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The birth of ORTOVOX
1980, the year the Ortovox brand was created by two passionate Austrian mountain sportsmen named Gerald Kampel and Jürgen Wegner. They believed it was possible to go down the mountains more safely and focused mainly on making avalanche beacons. In 1980, the brand released the first dual-frequency transceiver, the F2. At that time, avalanche beepers were transmitting on two different frequencies, so victims could not be found because they were not on the same frequency. So Ortovox's avalanche transceiver could do this, which thus immediately caught on in mountaineering. After the great success of the avalanche beacons, they also launched their first backpacks in 1985. After more than 30 years, even these bags are still very popular and widely used. After many requests from their customers, they launched their first clothing in the late 1980s. Currently, Ortovox has a very wide range of advanced avalanche safety products, technical clothing and accessories. In addition, they have built a strong reputation by embracing sustainability and responsibility.
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ORTOVOX: Safety First.
Since the founding of Ortovox, you will find in their range avalanche pagers and avalanche backpacks with advanced features to enhance the safety of adventurers. Some garments also have innovative technologies to enhance safety. For example, there are two well-known safety technologies: the Recco Detector and the Avalanche Airbag System.
The Recco reflector is a passive device that is integrated into some garments during manufacturing and is used for search and rescue operations in avalanche accidents. The device is composed of a thin metal plate with a small antenna attached. When a person wearing such a reflector becomes buried in an avalanche, rescuers equipped with a Recco detector can locate it. Ortovox's avalanche beacons are designed with advanced technologies, such as multiple antennas and digital signal processing, improving search performance. Some models even feature Smart Antenna Technology, which provides even more precise antenna positioning during searches.
Last but not least, Ortovox's avalanche backpacks feature the ABS system (Avalanche Airbag System) to provide extra protection. This system activates an airbag that helps the wearer stay afloat on top of an avalanche. The backpacks are also designed with convenient compartments and attachment points for avalanche safety equipment, such as shovels and probes. In addition to these specific technologies, they place great importance on durability and ruggedness, ensuring that their avalanche safety equipment can withstand the challenging conditions of mountainous terrain. Read more about durability in the next heading!
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Custom material
Ortovox also makes extensive use of Merino wool in their thermal clothing, softshell clothing or fleece vests. Ortovox gets its Merino wool from selected farms in Tasmania, often run by families for generations. Besides having excellent relationships with the farmers, Ortovox also wants the best for the sheep. That's why ORTOVOX has initiated its own comprehensive wool standard: The ORTOVOX WOOL PROMISE (OWP). The OWP ensures that the highest standards of animal welfare are maintained and managed in a sustainable manner. Merino wool offers specific advantages because of its very fine fiber diameter and excellent durability. At ORTOVOX, they only use wool fibers with a diameter of 18-19 microns (one micron = thousandth of a millimeter). Thinner fiber diameters cannot really be processed economically and, in addition, they do not provide the stability needed for mountain sports.
Ortovox also uses different membranes. Besides GORE-TEX, they mainly use Toray brand membranes. The Toray Dermizax membrane may be a little less well known, yet they are more abrasion resistant than GORE-TEX membranes. The membranes are both a waterproof and breathable material applied to the material to protect you from mountain conditions.
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How environmentally friendly is ORTOVOX?
Ortovox has long been concerned with the climate. They not only consider it important to protect adventurers in the mountains, but also focus their attention tremendously on protecting nature and the climate. For example, they have been climate neutral since 2023, a year earlier than they initially planned. They also offer a service that they repair worn-out Ortovox products to avoid buying new ones. This is not the only thing, Ortovox is also very conscious about recycling their products and production residues. They collect their merino wool scraps and process them into a liner for their gloves, for example. Is there anything else? Yes, the entire collection is PFC free. This means that no harmful chemicals are used to make the products water resistant.
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Preserving the Alps
In addition to commercial sales, ORTOVOX also supports a concept called: Local Alpine. This concept focuses on supporting and promoting local communities and sustainable practices in the Alps. It includes various initiatives and projects aimed at preserving the natural environment, boosting local economies and supporting mountain people. ORTOVOX, as a brand specializing in mountaineering equipment, recognizes the value of the Alps as a unique and precious environment that must be carefully protected and supported. Through Local Alpine initiatives, ORTOVOX aims to contribute to a sustainable future for the Alpine region and the people who live and work there.