Berghaus Adventure Challenge in Mt. Batulao

Great weather at the summit of Mt. Batulao (Photo from BerghausPH)
November 28, 2013 - I excitedly joined a friend, Ed Escueta of Team Certified Positive, fellow bloggers, mountaineers, runners and members of traditional media for nice hike up Mt. Batulao, a mountain in Batangas known for its picturesque jagged peaks. 

This hiking adventure  was organized by Toby's Sports as part of the official launch of Berghaus, a trusted outdoor brand from the UK established in 1966 and distributed in the Philippines by the Quorum Group, which owns Toby's Sports, Runnr and several other retail stores.  

To maximize the experience, we traversed using the new trail up and got down via the old trail taking us approximately 5 hours to complete the hike. 

Ascending via the old trail
I tested the Women's Vapour Claw which is designed for trail running and despite wearing it for the first time that day, it felt extremely comfortable on the feet.  The  internal part of the shoes made me feel  like my feet was wrapped in cotton.  :) (More about its features here).
Women's Vapour Claw, Color: Cyan Blue (Photo from store.berghaus.com)
Sun was in full force so trail was very dry and some parts had dangerously loose rocks but I had no problems with the traction on the soles. I'm quite satisfied with the shoes but since I've only used it once, I still have to use it for several more months and on tougher trails to give a fairer verdict. :) 

For the apparel, I wore the Women's Long-Sleeve Crew Neck Technical T-Shirt. This lightweight shirt is created with Polygiene® technology  which  is awesome at preventing odour through the use of silver ions. It’s perfect for multi day hikes when you just use one shirt for hiking several days to save space inside your bag.   :P 

That's me happily blazing the trails in soft pink! It's not my color of choice but the
shirt's so comfy, I felt like I was hiking nude, thus the big smile :P.
The fabric feels silky on the skin too. Another  one of its amazing features is that it protects you from the sun with an Ultraviolet Protection Factor (UPF) 30+, ideal for hiking in the tropics.  This is the first time that I wore long-sleeves on a hike and the experience was fortunately pleasant. I didn’t feel suffocated as the fabric is airy. I could easily roll the sleeves up when it felt too humid and roll it down again when the sun’s rays became unbearable. 

Since I joined an interesting team , I couldn't help but share these fan girl shots. Hehe! 
with Everest summiteer Reggie Pablo and ultramarathoner Dabobong Angeles
Think Pink! :) L-R :  Larissa Joson of Women's Health &
former DLSU Volleyball Player & Toby's Brand Ambassador, Michelle Gumabao
(More photos of the hike at Berghaus PH Facebook Page)

After the hike, we returned to our homebase for the day, Sandari Batulao, a developing residential community near the area for our much awaited buffet lunch which we've been fantasizing since the time we started descending the mountain. :P 

Inside the clubhouse, we got to see more of the line offered by Berghaus. The vibrant display featured bags, jackets, shirts, shorts and shoes in attractive colors.  Price range for each product varies. Peg it around 2,500-15,000 Pesos for the bags and jackets.

Toby Claudio, the name behind Toby's Sports delivering a short message. Beside him is
Coach Andy Leuterio :)
Although Berghaus is fairly new in the Philippines, I hope to see it get a good share of the outdoor market especially for those who want to try something else. :)

Thank you Toby's Sports, Berghaus PH and Sandari Batulao! :) Til our next adventure!

For quick updates, follow me on Twitter : @jovialwanderer. 








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