HORIZONSPORTS, the world’s first Nature Sports & Lifestyle TV and video platform has launched on Samsung’s Smart TV Hub – TV PLUS, reaching over four million smart TV viewers across Germany. HORIZONSPORTS’ premium video content caters to people who hike, run, cycle, love mountains and want to be more active in nature.

HORIZONSPORTS aims to be the best-connected screen destination for millions of enthusiasts. Laurence Fox Hopper and Philippe Deleplace, the co-founders of HORIZONSPORTS, said “ we are delighted to partner with TV Plus and bring the most comprehensive nature sports and lifestyle content directly to millions of enthusiasts on Samsung smart TVs in Germany and soon in other countries “.

“Our goal at Samsung is to create innovative and valuable technology that makes our consumers’ lives easier and more enjoyable when it comes to watching their favorite content,” said Heeman Lee, Vice President of the Visual Display Business at Samsung Electronics.

HORIZONSPORTS is partnering with top athletes, specialised video production companies, the outdoor industry and sports events around the world in order to offer the best selection of premium nature sports and lifestyle programming.

About HORIZONSPORTS

HORIZONSPORTS has entertaining stories covering all kinds of terrains and climates, focusing on trail running, trekking, hiking, cycling, mountain biking, triathlons, mountaineering, camping, skiing, snowboarding, stand-up paddling, kayaking,… and much more. Sports Programmes include UTMB (Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc), Ötillö Swimrun, Marathon des Sables, the Pioneer Mountain Bike Race and other competitions. Lifestyle programmes, including Walks around Britain, Rock the Parks, a series about hiking in American parks, and a fantastic kayaking adventure paddling around Iceland, are just some of the hundreds of premium sports and lifestyle contents available to subscribers. HORIZONSPORTS is also available on Watch It! in France and Germany, on 50 million connected devices in the Vewd App Store in Europe as well as directly to the consumer with horizonsports.TV (SVOD) platform with on-demand, live sports and TV streaming.

About Samsung TV PLUS

Samsung TV PLUS delivers a user-friendly experience that allows users to easily access contents featuring scrolling channels menu so that the consumers do not have to struggle to search desired contents in each application. This familiar process makes the user experience simple and easy, so that retrieving content is more enjoyable than ever before.

TV PLUS was first launched in 2015 in South Korea and continues to grow across its available markets including North America and Southeast Asia. In January 2017, TV PLUS was also made available with multiple channels in Germany and the European expansion is planned for the near future.

New manufacturers, materials and new designs for soles of sports shoes and boots—Michelin is now going head on with Vibram in shoes and boots made by AKU and with DynaGrip in boots by UK company Karrimor.  Icebug (some of whose products have a Michelin sole) are incorporating titanium spikes into their specialised shoes–there are even shoes with special soles made for mud-running and ice-climbing.

It seems that European tire makers are all in the shoe business: besides the soles offered by Michelin, Pirelli produces its own shoes for walking, while Adidas is collaborating with Continental in the soles for its new Terrex brand. Salomon is offering special lightweight textile-based performance hiking shoes aimed at millennials. A shoe and sole for every sport –some you didn’t even know were sports—and for all seasons and weather conditions. Nice, but now you need an extra cupboard just for all the new specialised footwear on offer.

By Philippe Deleplace

Alastair Humphreys, one of the world’s leading adventure travellers, has found that “the smaller the adventure, the bigger the audience” –this was the experience with his recent book focusing on “micro-adventures” that became a huge bestseller. “When you start doing stuff, no one cares, but you have a delicious freedom” meaning that you are unknown, so you are free to fail and do something crazy. “Starting an adventure is the hardest”. During his adventure career, Humphreys has cycled around the world over a period of 4 years—covering 73,000km, 60 countries, spending £7000 and using up 3 bikes–rowed across the Atlantic and authored 9 books, but interestingly enough, this book focusing on the micro adventure  of walking around London was the most successful. He explained that he had reached a point in his life where traditional adventures no longer excited him and decided to do something different. He encourages even those potential adventurers with “a lack of time, a lack of money, a lack of equipment or expertise” to explore close to where they live .. He also encouraged turning your hobby into your career. The key to success is to present authentic stories, a lot of brands tell the story, but not very well—but there is hope….”you start rubbish, and you get good”.  “You can become a world expert in a niche—be original, not gimmicky, provide great content, repeat, substance over style”.

