On October 28, the 40th anniversary celebration of the renowned Austrian outdoor brand NORTHLAND was held grandly in Beijing. Dr. Irene Giner-Reichl, the Austrian Ambassador to China, Mr. Gerwalt Pichler, the founder of NORTHLAND, Mr. Huang Geng, Chairman of Nanjing Biancheng Sports Goods Co., Ltd., and famous actor Chen Kun, among many other distinguished guests, gathered together to celebrate NORTHLAND’s 40th anniversary. The celebrated actor Chen Kun, through his spiritual development project “Power to Go,” has greatly promoted cultural exchange and communication between China and Austria in the field of outdoor activities through his successful collaboration with NORTHLAND. At the celebration, Dr. Irene Giner-Reichl personally awarded Chen Kun the “Edelweiss Medal.”
Famous actor and founder of “Power to Go,” Chen Kun, delivered a speech on site
To recognize Chen Kun’s achievements in promoting the outdoor spirit and advancing Sino-Austrian outdoor exchanges, Dr. Irene Giner-Reichl personally presented him with Austria’s “Edelweiss Medal.” The ambassador also extended a warm invitation to Chen Kun, hoping that he would lead the “Power to Go” team to explore the comfortable and resource-rich outdoors of Austria, and experience firsthand the grandeur and beauty of the Austrian Alps.
As the first Chinese entertainer to receive the “Edelweiss Medal,” Chen Kun stated that this honor was the greatest encouragement to him. He said, “Since I initiated ‘Power to Go’ in 2011, I have learned and gained a lot over the past three years, and the Edelweiss Medal is the greatest recognition of my efforts. Austria’s outdoor culture is rich and colorful, and is worthy of deeper learning and reference by China. During our journey to the Himalayas, protected throughout by NORTHLAND’s professional outdoor gear, all of us truly experienced the boundless charm of the comfortable outdoor culture that NORTHLAND represents. I very much hope to carry out walking activities in Austria and engage in deeper learning and exchange with Austrian friends.”
NORTHLAND’s Golden 40 Years: A Legendary Journey
In 1973, Mr. Gerwalt Pichler, a veteran figure in the Austrian mountaineering community, founded the NORTHLAND outdoor brand in Graz, Austria’s second-largest city, in pursuit of his dream of “comfortable outdoor living.”
From the very beginning, NORTHLAND established “comfort” as its core brand DNA. To realize this goal, after ten years of research and development, NORTHLAND finally introduced the advanced EXOTHERM to outdoor enthusiasts worldwide.
In 2003, with the opening of Austria’s NORTHLAND’s first Comfort Outdoor Experience Store in Nanjing, the brand officially entered the Chinese market. Over the past decade, as China’s outdoor market has grown rapidly, NORTHLAND has not only introduced some of the most comfortable, professional, and high-quality outdoor gear from abroad to China, but has also made outstanding contributions to the development of China’s outdoor industry and the promotion of cultural exchange in outdoor activities between China and Austria.
Forty years mark both a summary and a new beginning. As a leading brand in comfortable outdoor living, NORTHLAND will continue to leverage its strengths to further promote the healthy growth of China’s outdoor market in the future, allowing more Chinese outdoor enthusiasts to enjoy the boundless joy that outdoor activities bring.