Exercise Dragon Czech Blue saw eight members of CUOTC embark on a climbing and via ferrata expedition to the north of the Czech Republic, embracing unfamiliar rock surfaces and pushing the boundaries of Army adventurous training, becoming the first climbing expedition to the Czech Republic. Indeed, AT has been a particularly prominent feature of the training calendar of the unit, with Czech Blue capping off yet another busy Summer of Overseas expeditions, stretching OCdts skills and creating new experiences for all, especially for those wishing to learn and further develop their rock-climbing path.
With most having never climbed before their time with CUOTC, Dragon Czech Blue aimed to develop the skillset of some of the more experienced cadets with unfamiliar rock, in the hope of enhancing the accrued skillset of all those involved. With 6 student members of CUOTC, all with Overseas Climbing experiences under their belt, Czech Blue was the culmination of several years climbing development with the UOTC, designed to push and stretch officer cadets beyond their traditional comfort zones of climbing within the UK.
Climbing in the Czech Republic represented such a challenge, due to the aforementioned rock type as well as the grade of climbs we were hoping to tackle. Indeed, the expedition advanced all our skillsets, not only developing our logbook evidence but also broadening our understanding and appreciation of the discipline, invaluable for our future careers.
Day 1-2 – The journey to Jetrichovice
We left Cambridge nice and early on September 18th, excited and ready for the long journey ahead. Making our way to Dover, a quick ferry across to France, then saw us on the long journey across Europe to begin the long drive to our destination. Stopping off at service stations for fuel and a quick rest break, we made good progress across Belgium and into Germany. By the end of the day, we had reached the small town of Georgenthal where we had a much welcomed late dinner, and a comfortable night in bed at a local bed-and-breakfast. Departing early the next day we headed towards Dresden, and then into the Czech Republic reaching our campsite near Jetrichovice by midday. Upon setting up camp, the rest of the day was spent resting up and getting a feel for the local area. One group went into town, picking up food for the first days’ worth of activity and having a quick look around the local sites such as Děcìn castle. The other group, headed by Maj Bevin, SUO Wilkinson, and JUO Llewellyn, a Czech speaker who had planned much of the expedition, recced the local climbing sites ready for the following day.
Day 3-4 – Familiarisation with Czech climbing
September 20th saw our first climbs, and our first encounter with the unique limestone rock in the Czech Republic. Brittle, and incredibly delicate to touch, we quickly found that climbing this surface required a far greater concern for technique that we were accustomed to with climbing in the UK. That being said, this challenge was met with head-on enthusiasm by all, as it tested our skills and abilities beyond what we were used to and offered excellent training value. Czech climbing grades also differed significantly from European and British systems, and we found guidebooks often undersold the difficulty of some of the routes, which became apparent only once reaching the top. Indeed, day one of climbing was spent familiarising ourselves with the rock surface, before tackling longer more advanced routes the following day. September 21st was spent tackling a tall column adjacent to the rock faces we had climbed the day before. One by one, each member of the team climbed up a 60m face that provided excellent views of the heavy woodland at the top. Having to manage the belayer from the surface and at the top, each climber developed themselves by getting comfortable managing their slack in the system, unfamiliar to us all having not climbed such a long single pitch. The photos and feeling of accomplishment topped off an excellent days’ worth of climbing.
Day 5-6 – Weather induced cultural days
Due to the brittle and delicate nature of the limestone, any wet weather meant climbing had to be halted for at least 48 hours. As such, due to the forecasted rain, the next two days were spent on cultural pursuits in the local area, broadening our understanding of the region and its impressive local history. The 22nd September saw the group tour the local town of Terezin and learn about the region’s heavy involvement in the Holocaust whilst under Nazi occupation. A tour of the Ghetto Museum contextualised much of the following tour of the small fortress that was converted into a makeshift concentration camp during the Second World War. The excellent guided tour offered a harrowing reminder of the atrocities committed during that period and showcased the living conditions of those subjected to the brutality of the Nazi regime. Terezin’s cells, however, were also used to incarcerate Gavrilo Princip during the First World War for the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. The following day was spent on a hike to another local area of interest – the Pravcicka Gate, the highest rock bridge in Europe. Here the group stopped for photos and had lunch under the natural feature, enjoying the views and resting up ready for the following days’ more strenuous activity.
