In the White Room 005

Monthly dispatches from high places and wild spaces.

At Jöttnar, we obsess over high-performing outdoor gear. Our joy comes in crafting a product we truly believe in ourselves - but not for the product’s sake, rather because we love what it unlocks for us. At the core of it all is getting outside and doing hard things, in whatever form that may take.

We get inspired and excited by stories of others out there getting after it. And since we spend so much of our time absorbing these stories ourselves, we decided to share some of the most inspiring and interesting ones for you in a neat package: The White Room.

Rabbit holes await - enjoy.

FRAMES

ECHOES

LINES

SAGAS

FRAMES

A collection of stories from the mountains, as told through film and video.

ANDRZEJ BARGIEL

I Skied Down Everest.

Less than 2% of successful Everest summits are without supplemental oxygen. To even contemplate clipping into skis at the summit and descending all the way to basecamp, still without oxygen, would be considered tantamount madness for most. And yet, Polish ski mountaineer Andrzej Bargiel pulled off this feat in September. His new film is a mesmerising watch.

WATCH [31mins]

“Andrzej, the way is completely destroyed. There’s no way through…?”

Title

WILLIS MORRIS

The Fine Line.

Willis Morris of the Jöttnar Pro Team has long mastered the art of having a fun time going up and coming down. Out in the Alps, combining techy solo climbs with a high-octane speedwing descent is a recipe for a top day out.

WATCH (6mins)

NIKOLAI SCHIRMER

The King’s Gate.

High in the Norwegian Arctic, the island of Senja is home to the ‘scariest couloir in the world’, an incredibly steep run guarded by an iconic rock arch at the top. Krister and Nikolai skied and snowboarded down the infamous chute, creating this short adrenaline rush of a film.

WATCH (10mins)

ECHOES

Podcast episodes that share tales of adventure from the trails, the summits, and everything in between.

MARK JENKINS

The Everest of Caves.

Mark recalls a 2010 expedition by English spelunkers to the largest cave on earth - Vietnam’s Hang Sơn Đoòng - spending a week in the stygian darkness ‘like moles’. Camp I, Camp II, Camp III - like the world of mountaineering, only the danger here is trenchfoot rather than frostbite.

LISTEN (8mins)

“We can literally see light at the end of the tunnel. No human has ever been here before. We're giddy as schoolboys. Joy, pure joy.”

Title

ANNIE FORD

55,000m Downhil.

Earlier this year, Annie Ford set a world record by descending an absurd 55,727m on New Zealand's Coronet Peak, averaging 10-minute laps on the downhill course during an unbroken 24-hour push. This interview delves into her record effort, and explores her life and goals beyond the bike.

LISTEN (1hr40)

GEORGE LINNANE

Trapped Underground.

Ogof Ffynnon Ddu in Wales is the UK’s deepest cave system, and is a popular spot for cavers. A new interview with experienced caver George Linnane revisits his ordeal in 2021, when a rock bridge he was crossing collapsed, leaving him with severe injuries and triggering an extraordinary 54-hour rescue mission by some 300 volunteers.

LISTEN (38mins)

LINES

Articles, blogs, write-ups: short reads inspired by exploits in the great outdoors.

JIM MORRISON

The Hardest Line.

It’s been a big year for skiers on Everest. In October, American mountaineer Jim Morrison ticked off the elusive ski-descent of Everest’s North Face via the Hornbein and Japanese Couloirs - ‘the most audacious ski run in history’. Another feat on the world’s highest mountain that exhausts the use of superlatives.

READ (8mins)

“It’s super steep and unrelenting from top to bottom. It’s more than a mile long and just massive, dark, and beautiful in scale.”

Title

HERMANN BUHL

A Night on a Ledge.

In 1953, Hermann Buhl completed the first ever ascent of Nanga Parbat (8126m) – solo, and without oxygen. His accomplishment was marked by his dogged determination to survive the descent, enduring a starved and frostbitten night leaning on a rock slab before completing his 40-hour ordeal. His address to the Alpine Club recalls the “hell of a torture”. Skip to pg. 387 for his short account of the summit and the descent.

READ (5mins)

TOM GRANT

Steep Skiing on Denali.

Could the expertise honed from skiing steep lines in the Alps be applied to the biggest lines in Alaska? Jöttnar Pro Teamer Tom Grant set out with an elite team to put this to the test. The result: a ‘humbling experience’ that almost ended in tragedy. Account and reflections in our LEGEND Magazine:

READ (5mins)

Title

SAGAS

Armchair adventures, handpicked by Team Jöttnar: classic reads from mountain literature and beyond.

joe simpson

Touching the Void.

Joe Simpson and Simon Yates’ harrowing descent from Siula Grande in the Peruvian Andes, 1985 – an absolute classic in the canon of mountain literature.

A compelling tale of survival against improbable odds. It's a simple story, but a gripping read.

For some reason it took me many years to get round to reading this - but it’s a title that belongs on everyone’s bookshelf.

Chosen by: HARRY, Jöttnar COMMUNITY MANAGER

“I was alive…I couldn’t be dead and feel that. Alive! I couldn’t see what was so damned funny, but I laughed anyway.”

Title

the Jöttnar Community

OUT & ABOUT.

Last month we met up with a handful of our community in the Lake District for a proper day out on the fells, and an intimate interview with our ambassadors Jay Morton and Mitch Hutchcraft.

Meeting customers in person and being part of such an energised crowd made it a memorable day - more of these to come, keep an eye out on your emails for announcements!