Inspiring mountain running film – or simply a clever piece of marketing?

the north face virtual experience
Viewers are immersed in the VR Tour du Mont Blanc experience from The North Face (Image credit: TNF)

A leading outdoor brand has come up with a concept to combine a virtual reality tour of an iconic mountain location – with a clever marketing campaign.

The North Face has launched the Power Further VR and 360 experience that offers outdoors fans the chance to explore the popular running trail, the Trail du Mont Blanc in the French Alps, from the comfort of their home.

At the same time, the brand has seized an opportunity to tell the story of the development of their Vectiv™ technology.

While the main experience of the VR tour reveals the delights and wonders of the Mont Blanc trail as two top athletes run the route, viewers are also led into the lab that created Vectiv. 

James Poole, The North Face Explorer Team member and two-time UTMB finisher, and Fernanda Maciel, world number three and a four-time UTMB podium finisher, traverse six locations on Mont Blanc in the virtual experience.

The film also shows allows The North Face to make a connection between the footwear, the Flight Vectiv, and trail running.

Fernanda said she is happy to be able to show other people an experience she sees every day. She said:  “Mont Blanc is so special. It’s magic for me. I came from Brazil and I live in Chamonix because the mountains around are so incredible, they touch me.  That is the boost that pulls me to the finish line for every UTMB."

Vectiv is a trail-focused footwear system that was launched in January after two years of research and development, more than 6000 miles of athlete testing and following more than 17 Fastest Known Time records.

Fiona Russell
Outdoor writer

Fiona Russell is a widely published adventure journalist and blogger, better known as Fiona Outdoors. She is based in Scotland and is an all-round outdoors enthusiast with favorite activities including trail running, mountain walking, mountain biking, road cycling, triathlon and skiing (both downhill and backcountry). Aside from her own adventures, Fiona's biggest aim is to inspire others to enjoy getting outside and exploring, especially through her writing. She is also rarely seen without a running skort! Find out more at Fiona Outdoors.