A full Scottish breakfast set us up for the final day where some of the team were to take on the infamous devils staircase. The rest of the team (including myself) put our Berghaus gazebo up on the spot we had before which was now being called ‘the Berghaus Bridge’ by all who stopped to talk to us. Again we met a great bunch of people who were passionate about the products they had brought on the trip; some rucksacks being 20years old and still reliable!

Poor Adrian was still suffering with midge bites and was using Smidge like it was going out of fashion! Ed had decided to reduce the weight in his pack a little to be able to tackle the devils staircase in a little more comfort, and they managed to complete that stage in only 3 ½ hours, so celebrated with a cream team when they arrived in Kinlochleven.

That evening we stayed in the amazing wooden cabins of the Macdonald Hotel in Kinlochleven, who were incredibly hospitable in letting us chat to their other guests about product. We also put together a mini impromptu pub quiz for those who we were meeting for the third night in a row.

Friday morning we woke to beautiful skies to pack up and head back to the North East, most using the journey for singing practice and to catch up on some much needed sleep!

Thank you to all who came and regaled us with stories of their day, and insight into how they use their kit. You made it a really enjoyable week for us and we can’t wait to start sketching for the season ahead!

Throughout the days walk the team passed / were over taken by faces which had become familiar by now, those who were also taking in this part of the WHW challenge this week. They all had some great product stories to tell, and we met up with them again on the evening in the KingsHouse Hotel, along with a few new faces and a few new stories from the day.

In the midge bite competition Adrian was still winning by far with his ankles and arms becoming the main target, and poor Ed was still the hero (or fool) carrying over 16Kg in his sack! I met up with the rest of the team at the end of the day and they all looked surprisingly fresh faced with a pint in their hand…. it wasn’t until they tried to stand up and walk about that I could see how the walk had taken its toll on their legs! Then all sorts of random stretching moves started, like a music video from Eric Prydz! At this point I felt quite pleased about being the designated driver.

So we set up for the evening at the Kings House Hotel who very kindly let us interrupt peoples evening pint to chat about the kit they used for the day. The hero of the hour being Jim (now infamous on the walk having completed it 6 years in a row) who today completed the 18 stony miles of stages 5 and 6,  in just six hours! Getting to the hotel at two in the afternoon, no wonder he was cheery when we saw him, he’d been sat in the bar a long time!

So thank you to all who came and chatted with us last night and filed in a survey for us, I hope you all enjoyed your well deserved rest last night and are feeling refreshed for the day ahead!

Visit Berghaus Online Store

For outdoor clothing from Berghaus including men’s waterproof jackets, men’s rucksacks and more then please visit our online store.

You can find a wide range of gear for climbing, hill walking, mountain biking and other activities.

Choose from a range of cutting edge waterproof jackets, fleeces, trousers & more from Berghaus.

After a good nights sleep it was a relaxing start to the first day of the West Highland Way Adventure, as we decided what to wear for the day; like kids in sweet shops choosing between the Vellum or the Paclite for the day ahead. Should it be the Expeditor or the Explorer, tricky! Luckily the decisions for the day were kicked off by a proper Scottish breakfast at the Benglas Farm campsite to set us up for the walk ahead.

Once packed and ready to go with Porridge and a full Scottish breakfast in their bellies, the team set off with a range of kit for stage 4 of the West Highland Way. The prize for the heaviest load going to Ed coming in at a good 16Kilos, and the prize for most midgy bites so far going to Adrian who really lived the adventure in a tent he generously shared with the Stuart Midgy Clan.

Whilst the team were testing their kit on the rough and tough, high and low paths of the WHW, I was setting up a survey (chat) station a short way down the road further along the WHW. I was hoping to catch a glimpse of real adventurers taking on the walk to find out a bit about their kit, and I wasn’t disappointed! I met many groups of people taking the challenge for different reasons, some were just finding something to do whilst their partners were counting up their Munros, some had set themselves this challenge as their first ever walk (brave!), and some had chosen the walk by random as something to do on their 8 week holiday from Holland, booked a one way ticket, and landed here!

Everyone had different kit and for different reasons, some knew exactly which brand they had and why, and had more knowledge of different brands than myself! Whereas some had no idea what logo they held on their footwear, or knew which brand of pack they had on their back, or even the colour of it. But they were all friendly and keen to chat about product and walking.

