Salewa

The history of Salewa dates back to the 1930s, when alpine mountaineering was in its infancy and many peaks were still unclimbed. The company was founded by Josef Liebhart in 1935 and was first known as a Munich leather goods factory. In the 1950s, the spirit of enterprise changed more and more in the direction of mountain sports. As a manufacturer of alpine equipment, Salewa took Scandinavian cross-country skis or ski poles into production and equipped expedition teams with the necessary alpine mountain sports articles.

Salewa: A qualitative all-round sports outfitter

Today, Salewa is one of the most successful outdoor manufacturers. The extensive product range for women, men and kids includes alpine sports equipment such as climbing harnesses, crampons, shoes or climbing helmets, functional outdoor clothing and backpacks for hiking as well as a wide range of equipment and accessories for winter sports. In addition, Salewa produces high-quality tents and sleeping bags, which are suitable for longer trekking trips or even for high-alpine expeditions. The Salewa approach shoes, such as the Wildfire GTX, the Firetail GTX and the MTN Trainer, the Alp Trainer Mid GTX hiking, trekking and mountaineering boots, as well as the trousers, fleece-jackets, shorts, shirts and vests of the Puez and Fanes collection are particularly popular.

The success of the company continues to be reflected in the development of an own athletes' cadre, which represents the brand Salewa internationally and acts as an ambassador for a more respectful approach to mountain sports and nature. As new challenges arise in mountain sports, the athletes change from time to time as well. In 2009, for example, athletes from the new area of ski mountaineering (a technical sport in which previously unreachable summits are climbed by means of ski and climbing equipment) joined the team. The team mainly consists of advanced alpinists, freeriders and paragliders.

When Oberalp AG took over Salewa in 1990, the company moved from Munich to Bolzano in South Tyrol. The new headquarter in Bolzano was completed in 2011 and reflects the innovative and progressive company spirit through its modern design and architecture. In addition to a logistics and distribution center, a flagship store and a climbing hall are integrated into the overall Salewa headquarter concept. With a climbing area of around 2.000m² and a height of 24m, it is the largest climbing hall in Italy.

Salewa CEO Heiner Oberrauch: "As a family business, we think in generations."

Social responsibility and sustainability are an essential part of Salewa's corporate strategy. Respect for nature, resource saving and responsibility for people and society are given high priority. In addition to the use of sustainable materials and technologies such as RDS certified down, recycling and upcycling initiatives, material innovations and repair services, Salewa is particularly focused on sustainable and ethical procurement and production standards. For this reason, Salewa is a member of the "Fair Wear Foundation", an independent non-profit organization that works towards fair working conditions in the textile industry.