Klättermusen ABC: 50 Years

For their 50th anniversary, Klättermusen started a project called Crafted for Life. It looked at the people behind the mountain images we all know: the photographers who walk the long miles and carry the heavy packs, and who usually stay out of sight.

They brought three outdoor photographers to Senja in Arctic Norway: Daniel Bernstål from Sweden, Tero Repo from Finland, and me. The idea was simple. Put three photographers in front of the same landscape and see how differently each of us interprets it. There were no athletes on this trip, so we photographed each other. For once the people who are usually behind the camera were in front of it, and each of us was seen through someone else's eyes.

The project became a short film, Crafted for Life – Daniel Bernstål, Melody Sky & Tero Repo, and a feature in the anniversary book.

The Klättermusen ABC isn't a traditional history. It's a mix of stories, images and voices from fifty years of climbing, mountaineering, design experiments and an obsession with gear. It runs from the "pysselkvällar" craft nights of the 1970s to the mountains of Sarek, Senja and Svalbard, and it shows the spirit that shaped the brand: curiosity, stubbornness and a refusal to take the obvious path.

The book is made like a piece of their gear. It's hand-bound with a woven cloth cover and embossed details, printed on several paper stocks for texture and rhythm, and it has a Klättermusen strap as a bookmark, made from the same material as their equipment. Inside are oral histories, photographs, candid conversations and iconic products, told by climbers, designers, gear testers and friends. It's designed to last.