Unfortunately once the midges started getting hungry I decided to pack up and move on, so sorry to all those I missed.

Whilst I was chatting to anyone who would stop, the rest of the team were having fun along the way and met some very interesting fellows who I have to mention –there were four chaps who were walking the WHW  for the Erskin Military Hospital. They were dressed in head to toe 1940’s walking gear and were an amazing sight!  -Pics to follow! http://www.erskine.org.uk/events/west-highland-way-ww1-style

So thank you to all who stopped at the Berghaus Gazebo for chat and filed in a survey for us, I hope you all enjoyed your bacon sandwiches on your way to Tyndrum (very jealous I was too Jim!), and had a great time for the rest of your adventure along the West Highland Way!

Visit Berghaus Online Store

For outdoor clothing from Berghaus including men’s waterproof jackets, men’s rucksacks and more then please visit our online store.

You can find a wide range of gear for climbing, hill walking, mountain biking and other activities.

Choose from a range of cutting edge waterproof jackets, fleeces, trousers & more from Berghaus.

Armed with a range of our latest and favourite kit, a gallon of mozi spray, and heaps of enthusiasm, the Berghaus Product team are venturing onto the West Highland Way next week in the name of consumer insight. We are intending to complete stages 4 to 7 of the walk over three days, covering some high and low level walking putting our kit (and ourselves) to the test in this typical Scottish environment. The team has a range of experience in the outdoors from summer low level walking and running, through to an experienced mountain rescue member, so between us we should be able to survive the stages we are tackling and give the kit a run for its money!

Meet the Team:

Adrian: Product Manager for Footwear
Adrian lives in the heart of the Tyne Valley making regular use of local trail running routes and hiking trails. Whilst still finding time to delve into Hamsterley Forest for biking adventures.

Sami: Clothing Product Designer
Sami is relatively new to hiking as she only joined the Berghaus bunch recently, but her sporty background of rugby union, hockey and football and regular gym training will enable her to keep up with the rest of the team.

Dan: Clothing Product Designer
Dan describes himself as a Jack of all trades, master of none sort of guy  He likes to climbing, indoors and out. He’s often found out on his bike, camping or hiking whilst seeking the warmer climates of France and Italy. He’s a keen skier and is setting himself the challenge of a winter mountaineering course this year.

Helen: Product Manager
Helen is a keen runner completing famous events such as the Great North Run, and the London Marathon. She is also taking on the 3 Peaks Challenge soon, then finding time to relax in a muddy tent at Glasto!

Euan: Product Manager for Equipment
Euan takes part in many extreme adventures skiing and snowboarding throughout Europe in the winter months, then biking locally as well as throughout the UK through the summer. He is our resident Scot so will be at home in the West Highland Way!

Amy: Equipment Designer
Amy currently keeps fit by running around after her 2year old son and her ever-expanding family. She is currently brewing her second child so won’t be taking part in the full walk but is heading up the ground support team (her and a car!).

Ed: Retail Trainer
Ed keeps himself very busy as a keen mountaineer, climber (summer and winter) and regular mountain biker. He also enjoys canoeing and is an active member of his local Mountain Rescue Team in the Lake District. We’re not sure where he finds time to work at Berghaus as he also skis, enjoys fell running and takes part in the odd adventure race!

Day One: We are starting out at Inverarnan on Tuesday the 11^th of June ending in Tyndrum that evening. This includes 490m ascent, over a brisk 11.75miles. The walk takes us from Beinglas Farm, through ancient woodland, along the side of the river and up to the Falls of Falloch- anyone fancy a paddle? Further along we’ll tackle the steep climb and appreciate the view back towards Ben More, Stob Binnein, and Cruach Ardrain (taking in the sights is code for having a rest and a spot of lunch!). As Euan (Bruce) is a very proud Scot I’m sure he will be regaling us with tales of St. Fillans Priory and Robert the Bruce (probably a relative) as we pass through. Eventually we will reach the By The Way Hostel and Campsite in Tyndrum thoroughly ready for a hearty meal. Haggis anyone?!

We will be stopping along the route to chat to people we meet, so if you’re keen to tell us about the product you’re wearing or your favourite gear, please stop us for photos and a chat!

