Berghaus
 | |
| Type | Subsidiary of Pentland Group[1] |
|---|---|
| Industry | Retail |
| Founded | Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK (1966) |
| Headquarters | Sunderland, UK |
| Products | Clothing, outdoor gear |
| Website | www.berghaus.com |
Berghaus Limited is an outdoor clothing and equipment manufacturer headquartered in Sunderland, Tyne & Wear, UK.[2] 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.
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.
1966
"It all began when climbers and mountaineers Peter Lockey and Gordon Davison from the North East of England, frustrated by what they saw as a lack of decent outdoor gear, decided to import and sell their own.
Their specialist outdoor store in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK, went by the name of the LD Mountain Centre and quickly gained a reputation for selling the very best in high-performance outdoor products from the likes of Atomic Skis, Marker Bindings and Nordica Ski."[3]
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® 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 – 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 PLC, 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.
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
MtnHaus
In 2011 Berghaus unveiled its new design and development team, MtnHaus, to the world.
The MtnHaus team work with Berghaus sponsored athletes, such as Leo Houlding and Mick Fowler , 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 , which went through 18 prototypes before the design was finalised. In 2013, the team developed the award winning Vapour Storm Jacket
Berghaus Sponsored athletes
Berghaus now have a team of over 21 athletes from all over the globe including:
- Climber Leo Houlding
- Mountaineer Mick Fowler
- Film maker and climber Alastair Lee
- Japanese snowboarder Atsushi Gomyo
- Snow Sports fanatic Julia Pickering
- Hand biker Karen Darke
- Polish alpine skier Michal Trzebunia
- Slovenian alpine climber Monika Kambic
- French mountaineer Philippe Gatta
- Polish survival expert Rafal Krol
- Mountain bike daredevil Rob Jarman
- American speed climber Sean Leary
- Adventure racers Team Berghaus Adventure
Berghaus now also has seven stores throughout the UK,[4] in Gateshead, Bristol, Manchester, London's Covent Garden, County Durham, Bridgend and Gretna.
References
- ↑
- ↑ "Privacy Policy." Berghaus. Retrieved on 26 June 2011. "Berghaus Limited 12 Colima Avenue Sunderland Tyne & Wear SR5 3XB England"
- ↑ http://store.berghaus.com/s/berghaushistory.html
- ↑ "Berghaus Stores"