OutDoor Celebrity of the Year 2010

Swede Bo Hilleberg, founder of HILLEBERG THE TENTMAKER, is the “OutDoor Celebrity of the Year 2010”

The prize for the “OutDoor Celebrity of the Year 2010” was presented for the fifth time at the world’s leading OutDoor Show in Friedrichshafen. With this prize, Messe Friedrichshafen honors the achievements of an important personality in the outdoor industry.

This year’s award winner, Bo Hilleberg, founder of HILLEBERG THE TENTMAKER, was selected by a jury of internationally leading trade journalists and representatives of the industry: Klaus Haselböck (Land der Berge, Krems/ Austria), Piotr Turkot (4outdoor, Krakow/Poland), Mikko Hieta (RETKI – The Finnish Outdoor Magazine, Lahti/Finland), Christian Jaeggi (Black Diamond, Reinach/Switzerland), Martin Kössler (Scandinavian Outdoor Group, Gothenburg/Sweden), Jean Marc Pambet (Salomon, Annecy/France), Andreas Schechinger (TATONKA GmbH / BSI, Dasing/Germany) and Hans-Peter Rudolph (W. L. Gore & Associates GmbH, Feldkirchen-Wester-ham/Germany).

Bosse, which is customarily shortened to Bo, Hilleberg is one of the most respected tent developers in the world. He has tirelessly strived towards achieving the optimum in the development of his tents and has set many benchmarks along the way – a number of his innovations are now recognized as standards for tents everywhere in the world. Hilleberg tents stand for highest quality as well as for heightened environmental awareness – after all, they last for a lifetime.

Bo founded his first company, Hilleberg AB, in 1971 and began selling forestry machinery – at that time, designing tents was more of a hobby.

When hiking through the wilderness, he was always annoyed by tents that had an inner shell, which had to be set up first, and then by the loose, wildly flapping flysheet, which had to be pulled over the top. This is what induced him to develop the first twin-skin design, a tent with the inner skin directly connected to the flysheet. His wife, Renate, a very talented seamstress, transformed his ideas into the real thing and soon the first innovative Keb tent became a great sales success. Tunnel tents followed to become a company trademark, although the product range also includes a number of other successful tent designs. In the 1970s, Hilleberg tents were used successfully in expeditions to the Himalayas, the Arctic and the Antarctic. Since that time, the company has continued on a course of steady growth.

In 2003, Hilleberg withdrew from the company and placed the operative business completely into the hands of his son. Up until 2006, he acted as President of the SOG (Scandinavian Outdoor Group). Hilleberg continues to head the SOG Outdoor Academy program.

His entrepreneurial achievements as well as his upstanding character and dedication to living in harmony with nature make him into an outstanding personality – at least, that is the conclusion that the eight jury members, experts in the outdoor industry, came to.

What the jury members had to say

“With his flawlessly functioning products, Bo Hilleberg has defined the epitome of quality not only on the tent market but in the entire outdoor industry. He is considered as a role model who combines highest product quality with his personal enthusiasm for the great outdoors.”
Klaus Haselböck (Land der Berge, Krems/Austria)

“I give Bo Hilleberg 10 points for the generosity of spirit and selflessness with which he has helped other companies and people as well as for his dedication to nature and the outdoor industry in general.”
Martin Kössler (Scandinavian Outdoor Group, Gothenburg/Sweden)

“High standards in product quality and always striving for improvement are things that characterize Bo Hilleberg. On the basis of these properties and with his unique personality, he has not only successfully established an internationally acclaimed outdoor brand, he has also made a positive impact on and has actively helped to shape the entire industry over decades.”
Hans-Peter Rudolph (W. L. Gore & Associates GmbH, Feldkirchen-Westerham/ Germany)

“Bo Hilleberg is a truly ‘permanent fixture’ in the industry. He is the embodiment of authenticity. He has remained true to himself and his idea through all the ups and downs and, in addition to outstanding products, has also created one of the most valuable brands in the outdoor world.”
Andreas Schechinger (TATONKA GmbH, Dasing/Germany)