Laurence Fox Hopper

HORIZONSPORTS, the world’s first Nature Sports & Lifestyle TV and video platform has launched in the Vewd App Store, the leading home for smart TV apps, and is now available on millions of smart TVs across Europe. HORIZONSPORTS’ premium video content caters to people who hike, run, cycle, love mountains and want to be more active in nature.

HORIZONSPORTS aims to be the best-connected screen destination for millions of enthusiasts. Laurence Fox Hopper and Philippe Deleplace, the co-founders of HORIZONSPORTS, said “We are delighted to be available in the Vewd App Store and to reach millions of additional viewers with the most diverse and inspiring nature sports and lifestyle programmes”.

“We love our outdoor sports here at Vewd,” said Daniel Nordberg, SVP of Partnerships at Vewd. “HORIZONSPORTS offers unparalleled video productions focused on running, trail running, trekking, hiking, Nordic walking, cycling, mountain biking, mountaineering and much more in different terrains and climates. We’re excited to bring them to the Vewd App Store so our viewers can get inspired by the latest adventures on HORIZONSPORTS.”

Vewd boasts the most deployed platform for smart TVs and set-top boxes, shipping on nearly 50 million devices each year. The Vewd App Store, an OTT experience for consumers, brings
nearly 1,100 apps to major OEM brands and Pay TV operators among those Sony, Vizio, Tivo, Swisscom, and more. By partnering with Vewd, HORIZONSPORTS will scale effortlessly across multiple TV platforms, without having to prepare a unique app for each.

HORIZONSPORTS is partnering with top athletes, specialised video production companies, the outdoor industry and sports events around the world in order to offer the most comprehensive sports and lifestyle programming.

About HORIZONSPORTS

HORIZONSPORTS has entertaining stories covering all kinds of terrains and climates, focusing on trail running, trekking, hiking, cycling, mountain biking, triathlons, mountaineering, camping, skiing, snowboarding, stand-up paddling, kayaking,… and much more. Sports programmes include UTMB (Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc), Ötillö Swimrun, Marathon des Sables, the Cape Epic Mountain Bike Race and other competitions. Lifestyle programmes, including Walks around Britain, Rock the Parks, a series about hiking in American parks, and a fantastic kayaking adventure paddling around Iceland, are just some of the hundreds of premium sports and lifestyle contents available to subscribers. HORIZONSPORTS’ easily accessible and extensive selection of premium programming allows to choose on-demand, live sports coverage or TV viewing.  HorizonSports is available on Watch It! in France and Germany as well as directly through the Subscription Video On Demand (SVOD) platform horizonsports.TV everywhere in Europe.

About Vewd

Vewd is the global leader in enabling entertainment, connecting consumers everywhere to the content they love. By enabling OTT on nearly 50 million connected devices each year, Vewd leads the way in defining the future of entertainment. Our suite of products and services are crafted to simplify complexity and offer solutions that unite the entire value chain, from silicon vendors to end users. Vewd products are used by market leaders such as Samsung, Sony, Verizon, TiVo and many more. Follow us, as we make OTT extraordinary. Visit us at vewd.com.

Contact HorizonSports : Philippe Deleplace (philippe@horizonsports.com)

http://www.horizonsports.com/

https://horizonsports.tv/home

HORIZONSPORTS, the world’s first Nature Sports & Lifestyle TV and video platform is partnering with Adventure Academy Sweden to edit and create an eight part reality show that will be broadcast on HORIZONSPORTS.TV and than distributed on different platforms across the world.

HORIZONSPORTS and Adventure Academy will select 2 female and 2 male students and follow them through the twelve months adventure training course. The course includes Alpinism (mountain training), Hypothermia (cold weather training), Nordic winter, Long Distance Cycling, Navigation, Kayak, Hellweek and their own Adventure during 2 weeks in the wilds of Scandinavia and Europe.  HORIZONSPORTS will edit and create the final production working together with Adventure Academy to reflect the stress, inspiration and experience of the four Adventure Academy candidates. Laurence Fox Hopper, the CEO and co-founder of HORIZONSPORTS, said “We have an award winning production team and we are delighted to team up with Adventure Academy to create real adventure stories for enthusiasts ”.

