Spring & Summer 2016
Alone in the outdoors
Maria Granberg
Recycling special
The ultra runner’s diary
Where do our minds go when we disconnect from everything but nature?
A story about meeting your fears and becoming best friends with them.
What happens to our clothes when we are done with them?
Read Kenichi Yamamoto’s journal from the 144k L’Echappée Belle race.
The last light over SingitjĂĽkka and Doulbagorni in northern Sweden on a bright August night. Captured by Anna Ă–hlund.
Hello! We are Houdini. Houdini is a Swedish outdoor brand for people who want the highest level of quality, performance and sustainability. Not one without the other. We offer a complete range of functional clothing, from underwear to shells. Our products are made for people who love this planet as much as we do and therefore want to help make it a better place. In this Houdini Paper, we’ve gathered stories of things that fascinate and inspire us. We hope you like them too!
Activity 01 Alone in the great outdoors. Where do our minds go when we disconnect from everything except nature itself.
People 03 Maria Granberg follows her fears all the way to the highest peaks in the world.
Gallery 07 Drawings and photography by skier, skateboarder and artist Erik Pousette from The Bunch.
Sustainability 11 Recycling special: What happens to our clothes when we throw them away? Does “throw away” really exist?
Design 15 Exploring the art of the t-shirt.
Report 17 Read ultrarunner Kenichi Yamamoto’s journal from the intimidating race L’Echappée Belle in the French Alps.
All you need in a duffel bag 21 What does climber Robert Rundin pack in his camper van for a 3-month bouldering odyssey?
Collection 23 Explore the highlights of Houdini’s 2016 spring/ summer collection.
Text: Axel Lindgren, Kenichi Yamamoto, Therese Iknoian Photography: Anna Öhlund, Erik Pousette, Andreas L. Sönnergren, Oscar Morin, Yusuke Hirota, Sylvain Grange, Christian Åslund, Nicole Berthod Illustration: Per Örås, Erik Pousette Art direction and layout: Per Örås www.houdinisportswear.com @houdinisportswear #houdinisportswear
01 Activity
Text: Axel Lindgren
Take away computers and phones. Eliminate houses and streets. Remove friends and family. Offer a tiny patch of land under a huge open sky. What happens? Where do our minds go when we disconnect from everything except nature itself? I close my eyes, and when I open them the stars have moved. That’s the only thing that tells me time has passed. No alarm clock out here. I close my eyes again, and when I open them later, the sun is rising through the trees behind me. I’m alone on a tiny island in the Stockholm archipelago. The entire Houdini staff from headquarters is on a mission where we each paddle solo to various remote islands to spend the night by ourselves. Summer is almost over, but the water is still warm. I crawl out of my sleeping bag, undress, and throw myself in the water. I make a quick breakfast and stuff my little camp into a backpack. Then what? It’s still hours before I’m supposed to paddle back to our base camp and meet back up with the others. I have no book. No camera. My phone is turned off at the bottom of my pack. What do I do? – Something curious happens to our minds when we’re alone in nature, says Göran Gennvi, founder of Nature Academy Learning Lab, a Stockholm-based leadership development specialist who pioneered the use of nature and wilderness in management training. – The activity in our brains works at different frequencies, Göran Gennvi says. In everyday life, our minds are in a constant “fight or flight” mode, but when we take the time to just sit and do nothing in nature, the brain’s wave frequency declines. Some people can reach the same result with, for example, meditation. This state is called “theta rhythm,” and is associated with relaxation and creativity.