STAGE 4:

Day Two: sets off from Tyndrum to Kingshouse covering stages 5&6 of the WHW over 18miles, this is our longest day of the week covering two stages of the WHW in (hopefully) around 8-9 hours. Stage 5 is described as Tyndrum to Inveroran and stage 6 runs from Inveroran to Kingshouse.

STAGE 5:

STAGE 6

After completing the two stages for the day we will be holding an event in the Kings House Hotel where we’re hoping to find out more about you; the gear you use, what you like about it and what you don’t and how we can improve your own kit. There is a chance to win some Berghaus kit and get a discount from our website so please come along and see what we’re up to!

Day Three: is our last day of walking, starting out at Kingshouse and ending in the Kinlochleven. The route takes us over 8.75miles, with a total ascent of 430m. This is stage 7 of the West Highland Way and takes us through stony and rough terrain, with a steep climb from Glencoe followed by a long descent down to the MacDonald Hotel.

STAGE 7:

We are holding a second event on the evening of day three, this time at the MacDonald Hotel in Kinlochleven, where we are again hoping to hear stories of product heroes and product disasters. There will be plenty of giveaways as well as another chance to win some Berghaus Kit, so please come along and join us for a pint!

Follow our West Highland Way Adventure via our Berghaus Website and also on Twitter @TheRealBerghaus.

We woke the next morning greeted with sunshine and a perfect crisp day perfect for trail running and biking. So after a hearty breakfast we all set off for grizedale and registered at the visitor centre for what looked to be a very competitive race (this proved to be very much the case)

At the start line myself (chris)and Jenni were surrounded by some very professional looking runners, when we set off the front pack went off very quick so using my experience from other races and knowing there was a great descent at the end I held back a bit and settled in just off the leaders just ahead of jenni who seemed confident in this tactic also

I know grizedale forest quite well so I knew how tough the run would be and the ascent to the top of Carron crag was relentless but the tracks were in excellent condition which proved useful as I had something left for the 2km descent leading to first transition. I have worked really hard on descending technical tracks like this and this put me in good stead as I overtook quite a few people on the downhill and came in 3^rd place in the relay with Jenni just behind in 4^th.

My biker Steve went flying out of transition and smashed through the bike stage to bring us into 2^nd place overall at the start of my second run. The bike stage sounded tough as it was full of long fire road sections which wasn’t suited to Steves technical style of riding and didn’t allow for him to stretch out over the course. Despite that steve powered through with a bit of grit and determination and looked strong coming in to 2^nd transition I set off on the 2^nd run

The 2^nd run was tough but I came in in about the same time as my 1^st run which I was happy with and we finished 2^nd overall an improvement on our 3^rd place finish at kielder which we were over the moon with, the other team from berghaus  did even better coming in in 4^th overall but winning the girls category so this was a good day for berghaus and sets us up nicely for the next couple of challenges : Buttermere 10 miler and the last round of the Duathlon series the Newlands Duathlon

Visit Berghaus Online Store

For outdoor clothing from Berghaus including men’s waterproof jackets, men’s rucksacks and more then please visit our online store.

You can find a wide range of gear for climbing, hill walking, mountain biking and other activities.

Choose from a range of cutting edge waterproof jackets, fleeces, trousers & more from Berghaus.

Gravity Enduro is a fairly new sport when it comes to Mountain Biking, if you mix Downhill with Cross country you might get somewhere kind of close. It’s basically 5 timed stages within a given route. In this case you generally pedal up and race down.

Steve and I travelled down Thursday night when the rest of the UK were having a big dose of the white stuff causing mayhem all over the roads, however South Wales chose upon 3 days of heavy rain instead with Sunday (Race Day) remaining dry but with bitterly cold temperatures.

Friday morning we set about practicing the stages, most of which were heavily trail centre inspired, so hard packed where the wet weather made no real difference. Stage 4 was different to the rest, it had been freshly cut into the woods and so just acted like a sponge absorbing all the wet and turning it into a big soggy custard trail.

After a good night’s sleep in the newly converted van, Steve and I were up to get some more practice in before qualification in the afternoon, slight problem when I realised that I was missing one of the most important bolts out of my frame. I thought it was game over until lucky for me Tracey Moseley changed her plans and had a spare bolt I could lend. Massive Thanks Tracey!

