The snow line of the Himalayas won't shift due to human marketing spectacles, but brand reputation can collapse overnight. In recent years, Arc'teryx has repeatedly faced controversies over "harmful substances" and "product quality" issues. On the Black Cat Complaint platform, complaints related to "Arc'teryx" have accumulated to over 3,000 cases.

This morning at opening, Hong Kong-listed ANTA SPORTS plunged over 4%. Behind Anta's stock decline is an ongoing brand crisis. Its premium outdoor brand Arc'teryx held an "Ascending Dragon" fireworks show on September 19 in Rechong Township, Gyantse County, in the Himalayas. The three-act "Ascending Dragon" spectacle created by artist Cai Guoqiang using gunpowder explosions on mountain ridges was intended as an artistic tribute to nature, but within 48 hours it triggered a marketing backlash.

"How can plateau soil that takes 3,000 years to form just 1 centimeter withstand fireworks bombardment?" This question from netizens not only put Arc'teryx in the spotlight but also dragged parent company Anta Group into a crisis of trust.

**Arc'teryx Apology Shows Double Standards, Leadership Change Just Two Months Ago**

"Setting off large fireworks in the Himalayas, disregarding the fragile ecological barrier of the Himalayas, causing environmental pollution locally." After multiple netizens posted questions, Arc'teryx deleted all promotional materials related to "Ascending Dragon."

Subsequently, the official account "Cloud Peak Everest" of the Shigatse City Internet Information Office in Tibet issued a situation report on this matter, stating that an investigation team had been established to rush to the scene for verification, and follow-up actions would be taken according to investigation results in accordance with laws and regulations.

After the report was issued, Cai Guoqiang's studio and Arc'teryx brand successively issued apologies, expressing willingness to actively cooperate with third-party institutions and relevant departments to conduct comprehensive assessments of the impact of this fireworks show on the local natural ecology, and to make every effort to take remedial restoration measures.

On the same day, Arc'teryx also posted an English apology letter on overseas social media platforms, but the content differed from the domestic version. Related topics topped trending searches.

In the domestic apology letter, Arc'teryx stated that it needed to be more professional in assessing artistic expression boundaries and more humble toward nature, promising to cooperate with teams under government supervision to review the project's ecological impact, invite third-party assessments, and implement remedies based on results, while advancing Tibetan environmental protection plans and cultural public welfare projects.

The overseas version expressed deep regret for the fireworks performance on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, stating that this behavior was inconsistent with the brand's environmental values and expectations, and offered sincere apologies. It also mentioned "communicating with relevant artists and Chinese teams to adjust working methods to avoid similar situations."

Some netizens questioned that Arc'teryx's apology was "not sincere enough" and "different inside and outside," with the overseas version's mention of "communicating with Chinese teams to adjust working methods" suspected of "passing the buck."

This crisis's exposed brand management problems may find clues in management changes from two months ago. In July this year, Anta made a key personnel appointment for the newly acquired outdoor brand Jack Wolfskin, transferring John Yao, who had successfully led Arc'teryx to achieve huge performance growth in Greater China, to serve as Jack Wolfskin's brand president.

According to Amer Sports' (Arc'teryx's parent company) official website, a press release from June this year showed that Jeffery Ma was appointed as President of Greater China and joined Amer Sports' global leadership team from July 1, 2025, replacing current Greater China President John Yao.

Amer Sports gave high praise to John Yao, stating: "Under his leadership, Amer Sports' Greater China business and organization developed from a tiny starting point into one of the market-leading sporting goods companies, which is a remarkable achievement."

**Netizens Flood Anta's Comment Sections, Outdoor Bloggers Collectively Boycott Arc'teryx**

As is well known, Arc'teryx is a core brand under Amer Sports, which Anta Group acquired in 2019. Ding Shizhong, as Anta Group's founder and chairman, was the leader of this acquisition and the core decision-maker of group strategy. Previously, Ding Shizhong had repeatedly emphasized "long-termism."

Therefore, this fireworks show controversy also spread to Anta Group, with large numbers of netizens flooding Anta's multiple social platforms with messages demanding a response to this matter. ANTA SPORTS' official Weibo has activated one-click protection, setting restrictions on following and commenting, preventing users from following or commenting on previously published content; multiple high-engagement videos on its TikTok account have also been hidden.