The human brain is still a mystery to science in many ways. Nevertheless, one thing has been verified by countless reports: the positive effect nature has on the mind. It reduces stress and anxiety. Simply put, we relax. There’s also the matter of disconnecting from everything that fights for our attention in a bustling city. When we relieve our brain of the need to respond to constant stimuli, our own thoughts get a chance to make themselves heard. – The goal is to really listen to ourselves, Göran Gennvi says. We all have creativity and courage inside, but with our busy lives most of us never let this part of our mind work undisturbed. A solo outing in nature releases the forces we have within ourselves. It’s all rooted in science, but the experience itself is very spiritual. It’s hard to stay unoccupied. My natural instinct is to do something “useful,” but after a while I reach a comfortable calmness. When I force myself to stay put physically, my thoughts then wander off instead. I give up control and let my thoughts go where they want. Afterward, it’s hard to describe any specific thoughts or insights. It is more a special state of mind. A relaxed focus. When I reunite with the rest of the team, the whole group is in harmony. I can’t imagine the discussions about work we had that followed our solos would have reached the same heights if we had begun in a hotel conference room. This time, the solo was a work assignment, but it was still a very personal experience. If we all took the time to spend more time by ourselves in nature, I believe we would feel that coping with any challenge in our lives would be much easier. The outdoor industry tends to focus on activities: ski, bike, climb or hike your way to happiness. Nothing wrong with that, but spending a day sitting on a rock, doing nothing, except having only your own thoughts as company, can sometimes be a bigger adventure than climbing any mountain. Do you dare give it a try? Read more about Nature Academy Learning Lab and the science behind it on www.naturakademien.se
Göran Gennvi
Activity 02
Solos through history Native American vision quest A vision quest is a rite of passage in some Native American cultures when young males go alone into nature. While this ritual differs among different cultures, the basics are the same: Spending time alone in nature to find a connection to the spiritual world and to find your own place within the community.
Jesus, Buddha and Mohammed Buddha reached enlightenment under his Bodhi tree. The prophet Mohammed had his first revelation in the cave called Hira. Jesus fasted for 40 days in the desert after his baptism. The theme of a solitary quest in nature followed by a revelation of some kind appears in many great religions.
Henry David Thoreau The American writer and philosopher Thoreau spent two years in a cabin in the woods as a spiritual quest and as an exploration of a simpler life. His book, “Walden” (1854), is based on his experiences and thoughts from the cabin. The book is now a modern classic and Thoreau’s thoughts have inspired countless to live a life more in harmony to nature.
Photo: Anna Öhlund
03 People
Smile in the face of danger Maria Granberg is planning the first allwoman alpine-style climb of Manaslu. Then she wants to establish a scholarship for women climbers in Nepal. Or maybe learn to fly a wingsuit. Or probably both. But first, she’s going to climb Mount Everest.
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05 People
Climber and adventurer Maria Granberg. Photo: Andreas L. Sönnergren
Fear is our brain’s way of telling us to stay away from something. To avoid a perceived risk or danger. It’s a mental warning sign programmed into our mind. Most of the time, these signs work perfectly fine, and we follow them appropriately. But sometimes, and for some people, these warning signs become more like invitations. They are like big red buttons that say, “Don’t push”, but maybe you actually have to push them once in a while to see what happens. – The worst thing I can think of is letting my fears control or limit me, Maria Granberg says with a serious expression, adding that it’s the reason why she’s drawn to them. When I’m scared of something, it becomes a challenge I have to take on. She breaks into a big smile. – I know it sounds a little stupid, but that’s how I work. I’m trying hard to become friends with my fears. Maria Granberg started climbing mountains
during a volunteer trip to Tanzania. After staying for six months near the foot of Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa, she just couldn’t resist the temptation. She didn’t have any previous experience and had no plans to climb any mountains, but the fear of missing the chance got the best of her. If she didn’t do it now, she thought, maybe she wouldn’t get the opportunity again. Since then, she has been to Kilimanjaro four times and climbed three 6,000-meter peaks in the Himalayas. This spring she’s taking on the challenge of all challenges for mountaineers: Mount Everest. – People ask me if I’m not scared, and of course I am. I’m scared of a lot of things: Avalanches, fatigue, losing fellow climbers, crevasses. If you’re not scared of anything, you should probably not go to Everest. But I’m not going to let my fears stop me from doing what I really love. And the thing most people don’t understand is that climbers are some of the most risk-aware people in the world.
