Polish suppliers and visitors at the OutDoor fair were shaken by news that Artur Hajzer, an emblematic figure of the Polish outdoor industry, died last week after an attempt to reach the summit of Gasherbrum in the Karakorum range. Hajzer, who was 51 years old and was known among Polish mountaineers as Elephant, was one of the founders of Alpinus, the pioneering Polish outdoor brand. When Alpinus floundered in 2004 and was taken over by the company that owned the rival Campus brand, Hajzer and his business partner Janusz Majer went on to found HiMountain. After the demise of Campus earlier this year, HiMountain is the largest remaining outdoor brand in Poland. But beyond that, Hajzer was a highly-respected and much-appreciated figure in the Polish business.

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