In 1966, two hiking enthusiasts founded a small mountaineering retail store in the heart of San Francisco's North Beach. The Company soon became known as The North Face, a retailer of high-performance climbing and backpacking equipment. (The name was selected because in the Northern Hemisphere, the north face of a mountain is generally the coldest, iciest and most formidable to climb.) In 1968, The North Face began designing and manufacturing its own brand of high-performance mountaineering apparel and equipment, and in the early 1980s, extreme skiwear was added to the product offering. By the end of the decade, The North Face became the only supplier in the United States to offer a comprehensive collection of high-performance outerwear, skiwear, sleeping bags, packs and tents.