Chhurim, Dawa, Pasang and Maria Together with three female Sherpa climbers, Chhurim Dolma Sherpa, Dawa Yangzum Sherpa and Pasang Lhamu Sherpa Akita, Maria is planning an expedition to climb Manaslu in Nepal. It’s the eighth-highest summit in the world at 8,163 meters (26,781 feet) and has a reputation of being a highly technical and difficult climb. – I’ve always been the only woman on my expeditions. I wanted to do something that would inspire women climbers here and in the Himalayas to go after their dreams. I also realized that I had never met a women Sherpa, and I started searching. I contacted Chhurim, Dawa and Pasang, and I told them about my plans. The three women Sherpas are not exactly mountaineering novices. They too have big climbs
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3x female pioneers
The Manaslu team 1. Chhurim Dolma Sherpa Holds a Guinness world record for being the first woman to climb Everest twice in one season. 2. Pasang Lhamu Sherpa Akita Nepal’s first woman mountain guide with a lot of guiding experience both in Nepal and the United States. National Geographic’s Adventurer of the Year 2016. 3. Dawa Yangzum Sherpa Mountain guide and ultramarathon runner who has climbed Everest, K2 and Ama Dablam. 1.
Jeanne Baré 1740 - 1807 The first woman to circumnavigate the globe by sea, although she was disguised as a man. Born in the French village of La Comelle, she later told people she was orphaned. As an adult, she was employed as a housekeeper in the home of natural scientist Philibert Commerçon. She joined an expedition as his assistant, but since women were completely forbidden on French Navy ships at the time, she had to dress like a man and called herself Jean Baré. She was later recognized for the feat and received a pension from the French Navy.
Gertrude Bell 1868 - 1926
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and world records under their belts. Sherpas are a people with origins in the Himalayan mountain range in Eastern Nepal. They are known for their mountaineering culture and skills and are often hired as guides for climbs in the Himalayas. The word “sherpa” is a word often used somewhat casually refering to any guide or climbing support, and many dictionaries acknowledge that informal use today. If Maria sometimes feel a little alone as a woman climber from the West, these women are even more rare. – The culture in Nepal is a lot more conservative, and Shirin, Dawa and Asang have fought hard to be able to do what they love. They are still not allowed to lead during their expeditions. We all want to be an example for young girls dreaming of becoming climbers. Maria is applying for funds to make a documentary about their expedition and about the three women Sherpas. She also has plans to start a
foundation to help young girls in Nepal with their mountaineering ambitions. – I want as many people as possible to discover what I’ve discovered, no matter who they are. When I’m out there in the middle of nowhere, it takes so little to make me so damn happy. Climbing mountains is painful and hard, but when you strip away everything except what’s absolutely necessary, it’s also easy to feel good. All you need is to stay warm, stay healthy and eat something. Maria has a very contagious enthusiasm and an inner strength that shines. If you want Maria Granberg to do something, there are two things you can tell her: One, it’s too hard for you or, two, you’re too scared. It might be the oldest trick in the book of reverse psychology, but it’s also a good way to discover your challenges. It is said that we should not let our fears guide us, but when you look at fear like Maria does (if it’s scary, it’s probably interesting), it might just be what we all need to grow as people.
To call Gertrude Bell an adventurer would almost be disparaging. She was a British political officer in the Middle East, mountaineer, traveler, an archeologist, and so much more. Gertrude Bell is known for her work as a mediator between the tribes in the Middle East and the British Empire during the founding of Iraq and Jordan. She also helped found the National Museum of Iraq. In between all of that, she climbed mountains in the Alps, including a number of first ascents. All of this during a time when most British women were confined to making tea and playing the piano.
Amelia Earhart 1897 - 1937 The first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic was Amelia Earhart in 1928. American Amelia Earhart was an early supporter of women’s rights and was the first president of The NinetyNines, an international organization for female pilots. Earhart disappeared during a circumnavigation attempt of the globe in 1937. Fascination with her disappearance, including many theories on what happened to her, continues today.
