Innovation in Design

View More Pictures from the Designers' Rainier Trip
About a month ago, the Mountain Hardwear design team headed to Mt. Rainier. Here, our materialogist Gaston McMillan describes the trip's impact upon his design philosophy. Gaston first delivered this piece as a presentation at the Industrial Fabrics Association International's annual conference in Las Vegas. Gaston gave his presentation the day after the team returned from Rainier.
By Gaston McMillan
I've just come from a climb on Mount Rainier in Washington. The peak is at 14,400 ft and is a wonderful place to spend time as well as the premier training ground for anyone going to greater, more difficult places like the high ranges in Alaska or any of the 8,000M peaks around the world including Aconcagua, K2, or Everest. Rainier is a big powerful mountain with beautiful glaciers, laid on the shoulders of a sleeping volcano. I was there with the Mountain Hardwear product managers, several of our designers, and the Rainier Mountain Institute guides with whom we work. Our intention was to first; be able to spend time with and get meaningful feedback from the guides -- unfiltered -- on our gear and the means of communicating more effectively in the future; 2nd, to have a meaningful, shared experience among all of us and 3rd, to attempt to ring that bell at the top, or more plainly, to try for the summit.

