ALAMEDA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The North Face, the world's premier supplier of authentic, innovative and technically advanced outdoor apparel, equipment and footwear, and Jaunt Studios, the leading purveyor of fully-immersive cinematic virtual reality experiences, today announced a new VR experience titled “The North Face: Nepal.” The new footage, extends their previous groundbreaking VR collaboration, titled “The North Face: Climb,” beyond Yosemite National Park and Moab. The content will be available for all smartphone users and in retail locations in San Francisco, New York and will be expanded into the brand’s new Regent Street location in London.
“At The North Face, we’re always looking for new and innovative ways to share our stories, as well as inspire our customers’ interest in getting outdoors. We’ve seen great success sharing VR in-store with the Moab and Yosemite film,” said Eric Oliver, Director of Digital Marketing, The North Face. “With this new Nepal footage, we’re excited to showcase the wonder of one of the most beautiful places in the world.”
The North Face VR powered by Jaunt allows consumers to step into in-store and at-home entertainment like never before, providing completely immersive, 360-degree 3D video and audio experiences that gives viewers a convincing, high-quality sense of “presence” inside Nepal. Shot in February of this year, the new content offers viewers a front-row seat into the majestic beauty of Nepal, allowing them to experience the country’s landmarks and mountains.
The footage in “The North Face: Nepal” was captured in two weeks and ranges from 914 to 6,096 meters in elevation, showing the transition from the city to the lower hills all the way to some of the highest points on earth. This experience takes people on a journey starting with Swayambhunath, also known as the monkey temple, and Thamel, the commercial neighborhood, in Kathmandu, then moving on to show the trek into the lower Khumbu glacier and ultimately, the Lobuche Peak.
Jaunt’s proprietary 360 degree, stereoscopic 3D cameras and advanced 3D sound-field microphones capture The North Face athlete Renan Ozturk trekking through Nepal. Ozturk was testing The North Face brand’s new Summit Series, which is designed as the most elite equipment for exploring the world’s harshest environments. Ozturk tested the entire Summit line while in the Langtang Valley.
“Virtual Reality is a powerful medium that has the ability to introduce audiences to incredible people in amazing places,” said Cliff Plumer, President of Jaunt Studios. “This new Nepal content is an example of just that – viewers have the chance to see, hear, and ‘exist’ in the Himalayas, along side these elite athletes. Virtual Reality is still in its infancy, and yet we’re already travelling to the most remote spots in the world. We’re excited to continue working with The North Face to push the limits of what’s possible.”
In addition to being available in select The North Face retail stores, this new content is being distributed to 75,000 Outside magazine subscribers, who will receive a Google Cardboard with their print issues this month—bringing rich and immersive VR content to people using their own mobile devices in an affordable and accessible way.
The North Face cinematic VR will be available for public download through Jaunt’s app in Google Play and iTunes beginning today.
About The North Face®
The North Face, a VF Corporation brand, was founded in 1966 with the goal of preparing outdoor athletes for the rigors of their next adventure. Today we are the world's leading outdoor brand, creating athlete-tested, expedition-proven products that help people explore and test the limits of human potential. We protect our outdoor playgrounds and minimize our impact on the planet through programs that encourage sustainability. The North Face products are available at premium and specialty retail sporting goods stores globally and we are headquartered in California on a LEED Platinum-certified campus. For more information, please visit www.thenorthface.com.
About Jaunt
Jaunt is pioneering the future of creative storytelling through cinematic virtual reality. Founded in 2013, Jaunt is the leading developer of the hardware, software, tools, and applications to enable cinematic VR and put the power of virtual reality in the hands of today’s best content creators. In addition, Jaunt works with leading creatives – from brands to artists to filmmakers – to create cutting-edge content through its studio arm, Jaunt Studios. Headquartered in Palo Alto, California, the company also maintains a presence in Los Angeles and produces branded and original VR content for audiences worldwide. Jaunt’s investors include The Walt Disney Company, Evolution Media Partners, China Media Capital, Highland Capital Partners, Google Ventures, Redpoint Ventures, Axel Springer, ProSiebenSat.1 SE, The Madison Square Garden Company, Peter Gotcher, Blake Krikorian, and Sky (corporate.sky.com). Experience more at www.jauntvr.com.
