Berghaus
Encyclopedia
Berghaus Limited is an outdoor clothing
and equipment manufacturer headquartered in Sunderland
, Tyne & Wear, England
. It is based in the North East of England but distributes worldwide. It was founded in 1966 by climbers and mountaineers Peter Lockey and Gordon Davison, initially as an importer and distributor of outdoors products. Lockey and Davison’s outdoor store in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK, went by the name of the LD Mountain Centre. In 1972 they began designing and manufacturing their own product for sale in their shop. They called their brand ‘Berghaus’ which is a literal translation of ‘mountain house’ in German
.
In 1977 Berghaus became one of Europe's pioneer users of Gore-Tex®
fabric, a new waterproof and breathable fabric.
It was also in the early 1980s that mountaineer Sir Chris Bonington, ‘officially’ wore Berghaus. It was also around this time that Alan Hinkes
– who would go on to become the UK’s most successful extreme altitude mountaineer – began working with the company.
, home to sports brands Speedo
and Ellesse
, acquired Berghaus.
The early 90s also saw Berghaus turn its attention to footwear, launching its very first footwear collection. The collection included the Storm boot; a three season fabric hiking boot.
1999 saw the introduction of new lightweight and packable outerwear available at the time – Gore-Tex PacLite, a waterproof, windproof and breathable range of clothing.
The Nitro rucsac, introduced by Berghaus in 1998 was awarded the Millennium Product Award by The Design Council of Great Britain.
In 2011 Berghaus unveiled its new design and development team, MtnHaus, http://www.mtnhaus.com/ to the world.
The MtnHaus team work with Berghaus sponsored athletes, such as Leo Houlding http://www.berghaus.com/en/athletes/athlete_profile_450.html and Mick Fowler http://www.berghaus.com/en/athletes/athlete_profile_832.html, to produce kit for specific challenges, which means extended design, development and testing periods.
So far the MtnHaus team have produced five products including the Asgard Smock http://www.mtnhaus.com/mount-asgard-smock/, which went through 18 prototypes before the design was finalised.
Berghaus Sponsored athletes
Berghaus now have a team of over 21 athletes from all over the globe including:
Berghaus now also has four stores throughout the UK including Gateshead
, Bristol
, Manchester
and London
’s Covent Garden
.
Clothing
Clothing refers to any covering for the human body that is worn. The wearing of clothing is exclusively a human characteristic and is a feature of nearly all human societies...
and equipment manufacturer headquartered in Sunderland
City of Sunderland
The City of Sunderland is a local government district of Tyne and Wear, in North East England, with the status of a city and metropolitan borough...
, Tyne & Wear, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is based in the North East of England but distributes worldwide. It was founded in 1966 by climbers and mountaineers Peter Lockey and Gordon Davison, initially as an importer and distributor of outdoors products. Lockey and Davison’s outdoor store in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK, went by the name of the LD Mountain Centre. In 1972 they began designing and manufacturing their own product for sale in their shop. They called their brand ‘Berghaus’ which is a literal translation of ‘mountain house’ in German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
.
Outdoor Clothing
Berghaus offers a range of men’s, women’s and children’s outdoor clothing and equipment including: waterproof jackets, fleeces, baselayers and legwear. They also produce a selection of outdoor specific accessories and footwear.1970-1975
The first Berghaus rucsacs were launched in 1970 - the Berg 172 and Berg 272 models, had external frames and basic single compartments. These more traditional sacs were followed two years later in 1972 by the Cyclops rucsac – arguably the world’s first rucsac with an internal frame.In 1977 Berghaus became one of Europe's pioneer users of Gore-Tex®
Gore-Tex
Gore-Tex is a waterproof/breathable fabric, and a registered trademark of W. L. Gore and Associates. It was co-invented by Wilbert L. Gore, Rowena Taylor, and Gore's son, Robert W. Gore. Robert Gore was granted on April 27, 1976, for a porous form of polytetrafluoroethylene with a...
fabric, a new waterproof and breathable fabric.
1976-1980
This was followed in 1979 by the development of the Yeti Gaiter. The Yeti Gaiter’s distinctive rubber rands were initially made from old tractor inner tubes.1981-1985
In the 1980s the Gemini jacket was introduced, still in use today, it allowed a walking jacket to have a zip-in fleece.It was also in the early 1980s that mountaineer Sir Chris Bonington, ‘officially’ wore Berghaus. It was also around this time that Alan Hinkes
Alan Hinkes
Alan Hinkes OBE is an English mountaineer from Northallerton in North Yorkshire. Hinkes is the first British mountaineer to have summited all 14 mountains with elevations greater than 8000 metres, the so-called Eight-thousanders; however, this claim is disputed.He was awarded an Honorary...
– who would go on to become the UK’s most successful extreme altitude mountaineer – began working with the company.