ERIK POUSETTE Skiing, skateboarding, photography and drawing: Erik Pousette is a real multitalent. His skiing crew, The Bunch, has made a big impact on the New School skiing scene in the last few years with its film trilogy, “Far Out,” “Finesse” and “Finito.” We asked Erik to select some of his favorite work from his diverse portfolio of illustration and photography.
See more of Erik’s work on ouisorry.tumblr.com
Photos from: Boston / Reno / Kashmir / Stockholm / Riksgr채nsen / Tahoe / Stryn / Hemavan
11 Sustainability
Where do clothes go when they die?
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We live in a world where we can throw away just about anything as soon as we don’t want it anymore. But where is this place called “away”? Who invented the idea of producing, consuming, and disposing stuff in a linear system, and how can we end this crazy experiment?
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Sustainability 12
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Houdini recycling system: 1.
Return your worn-out Houdini garment in a recycling unit in one of our stores or at one of our retailers.
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The garment is shredded and broken down into smaller and smaller pieces.
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The processed material is turned into granulates.
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A chemical purification process turns the old polyester granulates into purified raw material.
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Polymerization process turns the raw material into polyester polymer.
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The pellets are used to spin new polyester yarn.
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New fabric is made from the recycled polyester.
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Houdini uses the fabric to make new products. The circle is complete! A pure polyester garment can be recycled in infinite closed-loop cycles. Production of recycled polyester requires less energy compared to virgin polyester. It drastically lowers the use of crude oil and prevents old polyester garments from ending up in nature or landfills.
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Photo: Oscar Morin
13 Sustainability
Being a consumer The book “Cradle to Cradle,” by Michael Braungart and William McDonough, puts it rather nicely: “Think about it: you may be referred to as a consumer, but there is very little that you actually consume - Some foods, some liquids. Everything else is designed for you to throw away when you are finished with it. But where is ‘away’? Of course, ‘away’ doesn’t really exist.” We live in a system where we put things in the garbage and then someone else makes it disappear. It’s very convenient, and also a rather new invention. Only 150 years ago, most of humanity lived in farm communities, and waste had to be taken care of personally. As a result, we didn’t create nearly as much waste at the time. Today, we consume stuff at an ever-increasing pace; in Europe, alone, this consumption amounts to around 500 kg of household waste per person
every year. What you see in the garbage is only the tip of the iceberg in terms of waste. Since a lot more resources are required to actually produce and deliver a product, we are really throwing away a lot more than that one item. Most of it goes to incineration or landfills, depending on where you live. Only a tiny part of it is reused or recycled. We all know that nature’s resources are limited. So how did we end up making all this disposable stuff from our finite sources? It doesn’t require a genius to figure out that it won’t work in the long run. Large-scale production in linear systems was popularized, if not invented, during the Industrial Revolution. This is where we humans took a big step away from the way nature works. In nature, someone’s waste becomes someone else’s fuel in a complex, self-organizing system. In nature, everything is circular. If we don’t manage to create a similar system and mimic nature, we cannot exist in the long run.
Everything from baselayers to shell layers can be made circular in recycled and recyclable polyester. Photo: Nicole Berthod, Taghia, Marocco
It could all be very depressing, but just like any problem, there’s always a solution.
Enter circular economy Circular economy is an advancing concept in this direction. The basic idea is to imitate nature and let nothing go to waste. When you design a service or product within a circular system, you consider the entire lifecycle of the product. How it’s designed, produced, used and what the end-of-life-solution is. Today, an unproportionately large focus is put on production, even by the environmentally aware, in an attempt to minimize negative impacts in the actual making of the product. What happens to a product after it has been used is often forgotten. The idea of the circular economy is to change the entire system, not just lessen the negative impact of an already flawed system.
