Berghaus Extrem products have been used by world leading mountaineers like Jo Simpson, Mick Fowler and Leo Houlding since the mid-1980s, protecting these athletes in the harshes environments on the planet, from Everest to the Arctic and Antactica, as well as on the top of all 14 8,000m summits.
Continuing this legacy, this week Berghaus invited us to preview two of the first new Extrem range technical garments which will be in the shops come September 2016.
At the same time it was announced that 35-year-old Berghaus athlete and top expedition rock climber Leo Houlding will continue his partnership with the company for another five years.
Extrem 8000 Pro Jacket
The first piece of gear we were shown was the new Extrem shell jacket, the Extrem 8000 Pro Jacket. Made of 3L Gore-Tex Pro Shell, with key wear areas around the hood, shoulders, hem and lower arms featuring an extremely durable face, and the main body an exclusive lightweight face developed in partnership with WL Gore, the jacket claims to be the most advanced mountaineering jacket available.
Other innovations include a magnetic hood expansion system called Xpanse, which uses a system of magnets to allow the hood to expand for use with a helmet and then snap back into place when the helmet is not in use.
On the front, the new Xpanse faceguard, gives a gusseted extra expansion panel with breathing holes in the high front of the jacket, next to the zip, which can be breathed through in extremely hostile conditions such as wind-blown spindrift.
On the back, a storm-proof box pleat in the small of the back with internal stretch mesh allows for full freedom of arm movement – something Leo Houlding was particularly keen on! Using this pleat in the construction means that Berghaus have been able to avoid the use of stretch fabrics on weather facing panels of the jacket, as these are known to have inferior ‘wetting out’ qualities.
Other features on the Extrem 8000 Pro include: two large hand pockets; mesh hand pockets; two large Napolean chest pockets; a discreet left arm bicep pocket; an internal zipped security pocket; YKK® AquaGuard® pocket zips for added weather resistance; microfleece comfort lining on the inside neck.
The Exrem 8000 Pro will be available from August 2016 for an SRP of £450.
Ramche Down 2.0 Jacket
The all-new Ramche Down jacket uses 183g of NikWax treated 90/10 850 fill goose Hydrodown and three-zone bodymapping to ensure the optimum distribution of the insulation. But at the centre of the construction – literally, as both inner and outer layers of baffle insulation are stitched to it – is a layer of its new Reflect aluminium mesh. Working like a foil survival blanket, this mesh reflects heat back into the jacket, while – unlike the foil blanket – allowing moisture out. The use of this inner layer means that the inner and outer down-filled baffles can be offset to each other, eliminating the hotspots that through-stitched baffles construction can create.
Keeping all the down – and of course your body heat – in the right place, is a new facia material developed by Berghaus. This lightweight 7D 100 percent polyamide material is windproof, water resistant, breathable and twice as strong as the material used on the Ramche 1.0. It’s also 12 percent lighter.
The Ramche – as used by climbing pro Mick Fowler on his recent successful expedition to Gave Ding in 2.0’s features include: a low-profile helmet-compatible hood with front face adjustment and adjustment at the rear of the head, and stiffened with micro wire; an internal stretch gaiter on the hood to improve fit and prevent cold air entry; two way YKK VISLON centre-front zip, designed to be used with a pack and/or harness; two large hand pockets with wind strips behind the zips; ergonomically shaped easy-grab zip pulls for use with gloves; single-handed adjustment at the lower hem to keep out the elements and prevent heat loss; adjustable cuffs with easy-grab tabs that can be handled with gloves; and durable hook and loop fabric around the cuffs that work well in wet, snowy and icy conditions.
The Ramche Down 2.0 Jacket will be available from September 2016 for a SRP of £360.