1986-1990
In 1986 the Extrem range was launched and included the Trango Jacket. The Attak sole unit, was introduced the following year and exported around the world. Berghaus were awarded the Queen’s Award for Export in 1988 and the Northern Business Award for Exporter of the Year.1991-1995
1993 saw a significant development in Berghaus’ history as Pentland Group PLCPentland Group
Pentland Group plc is a privately held, global brand management company based in the UK, involved in the sports, outdoor and fashion markets. It is owned by Stephen Rubin and family...
, home to sports brands Speedo
Speedo
Speedo International Ltd. is a manufacturer and distributor of swimwear and swim-related accessories. Founded in Australia in 1914, the industry leading company is now a subsidiary of Pentland Group Plc. Today, the Speedo brand can be found on products ranging from swimsuits and goggles to wrist...
and Ellesse
Ellesse
-History:Ellesse was founded by Leonardo Servadio in Perugia in 1959. The name Ellesse derives from the initials of Servadio's name, "L.S."Ellesse grew in popularity during the 1970s as a producer of skiwear such as quilted jackets and ski pants...
, acquired Berghaus.
The early 90s also saw Berghaus turn its attention to footwear, launching its very first footwear collection. The collection included the Storm boot; a three season fabric hiking boot.
1996-2000
As a new century approached Berghaus introduced the Simplex concept in 1997, the idea was that by minimising the layers of fabric in a garment and getting rid of any unnecessary styling, you achieve a more breathable, lightweight product.1999 saw the introduction of new lightweight and packable outerwear available at the time – Gore-Tex PacLite, a waterproof, windproof and breathable range of clothing.
The Nitro rucsac, introduced by Berghaus in 1998 was awarded the Millennium Product Award by The Design Council of Great Britain.
2006 - Present
MtnHausIn 2011 Berghaus unveiled its new design and development team, MtnHaus, http://www.mtnhaus.com/ to the world.
The MtnHaus team work with Berghaus sponsored athletes, such as Leo Houlding http://www.berghaus.com/en/athletes/athlete_profile_450.html and Mick Fowler http://www.berghaus.com/en/athletes/athlete_profile_832.html, to produce kit for specific challenges, which means extended design, development and testing periods.
So far the MtnHaus team have produced five products including the Asgard Smock http://www.mtnhaus.com/mount-asgard-smock/, which went through 18 prototypes before the design was finalised.
Berghaus Sponsored athletes
Berghaus now have a team of over 21 athletes from all over the globe including:
- Climber Leo Houlding http://www.berghaus.com/en/athletes/athlete_profile_450.html
- Mountaineer Mick Fowler http://www.berghaus.com/en/athletes/athlete_profile_832.html
- Boulderer Leah Crane http://www.berghaus.com/en/athletes/athlete_profile_910.html
- Film maker and climber Alastair Lee http://www.berghaus.com/en/athletes/athlete_profile_3328.html
- International model and base jumper Anniken Binz http://www.berghaus.com/en/athletes/athlete_profile_897.html
- Japanese snowboarder Atsushi Gomyo http://www.berghaus.com/en/athletes/athlete_profile_3908.html
- Spanish climber Carlos Suarez http://www.berghaus.com/en/athletes/athlete_profile_901.html
- Snow Sports fanatic Julia Pickering http://www.berghaus.com/en/athletes/athlete_profile_4480.html
- Hand biker Karen Darke http://www.berghaus.com/en/athletes/athlete_profile_904.html
- Korean mountaineer Kim Mi Gon http://www.berghaus.com/en/athletes/athlete_profile_908.html
- Polish alpine skier Michal Trzebunia http://www.berghaus.com/en/athletes/athlete_profile_3648.html
- Slovenian alpine climber Monika Kambic http://www.berghaus.com/en/athletes/athlete_profile_5059.html
- Female mountaineer Pat Deavoll http://www.berghaus.com/en/athletes/athlete_profile_3840.html
- French mountaineer Philippe Gatta http://www.berghaus.com/en/athletes/athlete_profile_3712.html
- Polish survival expert Rafal Krol http://www.berghaus.com/en/athletes/athlete_profile_915.html
- Mountain bike daredevil Rob Jarman http://www.berghaus.com/en/athletes/athlete_profile_917.html
- American speed climber Sean Leary http://www.berghaus.com/en/athletes/athlete_profile_4993.html
- World racing champions Team Orion http://www.berghaus.com/en/athletes/athlete_profile_1217.html
- Adventure racers Team Berghaus Adventure http://www.berghaus.com/en/athletes/athlete_profile_4352.html
- Japanese speed climber Toru Nakajima http://www.berghaus.com/en/athletes/athlete_profile_3906.html
Berghaus now also has four stores throughout the UK including Gateshead
Gateshead
Gateshead is a town in Tyne and Wear, England and is the main settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead. Historically a part of County Durham, it lies on the southern bank of the River Tyne opposite Newcastle upon Tyne and together they form the urban core of Tyneside...
, Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
and London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
’s Covent Garden
Covent Garden
Covent Garden is a district in London on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St. Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit and vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist site, and the Royal Opera House, which is also known as...
.