As of now, Anta Group has not made any public statement. ANTA SPORTS' social accounts have entered protection mode.

When contacted by phone about this matter, Anta's official customer service responded: "The issue you're inquiring about is currently not within customer service's scope. We mainly handle issues related to the Anta brand under Anta Group."

In the early hours of September 22, Li Juan, author of "My Altay," posted condemning the Himalayan "Ascending Dragon" fireworks incident.

On the 21st, multiple outdoor bloggers spoke out against the Arc'teryx brand, stating that this incident had completely departed from the "Leave No Trace" philosophy that outdoor brands should convey, and declared "Love the outdoors, don't buy Arc'teryx," refusing to make any future purchases of the brand.

Among them, blogger @You Chuan gave up originally planned commercial cooperation with Arc'teryx, expressing creative principles of "respecting nature and living in harmony with the environment."

Industry insiders believe that the appearance of the plateau fireworks show not only dragged Arc'teryx to an extremely low level but also violated Ding Shizhong's original intentions. Arc'teryx indeed ignored that the core of outdoor brands is the belief in "coexisting with nature." Compared to Patagonia (which invests 1% of sales in environmental protection), Arc'teryx's environmental commitments seem more like marketing behavior.

Although through a series of acquisitions and organic brand growth over the past few years, Anta has now become China's largest outdoor and sports group, the occurrence of such low-level brand accidents exposes Anta Group's shocking ignorance of the spiritual core and brand soul of outdoor sports.

**Ecological Resources Have No Undo Button, Neither Does Brand Trust**

Founded in Canada in 1989, Arc'teryx started as a professional outdoor equipment company. With high-performance products and respect for outdoor environments, it established values of "revering nature" among core outdoor enthusiasts. In early years, through glacier protection projects, used clothing recycling, Leave No Trace advocacy, and other actions, Arc'teryx deeply integrated with nature conservation, creating a positive image of protecting nature. In recent years in the Chinese market, its "Mountain Classroom" and other professional activities have also been noteworthy.

Regarding questions about "ecological damage risks" from this fireworks show, organizers responded that the colorful powders used were biodegradable materials, emissions met environmental standards, and the discharge level was lowest risk. Additionally, they formulated comprehensive prevention, monitoring, and recovery plans, including relocating livestock, guiding small animals away, and post-discharge cleanup measures.

But everyone knows that the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is an important ecological security barrier for China. Its ecosystem has characteristics of integrity, stability, and fragility, and any human activity must be premised on "minimal interference." The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau Ecological Protection Law prohibits destroying natural landscapes and grassland vegetation, hunting and collecting wild animals and plants.

Arc'teryx's case shows people the disconnect between large companies' proclaimed brand philosophies and actual actions. A month ago, Arc'teryx's parent company Amer Sports released its second-quarter financial report. During the reporting period, Amer Sports' revenue increased 23% year-over-year to $1.236 billion, with Greater China revenue growing 42% year-over-year to $410 million.

During the same period, Amer Sports' net profit was $18.2 million, compared to a net loss of $3.7 million in the same period last year. However, Amer Sports' ability to achieve profitability in the second quarter was related to receiving $19 million in government subsidies during the period. Excluding this subsidy, it still failed to turn profitable for the quarter.

As the parent company's cash cow, Arc'teryx's growth support for Amer Sports is no longer what it once was. As of the first half of this year, the revenue growth rate of Amer Sports' technical apparel division, where Arc'teryx belongs, has declined for three consecutive years.

In recent years, Arc'teryx has repeatedly fallen into controversies over "harmful substances" and "product quality" issues. On the Black Cat Complaint platform, complaints related to "Arc'teryx" have accumulated to over 3,000 cases.

The snow line of the Himalayas won't shift due to human marketing spectacles, but brand image can collapse overnight. That soil requiring 3,000 years to form, that vegetation needing decades to recover, those plateau creatures sensitive to light and sound, all silently question every company's responsibility baseline.

When "tribute to nature" becomes a commercial gimmick, when "environmental commitments" turn into PR rhetoric, even the most premium brands will ultimately lose user trust.