The plotting at Momentum Life HQ began with a call to Hugh Francis Anderson about a trip to Cornwall to climb Commando Ridge with a long-time Momentum guide and former Commando Sergeant Major, Dave Pearce. But with the camaraderie of our recent North Sea and Norway trip still creating warm feelings inside, things started to get a little out of hand.
Which is how Hugh and Matthew ended up riding a pair of the first-ever James Bond motorcycles - the Scrambler 1200 - heading west on a stormy day in October, filming a mini documentary to bring together some of the biggest names in the world of the Great British outdoors.
Like Triumph, Commando Ridge is intertwined with the modern military history of Britain. While the iconic motorcycle brand were making 50,000 bikes for the British Army in WWII, thousands of Marine commandos were cutting their teeth on the 200m Cornish sea cliff. Hence the name.
Now enter Belstaff (we told you things got out of hand). Throughout WWII, Belstaff supplied UK troops with durable, water- and weather-proofed survival suits, which most likely saved the lives of many airmen and sailors. And you know what? We doubt whether Matthew and Hugh would have met the rest of us in Cornwall in such high spirits without their Belstaff gear.
And so our Great British crew was assembled.
Two iconic brands. A couple of intrepid explorers. One incredible guide. Dave has spent his ex-military life in the world of exploration. With the intimidating North Face of Everest and El Capitan (made famous by Alex Honnold’s free solo in 2017) under his belt, it’s no surprise that he’s an in-demand guy in the world of expeditions. Bear Grylls and Barack Obama are both on his ex-client list.
When faced with a climb like Commando Ridge, which has put the fear of God into stronger climbers than us, having Dave on logistics was a huge comfort. You can see how we did in our short film.