Helly Hansen Shows Benefits Of Shared Experiences & Challenges Outdoors In New Spring/Summer ’25 Campaign, Partners With Canada Ocean Racing
For nearly 150 years, Helly Hansen, the technical outdoor brand trusted by professionals around the world, has created professional grade gear to help people stay and feel alive in the outdoors. This spring/summer ’25, the brand’s campaign features the Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA), a search and rescue organization that not only saves lives but also works to increase public knowledge of lifesaving first aid. The campaign follows the story of two professional volunteer members of NPA’s search and rescue service, highlighting how shared challenges and experiences can enhance the feeling of being outdoors and foster a deeper sense of connection and community.
In a short film, Helly Hansen features NPA volunteers Karina Eliassen and Amanda Isaksen, who met seven years ago during an NPA training course and quickly became good friends, and eventually neighbors. As members of the NPA, Eliassen and Isaksen have worked together on search and rescue operations, day and night and often in extreme conditions. These shared challenges in the outdoors have brought them closer, both as professionals and as friends.
“Facing challenges makes a friendship even stronger,” says Isaksen. “Whatever it is, we are there for each other.”
Even when they’re off-duty, they enjoy being in the mountains together. “I know her weak spots, and she knows mine,” adds Isaksen. “She will be there backing me up and I would do the same for her.” By sharing the experience and motivating each other to push their own personal limits, the sense of accomplishment in reaching the summit becomes even more rewarding.
To further support the campaign, Helly Hansen will once again celebrate Open Mountain Month in June 2025. Building on its success over the last three spring/summer seasons, the activation will continue to inspire and enable people to get outdoors – this time encouraging them to do so alongside their family, friends and local communities. By connecting individuals from all backgrounds with seasoned mountain professionals worldwide through guided hikes and educational resources, Open Mountain Month 2025 will inspire people to safely experience the power of nature together.
“We are excited to kick off the spring/summer ’25 season with this new campaign centered on experiencing the outdoors and taking on challenges together,” said Joumana Løvstad, Chief Marketing Officer at Helly Hansen. “Through our work with mountain professionals, we’ve seen firsthand how shared experiences in nature can strengthen social and emotional bonds, making time spent outdoors even more fulfilling. Through this campaign and Open Mountain Month, we’re excited for our consumers to enjoy that same sense of connection – safely, with the expertise and guidance of our professionals.”
Additionally, Helly Hansen and the Canada Ocean Racing – Be Water Positive Team are proud to announce their partnership for The Ocean Race. As the Official Clothing Supplier, Helly Hansen will provide the IMOCA team with professional grade, performance-driven gear for an entire race cycle – including The Ocean Race Europe in 2025, The Ocean Race Atlantic in 2026 and The Ocean Race around the world in 2027.
Often described as the longest and toughest professional team sporting event, The Ocean Race challenges the world’s best sailors, putting them and their gear to the test in some of the most extreme ocean conditions. Within each of the fully crewed races, men and women compete together in the foiling IMOCA class, where innovation and technology combine to produce record-breaking performance.
“The Ocean Race is a critical part of our Be Water Positive campaign, pushing us and our equipment to the limit in some of the most extreme conditions on Earth, and we’re thrilled to partner with Helly Hansen as our official clothing supplier,” said Scott Shawyer, President and Skipper of Canada Ocean Racing. “I’m looking forward to working side-by-side with such a world-class brand to develop, test, and validate the equipment that will help keep me and the team safe, comfortable, and focused in The Ocean Race events over the next 3 years. Helly Hansen is a name that every sailor knows – most of us have worn their kit at various points in our careers – and I’m proud to welcome them into the team as we chase down a bold, global ambition together.”
Canada Ocean Racing – Be Water Positive will be on the starting line for The Ocean Race Europe 2025, which plays a crucial role supporting Scott Shawyer’s mission to make history as the first Canadian to complete the legendary Vendée Globe in 2028. Since launching the campaign, he’s set a double-handed course record for the Royal Ocean Racing Club Transatlantic Yacht Race, become the first Canadian to complete the grueling 3,100-nautical-mile New York Vendée, and is looking forward to competing in The Ocean Race Europe. British offshore sailor Pip Hare will sail alongside Canadian skipper Scott Shawyer and the four-person sailing team on every leg of the race. Having competed amongst the top ten of the international IMOCA fleet and in the 2020-21 and 2024 Vendée Globe, she will provide invaluable insight and mentorship to the team.
Additionally, the team is championing the Be Water Positive initiative, using their global platform to raise awareness of water scarcity and sustainable solutions, and through the team’s Pathway Program, they’re inspiring and supporting the next generation of Canadian offshore sailors.
“We are proud to partner with the Canada Ocean Racing – Be Water Positive Team in support of their mission, taking on one of the toughest team sporting events in the world, The Ocean Race,” said Gabriele Galaverni, Brand Partnerships Director at Helly Hansen. “Working with professionals is at the core of everything we do and being able to partner with a team that’s not only committed to pushing their own performance boundaries but also to raising the profile of offshore sailing is an honor and inspiration. We look forward to collaborating with the team to give them the best possible technical gear as they compete across the world’s harshest waters.”
A global leader in technical sailing apparel and official sponsor of the Canada Ocean Racing – Be Water Positive Team as well as an official partner of The Ocean Race organization, Helly Hansen is trusted by professionals all over the world, drawing on their insight and feedback to create gear with innovation, high-performance, and protection at the forefront. The Norway-based brand has collaborated with teams competing in The Ocean Race for over 50 years, harnessing these partnerships to test their latest designs, materials and technologies. Partnering with the race organization alongside the Canada Ocean Racing – Be Water Positive Team, Helly Hansen will continue to take inspiration from their experiences to create gear that advances the sport and provides maximum protection in even the most extreme environments.
As Official Clothing Supplier to the Canada Ocean Racing – Be Water Positive Team, the sailors will be provided with pinnacle pieces from Helly Hansen’s Ægir offshore collection. The Ægir collection is the direct result of 50 years of design improvements alongside The Ocean Race teams, and Helly Hansen’s designers will work closely with the team to refine and test new features and designs.
The Canada Ocean Racing – Be Water Positive Team will join the other competitors on the starting line of The Ocean Race Europe in Kiel, Germany on August 10, 2025 – with stops in Portsmouth, UK; Matosinhos-Porto, Portugal (Fly-By); Cartagena, Spain; Nice, France and Genova, Italy, before the finale in Boka Bay, Montenegro.
For more about the campaign or Open Mountain Month, visit www.hellyhansen.com.
