For the second year in a row, the latest development to emerge from the Berghaus MtnHaus™ design and development team has won an ISPO Award. The new Baffin Island jacket has been successful in the outer layer category for outdoor products, in recognition of Berghaus’ use of two waterproof materials in a high performance hybrid construction. The Baffin Island jacket introduces the latest fabric in the Hydroshell™ family, the ultra-breathable Hydroshell™ Air. Berghaus has mixed the new fabric with lightweight and tough three layer Hydroshell™ Elite Pro to create the optimum combination of protection and breathability for extended alpine use.
Created by the MtnHaus™ team, Hydroshell™ Air combines a polyamide ripstop face fabric incorporating stretch, with a non-woven electro fibre nano PU spun membrane. The effect is an extremely high level of breathability in a waterproof fabric, reducing humidity significantly during high levels of activity. Through laboratory and athlete testing, Berghaus has recognised that although exceptionally breathable, nano spun membranes do not deliver durable waterproof protection over an extended period of time. The unique MtnHaus™ solution is to combine a nano spun membrane with a PU waterproof membrane in a first ever hybrid construction of this type. It is this innovation that has been recognised with an ISPO Award.
The men’s and women’s Baffin Island jackets have been engineered using Berghaus’ advanced body-mapping principles. Hydroshell™ Air has been used in key heat zones, for enhanced levels of comfort. Because nano-spun membranes are not as durably waterproof as regular membranes, the MtnHaus™ team has teamed up the new fabric with Hydroshell™ Elite Pro in the main body of the jackets, for the best possible combination of protection and breathability in a technical alpine garment. The Baffin Island jackets are packed with essential features for extended use in the mountains, and have been rigorously tested in the laboratory and during expeditions by Berghaus athletes such as Mick Fowler and Michelle Blaydon.
Richard Leedham, Berghaus Brand President, comments: “Once again, the outstanding work of our MtnHaus team is earning the industry recognition that it deserves. This latest ISPO Award comes on the back of success at ISPO 2014 and three OutDoor Awards last summer, with much of that success driven by our Hydro innovations. Hydroshell has been our most successful new fabric launch ever and this great news from the ISPO jury is further evidence that our continued commitment to materials innovation and product design is the right approach.”
The men’s and women’s Baffin Island jackets are part of the Berghaus autumn/winter 2015 collection, which will be available from September at www.berghaus.com and selected specialist outdoor retailers.