Sustainability 14
That said, there are a few fundamental principles to hold to in order to get it right: The product needs to be designed for circularity. If we use synthetic clothing as an example, recycled fibers should be used as raw material for the product. At end of life, those fibers should be recyclable into new raw material without quality loss. In a circular system, no new resources would be required but instead the same resources would flow throughout and be reused again and again. Houdini started transitioning into a circular system in 2006 when the company entered into a partnership with Japanese textile producer Teijin. The circular Houdini base layers, made from closed-loop recycled and recyclable polyester, were launched at that time, and a system to collect worn-out garments was put into place. Today, 10 years later, the majority of Houdini’s products are circular – from base layers to shells. – Every year, 50 million metric tons of synthetic fibers are produced, and 85% or more is polyester, says Ricky Miyatake, general manager of information strategies at Teijin. We have developed a system to recycle old polyester garments without losing quality, the first of its kind in the world. We only handle a fragment of all worn-out polyester garments out there, but the technology is here. Let’s take a waterproof-breathable shell jacket from Houdini as an example. The raw material is recycled polyester from worn-out garments. Since Teijin is located in Japan, some are from local sources. This means your Houdini shell jacket could have had an earlier life as Japanese school uniforms. A nice thought, isn’t it? – The biggest challenge is actually the collection of worn-out garments, adds Ricky Miyataka. People are used to throwing them away, and they might not be aware that it’s possible to recycle them. The advanced recycling process also requires that the materials going into the process are pure. That’s why we cannot recycle any piece of synthetic clothing. Unfortunately performance products are often a blend of different materials, which means they are not recyclable with today’s technology. But if a garment is 100% polyester, it can be reborn an infinite number of times.
A re:volution - reduce, reuse, share, repair and then recycle This sounds simple enough, but as usual when it comes to sustainability, it’s never quite as simple as it appears. Going circular is one thing, but making products still requires energy and other resources. At Houdini, we believe in slowing down the pace. We believe in making products that last, both in terms of quality and style. Smart products that are versatile enough to cover most of our needs and desires without the need for a huge wardrobe. Lastly, we want to extend product lifetime as far as possible before we even consider recycling. That is why we in 2012 introduced a few additional Re:projects - Rental, Repairs, Reuse and Recycle. Big systems in society are hard to change, and it takes time to change them. We’re only just getting started with this one. But products that are truly circular are really nothing less than a revolution. Linear production is an unfortunate experiment stemming from a time when people thought nature’s resources were infinite. In a not-so-distant future, we will look back at the time when we were consumers, shake our heads, and mumble: “People were crazy back then.”
Houdini Sportswear and Albaeco initiate first ever corporate Planetary Boundaries Assessment Albaeco is an organization closely tied to the Stockholm Resilience Centre (SRC) a world-renowned hub for sustainability science. The planetary boundaries model is a scientific framework of “planetary boundaries” designed to define a “safe operating space for humanity.” Now, Houdini and Albaeco will use the model to analyze Houdini’s impact as a company. ”A more holistic view of the environment can help businesses see their impact more clearly and move toward not only reducing their negative impact but also working to strengthen important ecosystem services,” says Fredrik Moberg, co-director of Albaeco.
Source: Steffen et al. Planetary Boundaries: Guiding human development on a changing planet, Science, 16 January 2015. Design: Globaïa
PrimaLoft - A recyclable alternative to down Want to stay warm and comfortable in a sustainable way? The Houdini Suprima Jacket is made from recycled and recyclable fabric and padded with PrimaLoft Gold, a recyclable alternative to down. Down is biodegradable, but cannot be recycled without losing some of its quality. In contrast to down, PrimaLoft Gold also works perfectly in wet conditions. Last but not least, none of our winged friends gets feathers torn out in producing it.
Men’s Suprima Jacket. Spring / Summer 2016
15 Design
The art of the tee The T-shirt is a modern creation, invented about hundred years ago and popularized during the 1950s. Today, it’s hard to imagine your wardrobe without a stack of T-shirts and, the question is, if there is any garment that we have a stronger emotional bond to than our favorite t-shirt? For the 2016 Spring & Summer collection, Houdini is launching a series of printed t-shirts: Rock Steady Message Tee in recycled and recyclable polyester. Activist Message Tee in merino wool and Tencel, a fiber made from eucalyptus trees. Three artists created the prints, and one of them is Helene Gedda, based in Östersund, Sweden. She designed a print with the assignment of illustrating the meeting of nature and city.
