Skip to main content

The North Face Launches Epic Pop-up Shop High in the Italian Dolomites

Pinnacle Project

We’ve said it before: We’re not above appreciating a really clever publicity stunt. Pop-up shops are … good. But, they’re also a little 2010. A pop-up shop on a mountainside in the Italian Dolomites, however? Now we’re talking.

Recommended Videos

The North Face has long been among the world’s most innovative outdoor brands, so it seems fitting their marketing team would debut a publicity stunt befitting the 50-year-old company. Pinnacle Project launched as a one-of-a-kind pop-up shop set high in the Italian Dolomites — at an elevation of 6,889 feet (2,100 meters) to be exact. The only way to get there was — you guessed it — via a two-hour hike to Val San Nicolò in the Italian Alps.

Beyond the extraordinary location, the company took the shop one step further. Inside, visitors discovered eight The North Face items personally used by some of the world’s best-known and most experienced explorers. These were well-worn items — camp duffel bags, down jackets, and alpine mountaineering-worthy backpacks — taken straight from the packs of pioneers like Conrad Anker, Alex Honnold, David Göttler, and James Pearson. Each piece was up for auction to one lucky bidder and, in The North Face’s words, “all proceeds will be given back to the mountains.” More specifically, the charity auction benefits the Society of the Tridentine Alpinists.

the north face pinnacle project
The North Face

To be fair, The North Face isn’t the first company to open a mountainside pop-up shop. As far as we know, that honor goes to 37.5 Technology. In September 2017, the performance technology brand opened Cliffside Shop. The so-called “world’s most remote pop-up shop” was only accessible via a 300-foot climb up a nearly vertical wall in Colorado’s Eldorado Canyon State Park. Sure, both were blatant publicity stunts. But neither is any less awesome for it!

A visit to the Pinnacle Project shop really only counted if you’d gotten there the hard way: on your own two feet. But, for the less adventurous armchair explorers among us, the one-of-a-kind items mentioned above could also be bid on via the Athlete Archives on the official The North Face website. For those who missed this round of items, the pop-up shop will next travel to Berlin, Germany, then on to Manchester, England. The highest bidders will receive a personal message from each piece’s respective owner with words of encouragement to never stop exploring.

Mike Richard
Mike Richard has traveled the world since 2008. He's kayaked in Antarctica, tracked endangered African wild dogs in South…
Topics
Stanley 1913 drops limited-edition exclusive at REI, honoring the great outdoors
Carry a reminder of mother nature everywhere you go
Stanley 1913 REI

In partnership with Always With Honor, Stanley 1913 has just dropped a new, limited-edition exclusive cup collection to honor the great outdoors. Taking inspiration from blue valleys and orange skies, this new artist's design allows you to carry a reminder of Mother Nature everywhere you go. From cozy fire-pit gatherings to hiking the trails, this new line-up of Stanley 1913 cups is designed to inspire those who love the great outdoors. Each of the two cup styles/sizes features work by Always With Honor, a studio by Portland-based designers Elsa and Tyler Lang.

The new, limited-edition design is available exclusively at REI stores and online. Just in to help you hydrate on your outdoor summer adventures, these Stanley Quenchers are the perfect companion to take anywhere you go. The artist-designed Stanley is available in two of the most popular models: the 30oz Quencher ProTour Flip Straw Tumbler and the 30oz IceFlow Flip Straw Tumbler 2.0. The Flip Straw design features a leakproof flip-straw design for fast hydration.

Read more
How to grip a golf club: Tips, tricks, and common mistakes
Lack power or balance? Try adjusting your golf grip and see what happens
Man holding a golf club

Your golf grip is one of the most foundational aspects of the swing. Get this wrong, and your consistency will suffer. You need a great grip to achieve consistent results, so today, we're going to take a look at how to grip a golf club and common mistakes that people make that can throw off consistency.
How to grip a golf club

Learning how to grip a golf club isn't as hard as you might think, especially if you don't have any bad habits. If you're just starting out, I recommend using a glove like the one from Me and My Golf. This glove has a blue line across the fingers so you know exactly which angle to hold your club at. These tips from Me and My Golf are for right-handed players. If you're a lefty, just reverse everything.
How to grip with the left hand

Read more
Forget a side by side — your next fun vehicle should be sea-worthy
Hitting the water at high speed can be fun and surprisingly affordable
Slightly tubby journalist driving a Sea-Doo PWC at speed

A few decades ago, Sea-Doo invented the personal watercraft--a fast and fun way to get around on the water. Fast forward a few decades, and Sea-Doo’s offshoot has a diverse range of small, powerful, watercraft people can use recreationally.

There’s a fun fact I can include in this piece. “Jetski” is a brand name, a bit like “Coke” or “Google,” or “Heroin.” It refers to a particular line of waterborne vehicles produced by Kawasaki. For the purposes of this piece, I was riding most of Sea-Doo’s 2025 lineup, so at no point did I sit on a Jetski. Instead, I was ripping around on a “personal watercraft” or PWC.

Read more