Berghaus Adapt to offer bespoke adaptions to gear
British outdoor brand Berghaus is launching an initiative to adapt kit and make the outdoors accessible to more people who are living with physical disabilities.
Through Berghaus Adapts, members of the public will be able to request bespoke changes to clothing and equipment that will help them get into nature. The brand’s product team in North East England will work with a cohort of applicants and develop kit that allows them to get active in the outdoors in a way that they have so far been prevented from doing.
For the last five years, Berghaus has used its resources to adapt kit for adventurers who have specific accessibility needs. The brand has worked closely with Ed Jackson, a recovering quadriplegic committed to overcoming adversity surrounding disability, and Mick Fowler, a respected mountaineer who now climbs with a colostomy bag after treatment for cancer. Through Ed, Berghaus has also developed a connection with beneficiaries of the charity Millimetres 2 Mountains (M2M), which helps those who have suffered physical or mental trauma to reconnect with the outdoors.
To lead on this work, the company created Berghaus Adapts. Together, the in-house product team and designer and campaigner Alice Sainsbury, have created bespoke kit that has enabled Ed, Mick and others to embark on major expeditions and achieve world firsts. In 2023, Ed Jackson teamed up with two other men with spinal cord injuries - Darren Edwards and Dr Niall McCann – to complete an unsupported 138km traverse of Iceland’s Vatnajökull ice cap, becoming the first all-disabled team to make the crossing. In September 2024, Mick Fowler and Victor Saunders made the first ever ascent of Yawash Sar, a remote 6,000m Himalayan mountain.
The company has also helped several beneficiaries of M2M to get outdoors as adaptive adventurers. These include Charlotte Florene, Tom Carus and Caroline Pakenaite, each of whom has different and distinct kit requirements due to their disabilities.
Berghaus Adapts is inviting members of the public to take part in the programme. Aspiring adventurers with bespoke product needs are being invited to request support that will help them take on the challenges that prevent them spending time being active outdoors. Berghaus has increased the project’s dedicated resource, based at its facilities in Sunderland. The company has added to a team that includes product designers and technologists. Working out of the Berghaus sample room, they will consult Ed Jackson as they work on kit, initially with the aim of meeting a variety of needs for a small group of applicants.
Berghaus designer Ms Sainsbury said: “Thanks to the work we’ve already done, we have proof of concept, supported by powerful testimonies from those who have benefited from product adaptations. We’re now ready to expand the scope of Berghaus Adapts, including even more people with diverse needs. While the initial number of new beneficiaries will be small, by opening Berghaus Adapts to the public, we aim to change the narrative and break down the barriers that prevent so many people from accessing the outdoors. Ultimately, we hope this initiative will create an inclusive, welcoming space for all.”
Image: Berghaus Adapts kit helped Mick Fowler reach the summit of Yawash Sar
