Restoration of Joe Taskers Jacket

Restoration of Joe Taskers Jacket

Restoration of Joe Taskers Jacket

Thank you so much for the fabrics which made the repairs as unobtrusive as possible.

The jacket, worn by Joe Tasker on the 1981 first ascent expedition to Kongur (7,649m) in China, was sent by the Mountain Heritage Trust,  near Keswick,  to the Textile Restoration Studio, Cheshire for conservation treatment.  The sleeves of the jacket had been damaged, possibly from the use of ice axes or catching on rocks whilst climbing, creating large holes in the outer skin. A red Gore-Tex® fabric, closely matching the original material was needed to infill these holes and stabilise the frayed original fabric by stitching.  Point North Profabrics, Cheshire, kindly donated pieces of contemporary fabrics that could be used in this conservation work.  Unfortunately Joe Tasker died on the North-East Ridge of Everest in 1982.  Due to the collaboration between the Textile Restoration Studio and North Point Profabrics his jacket can now be displayed by the Mountain Heritage Trust ( http://www.mountain-heritage.org/ ) to inspire modern day mountaineers and the next generation of climbers.  

Jacqui - The Textile Restoration Studio