How did you go about with the work? – I had just finished a series of prints with forest motives. So when Houdini asked me to make this print I was able to extend the idea and integrate urban elements. Where did you find inspiration? – Places in Jämtland, Sweden, and the photography of a local jewelry and accessories brand called, Free Spirit Shaking Soul. Can you point out any hidden details that you like? – You might not spot the door that leads into a mountain and the music that comes out from the second floor of the café. My personal favorite is the deer with a saddle.
Helene Gedda
See more of Helene’s work at http://www.sarahelenegedda.com
Design 16
The most popular colors of all time Since the launch in 2001, Houdini has made over 200 different color combinations of the classic Power Houdi fleece jacket. For the fall of 2016, the online community was asked to vote for its favorite colors. After more than 7,000 votes, the top vote-getters were Cosmos, Berry Boost, Deep Purple and Slate/Granite, which can now be officially called the most popular Power Houdi colors of all time. The colors will be launched as a limited-edition collection for fall/winter 2016.
Find the whole T-shirt collection at www.houdinisportswear.com Photos: Oscar Morin
Photo: Yusuke Hirota
T H E L’ E C H A P P É E B E L L E J O U R N A L
In the summer of 2015, Houdini Friend and ultrarunner Kenichi Yamamoto traveled to the French Alps for the L’Echapée Belle race. Here is his report from this very challenging event. Text: Kenichi Yamamoto. Translated from Japanese.
I’m a high school teacher. When I’m in Japan teaching, I alway feel that time moves quickly. It’s a busy life without much leeway. When I’m in the outdoors, I always feel the opposite way. That time flows slowly. With my busy everyday life, I really treasure those days in the wild. I feel so grateful that I could go to participate in the L’Echappée Belle race. Literally, L’Echappée Belle means “beautiful escape.” It’s a double entendre: Not only does it mean a beautiful getaway, but also can be said when you barely get away from something. I really like the name. When I looked at the course profile, the race looked very tough. During my flight there, I can’t stop envisioning the race in my head.
The beginning of the “beautiful escape” It’s six in the morning on August 28 and the tension is growing before the race. Race day has always been for me a time to enjoy, but this time I had a slightly different feeling. I felt like I was about to discover something. The cumulative altitude gain over the 144k course is 10,950 meters. There are 10 aid stations, and the highest point is Croix de Belledonne at 2,926 m. The course runs around the Massif Belledonne. The first part of the race climbs Belledonne from Vizille. The altitude difference is 2,700 m over 30 km.
After the first aid station, I came face-to-face with a series of amazing views. Although I didn’t want to ignore the scenery, even for one second, I had to keep going. The terrain is littered with sharp rocks, and I had to walk and leap rather than run. In addition to the beautiful views I saw, I also had to focus on the super rocky conditions. Even so, I enjoyed every second of it. I had entered an amazing race, but it was also becoming a lot harder than I had imagined. Next, I was standing on the top of Belledonne along with several other runners. It was honestly the most beautiful view I’d ever seen. At the summit, there’s a big cross with a cliff behind it. I could see the “Lac Blanc,” which I pass farther along in the race. A friend of mine, Tanaka, was waiting ahead at the Refuge Jean Collet (1,960 m) that is inaccessible by car. This is the only company I had during the eight hours from the first aid station to the fifth. It’s easy to feel alone out there, and I now realized that I get my energy from my team and friends. The altitude at the fifth aid station in the next valley is 1,000 m. From here, the trail climbs to Montagne de Tigneux at 2,000 m. It was still light out, but I started to feel quite tired. I recognized the feeling from the Réunion trail race in France I ran the previous year. The climbs are really hard and I hit the wall for the first time in that race. But I was not ready to give in to fatigue.
