Words and images by Endura Apparel, Livingston, Scotland, 18th of September 2017 —
Danny MacAskill laughs when he recalls briefing Endura on his kit requirements for a trip to Mount Kilimanjaro last year. The team at the brand’s headquarters near Edinburgh are used to kitting out the star of viral films like Wee Day Out, The Ridge and Imaginate at short notice. “Endura are very good at getting my gear together,” he says. “I think I put in an order about five days before I left – the usual thing!” Danny wore Endura’s MT500 Jacket II and MT500 Spray Trouser to scale Africa’s highest mountain, as well as layering various combinations of MT500 Burner Long-Sleeve Jersey, MT500 Full Zip LongSleeve Jersey II, BaaBaa merino base layers, and Urban FlipJak jacket.
Africa seemed determined to push Danny and his colleagues to his limits. Waking at 1am to begin their assault on the summit, Danny, Hans Rey and Gerhard Czerner were met by six inches of snow. Having hidden their bikes half-way to the summit the day before, the early part of their last test was made without additional burden, but even this was demanding. When they reached their machines, the combination of altitude, heavy snow, and an extra mechanical ‘backpack’ provided the toughest challenge yet. “Climbing a zig-zag path, basically just a scree slope, with an extra 15kg of bike on your back as well as kit, made for very, very hard work. Because you’re not planning to stay at altitude, you can make an extra effort and push your body to the limit, but getting up to that limit was probably the hardest thing I’ve done, and I’ve been on rides at maximum heart rate with my legs burning.”
Time moves quickly. With an exclusive edit of Danny’s African adventure only just released, Endura has already updated some of the pieces worn by Danny in Africa, taking inspiration from his riding and feedback. It’s why we can confidently claim that our flagship MT500 mountain bike collection is #DesignedForDanny.
If you’re planning out adventures of your own, or just preparing for the coming rainy season, head to your local Live to Play Sports dealer, where you can find the MT500 collection.