“For me this partnership is a great step in our vision to inspire more people to get out and do there dream adventure, big or small”. Says Fredrik Erixon, founder of the Adventure Academy. “This is our 7:th year in Sweden, we are now a big force in creating and inspiring adventure activities in Sweden and the Nordic countries, and we are soon starting Adventure Academies in more countries across Europe”.

HORIZONSPORTS is partnering with top athletes, specialised video production companies, the outdoor industry and sports events around the world in order to offer the most comprehensive sports and lifestyle programming.

About HORIZONSPORTS

HORIZONSPORTS has entertaining stories covering all kinds of terrains and climates, focusing on trail running, trekking, hiking, cycling, mountain biking, triathlons, mountaineering, camping, skiing, snowboarding, stand-up paddling, kayaking, … and much more. Sports Programmes include UTMB (Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc), Ötillö Swimrun, Marathon des Sables, the Cape Epic Mountain Bike Race and other competitions. Lifestyle programmes, including Walks around Britain, Rock the Parks, a series about hiking in American parks, and a fantastic kayaking adventure paddling around Iceland, are just some of the hundreds of premium sports and lifestyle contents available to subscribers. HORIZONSPORTS is also available on Watch It! in France and Germany as well as directly to the consumer with horizonsports.TV (SVOD) platform with on-demand, live sports and TV streaming.

About Adventure Academy

Adventure Academy is a unique adventure education. The idea is to give the participants the right conditions and knowledge in outdoor life to dare to take the step and carry out their own adventures – as well as inspire others to do the same. The education is led by some of the most experienced adventurers in the country.

Contact:

HorizonSports : Philippe Deleplace (philippe@horizonsports.com)

AdventureAcademy : MatthiasAßmann (ma@mandel-consulting.com )

http://www.horizonsports.com/

https://adventureacademy.se  or https://adventureacademy.dk

‘What in the world is bikepacking?’ This may be you first thought after hearing the mashed-up name of this new outdoor activity. But the name doesn’t lie- it truly is a combination of backpacking and mountain biking, plus so much more. A bikepacker combines the minimalist camping style of one who backpacks through terrain while camping, but does so on a mountain bike, opening up new terrain and further distances than previously achievable on foot.

How do I bikepack?

This may be your next question. Bikepacking.com says that the best bike for bikepacking is the one you already have. If you have a mountain bike that you find comfortable, then that’s your best bet to use while bikepacking. The sport requires long hours in the saddle, so comfort is key. You also may need small packs that you can attach under the seat and handlebars, along with water bottle cages so that your back doesn’t take all of the pressure from your gear. You’ll also need the same things you would need for backpacking: a light tent, food supply, lightweight but protective clothes and appropriate footwear for both biking and the terrain.

What variety is there to Bikepacking?

Bikepacking is as diverse as its backpacking cousin, with every trip made by the adventurer to their own tastes. But generally speaking, bikebacking can be divided into two groups: multi-day mountain bikepacking, and expedition and dirt touring. Multi-day mountain bikepacking is the classic version: just light gear, a mountain bike, and a trail chosen by the bikepacker. These expeditions can be a 40 mile, sub-24 hour spin, or a multi-week tour of thousands of miles. Expedition and dirt touring is the more extreme version. Typically they are done overseas on remote and more difficult terrain, allowing the bikepacker to get to the heart of wild spaces much faster than traditional backpacking.

Now that you know something more about bikepacking, it’s time to get out there and do it! bikepacking.com is a great reference for newcomers on routes, gear, and general advice on how to enter the bikepacking world. This extreme sport just provides another way the modern explorer can get out there and experience the wildness of the mountain.

by Laurence Fox Hopper

For a lot of companies and mostly the smaller ones, it’s more and more important to have their products displaying “made in Europe” stickers.

Norwegian manufacturer EClima produces woollen knits in Estonia, whereas the Swedish brand Lundhags has the bulk of its production in Portugal. Austrian company Löffler makes most of its innovative bike shirts in Austria, using a secret patented Transtex® weave that wicks moisture off the body. They also have a factory in Bulgaria that “works very well” , given that it is difficult to find skilled workers to sew garments in Austria.

