Hendrik Morkel was one of the early hiking and outdoor-focused bloggers to pick up on Hyperlite Mountain Gear. Hendrik first interviewed founder and CEO Mike St. Pierre in the summer of 2010, when Hyperlite Mountain Gear was truly in its earliest stage of development. He’s followed Hyperlite Mountain Gear’s progress since then and has helped them develop and test some of its its products as one of Hyperlite Mountain Gear’s team of Ambassadors. Now, two years after his initial interview, Hendrik has interviewed Mike St. Pierre again. These two interviews give a great look at how Hyperlite Mountain Gear has grown from an idea into a product and now into company that is on the leading edge of ultralight outdoor technology.
A little more on Hendrik, who one of the most prolific and trusted bloggers covering hiking with a focus on light and ultralight gear and techniques: Hendrik is a Wilderness Guide and author based in Finland. An ultralight backpacking evangelist, he doesn’t limit himself to backpacking alone, but likes to mix it up and uses his UL skills and gear for various activities, from bikepacking and packrafting over climbing to skiing and ice-climbing. He likes to build communities and get like-minded people together, and is one of the founders of Nordic Lightpacking, a group of outdoor bloggers from Scandinavia; and is the mastermind behind the Ultralight Summit, a gathering of UL aficionados from across the globe. You can read more about his adventures at Hiking in Finland. Thanks Hendrik for pushing the light hiking movement forward and helping to build our community.