Snow Peak’s journey began in 1958, when our founder Yukio Yamai, an accomplished mountaineer, created his own line of superior climbing gear out of the discontent for the current gear on the market. It is our birthplace and our founder’s heritage that we look to whenever we sit down at the drawing board and create our next piece of outdoor gear.
Snow Peak’s home in Sanjo City, is in the Chūetsu region of Niigata Prefecture, which is also known locally as the hardware town for its history of fine crafted metal work. A range of mountains that rise up to an altitude of 8,051 ft. between Niigata and Fukushima prefectures with rivers and streams cutting into the valleys, flow out to the East Japan Sea. This rich environment naturally evokes a strong connection to the outdoors. For the people born and raised here, nature is a part of life. It is this place that inspired Yukio Yamai, and to this day continues to inspire all of the products that come from Snow Peak, as is still home to our International Headquarters.