History

It was nice to get together at someone’s home or just at a bar to discuss dreams and ideas. Our dreams were journeys, the thousand walls, sometimes virgin, that a generous world could still offer us; deserts of snow, sand or rock; new routes, traverses, quick repeats – and after a few beers we also talked of jackets, pants or fleeces. The awareness was there. There was the idea, even the certainty (or presumption), of being able to grow, but many times our concentration on the moment, or the first big obstacles, obscured the shape of the future that we wished for but that was certainly not yet concrete. In this way the first “experiments” – sometimes successful, sometimes less so – were conceived. Experiments in terms of products, communications and marketing.

Leafing through the first catalogs now makes me smile, but those sparse collections conveyed all our passion and commitment. We were slowly growing up. People liked the brand, but with the many challenges it was not easy. Then new travel companions joined us, and, as a result, the addition of increasingly specific experience allowed us to reach this point. Ten years have passed since we started this adventure. This first milestone seemed unattainable at the time. It was difficult to believe that we would be able to compete with the legends in the industry. It was hard to think of gaining a foothold in the outdoor world from a small town at the foot of the Dolomites, or convincing customers that Karpos could be the equal of the storied American or German behemoths.

So, we want to tell about the first 87,672 hours of Karpos. We want to do so without many words or embellishments, consistent with our land and our nature – a nature that appears harsh and inscrutable but is rich in sentiment and sometimes unexpected substance. We would like to travel, via images, through these years to describe who we were and who we are. Ten years in which everyone, each in his or her own way, contributed to and believed in this dream

that is slowly materializing and becoming a reality. We are on a ledge, organizing our gear, with the ropes hanging down in the void, beneath us already a good section of difficult wall. Sometimes we stopped, suspecting that we would need to turn back and descend, but then with careful balance we proceeded among small pockets, with determined

moves and fear. Above us an unexpectedly infinite sea of rock, stimulation and admiration, love and hatred. What an

impression the wall makes from below! But if we turn our gaze to how far we have climbed, we see our wall from above. Two different points of view. Two contrasting feelings. In this way, the wall and the climb are a metaphor for life and every objective. Ten years: a small ledge that can offer a break only as an opportunity to take stock, reflect and reorganize, but not to rest. The dihedral above us is overhanging, but perhaps at the top it eases up a bit. Are we looking for something easy? But easy is boring.

We are on our new route, excited to push upward, and we have already conquered a complicated section. The path is still long and full of obstacles, but with the passion and professionalism that have always distinguished us we will continue our journey to the summit.

Karpos Team