19 Report
Conditions are getting harder Col Moretan (2,503 m) is the climax of the middle part of the race and it’s a very important part of the race for me. After 30 minutes of climbing I was rewarded with a very beautiful sunset. This is the real thrill of a 100-mile race. You get to see sunset and sunrise at least once each during the race. I always want to show everyone such a beautiful view. I became very sleepy, and as I was watching the sunset, I fell asleep for about five minutes. About two hours later, I took a nap again in front of the Col. The trail was super steep. Steeper than anything I had climbed before, but the way down was amazing. At first, big rocks, then a snowy valley and a grade down of 30 degrees or more. There were 40-50 meters of fixed rope or around 10 pitches. Then, sandman came knocking again. As I arrived at the next aid station, I lay down for the third time for a nap, just one minute to close my eyes. Then someone spoke to me, and I woke up, but I was still very tired. I had scheduled to make this section in four hours, but it took five and a half hours. I thought I could do better so I felt a bit sad, yet still very thankful. I’d never been more tired than at that aid stop. A short while after I left there, I was overwhelmed with tiredness yet again. I took another nap for about 10 minutes using as my pillow the soft grass of a ski slope I was about to climb. I woke up in a cold wind, 100 km and 24 hours had passed.
At this point, I just stopped thinking. My worries and concerns from before disappeared. Now it was just myself and the challenge of the trail. I finally felt a change in my mood. I gained speed. It felt like a different person was running from this point on; I was comfortable and relaxed. The last part of the race consisted of repeated small ups and downs of about 70-300 m. The final section was 1,000m of downhill to the finish in Aiguebelle (320 m). As I ran, I was thinking about how I much enjoyed the race and how it was good to have come.
The next goal In the last few years I’d started thinking that it was great to just finish a race. By running the entire course of L’Echappée Belle and finishing, I was again experiencing the reason why I started running. At the finish area in Aigubelle, I could highfive people in the crowd, and I was able to finish with a smile. I rang the finish line bell and, after 29 hours, my L’Echappée Belle was over. The number of those who finished was less than 40 percent of the field, and I placed 2nd overall. It was a good reward. During the race, I had many “best” experiences. However, when the interviewer asked me, “Do you want to come again?” I could not honestly immediately say, “Yes.” But, someday, with more training, I want to see that scenery again. I am grateful that I could participate in such a wonderful and valuable experience. Thank you.
Photos: Yusuke Hirota
Report 20
All you need in a duffel bag
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Robert Rundin is a climber, routesetter and Houdini Friend from Stockholm, Sweden.
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In February, Robert loaded up his camper van for three months of bouldering all over Europe. He bought an old van and turned in into a mobile abode ready for the long road. The kitchen runs on gas although electricity comes from solar cells on the roof. Robert started in Fontainebleau in France, and after that he will head to Norway or maybe Macedonia or Switzerland. Follow Robert’s adventures on @robertrundin on Instagram. 1.
Houdini Rock Steady Tee. From spring/summer 2015 with graphics inspired by a Joy Division album cover.
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Houdini Airborn Base Tee. Available in stores now.
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Blocstock Tee. “We arranged a bouldering festival called Blocstock at Klättercentret (climbing gym) where I work. This was the official t-shirt.”
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Sunglasses.
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Houdini Action Twill Cap. The legendary Action Twill Cap that only exists as a prototype.
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Tank top.
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Houdini Action Twill Shorts. Available in stores now.
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A bunch of espadrilles.
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Crash pads. Bouldering is climbing without a belay. Instead, you put down padded crash pads at the bottom to catch your fall. “I have three sizes. These are the two smaller ones.”
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10. Climbing shoes. “I have three pairs for different types of boulder problems, but most people only need one pair.” 11.
Chalk bag. Chalk is used to keep your hands dry and therefore minimize friction against the rock and reduce potential slippage. “My sister Charlotta makes these bags from worn-out jeans -- upcycling at its finest.”
