[Mr. B. Scott Robinson]

I have long been a follower of Alpine and Himalayan climbing pursuits but have neither the inclination or physical conditioning to pursue them myself. I am perfectly happy saluting teams on their departure from base camp while holding a martini in hand.

I was perusing a 1946 edition of the Himalayan Club journal and stumbled upon this Burberry's advert. To think that men conquered the slopes of Everest wearing this type of gear is a profile in courage and a display of how primitive technical gear was in the day of Mallory. Today one can tackle Everest by paying $60,000, hitting the gym for a few months, followed by an online shopping spree at The North Face.

Cheers,

BSR

 

[eagle2250]

Indeed those were simpler and less expensive times. However, even given today's conveniences and technological advances in any associated gear so employed, I suspect a trek up the great mountain continues to be a challenge.

Congrats to those singularly hearty souls who attempted/completed the climb, back in the day!

 

[Dcr5468]

That’s why more of them end up dead these days. It’s considered a team building field trip rather than one of the most dangerous environments on the planet


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[Mr. B. Scott Robinson]

Plus 300 people in line attempting to summit in a brief time window seems more a lemming like pursuit than true “adventure”.

Cheers,

BSR

 

[Kyle76]

Cool to see that they were once known for much more than their ubiquitous plaid.

 

[derum]

Fascinating stuff.
This is what was worn by Scott and his men on their doomed Antarctic expedition of 1912.

 

[fishertw]

Grenfell also has a long history of providing expedition clothing from that era.
I visited the Grenfell Hospital museum in St. Anthony Newfoundland about 6 years ago. In about 1910, Dr Wilifred Grenfell asked a manufacturer in England to develop a waterproof and windproof cloth to be made into expedition clothing for him to wear as he tended to the medical needs in remote areas of Newfoundland. Thus the name Grenfell cloth. The label of Grenfell continues to be used on jackets and rainwear. I believe the label is no longer in the hands of the Grenfell family but is still in use. Last time I saw that label was in a Ben Silver catalog several years ago.

 

[Dhaller]

I'm climbing Kilimanjaro in June, thankfully in the most technical, lightweight gear possible - I certainly have no interest in "classic apparel" for climbing! It will also be nowhere as cold, of course. I'm doing some high-altitude ultramarathon training *now* to build endurance for it.

I'd like to tackle Everest someday; my wife has a current project involving agricultural development in Nepal, so I plan to head over soon to have a look, but I'd like my daughter to eventually tackle Everest (she has declared her intention to climb it), but she has to grow into that a bit (she is... six!)

Actually, though, I think if you really scrutinize "old school" mountaineering gear, you'll see a basic emphasis on wools and breathability, more or less the same philosophy as current gear.

DH

 

[Canadian]

I have always maintained that tweed is the original technical fabric, with waxed cotton the second best for comfort in most non-extreme situations. For walking the dog and going hunting, etc.

I don't know anything about climbing large peaks, but I have experience in the Rocky Mountains doing some snowshoeing in the coldest times of the year, I wear a tweed sports coat which I have modified as a mid-layer. The wool keeps me warm enough that I don't need to drop hundreds of dollars for something more modern.

I own exactly 0 items by Burberry, but if I had a tailor who I trusted, I might commission one of those climbing jackets.

C.

 

[Mr. B. Scott Robinson]

I'm climbing Kilimanjaro in June, thankfully in the most technical, lightweight gear possible - I certainly have no interest in "classic apparel" for climbing! It will also be nowhere as cold, of course. I'm doing some high-altitude ultramarathon training *now* to build endurance for it.

I'd like to tackle Everest someday; my wife has a current project involving agricultural development in Nepal, so I plan to head over soon to have a look, but I'd like my daughter to eventually tackle Everest (she has declared her intention to climb it), but she has to grow into that a bit (she is... six!)

