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Business R & D
Knitted
in Sweden
The FirsT säTila BeaNies were knitted back
in 1896. Later on, Ingemar Stenmark wore one.
Today, the Swedish Skicross team keeps their
heads warm with these knitted wool hats from
the small town in western Sweden.
The Swedish company Sätila became
world famous when skier Ingemar Stenmark
outperformed the world’s top skiers in slalom
and giant slalom in the 70’s and 80’s.
On his head he wore a cap designed by his
mother Gunborg and knitted by Sätila. It became
a symbol for the Swedish champion, and
Sätila ramped up production and started growing fast.
”Today we sell our caps in 15 different countries,”
says Lotta Persson, brand manager at Sätila of Sweden.
”We have designed more than 100 models for skiers,
climbers, multi-sport athletes, snowboard riders and for
everyday life in the city.”
A lot has changed since the company’s founder
Johannes Nilsson opened his first small-scale factory in
A beautiful friendship
siNce Their sTarT almost 20
years ago, Houdini Sportswear,
Sweden, has been developing
clothing in close cooperation with a
small group of Houdini Friends. Eva
Karlsson, CEO and head of Product
Development, tells why Houdini has
chosen to work with people like
Swedish UIAGM-authorized mountain
guide Carl Lundberg.
“We have always been innovative
when it comes to product development.
We spend years testing new
materials and products before a garment
is ready to be used by enthusiasts
in the mountains all over the
world. When we launch a new product,
it’s because our Houdini Friends
or ourselves have discovered that
what exists on the market isn’t good
enough for our needs – both the
needs for technical performance, as
well as for sustainability,” says Eva
Karlsson and continues:
“Houdini Friends like Carl
Lundberg have been with us since
the very start. With Carl’s vast
experience in the mountains, we get
invaluable input. This way, we can
be sure of the performance detailing
each garment.”
TogeTher WiTh The FrieNds
and supplier’s R&D departments,
Houdini has been able to produce
several new technical and durable
materials that also are sustainable.
More than 80 percent of Houdini’s
range is made from renewable or
recycled fiber, and an even greater
percentage is fully biodegradable or
recyclable.
“To work hard, play hard, have
fun and create the best products,
while at the same time reducing
our environmental footprint, is what
we’re all about at Houdini,” summarizes
Eva Karlsson.
Sätila made the cap that Ingemar Stenmark wore when
he out skied Phil Mahre, Bojan Krizaj and Pierro Gros in
the 70’s and 80’s. Now skicross-ace Anna Holmlund,
World Cup-winner 2010/11, and top skicross-skier Micke
Forslund are winning fresh victories in new Sätila hats.
the town of Sätila in 1910 and since Gunborg Stenmark
started designing her legendary patterns. However, one
thing hasn’t changed: all Sätila-hats are still knitted in
Sweden.
”We take pride in the fact that we’re still Made in
Sweden,” says Persson.
vatnajökull in
merciless weather
it was a hard and dangerous trip, but
the three italians really wanted to cross
vatnajökul l in the middle of the winter.
leiFur orN svavarssoN, a mountain guide and
instructor for the Icelandic Search and Rescue teams,
ICE-SAR, guided the group up the glacier – one of the
largest ice caps in Europ e – in temperatures below -20
°C, with strong winds and limited visibility.
At their first stop they found a cabin that had been
transformed into an ice block. Svavarsson and the others
had to use their ice axes and hack themselves inside.
Then, they spent several days in tents – and one night
in a crevasse – during blizzards and chilling temperatures
before they crossed just below Iceland’s highest peak,
Hvannadalshnúkur (2,109 meters) and down to the south
side of Vatnajökull.
To puT up WiTh the exceptional weather conditions that
the team faced, Svavarsson had to use all of his skills
and experience from almost 30 years as a mountain
guide, as well as a dozen years as a member of the
Search and Rescue team.
At the ISPO Fair, mountain
guide Leifur Orn Svavarsson
will tell you more about how
he uses his experience from
blizzards, avalanches and
gales to help 66°NORTH create
better clothing.
“I’ve always been drawn to the most remote areas
and the hardest conditions – this time I got plenty of it,”
says Svavarsson.
One of the biggest problems during the trip was that
the merciless cold was accompanied by high humidity.
Svavarsson’s shell jacket would freeze like a statue.
He had to leave it standing by the tent door at night, so it
would thaw just enough so that he could wrangle it on in
the morning.
TodaY, svavarssoN TraiNs the ICE-SAR in survival
skills and technical climbing. To get the right work
wear he has been helping Icelandic outdoor company
66°NORTH with the testing of new shells, fleece garments
and woolen products.
Since the trip with the Italians two years ago, he has
also helped Polartec with material testing.
One of the results of this cooperation is the Snæfell
Jacket, made from Polartec Neoshell, which is a new
fabric that has the durability and stretch of a polyurethane
film, plus the breathability of a micro porous
structure.
“The breathability of the Snæfell jacket would have
made life a lot easier on the trip across Vatnajökull,” says
Svavarsson.
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