In 1972 Tenson launches the Himalaya Jacket. It becomes one of the most iconic outerwear jackets in history. To further test and develop Tenson “survival” jackets, Tenson begins sponsoring yearly polar expeditions carried out under the leadership of mountaineering and alpine specialist Torsten Kjéssel. Torsten and his team regularly test Tenson product under the most challenging circumstances to ensure superior function and comfort.

The “Himalaya”, designed in the early 1970s, was inspired by man’s first trip to the moon. It becomes an iconic product and signature silhouette for Tenson. It remains so today.

The Himalaya Jacket is made from a high-tech fabric: its back is laminated with aluminum foil, providing effective insulation and warmth for extremely cold conditions. Numerous expeditions are performed during the Himalaya Jacket’s development, including a polar expedition to ensure high quality and superior function. During the British Mount Everest South West Face expedition in 1975, several of the world’s leading climbers commit to the Tenson Himalaya Jacket as their primary choice for the extreme conditions. Led by the legendary Sir Chris Bonington and Hamish MacInnes, they set off to climb Everest’s South West Face, which, up to that point, had never been successfully climbed.

In 1977 following its 1975 release, Tenson’s “Himalaya” quickly became a success across Europe. It was known as, “The Swedish Wilderness Jacket”. It featured the latest fabric technology to ensure quality, function and fit. It also became very popular with sailors who sought a jacket with good protection for the stormy days out at sea. In fact, it was so popular with the sailing community that the collection was expanded to include matching trousers in the same durable material. It turns out that 1977 was the year the first ever Swedish team sets out to compete in the world’s most prestigious sailing race, The Americas Cup. With Swedish sailing legends Pelle Pettersson and Stellan Westerdahl at the helm, the effort was supported by the Swedish Trade and Industry Council as well as Sweden’s Royal Court.

The design of the Swedish Challenger match boat began to take shape already in 1974 and in June 1977 the 12-series “match” boat Sweden built by Sweden Match in Stenungsund left the home port. Unfortunately, the crew were poorly outfitted as the cold North Sea water seeped through every seam of their overalls and they soon became “frozen to the bone”. Tenson gets the call and soon provides a wind- and water-repellent garment with taped seams that was up to the challenge: Tenson’s Himalaya Jacket and custom-made sailing pants were made to compete and completed the set.