Since 1877, Helly Hansen continues to be the brand trusted by professionals, delivering performance-driven gear to help people stay and feel alive in the outdoors. The Norwegian-based brand works closely with professionals, drawing on their insights and experience to create gear that’s fit for purpose, and for their Odin collection, Helly Hansen partners with search and rescue teams and ski patrollers, people who live and work on the mountain all year round. Designed to be the ideal kit for these professionals even on their days off, the new Odin Backcountry capsule collection consists of highly technical, premium products, delivering durable, lightweight performance and protection, optimized for ski touring and powder days.
Courtesy of Helly Hansen
Inspired by the idea that no one spends more time on the mountains than ski patrollers and search and rescue volunteers, Helly Hansen’s designers set out to create a collection that could suit these professionals’ needs both on the job and off. The design team worked closely with Stephen Larson and Izzy Holmes, who are part of the ski patrol team at Heavenly Mountain Resort in Lake Tahoe, California. When discussing what they like to do during their time off, both professionals expressed their passion for ski touring, an activity that demands gear where lighter weight, breathability, durability, and temperature regulation are essential. Launching in Fall/Winter 2023, the new Odin Backcountry capsule collection includes three pinnacle pieces – the Odin BC Infinity Shell Jacket, Odin BC LT Insulator Hood, and the Odin BC Softshell Jacket – which share a unified design and have been created to be worn together as a complete performance-driven system.
The Odin BC Infinity Shell Jacket is lightweight, protective, durable, and loaded with technical features, making it ideal for backcountry ski touring. Featuring responsible, professional grade LIFA INFINITY™ technology, the jacket is constructed with an innovative waterproof/breathable LIFA INFINITY™ membrane, achieved without the use of chemicals, and includes a minimum of 50% recycled content and a PFC-free durable water repellent (DWR) treatment. Meeting the extreme waterproofness and breathability of HELLY TECH® Professional construction, the Odin BC Infinity Shell Jacket delivers protection for deep powder days, while also being lighter in weight and better for the environment. Based on feedback from the ski patrollers, the jacket’s front zipper is also offset, making the collar more comfortable without compromising weatherproof protection, and the pockets are elevated for convenient storage of backcountry ski skins. Additional features include a helmet, harness, and backpack-compatible construction; mechanical ventilation under the arms for added breathability and temperature regulation; and RECCO® reflectors for added safety. After putting the jacket to the test, ski patroller Izzy Holmes said, “The cut and shape of the jacket is perfect. I’ve worn this jacket in heavy rainstorms and the fabric has kept out all the rain so far. 10 out of 10 for waterproof, windproof protection!” and patroller Stephen Larson “loves the feel of the fabric. [The jacket] has a great weight and feels comfortable against the skin.”
Adding to the Odin Backcountry capsule collection, the Odin BC Softshell Jacket is purposefully-designed and body-mapped with a hybrid of fabrics to provide optimal performance and protection on the mountain. For professional search and rescue teams and ski patrollers, their softshell is arguably their most important piece, preferring it over a shell jacket when the weather is less extreme, for maximum breathability and comfort during high levels of activity. With a water-resistant PFC-free softshell fabrication on the hem and cuffs, the jacket provides protection in areas most exposed when climbing and working in deep snow, and a lightweight, breathable stretch softshell on the sleeves, shoulder and chest make the jacket well-suited for high-intensity ski touring. There’s also an additional fabrication used under the arms for added breathability as well as an adjustable and helmet-compatible hood. For ski patroller Izzy Holmes, “the fabric combination and fit of the jacket are great,” and Stephen Larson adds, “the fabric weight is spot on – a perfect blend of a midlayer and shell.”
Rounding out the collection, the lightweight, breathable 2-layer Odin BC LT Insulator Hood is specifically engineered to provide consistent warmth while also allowing maximum breathability for touring the backcountry. With a lining constructed with a unique OCTA® fiber, the insulator is highly breathable, quick-drying, and lightweight while also providing optimal warmth, and with a 20D partly recycled nylon stretch ripstop fabric, it’s also extremely durable, designed to deliver performance and protection during high activity levels. The Odin BC LT Insulator Hood also features a PFC-free DWR treatment and an elastic hood, cuffs, and hem to retain warmth. After testing the piece, ski patroller Stephen Larson said, “The fit and the insulation’s weight-to-warmth ratio are spot on. Love the elastic hem and hood solutions, and this is my favorite hood ever in an outerwear piece – it works without a helmet, with a climbing helmet, with a ski helmet or with a hat, and it doesn’t have a stiff structure that affects layering, yet somehow still has a brim. Fantastic!” Izzy Holmes equally enjoyed the fit of the hood, finding it visually pleasing as well as functional in retaining warmth. She also said, “The insulation fabric is comfortable and moisture wicking – it’s unlike any other insulator I own.”
Optimized for ski touring, each Odin Backcountry jacket is also constructed with a specifically located zipper opening, which is placed in the same position on each of the three jackets, enabling the wearer to access their beacon even when wearing all three layers. The jackets are also loaded with technical features, including articulated sleeves for optimal mobility; an adjustable hem for a customized, protective fit; and multiple backpack-compatible storage pockets.
“Innovation and our relationship with professionals are really at the heart of everything we do,” said Sofia Jonsson, Category Manager for Outdoor at Helly Hansen. “No one else knows the mountains better than search and rescue teams and ski patrollers, and with this capsule collection, we wanted to give them everything they were looking for to support them both at work and at play on the mountain. With their collaboration and feedback, we’re confident the Odin Backcountry collection will deliver for anyone looking to make the most of their time outdoors this fall/winter season.”
The Odin BC Infinity Shell Jacket, Odin BC Softshell Jacket and Odin BC LT Insulator Hood will be available in men’s and women’s specific styles alongside the Odin BC Infinity Shell Pant for men and women and Odin BC Softshell Bib Pant for men and women. The Odin Backcountry capsule collection is available now in-store and online.
About Helly Hansen
Founded in Norway in 1877, Helly Hansen continues to develop professional grade apparel that helps people stay and feel alive. Through insights drawn from living and working in the world’s harshest environments, the company has developed a long list of first-to-market innovations, including the first supple waterproof fabrics more than 140 years ago. Other breakthroughs include the first fleece fabrics in the 1960s, the first technical base layers in the 1970s, made with LIFA® Stay Dry technology, the patented H2Flow™ temperature regulating system, and the revolutionary lighter, warmer LIFALOFT™ insulation. Building on Helly Hansen’s proprietary HELLY TECH® waterproof/breathable system, the technical outdoor brand has most recently introduced the award-winning LIFA INFINITY PRO™ – the company’s most innovative and responsible waterproof/breathable technology to date.
Helly Hansen is a leader in technical sailing and performance ski apparel, as well as premium workwear. Its uniforms are worn and trusted by more than 55,000 professionals and can be found on Olympians, National Teams, and at more than 200 ski resorts and mountain guiding operations globally.
Helly Hansen’s outerwear, base layers, sportswear and footwear are sold in more than 40 countries around the world and the company is owned by Canadian Tire Corporation (CTC). To learn more about Helly Hansen’s latest collections, visit www.hellyhansen.com.
