The North Face announces sponsorship of Austrian Climbing Team ahead of Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games

Inspiring the nation to climb higher by joining the Austria Climbing Federation as Official Outfitter

Stabio, Switzerland –  The North Face® will bring over 50 years of experience in design, innovation and exploration to its new sponsorship of the Austria Climbing Federation National Team, Youth Team and Paraclimbing Team.

The North Face will be the official outfitter for the Austria Climbing Federation for the next two years, working closely with the athletes to create the highest performing kit for each individual disipline. The partnership also includes the design of the official kit for the Austrian team at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics – the first year that climbing will feature as an Olympic sport – including both their competitive clothing and podium outfits.

Dr. Eugen Burtscher, President of the Austrian Climbing Federation (KVOE) said: “The KVOE is extremely proud to have The North Face support each of our national teams. The next two years are set to be an extremely exciting time for our teams and the sport of climbing itself and we could not have hoped for a better partner to help our athletes realise their goals on the road to Tokyo 2020 and at the Games.”

The Austria Climbing Federation includes the incredibly tallented olympic hopefuls Jessica Pilz, a The North Face athlete since 2017, and Jakob Schubert.  With an impressive set of youth titles under her belt, in 2017 Pilz won the Winter Military World Games both in both lead climbing and bouldering, and following this success, in 2018 she won the Lead Climbing World Championships in Innsbruck. Jakob Schubert also brings a host of World Champion titles to the team, hoping to translate these successes into Olympic medals.

Scott Mellin, The North Face Global GM Mountain Sports added “The Austria Climbing Federation has an impressive number of super talented athletes on its roster, none more so than Jessy Pilz, and it will be fantastic to work with all of these climbers as we collectively strive to produce the best performances possible. We are truly honoured to be developing the world’s best products to enable these athletes to compete and win.”

Since being founded in 1966, climbing has been a sport at the heart of The North Face, supporting some of the most talented climbers in the world and enabling excellence through exploration. The Austrian team will truly put the kit to the test in the most competitive of sporting arenas in front of the eyes of the world, inspiring many more to discover the art of climbing themselves.

Alongside the sposorship of the KVOE, The North Face continues to increase its contribution to grass roots climbing initiatives. The brand’s Walls Are Meant For Climbing campaign returns for the third year across Europe with the aim of increasing the sports accessability. The brand will be creating opportunities to boulder at inner city locations, inviting the public to put their skills to the test, and to meet some of these impressive athletes face to face across Europe this summer.