Among today's overly serious outdoor brands, Klättermusen’s intentionality to be uniquely themselves speaks to a different type of mountain athlete with a different sense of humor.
Article by Aaron Gerry
Photos and Video courtesy of Klättermusen
----
In Norse mythology, Jörmungandr is a giant serpent that encircles the world. Vergelmer is a powerful spring "whence all waters rise.” Auðhumbla is a mythical cow whose milk flows in rivers of nourishment. Klättermusen, a 50-year-old Swedish climbing and outdoor apparel brand, once used these names for a line of men's and women's underwear. And a bra.
(These days, the product names are a bit more sober, but no less descriptive. The Asar (Æsir) Pant refers to one of the original families of gods and carries associations of strength and resilience, while the Vingner (Gungnir) Anorak is named after the mighty spear that belonged to Odin — and harkens back to one of the first products Klättermusen ever produced; a tip of the lance for the company, if you will)
North Americans may have preconceptions about the seriousness of Nordic folks, those cold upper Europeans who are sparse with words, have a strong social safety net (from high taxes, yikes!), and love fermented herring. Certainly, we also know of the hard climbing at Flatanger, the cracks of Bohuslän, the endless water ice around Rjukan, and the epic pow of the Lyngen Alps.
Yet from that frigid near-Arctic land comes the cheekiest of outdoor brands — and one of the most innovative too.
Irreverent product names aren’t just for aesthetics, but part of their design principle; the company is deliberate with a wink and a nod. “Everything we do and every product has a purpose. Every detail has a reason,” says Isabelle Liahaugen, Klättermusen’s Head of Product Design & Development. There is the red accent on the Nifelheim Jacket that signals a safety toggle in case of zipper failure. Or the colored panels on the Gere 3.0 Pants that guide the eye toward an adjustment feature.
Design is material, too, philosophically and literally. In 2017, they were the first outdoor brand to go fluorocarbon-free, then they completely eliminated PFAS from their production in 2019, years before legislation mandated it stateside. Like Heimdall, they’ve always kept their eye towards the future.
What’s in a Name?
What does “Klättermusen” mean, anyhow? Is that too a god who lived in Asgard and rubbed shoulders with Thor and Loki?
Well, no, actually. “Klättermusen” translates as, um, well… “climbing mouse,” but does originate from a mythical source in Norwegian children's literature: "Klättermus och de andra djuren i Hackebackeskogen" ("Climbing Mouse and the Other Animals in Huckybuck Forest"). The name was chosen carefully — to be something people either love or hate. And that’s the point. In today’s marketing world of uber-performance imagery, Klättermusen’s intentionality to be uniquely themselves, from ski dancing to folklore-laced storytelling, speaks to a different type of mountain athlete with a different sense of humor.
“It’s not about romanticizing the outdoors,” says Paula Maso, the Creative Lead at Klättermusen. “In Sweden, the outdoors isn’t seen as a destination; it's a part of everyday life.”
Serious Design and Humor From the Beginning
But can you trust an outdoor sports brand that has a climbing mouse as its logo? Europeans have known for decades what Americans soon will.
Klättermusen was founded in Umeå, Sweden, in 1975 by Peter Askulv, a chemist and biologist, climber and cave diver. Cursing a broken gaiter during a snowbound expedition, Askulv found himself wishing for materials that could meet the Scandinavian conditions. When he got out of the mountains, he set to work blueprinting, iterating, and sewing gear for himself and his friends, built for the climbing demands of their small-but-fierce mountain ranges.
From the outset, the company created long-lasting products with minimal environmental impact. Early jackets could weather any storm, water crossing, or deep forest trekking (and weighed 5 kilograms), and their multi-use skimo-climbing-nordic-ice-skaing packs — both burly and easily repaired — lasted for decades.
Those first backpacks were made for expeditions, to places like the Himalaya or Padjelanta. At the time, the company told customers that the backpacks were “primarily designed for women, but could be customized for men at no extra cost.” It was their tongue-in-cheek way of saying they came in gendered fits.
The ethos of form and funny has remained. While outdoor brands have steadily presented themselves more seriously, Klättermusen’s new-old brand is refreshing. It’s part playful jab at a mountain culture focused on higher, harder, faster, and part no-nonsense essentialism for product design.
“I think it is a very Swedish mindset of form follows function, form follows fun — but we do a lot of the latter, too,” says Maso.
Don’t Confuse Levity for Lackadaisical
Klättermusen is “under-the-hood” design-wise. According to Liahaugen, it starts with understanding the logic of the use case and continues with years of research and testing.
“For me, the ideal product is one you can put on — whether it’s a jacket, pants, or a backpack — and then completely forget about. You’re not constantly thinking, this pocket rubs, or I can’t reach that zipper, or this buckle is in the way. If I forget about it, that’s when I know it works. That means it’s well designed,” says gear tester and President of the Slovenian Mountain Guide Association, Peter Jeromel.
A good example is the Bure Backpack. “At first glance, it looks very simple. But when you start using it for the climbing it’s intended for, you begin to understand the placement of loops and buckles — some of which might seem unusual at first. Everything is there for a reason, often related to safety, efficiency, and ease of use,” Liahaugen says.
Magnus Ryde, Head of Sales and a local climbing developer, likes the Asar Pants for bouldering. “They have the right mix of stretchiness and durability. I want the pants to fit the way they are supposed to and not have anything extra, and I like that they are a little bit shorter in the leg, which lets me see my foot placement without super-narrow legs.”
Aesthetically, they also stand out: the diagonal zippers and triangles catch the eye at first glance; the funky color schemes, angled accent patches, and detailing are what keep their gear from conforming. But it’s the deeply embedded functionality in Klättermusen’s gear that converts customers for life.
Klättermusen is planning to expand in the U.S. this year, and for some, it’ll be a welcome alternative to the seriousness of outdoor culture. Of course, we all like doing rad stuff in the mountains, but maybe you prefer having fun along the way too.
“Klättermusen’s new climbing collection ‘Go Feel High’ is now available on Klattermusen.com and at select retailers in the U.S.
This article was published in partnership with
————