Berghaus’s Extrem range of products was first seen in the mountains back in 1985 when Joe Simpson and Simon Yates wore early samples on their epic trip to Siula Grande.
For the latest Extrem collection – released later in 2016 – the mountain climbing guinea pigs were Leo Houlding, Mick Fowler and Angelika Rainer. They each worked closely with the brand’s innovation teams, advising on concepts and testing out prototypes out on the rockface.
The results of these trials were revealed at the end of 2015 when Berghaus invited members of the outdoor press to visit its revamped HQ (pictured above) on the outskirts of Sunderland. Here are two of the items that were top of the bill…
Extrem 8000 Pro jacket
The lead item in the new range is certainly this jacket. Berghaus claims it’s the “most advanced mountaineering shell jacket now available.” It’s designed to be hardy and high performing, made out of a 3-layer Gore-Tex Pro Shell with extra 70 Denier fabric at common points of wear and tear.
There are plenty of interesting design features and techniques as well. For instance, while most jackets have seams bound together by around seven stitches per inch, this one is bound by 13-14 for extra strength and reliability. And better still, there’s a completely seam-free continuous panel around the front, sides and rear waist.
Most interesting of all is that this jacket debuts Berghaus’s Xpanse technology. This comprises a number of new little systems designed to enhance comfort and increase maneuverability. For instance, the hood uses a magnetic clip to reduce volume when a helmet isn’t needed, and on the back there’s a completely unique box pleat to allow more movement across the back and shoulders. According to Berghaus this provides around 20% better freedom of movement than the standard construction. One for any climbers, alpinists or mountaineers to consider perhaps.
Ramche Down 2.0
According to Berghaus this updated version of the Ramche is lighter, more durable and much warmer than its predecessor. It’s supposedly able to provide comfort in temperatures as low as -30°C thanks to its 183g of 850 fill-power goose down. And it should have a good water repellency thanks to the incorporation of Nikwax’s PFC-free solution.
For the outer fabric, a lightweight 7 Denier polyamide material is used – and this is said to be windproof, water resistant and twice as strong as the material used in the last version of the jacket.
Other features include a new heat reflective internal lining, a low-profile helmet-compatible hood with multiple points of adjustment and adjustable cuffs as well. A size large will weigh 452g, which is 13% lighter than the last Ramche.
Keep an eye out for these releases in the latter half of 2016.
