Berghaus Athlete Rides the Bear
Berghaus sponsored adventurer Julia Pickering has bagged the first snowboard ascent and descent of remote Mount Bear in Alaska battling temperatures which fell as low as minus 45˚C and surviving a partial crevasse fall during her snowboard descent to base camp.
Pickering who comes from Cumbria is a an adventurous snowboard mountaineer with an impressive track record. She was the first first woman and second person ever to climb and snowboard down the three highest peaks in the Arctic Circle using a so-called 'split-board' that allows here to climb mountains before descending on lines that have frequently never been followed before.
She spotted Mount Bear during a previous trip to the area and set about planning a major expedition along with her husband Warwick and adventure film company 2XS with support from Berghaus. Training involved several months climbing and boarding in the Alps, while living in a campervan and the team set off to Alaska in late April, 2012.
'A Close Encounter With A Moose...'
Julia Pickering comments:
“This was a really tough but rewarding trip, packed with aviation incidents, a close encounter with a moose, frostbite, crevasse falls and a six day storm. There was never a dull moment. Snow conditions were really difficult on the mountain and the temperature was extremely low at times.
"However, I had a great team and we had prepared very well. It was -35 degrees when we left camp on summit day and -45 with howling winds at the top, but well worth it for the fantastic ride back down. Mount Bear was a beast that we didn’t tame, but we achieved our objective and I’m stoked about that.”
Only bona fide boarders can use the word 'stoked' without seeming utterly ridiculous, so don't get any ideas.
The film of the expedition will be released later this year and you'll be able to spot Julia field-testing some of Berghaus's latest high performance cold weather clothing from the crack Mtn.Haus division - if we're not mistaken, that's one of the new water-resistant down jackets due out later this year in the photo above.
More about Berghaus and Julia at www.berghaus.com. To find out more about 2XS Films, visit www.2xsfilms.com.
