Gorgeous pouting Yorkshireman Alan Hinkes likes nothing better
than getting his kit off, and here he is reaching into his bag of
seductive tricks for your entertainment.
Alan - vital statistics, 12 of 14 8,000-meter peaks climbed, two
to go. Favourite food: lightly floured chapati - was, along with a
still recuperating Leo Houlding and Sir Chris Bonington - adding the
dusting of glamour to a Berghaus press launch in the northern
Lakes.
The launch, in this case a real one on Bassenthwaite Lake, was to
unveil Extrem Light - thankfully not 'Lite' - a new for 2003 11-piece
range of lightweight clothing, packs and footwear aimed not just at
adventure-racing freaks, but at normal hill and mountain walkers.
To illustrate the weight savings you can make, the Berghaus guys
cut a series of standard items in half and binned them and stuff like
the PacLite smock and pants are improbably light and small packing.
Some of the kit is already part of the Berghaus range - the 64zer0
sac for example - but other items are all new for next year including
a 270-gramme PacLite 3 smock, which we've already featured, matching
overtrousers, which we haven't (185 grammes!), shoes, boots and
interestingly a Berghaus take on an ultralight backpacking sac.
The last is an interesting halfway house between the
uncompromising lightness of GoLite and similar purist kit and
heavier, more supportive conventional packs. We reckon it could do
well.
More detailed information in the next couple of days, with full
pictures - though not of Hinkesy.
