Helly Hansen: Norwegian Professional Heritage
Helly Hansen has been making technical clothing for professional use since 1877. Here is what that heritage means in practice for skiers.
Helly Hansen is one of the oldest continuously operating names in outdoor clothing. Founded in 1877 in Norway by the sea captain Helly Juell Hansen and his wife Maren Margarethe, the brand started with waterproof oilskins for professional maritime use and has since grown into one of the most widely distributed ski outerwear labels in the world. The professional-use foundation remains the consistent thread: the brand still dresses working ski patrollers and mountain guides in numbers that make it, on its own reporting, the most-worn professional ski apparel brand globally.
The founding era
Helly Juell Hansen was 35 years old when he and Maren produced their first oilskin jackets, trousers, sou’westers, and tarpaulins. The construction was coarse linen soaked in linseed oil, a method that pre-dated modern synthetic waterproof fabrics by nearly a century. The gear was a success almost immediately: the brand took its first product award at the Paris World Expo in 1878, the year after founding.
The maritime-clothing heritage remained the business for much of the early-to-mid 20th century. Helly Hansen gear made its Winter Olympics debut in 1952, the Oslo Games, as the sport began its post-war expansion.
Technical milestones
In 1980 Helly Hansen launched Helly Tech, a proprietary waterproof-breathable fabric system that brought the brand into the modern technical-outerwear era and remains the core of its membrane-based outerwear today. The Lifa base layer technology, similarly long-running, provides the moisture-management backbone under the outer shells and is one of the brand’s most-imitated products.
Ski-racing partnerships
Helly Hansen has been the clothing partner for multiple national alpine ski teams across the modern era. Recent partnerships include: the US Ski and Snowboard Association as official base layer provider from November 2012, worn by the US Alpine Team at the Sochi 2014 Games; the Canadian alpine and para-alpine ski teams from July 2015; Alpine Team Norway on an eight-year Official Partner agreement; and Ski Team Sweden. That pattern, outfitting the national alpine programmes of several of the strongest ski nations, is unusual at any point in time.
Current ownership
Helly Hansen was acquired by Canadian Tire Corporation in May 2018 for approximately CA$985 million. In February 2025, Canadian Tire signed a definitive agreement to sell Helly Hansen to Kontoor Brands, Inc. (the US apparel group that also owns Wrangler and Lee), for approximately US$1.3 billion. The sale completed in June 2025. Helly Hansen continues to operate as a standalone brand within the Kontoor portfolio.
What the range covers
Helly Hansen’s ski range covers jackets, trousers, bibs, base layers, mid-layers, and accessories. The range spans from entry-level insulated outerwear through to race-level technical shells. The Lifa base layer technology sits across most of the thermal range; the Helly Tech membrane system sits across most of the waterproof outer shells. The brand is widely distributed across UK ski and outdoor retailers as well as direct online.
Who it is for
Helly Hansen suits a broad range of skiers. The range is wide enough that almost any British skiing context has a product that fits, from weekend holiday insulated jackets through to fully-shelled ski-touring and race-adjacent kit. Wide retail distribution means competitive pricing and in-person fitting at multiple outlets.
Where it is particularly relevant: skiers who want clothing from a brand with demonstrable professional-use credentials and a long technical pedigree, rather than fashion-first or price-first outerwear. The brand has earned its professional reputation over a long time and its technical claims stand up.
BARSC has no commercial relationship with Helly Hansen. This feature reflects an independent assessment of the brand and its products.