Qualifying run was on stage 5, during practice it didn’t feel that tiring but putting a full run together and combining uphill sprints in the middle of it was just tough. I took a 7th Place with 6mins1sec and Tracey Moseley taking 1st. Steve didn’t feel like he had given it enough oomph and placed 27th in the master’s category.

Sunday was Race Day, women went off at 9am, pedalling a 19mile over approx. 3 hours combining the 5 timed stages. Temperatures were hovering around the freezing mark and although thank god it wasn’t raining, I found myself fighting strong winds the whole way round. I opted for my Vapour Storm shell, the only thing that would keep the wind off but breathe enough up the hills! Stage 1 onto Windy Hill was an effort but similar to that of stage 2 and 3, there seemed to be way more uphill in this round than last years, either that or I hadn’t trained enough.

My lungs were put to the test and I found it pretty damn hard work! Fatigue was kicking in and so I chucked some gels down my neck whilst trying to stay hydrated. Stage 4 was more my cup of tea, more gravity inspired with roots and deep mud, turns out it was one of my better runs, probably because there was less pedalling. As I was pedalling up to Stage 5 I knew it would all be over soon. I waited for Steve to come through the finish and the look on his face was similar to mine, glad it was over and knackered!

Overall Steve placed 22nd out of 123 Masters and I placed 7th in the Elite women category. More training needed for the next round we think at Innerleithen in the Scottish borders on the 27th/28th April.

Sat one evening looking at dates and planning the year ahead, we came across the Open 5 series.  We were pretty excited straight away, it was new and we were inexperienced in this type of thing but thought it sounded fun and we thought we would have time to get fit for it. We entered the Yorkshire Dales event which started at Threshfield, only 2 hours from home.

A few weeks past and race day came (Sunday 3^rd March), I rocked up at Angie’s house at 6.30am and we made our way to Threshfield through all the twisty weaving little roads. As we drove into the car park it was full of Lycra clad athletes limbering up. It didn’t make us feel nervous at all!!! Yeah right!

We got ourselves to registration and figured out the format of the race. We were given 2 maps, each covering different areas, one MTB route and one run route. Each route has checkpoints laid out across the mapped area, some points are worth more than others and the aim of the game is to collect as many points as possible within the 5 hours.

We had some time spare before we started so we sat and planned which route we were going to take, however as you leave the start line you are given a list of checkpoints that are not getting used which means you have to quickly adjust your route. We decided to start the run first, we covered approx. 12 miles and collected all but 2 checkpoints. Girls done good!! J

We ran into the transition area, quickly changed shoes and got our helmets on. Away we went off up a big climb onto the moors, trying to remember to keep drinking as my legs were cramping up, it probably didn’t help that I was on a borrowed bike that was too big for me. Time was ticking and we had approx. 2 hours left after getting slightly lost at one point. We made it back to base with 10 mins to spare, phew! No time penalty for us!

It was such a relief that it was over, we both lay on the grass catching our breath and relaxing after a 5 hour relentless race, our first adventure race complete and with massive grins on our faces!

It turns out we got a 4^th place in the female pairs category. How cool is that! We’ve definitely been bitten by the bug and are hungry for more, it’s such a great concept and the not to mention the scenery was amazing! See you next time….!

Visit Berghaus Online Store

For outdoor clothing from Berghaus including women’s softshell jackets, women’s insulated jackets and more then please visit our online store.

You can find a wide range of gear for climbing, hill walking, mountain biking and other activities.

Choose from a range of cutting edge waterproof jackets, fleeces, trousers & more from Berghaus.

There’s a little market town up in the north of the Pennines called Barnard Castle and it was there in the early purple-dowsed 90’s that a group of young mountain bikers started to show promise with their riding skills.

A little while later a small team was formed and they ventured out, supported by their friends and families, to the regional races where they found much to their own surprise that they could actually hold their own against the best in their categories.

As the good results built up cycle equipment firms began to sit up and take notice and started to assist the team with product in return for R&D and exposure on the exploding UK mountain bike circuits.

Better product meant better results with less technical failures and soon the team became a permanent fixture on the British National Points Series going up against the best riders in the country, and dare I say beating them in all the weathers that Mother Nature could muster!

