Mammut lets users get a taste of high-altitude air

With the #project360, Swiss mountaineering specialist Mammut provides virtual and visual access to the Matterhorn and the Eiger North Face - from a climber's perspective and directly from the wall. The images for this are provided by a specially developed backpack with six cameras for a complete all-round view. Professional alpinists carried the camera backpacks over the Hörnligrat on the Matterhorn and through the legendary Heckmair route on the Eiger North Face. The

Result: Nothing less than an impressive 360° all-round view from the wall, to be seen under Mammut.ch/project360 and in the App Store (Android and iOS) under the name Mammut #project360. The recordings make the legendary routes of the first climbers come alive step by step for everyone online and tangibly convey the fascination of the famous mountains: With just a few clicks, the user moves through the walls, looks up or down, and can study the course of the route up close. The user determines the viewing direction himself.

"Street View" in the third dimension

Spectacular images from the famous mountains were just one aspect of #project360: the extraordinary views of the route contribute to a unique and novel user experience, turning the website as well as the app into a kind of vertical Street View. "With #project360, we are extending what Google implemented with Street View in length and width: We open up a third dimension with a depth view - and in a much higher quality than previously possible," says Rolf Schmid, CEO of Mammut and personally enthusiastic about the depth views. Among other things, the 360° views can be controlled on smartphones and tablets simply by moving them.

Virtual reality on the mountain thanks to the mobile app

Since February 3, 2015, Mammut #project360 has also been available as an app for the popular operating systems. The app #project360, developed by the Swiss mountain sports specialist Mammut, allows the user to experience the great ambience of classic ridges, glaciers and steep walls in true-to-life 360° panoramic images and videos with a smartphone or tablet. He becomes part of the rope team of Pro Team athletes and mountain guides. The viewing angle on smartphones and tablets can be controlled simply by moving the devices.

With an appropriate head-mounted device (e.g. Google Cardboard, Zeiss VR One, Homido, etc), the images can be displayed as virtual reality, bringing the user even closer to the action. Together with the professional mountaineers, he ventures into the lofty heights of the Matterhorn or alternatively into the notorious cold of the Eiger North Face. The viewing angle effortlessly swivels along with the head movements. Suitable for all ages, provided they do not suffer from vertigo.

Technology for performance on the mountain

The gigantic project was preceded by intensive preparation. Together with the photographer Matthias Taugwalder from Concept360 and the Munich advertising agency Heye, the decision to carry out the extensive project was made at the beginning of 2014. It quickly became clear: With "Project 360," all those involved would be doing pioneering work in digital cartography. The technical equipment of Mammut Pro Team athletes Stephan Siegrist and Dani Arnold was particularly decisive. Because regardless of the images from the wall, the safety of the alpinists was paramount at all times. In concrete terms, this meant that the technology had to be lightweight and could neither restrict movement nor interfere with climbing. The first step was therefore to select the right camera technology and attach it to a backpack suitable for climbing. In extensive test runs in climbing gyms, in the Swiss Alps and on the Eiger North Face itself, models from a wide range of manufacturers were tested.

A 360° video system from GoPro proved to be the best solution, with a total of six cameras and a system weight of just under two kilograms. The system offered numerous other advantages during the tour: an automated shutter release also enabled pictures to be taken in difficult places on the route, and the entire system impressed with its ease of use in a wide variety of climbing situations. The insensitivity to the low temperatures on the mountain also spoke in favor of this solution. But it was only the integration into an alpine backpack specially developed by Mammut that made the camera technology suitable for climbing: based on the "Trion Nordwand" model, the development department of the Swiss mountaineering specialist designed a backpack that met both the alpine and technical requirements.