Leo's Haus

This Is Leo's Haus

In April this year, explorer Leo Houlding set out on one of his most ambitious missions to date. Accompanied by 8 crew members and 1400kgs of gear, the group headed for one of the most remote locations on earth: Kangiqtualuk Uqquqti (aka. Sam Ford Fjord), an isolated Arctic fjord on the northeastern coast of Baffin Island, in the Qikiqtaaluk Region of Nunavut, Canada.

Alongside Sir Chris Bonington, Leo is one of Berghaus’ longest-standing ambassadors. He first worked with us nearly 30 years ago as a plucky 17-year-old, and has since become an essential part of testing and developing our Extrem range - technology built for some of the world’s toughest terrains. For Leo, home starts where most people turn back

For this adventure, we wanted Leo to show us his Haus - the one few would dare visit. To get there, it meant flying to the ultra-remote community of Clyde
River, pretty much the end of the Earth, then, with the help of the local Inuit, travelling a further 8-hours by snowmobile across a four-foot-thick frozen sea.
The crew were all outfitted from head to toe in Berghaus Extrem gear, technology built to withstand some of the harshest conditions on Earth. Leo was responsible for procuring, packing and providing it for everyone, along with spares, repairs, and a mountain of outdoor toys. Plus 274-crew days of food to ensure everyone was equipped and ready for action. Earning himself the endearing expedition leader title - “Captain Faff” - thanks to his constant sorting and resorting of gear.

For the first half of the trip, the crew spent 16 days kite skiing, ice climbing and bouldering. At night (although the sun never sets at that time of year), they enjoyed the world’s most remote clubnight courtesy of a DJ amongst the group who set up decks at base camp.

The second half saw Leo ascend the Beak, spending five nights sleeping on various ledges on the unclimbed 700m sheet of wall, which he described as “the loosest rock he’s ever climbed on”. Not a Haus tour many in the world would ever dream of, let alone attempt.

After a month of adventures, the crew returned, accompanied by dozens of hard drives stuffed with photos and videos from their trip. It’s these that form the basis of our Extrem campaign - an unprecedented look at making a home in one of the most extreme places in the world.