The North Face History and Their High Performance Steep Tech Collection

The North Face’s fundamental mission has remained unchanged since 1966. Provide the best gear for athletes, support the preservation of the outdoors, and inspire a global movement of exploration.

Named after the coldest, and most unforgiving side of the mountain, the brand was started in almost the complete opposite environment, San Francisco’s North Beach. It was there that in 1966, two hiking enthusiasts followed their passion and opened up a small mountaineering retail store.

After finding success within the arena, the brand began venturing into the designing and manufacturing of their own brand of technical mountaineering apparel and equipment.

The North Face brand then went on to amass a loyal following from avid outdoor athletes and began sponsoring expeditions to some of the most far-flung, and still to this day, largely untouched corners of the globe. All of this still continues today and reinforces The North Face mantra of Never Stop Exploring™.

 

 

First released in 1991, Steep Tech was one of The North Face’s first athlete-designed collections. Featuring in ski films across the sport, which brought Steep Tech to the forefront and made it blaze in popularity. 

First up from the trademark Steep Tech collection is the Steep Tech Light Rain Jacket. Inspired by one of the pioneers of extreme skiing, Scott Schmidt. The Steep Tech Collection brings 90s ski-tech to the city. 

Featuring waterproof, breathable and seam-sealed DryVent technology, which is made from the same tactile ripstop fabric as the jackets from the original ski collection. This piece is made for tough conditions, and will keep you dry and fresh no matter what you need to do.

 

The Steep Tech Light Pants feature two cargo pockets, reflective branding, ribbed cuffs and a draw cord waistband.

The 90s ski-tech look really shines here, and with these trousers coming in at a relaxed fit, and with reflective branding, they’ll keep you mobile into the night.

High-Tec doesn’t mean you can’t get some shorts in use every now and again. These Steep Tech Light Shorts feature two cargo pockets, reflective branding and a draw cord waistband.

With the same styling of the Light Pants, these also feature reflective branding to keep you visible at all times.

More than 50 years after the opening of the humble little mountaineering store, The North Face has gone on to become a cultural powerhouse in performance apparel, equipment and footwear, and within the streets of the city. 

Remaining as the first choice of the world’s most accomplished athletes, the brand has cemented itself with the respect it deserves. 

To check out the whole The North Face Collection, click here