From these humble beginnings The Development Racing Team has supported and continues to support talented riders from the North-East of the UK, helping them work their way up the racing ladder from local grassroots races, through the regional events across all of the Northern areas, upwards to the British National Points Series and further onto the ultimate UCI World Cup Series stages, it’s been an amazing journey and it’s far from over yet.

This year marks the team’s official break through on the growing Enduro scene with Angie Coates and Steve Foster ripping up their respective categories and building on their amazing results from last season.  Nick Turner and Chris Foster will be keeping the downhill circuit in check powering down the mountainsides on their team issue FTW Industries ‘FB10′ bikes, hand built by Frank Wadelton of Bellows Falls, Vermont.

May I take this moment to welcome everyone on board, thank you all for your support without which the team would cease to exist, here’s to a successful 2013, let the new adventures begin…..

You can follow the team here: http://www.developmentbikes.com

Visit Berghaus Online Store

For outdoor clothing from Berghaus including men’s waterproof jackets, men’s rucksacks and more then please visit our online store.

You can find a wide range of gear for climbing, hill walking, mountain biking and other activities.

Choose from a range of cutting edge waterproof jackets, fleeces, trousers & more from Berghaus.

All images copyright to Steve Wyper and Ian Linton

We want to share these days with you so we’ll be getting Berghaus staff to blog about the product days they attend during 2013.  In our first blog Graphic Designer Chris Taylor who has been with Berghaus for 3 months tells us about his first product day…

This is my first attempt at a blog so don’t laugh!

I recently undertook my first product day with Berghaus. A trip to Aysgarth Falls in North Yorkshire.

After a short walk from the car park we got to the high falls. Quite an impressive sight with a deceptively calm pool leading into the falls themselves.

The challenge was to get behind the falls without getting soaked or falling into the pool. Two brave souls and I attempted this and came out pretty much unscathed.

Though the party leader was disappointed to find out he’d forgotten to put his GORE-TEX walking trousers on and so got a little wet around the edges.

After that we followed a route that took us to the top of a nearby hill, where we stopped for lunch and to take in the amazing views across the valley. From there we swung by the mid and lower falls and investigated the ruins of an ancient Knights Templar homestead.

With a bit of encouragement, one of the smaller women in the group laid down in the Knights stone bier (empty!) for a quick photo. An interesting insight into how much smaller than us our ancestors used to be.

To cap off the day we went in the village café for a well earned brew.

Visit Berghaus Online Store

For outdoor clothing from Berghaus including men’s waterproof jackets, men’s rucksacks and more then please visit our online store.

You can find a wide range of gear for climbing, hill walking, mountain biking and other activities.

Choose from a range of cutting edge waterproof jackets, fleeces, trousers & more from Berghaus.

Race 2 in our 4 race series started early and cold the temperature was -7.5 degrees C by the time we reached the edges of Kielder forest. Even in the car down jackets were a must and our thermal baselayers were essential…

On the way icy roads turned into snowy roads and after saving a stranded sheep (good deed for the day) the snowy glow of kielder greeted us once steves rally skills had got us to the castle…  it was finally time to register and get warmed up

The cold conditions made for a fairly slow start to the first run up to the summit of deadwater fell. The slippy conditions underfoot took a little bit of getting used to . a relentless climb on forest road to the summit was followed by a technical downhill scramble through icy bogs and ankle breaking heather, once rejoining forest track the pace quickened and I finished well to pass the baton on to steve for the bike section

After passing over to steve he roade out of transition 1 like a man possessed. A big challengd in an event like this is keeping warm in betwwen runs and my asgard hybrid hydrodown jacket came in very useful for the quick 1hr 13 minutes it took steve to complete the challenging 24k route

The second run was a much flatter and less technical route with the pressure of keeping 3^rd place in the back of my mind I didn’t want to let anyone pass me so I had to keep my pace up while being mindful of burning out. After a lung burningly cold 6k I crossed the line to give team berghaus metro a very respectable 3^rd place finish adding to our 7^th place form the first round at Whinlatter…

With a 4 month wait for the next race in the series (grizedale) we are well placed for a strong overall finish… bring on the winter training!

Berghaus Store

For outdoor clothing from Berghaus including men’s waterproof jackets, women’s rucksacks and more then please visit our online store.
You can find a wide range of gear for climbing, hill walking, mountain biking and other activities.