The knife maker MoraKniv continues to make its products in Sweden after 126 years, underlining that the very sharp knives are designed to be tools, and not weapons, though they could easily do that  as well. The company even designed a “rookie” knife for kids, explaining that children should be taught to use knives in the proper way from an early age. Try telling that to an Italian mother!

By Philippe Deleplace

HORIZONSPORTS, the world’s first nature sports & lifestyle TV and video platform that is the only single destination for a broad selection of contents catering to people who hike, run, cycle, love mountains and want to be more active in nature, has been selected to join the billionaire funded Fellowship Program of STATION F in Paris.

HorizonSports aims to inspire and be the preferred destination for the over 100 million active participants in nature sports and lifestyle.  Laurence Fox Hopper and Philippe Deleplace, the two co-founders of HorizonSports said “Our evolving digital SVOD OTT platform is using innovative technologies to take advantage of the new media consumption trends. Joining the STATION F Fellowship Program will put us at the core of a very creative and stimulating tech eco-system”.

HorizonSports has entertaining video stories, organized into six categories, focusing on all types of running/ walking, mountain summer and winter, cycling, watersports and lifestyle/travel and recreation. Programmes such as UTMB (Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc) have been aired live with several special programmes created by our video athlete while running in the race. Lifestyle programmes such as Walks around Britain, a series about hiking in American parks called rock the parks, and a fantastic series about a kayaking adventure around Iceland are just some of the hundreds of constantly updated sports and lifestyle programmes available to subscribers.

About HorizonSports
HORIZONSPORTS’ easily accessible and extensive selection of premium nature sports and lifestyle programming allows users to select, from the same screen, on-demand, live sports coverage or TV viewing on mobile, smart TV and desktop directly through the Horizonsports.TV SVOD platform for €4.99 a month or €49.99 a year. HorizonSports is also available as a bundled product on Watch It! in France and Germany and soon on other platforms. HorizonSports was founded by two media entrepreneurs – Laurence Fox Hopper and Philippe Deleplace.

About STATION F
STATION F is the biggest startup campus in the world. Located in central Paris and backed by entrepreneur-investor Xavier Niel, the 34,000 sq meter building hosts an entire startup ecosystem under one roof.
At STATION F, you can find a startup zone with 3,000 startup desks divided into 20+ different startup programs – including programs run by Facebook, HEC, Naver, Microsoft, Ubisoft, vente-privee, ICM, Outre-Mer Network, Serrinov, Numa, Ashoka, Arts & Métiers, CNPA, Usine.io, Havas, Zendesk, Impulse Labs, BNP Paribas+Plug and Play, Shakeup Factory and Schoolab, Thales, EDHEC, Creative Valley and Ponts Alliance. We also have our own Founders Program, hosting more than 200 startups, and Fighters Program for underprivileged entrepreneurs. The campus also features event spaces, offices for investors and tech companies, a makerspace, a coworking coffee-shop, a giant restaurant, and more. A housing extension for 600 entrepreneurs is also under construction 10 min away from STATION F and will open in 2018. 1,000 startups and many other members of the international startup ecosystem will be on campus daily, making STATION F one-of-a-kind place for innovation.

Lots of sheep and sheep images at the recent Outdoor Show—woollen socks are really big this year, evidenced by the number of stands that offered this product. British manufacturers (including a company that shares our name, Horizon…) are proposing all sorts of new designs and colour combinations to keep your feet warm in winter.

Wool filler proposed by UK manufacturer HD is also replacing polyester filling and down in jackets—important in the trend toward natural fabrics with anti-odor and breathability characteristics. Light wool t-shirts are even being proposed for summer by Norwegian manufacturer AClima, while Austrian company Löffler has developed merino bike shirts….but will they stand up to the heat in Italy or Spain?

The wool used in these garments comes from New Zealand or Tasmania, where conditions are optimal for sheep to develop high-grade fine merino wool. Why not Norway or the UK? Because the climate is too damp and there are brambles and bushes that sheep brush against, ruining the wool. The New Zealand company Icebreaker was one of the first to introduce light-weight merino products for active wear—it even offers a merino sports bra for ladies who prefer wool to spandex.

By Philippe Deleplace