BERGHAUS has teamed up with climbing icon Sir Chris Bonington and creative outfit Casa Colombo to present a new short film. ‘A COLD EMBRACE’ combines reworked original footage from the 1970s and 1980s with a narration by Sir Chris reflecting on the beauty that lies within the coldest environments and highest mountains on earth.
Exploring the connection between humans and the cold, the film’s overriding message is to urge people to get outside. The project is part of Berghaus’ Cold Studies campaign showcasing the brand’s collection of insulated apparel which is designed to help people to stay outside for longer.
The campaign is linked to the brand’s latest high performance insulated apparel, featuring technologies such as water resistant Hydrodown, an innovation Berghaus introduced to the outdoor market over a decade ago.
Casa Colombo is a creative studio, founded by twins Lea and Roberto Colombo, with a mission ‘to cultivate change in the collective consciousness through authentic creative expression, leveraging a distinctive approach to colour.’
For A Cold Embrace, they have used moving images, sound and narration as a means to, in their words, “Ignite a dormant desire within all of us to step into the brisk unknown, and to confront the chill.”
Sir Chris’s climbing career started in the 1950s and he has achieved multiple first ascents as well as leading pioneering expeditions to the greater ranges of the world. Since 1984, he has been working with Berghaus as a brand ambassador. It involves a role in the development and testing of key products for expeditions in the coldest conditions and general safety and comfort during time outdoors in the winter.
In the new film, Casa Colombo has used archive material from the 1970s and 1980s to create a visually and aurally striking evocation of cold environments. This has been combined with a narration by Sir Chris that reflects on his own experiences in the colder places of the world and what he has learned as he has faced challenges and adversity along the way.
Sir Chris said, “Life is a process of learning. If life is easy, simple and flat, you never learn anything. Then if you do face real adversity, you’re not in a shape to cope with it. Cold can thrill and if you are thrilled about what’s around you, you’re going to function that much better.
“Get out there and just immerse yourself in it, and if you do that, life is going to be much richer.”
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