The abseil was in aid of raising money for two worthy causes, the Outward Bound Trust which is supported by Berghaus and The Royal Marines Charitable Trust Fund.

Here Chris gives his thoughts on the abseil:

“It was a fantastic experience.  The view from the top of the Shard is amazing – the whole of London is laid out before you, but everyone, including me was quite gripped up immediately before taking off down, but once started, it was brilliant and very easy.  I just had the top slot which was a 75m abseil down the glass of the Shard to where they had taken out one of the panes and you were pulled in.  It was very different from going down rock  or ice, particularly as we were using a caver’s rack, to diminish friction and heat.

It’s certainly something that I shall always remember and my respect goes out to my colleagues many of whom had never abseiled before – it was one hell of an abseil for a first one!!!! Even though  they did have a practice on a small tower.
We also raised a lot of money – over £1,000,000 for the two charities – Outward Bound and the Royal Marines Trust.  They both do terrific work.  To learn more go to www.descentoftheshard.com/the-descendants

You can also make a text donation by texting “DROP87 £3 (or what ever you want to give)” to 70070.  It’s in a really good cause, helping young people, many of whom come from disadvantaged backgrounds, gain confidence and fine themselves – and also to help our gallant marines who have been injured in combat rebuild their lives.”

The Shard is the largest building in Western Europe and is being abseiled to raise money for two worthy causes, the Outward Bound Trust which is supported by Berghaus and The Royal Marines Charitable Trust Fund.

Taking place on Monday 3 September the abseil is being led by the Duke of York and you can donate to this very worthy cause here:

Donate now

You can also find out more about this unique event on their official website.

Some of the biggest names in British exploration gathered at Buckingham Palace for the opening of a new exhibition, including more than our fair share of Berghaus athletes. The impressive line-up of intrepid adventurers included Berghaus athletes; world famous climber and adventurer Leo Houlding, hand biker Karen Darke and iconic mountaineers Sir Chris Bonington and Mick Fowler. They were also joined at the event by Berghaus Brand President Richard Cotter who is no stranger to adventure himself having summited both Mont Blanc and Kilimanjaro.

You can watch the video here.

Both Sir Chris Bonington and Adventure film maker Alastair Lee will be part of a full speaker programme at the Theatre by the Lake.  Alastair Lee will get the festival off to a lively start on the evening of 18 May.  His combination of stunning action, slick editing and irreverent humour has made films such as The Asgard Project and The Prophet both hugely entertaining and multi award winning.   This approach is reflected in his one man shows.

Later in the week, on 21 May, climbing icon and Berghaus chairman Sir Chris Bonington will be making an appearance.  Sir Chris Bonington is Britain’s best known climber and has been exploring and mountaineering for over 50 years.  He led the team that put the first Brit on the summit of Everest and has an almost inexhaustible supply of first ascents and fascinating adventures to recount.

During the epic two day mountain biking event at the festival a team of two Berghaus staff will take on competitors on a mountainous course that covers 130km over two days (21 and 22 May) and follows a route through the heart of the Lake District and climbs more than 3,000m.  The race will start from the Adventure Base in Keswick, the hub of the festival, which will also be the location of the Berghaus Recharge Bar.

Located at the heart of the Adventure Base, this will be where competitors and visitors go to relax during the day and after their various challenges and activities.  The bar’s main area will be decked out with large outdoor beanbags and funky seats. Refreshing shakes will also be on offer with good food from local companies and real ale will be available for those wishing to indulge, including the new Berghaus Beer.

The Berghaus Recharge Bar will offer visitors the ideal location to soak up the atmosphere for the festival, listening to live acoustic music which will be played from mid afternoon until about 8pm on Thursday 19 and Friday 20 May.  Also on display in the bar area will be the new special edition VW California Berghaus campervan.  The result of an 18 months long collaboration project, the van on show at Keswick is the first of its kind and will be driven to the festival by Berghaus staff as the first in a series of outdoor trips and adventures that will last for the next six months

Full details about the festival can be found at www.keswickmountainfestival.co.uk

Here Sir Chris Bonington and Mick Fowler make short work of the Cascade de Lillaz, one of Europe’s finest ice climbs.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The speaker programme kicks off on the Wednesday night with polar explorer Geoff Somers followed by Berghaus’ own Alastair Lee. Climbing legend Sir Chris Bonington headlines on the Saturday evening alongside survival guru Ray Mears.

Tickets are now available priced from £12 at the Keswick Mountain Festival website.

The lecture will be held on 24^th September, 7.30pm. To buy tickets visit: www.abbothouse.co.uk/chrisbonington

The event will be held on 20th February in Windermere and will explore three interlinking themes of the psychology and attractions of adventure. Presentations and discussions from both Chris Bonington and Doug Scott will be involved in the day as well as the screening of the historic film South Face of Annapurna – the 1970 ascent led by Chris Bonington that changed the nature of Himalayan climbing.