber weaving method of this kind of jacket makes the material have good thermal insulation effect. MET5 is equipped with a heating device, which uses a rechargeable small lithium battery as its energy source. The temperature of the clothes can be adjusted with a regulator. The North Face company targets climbers with this high-tech jacket, and the U.S. military has shown strong interest in MET5.

2003---The North Face Edition

The North Face Edition off-road vehicle is a member of the Avalanche off-road vehicle series jointly developed by The North Face and Chevrolet. This car has a completely new interior design based on the needs of climbers. It will be launched in the United States in the spring of 2003 and is expected to sell for $40,395. It will be the first automotive product developed jointly by an automaker and an outdoor equipment manufacturer.

On The North Face? global athlete list, you can also find many names that shocked the world, such as Dean Karnazes. He was selected as one of the 100 most influential people in the United States by TIME magazine, and appeared on the cover of an authoritative American sports magazine with the headline "AMERICA'S GREATEST RUNNER": He ran in 50 states in the United States for 50 consecutive days. Marathon also involves running on undulating mountain roads. The runner of Greek origin now wants nothing more than to run the Silk Road, and for him this is a real achievement.

These athletes are very grateful and moved by The North Face?'s product development department. They focus on creative humanized design and the latest high-tech application upgrades. For example, The North Face? The birth process of professional shoes is surprising. It turns out that a shoe can be divided into so many layers. The insole position alone can be composed of 3-4 layers of structure. Different materials also have different Functions, all add up to a pair of shoes that can comfortably protect your feet even when hiking in mountains and rivers. In their show room, the efforts of designers are displayed. They are able to achieve the most important thing in design, which is to consider the users personally.

It is this attitude that makes The North Face? on its journey of exploration, together with outdoor enthusiasts around the world, never stop exploring.