Actually, though, I think if you really scrutinize "old school" mountaineering gear, you'll see a basic emphasis on wools and breathability, more or less the same philosophy as current gear.

DH

My son climbed Kili a few years ago and I have had several friends make the trek.

Kili is rather cold on top in that there is snow. One needs cold weather gear for the summit but 45 min to and hour is the longest anyone needs to stay up there given the thin air.

It is a rather arduous climb which is often underestimated by the novice climber and one needs to be in decent condition to have a good chance at success. Altitude sickness is common. It certainly isn't a walk in the park, and many attempt it without being adequately prepared. A friend of mine who climbed all 7 summits said Kili is no joke and not to be undertaken lightly.

More often than the climb or altitude, it is the intestinal discomfort with often comes as an unexpected souvenir of Kenya and Tanzania that knocks climbers off the mountain.

Good Luck!

Cheers,

BSR

 

[Dhaller]

It is a rather arduous climb which is often underestimated by the novice climber and one needs to be in decent condition to have a good chance at success. Altitude sickness is common. It certainly isn't a walk in the park, and many attempt it without being adequately prepared. A friend of mine who climbed all 7 summits said Kili is no joke and not to be undertaken lightly.

BSR

I think of it as the "beginner's hard climb".

One of my partners spent a few weeks ultramarathoning in Bhutan to train against altitude sickness; alas, not something I can take the time to do.

DH

 

[Dhaller]

I have always maintained that tweed is the original technical fabric, with waxed cotton the second best for comfort in most non-extreme situations. For walking the dog and going hunting, etc.

I don't know anything about climbing large peaks, but I have experience in the Rocky Mountains doing some snowshoeing in the coldest times of the year, I wear a tweed sports coat which I have modified as a mid-layer. The wool keeps me warm enough that I don't need to drop hundreds of dollars for something more modern.

I own exactly 0 items by Burberry, but if I had a tailor who I trusted, I might commission one of those climbing jackets.

C.

Wool is amazing stuff; outside the technical applications of merino wool, my go-to are lambswool and shetland sweaters.

I wouldn't wear waxed cotton if I had to do something strenuous - it won't breathe well enough.

(A couple of weeks ago I did a sub-zero trail run up a small mountain, probably for about three hours. I was wearing Kuhl's heavy climbing/hiking pant (Rydr I think it's called), a Smartwool merino base layer long-sleeved tee, and a medium-weight technical down jacket (Archteryx). I was perfectly fine and warm running and recapturing my body heat, but when I finished, I was amazed at how soaked-through the down coat was - the base layer had very efficiently wicked perspiration to the coat, and it had passed straight through the coat, leaving warmth behind. Impressive.

I had a cell phone in a jacket pocket and it was *quite* wet!

I can't imagine how uncomfortable I would have been in a waxed jacket or coat!

(Of course, as I say, this was at an moderately intense activity level over a long period of time - my wrist monitor measured nearly 3000 kcal and an average heart rate of 134 bpm.)

DH

 

[StephenRG]

. A friend of mine who climbed all 7 summits said Kili is no joke and not to be undertaken lightly.

Indeed not - a friend of mine died on Kilimanjaro in the mid/late 90s. He had been a fine athlete in his youth - particularly in the 400m - but put on some weight. My guess is he overestimated his fitness and conditioning, and ignored the warning signs (in running the 400m well you have to ignore what your body is telling you.)

 

[16412]

Running up a mountain in a down coat?
Down is for after the sweating has quit.
The trick is finding the clothes that body heat pushes moisture out, and at the end of activity, even the outer clothes are dry.
In the wet northwest wet clothes are worn to bed. Part way through the night, when they are dry, take them off, and let your body heat now dry the sleeping bag. When you wake up in the morning everything is dry.
Down is amazing stuff, but worthless when wet. When useful, lighter than feather. It blocks the wind from blowing thru and traps heat.
It would be nice to have wool sweat pants for winter time activities.