In September 2019, Mountain Hardwear returned to “where it all began,” 
sending a peer-voted group of six employees to embark on a ten-day trek to 
Everest Base Camp and meet up with a team of climbers—including company 
president Joe Vernachio and athletes Tim Emmett and Garrett Madison—as 
they prepared for their chance to reach the highest summit on Earth. They 
field-tested products along the way, learned firsthand about the community 
that enables climbers in Nepal, connected with the places that inspired the 
brand’s existence, as well as connected with each other, bringing a 
stronger foundation back to Mountain Hardwear’s home base.