Day 7-8 – Via ferrata and more climbing
The group split in two the next day, taking turns going through the local via ferrata in Jetrichovice. We found the route challenging but highly enjoyable, offering excellent views of Děcìn castle. The via ferrata itself was much more climbing focused that what we had previously become familiar with in Chamonix and the Dolomites, for example, having to relay far more on our technical climbing ability as opposed to brute upper body strength. Via ferrata in the Czech Republic was a nice contrast to Alpine via ferrata, and the experience provided a better grounding in the different styles and layout of the activity for all members to take away with them. The following day, September 25th, saw a much-anticipated return to climbing. The day was packed full of climbs, each varying in difficulty and texture, but all attempted head on by the officer cadets, eager to make up for lost time. The sharp handholds, and rough texture to the rock eventually wore away at all our fingertips, a sign of the eagerness with which we had climbed that day. In total, six climbs had been rigged by Maj Bevin, and SUO Wilkinson fresh off his RCS course, allowing the remainder to constantly be developing their skills and testing out our new techniques to climb this different rock.
Day 9-10 – The final climbs
The final two days of activity saw the group return to the familiar ‘Angliski’ rocks to continue their climbs from the day before. By now, most had seen their pace of climb slow as fatigue slowly developed in us all after a week’s worth of effort on sharp unrelenting rock. Nevertheless, we all continued to climb and build an impressive array of routes for our logbooks and continued to develop and grow along the process. Two long abseils were set up on each day, with the officer cadets clipping into the system themselves, under supervision, to get a sense and understanding of the mechanics involved. On the final night, the entire group had a local meal in town, experiencing local Czech cuisine and offering a chance to reflect on a good week’s worth of training, having advanced and developed our climbing considerably.
Day 11-12 – The return leg back to Cambridge
After a final night in the Czech Republic, we packed up camp and departed early the following day. We drove all day across Germany, stopping for the night in De Haan in Belgium to give the drivers some time to rest before continuing the journey the following morning. A smooth ferry crossing from Calais saw us return to Dover and the relatively short drive back to Cambridge. Post-exercise admin followed, as we all reminisced on the expedition’s events and successes.
Exercise Czech Blue proved to be a thoroughly enjoyable and highly successful expedition, testing and developing officer cadets climbing abilities and exposing them to new rock surfaces that enhanced the skills of everyone involved. In keeping with the spirit of adventurous training, the expedition challenged its members by enhancing their mental robustness and physical abilities, in testing and unfamiliar locations, and saw all of its members learn great deals about themselves and each other.
“Czech Blue was a challenging expedition, and learning to climb on new rock was something I had to quickly get used to. It was good to see how climbing differs outside of the UK, and I’ll be sure to take away my experiences from this going forward.”
Anon OCdt
“Rigging up ropes and setting up climbs for the other cadets was invaluable experience for myself as I seek to progress up the AT course ladder and pursue by Leader and Instructor Quals. Czech Blue offered excellent opportunities to hone the skills I’d been taught on my RCS course, as well as gain experience of climbing outside of the UK.”
SUO Wilkinson
Indeed, Czech Blue offered all its members the chance to push on with their climbing experience and tackle more challenging routes than those we had all previously experienced. The expedition was an excellent exposure for all of its members to the planning and considerations involved when partaking in foreign expeditions and enhanced the group mentality and cohesion of individuals hugely beneficial upon returning to Cambridge.
“It was fantastic to be able to see my skills progress throughout the week, continuing to learn and develop my rock-climbing technique on new rock. Having never climbed before expeditions away with CUOTC, it’s been hugely rewarding to be able to continually push myself out of my comfort zone to tackle new problems and take on more complex routes. AT with CUOTC, and the foreign more challenging expeditions particularly, have offered an unparalleled opportunity for personal development, and exposed me to so many activities I’ll continue to pursue as I begin a regular military career.”
2Lt Friend
In sum, Exercise Czech Blue topped off a fantastic Summer of expeditions with CUOTC, especially developing a small group of eager members looking to push on with their rock-climbing ability. The importance of the expedition cannot be understated, as every one of its members came away ready to continue their climbing pursuits and looking ahead to the next qualification and the next expedition in the months and years to come. Czech Blue nurtured its’ members intent to progress further into the AT domain and left all members ready for the exciting challenge to come with the beginning of the new training year.
Finally, this expedition would not have been possible without the immense generosity of the Ulysses Trust which funded this exercise. On behalf of all involved, I would like to convey my personal gratitude to the Trust for continually supporting the expeditions of CUOTC. Without your continued support, the personal development and fulfilment, that has made so much of our time in the UOTC so memorable, would not have been possible. The funding provided has been put to excellent use and has opened up so much in the way of personal growth and unit cohesion. CUOTC has and will always be forever grateful for your continuing generosity.
