People living with disabilities can now receive specially adapted gear from outdoor specialists Berghaus.
The new initiative aimed at making the outdoors more accessible. Through the Berghaus Adapts initiative, disabled adventurers can request bespoke alterations to their clothing and equipment, to help them experience the countryside in comfort.
Adaptions will be specially crafted in consultation with each applicant, ensuring their unique needs are met.
Berghaus has been working with people possessing varying disabilities in preparation for the initiative.
Caroline Pakenaite has a rare condition called Usher syndrome, which limits her hearing and sight. The Berghaus Adapts team fine-tuned her outdoor gear, added extra protection to her jacket hood to stop the wind from interfering with her hearing aid and incorporated sensory badges to help with navigation.
British mountaineering legend Mick Fowler has also put Berghaus Adapts to good use.
The 68-year-old underwent extensive cancer treatment in 2017 but didn't let that stop him from returning to the backcountry. Last year, he completed the first-ever successful ascent of Pakistan's Yawash Sar mountain in kit adapted to accommodate his colostomy bag.
Roughly 1.3 billion people worldwide have a significant physical disability, a sizeable 16% of the global population.
But a lack of safe, suitable clothing and equipment can often bar those living with disabilities from experiencing the outdoors.
The Berghaus Adapts initiative aims to prove that the outdoors is for everyone, by removing the barriers that prevent people from getting into the wilderness.
"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," said designer Alice Sainsbury.
"Ultimately, we hope this initiative will create an inclusive, welcoming space for all.”
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