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12. Houdini Power Houdi. Available in stores now. 13. Houdini Lounge Crews.“My favorite Houdini product. I have three in different colors, and I use them all the time.” 14. A good book. 15. Coffee maker. “I have a little gas stove in my camper van for cooking. Coffee and a 1-liter container of yogurt is my standard breakfast.” 16. Houdini Loop Scarf. From fall & winter 2014. 17. The “USA Hat”. “I bought this fake raccoon fur hat in a local western wear store on a climbing trip to Bishop, Calif. I wore it during the whole trip there.”
21. Tote bag. From a French supermarket, filled with Houdini base layers for those cold spring days.
26. Send-beer. Sending” is climbers’ talk for successfully completing a problem. Sometimes it calls for a beer.
22. File for hands.
27. Camera. For bragging shots and film. Check out Robert’s climbing films at vimeo.com/user7885591
18. Houdini Sissou Hat. From fall and winter 2016.
23. Tape. For skin blisters.
19. Houdini C9 Loft Houdi. One of my favorite Houdini products.
24. Skin care. A climber’s worst enemy is skin cuts and cracks. A file and lotion keep you hands ready for action.
20. Houdini Thrill Twill Pants.For climbing and everyday use. Available in stores now.
25. Mosquito repellent.
28. Houdini Action Twill Pants. Great for climbing but subdued enough to let you get into fancy French restaurants. Available in stores now.
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Photo: Oscar Morin
Spring & Summer
‘16 This season, we find inspiration in the meeting of nature and city. Most of us live in the city, but we’re still dependent on everything nature creates. Things that grow. Clean air. Birds and bees. Our goal is always to make clothes that perform just as well in the woods as in the city. Sustainable products with versatile functionality and timeless aesthetics, where the entire lifecycle of the product is taken into consideration. In the color range, you find pink shades inspired by summer flowers, along with grays that symbolize hard materials found in urban environments. Buildings, concrete and roads. We have green tones taken from nature’s palette of leaves and grass, but also browns found in both urban landscapes and weathered mountain cabins.
Houdini Friend Nicole Berthod charging her batteries in Zion National Park, USA Photo: Sylvain Grange
W’s Cross Top
W’s Activist Base Tee
W’s Rock Steady Singlet
M’s Activist Message Tee
W’s Activist Tights
W’s Power Houdi
W’s Outright Houdi
M’s Activist Tank
M’s Activist Tights
M’s Power Houdi
M’s Outright Houdi
M’s Power Houdi
M’s Activist Crew
The best fuel for trekking is knowing there’s always something more beautiful over the next hill. Photo: Christian Åslund, Iceland.
M’s Suprima Vest
W’s Surpass Shell Parka
W’s Motion Light Pants
W’s Suprima Jacket
W’s Gravity Light Shorts
M’s 4 Ace Pants
W’s Hurricane Jacket
M’s Gravity Light Shorts
M’s Aegis Pants
W’s Aegis Jacket and Pants
M’s Fast Track Message Tee
M’s Vapor Crew
M’s Vapor Crew, Trail Shorts and Cobra Tights
W’s Swifty Tee
W’s Pulse Shorts
Photo: Anna Öhlund, Åre, Sweden.
W’s Trail Shorts
W’s Pulse Shorts
W’s Movement Tank Top
W’s Liquid Skin Crew
M’s Crux Shorts
W’s Beach Shorts
W’s Halter Top
M’s Waft Shirt
M’s Swift Pants
W’s Rock Steady Message Tee
M’s Rock Steady Crew
M’s Rock Steady Message Tee
W’s Rock Steady Dress
W’s Rock Steady Crew
W’s Action Twill Skirt
M’s Hurricane Jacket and Action Twill Shorts
W’s Action Twill Pants
M’s Thrill Twill Pants
A sunny afternoon in Vasastaden, Stockholm. Photo: Christian Åslund
W’s Service Pants
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Cover photo: Landmannalaugar, Iceland. Photo: Christian Ă…slund