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The Hautes-Alpes region of the Southern French Alps is a paradise and perfect playground for canoeing and kayaking enthusiasts of all levels of ability. Influenced by the warmer Mediterranean climate, an incredible backdrop of mountain scenery and a huge variety of white-water rivers that can be run from May-September it is no wonder that it […]

The last two weeks of June must have seemed like the perfect time of year for WO2 Andy Anderson of 155 Transport Regiment when he booked the sailing trip for his unit. The weather should be perfect – warm, sunny, just windy. Little did he know that June would be the wettest month on record

From 4th to 20th May 2012 eleven members of D (Rifles) Company, 5RRF and OCdt Tim Bird from Yorkshire OTR went on an expedition to Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa. The first night the group stayed with the Light Horse Regiment, about half an hour from OR Tambo airport. Early the next day we headed off

SHERWOOD SAILORS DO THE HIGHLAND FLING The twelve Reservists from HMS Sherwood planned and organised Exercise Highland Fling themselves, with funding from the Ulysses Trust, to develop their leadership and team-working skills and resilience. “We took part in a variety of challenging outdoor activities and everyone learnt new skills,” said Lieutenant Kathryn Jacques from Long

Capt Mervyn Jones, of Rossett Platoon, Clwyd and Gwynedd Army Cadet Force, for the last seven years, has taken cadets to the Somme, France for the 1st July commemorations marking the start of the famous WW1 battle. Glorious patriotic, altruistic endeavour or the futile waste of a generation? The truth, as ever, lies somewhere in

After 2 years of study, the culmination of the Extended Diploma in Public Services course is a 12 day trip to the Pyrenees in the south of France. For all of the students, who are also either cadets or PIs with Gloucestershire ACF, this is an opportunity for them to complete their final assessments in

Poseidon Dragon was a was a 5 Div authorised, Level 3 Adventurous Training (AT) Sea Kayaking Expedition organised by LCpl Wrigley 3RW. There were five main objectives of the exercise: To deliver Distributed Training (DT), for Kayak Proficiency K2F to those without the award and to develop the skills at all levels of those who

Exercise Medsail is a Sailing Exercise run annually by the Joint Services Adventurous Sailing Training Centre (JSASTC) sailing around the Mediterranean Sea. Personnel from 151 Transport Regiment boarded on Leg 2 of the Exercise, sailing over 2 weeks from Alicante to Barcelona. Day 1 – We travelled to Gatwick where we met our 1st Mate

Exercise Toulouse Tiger was a 9-day adventurous training expedition to the Pyrenees Mountains in Spain, undertaken by 6 members of Bristol University Officers Training Corps (BUOTC) 12 Apr – 20 Apr 12. The expedition was focused on introducing and teaching ski touring skills to BUOTC officer cadets, with the aim of pushing BUOTC Officer Cadets

Aims and objectives for the expedition: The aim of the expedition was to undertake a coast-to-coast self-sufficient journey by Open Canoe from Neptune’s Steps at Fort William to Inverness, 97km later. Our objectives were to learn a range of wilderness livings skills and to manage an expedition team afloat; providing Sea Cadet adult volunteers with

This March a team consisting of Officer Cadets Charles Woods-Stride, Chris Hancock, Oliver Greenburgh, Hattie Holliday, Ella Thurston and Charles Clack set out from Oxford on Exercise Blue Bivio. The expedition was an introduction to ski touring combined with a six day hut to hut traverse of the Albula Alps north of the Engadine valley

High winds, high plateaus, high water and high adventure are the nature of Ex Northern Jacobite Venturer. Our now annual Scottish exploit is in it’s 5th year and is now delivering all five phases of the five year development plan. This is a multi activity week designed to give cadets from Giggleswick School the opportunity

Aim The aim of the expedition was to introduce a number of our senior cadets to Nordic ski-touring with the view to completing a challenging 65 km 5 day, fully equipped ski-borne expedition, using DNT mountain huts and snow holes. Location The Hardangervidda is a vast mountain plateau (“vidda”) which is located in South West

After journeying from the depths of Dorset and a good night’s sleep, a filling Norwegian breakfast restores the Canford cadets from their travels. Boots, skis and poles are issued and rapidly the equipment is put to the test in tracks surrounding Hovden. Walking forwards, backwards, standing up (after falling!!), star turns and kick turns soon

The Norway ski expedition is a biennial event for Bradfield College CCF and is one of the highlights of our adventure training programme. The expedition is designed to quickly equip cadets with the pre-requisite skills before embarking on an expedition that utilises huts, tents and snow holes. In addition to having great fun, the cadets

On 3 – 4th March 2012, 6 adult volunteer members of the Marine Society Sea Cadets (MSSC) from Southern Area attended a Climbing Wall Award (CWA) training course in London area. The Marine Society and Sea Cadet Corps (MSSC) have introduced a new revolutionary adventure training manual which includes a rock climbing scheme. In order

An ice climbing course in Norway was added to the CCAT programme in March 2012 as an initiative to expand the range of winter courses available to ACF & CCF CFAVs and Senior Cadets. It was designed to offer an opportunity to further develop the skills and experience of CFAVs and Senior Cadets in the

Following a long deployment to Afghanistan, eleven members of 24 Commando Engineer Regiment, along with one member of Sheffield University OTC (instructor), were lucky enough to have the opportunity to travel to Nepal for a three week adventure in the Nepalese Himalayas. The group left London Heathrow late on the 4 March 2012 arriving in

On 25th March this year, a group of twenty seven students and staff from the Bristol and Oxford University Royal Naval Units set off for Scotland for the first phase of an adventurous training expedition unlike anything we had done before, Exercise Dark Blue. The purpose of the University Units is to educate students about

During the last week of March this year, 15 students and two officers from Bristol University Royal Naval Unit (one of fourteen such organisations or ‘URNU’s that the Royal Navy maintains across the UK) travelled the length of the country to Rothiemuchus Lodge, just outside Aviemore in the Scottish Highlands, for a week of (in

A team of twenty cadets and staff embarked on two week expedition to Tanzania during February 2012 with the intention of delivering a worthwhile community support project and an enjoyable trek through the Ngorongoro region to the west of Kilimanjaro in the North of the country. All made possible with the grants provided by Ulysses

‘Rise above the Rest’ say the Royal Air Force. Well that’s what the team aspired to do. Before starting the 6 day ascent up the mountain, the team needed to get used to the local heat and so three days were spent exploring the local culture. A day on Safari in Arusha National Park revealed

As Bavaria plunged into a deep freeze with daytime temperatures plummeting as low as -28 degrees Celsius and snow all-around, this was going to be a testing expedition for both man and machine. The aim of the expeditions was to introduce Alpine Ski Touring and pisted skiing to Cadets and Cadet Force Adult Volunteers (CFAV’s)

At the beginning of February, 13 members of the RGS Guildford CCF landed in a snowy and cold Munich to begin a winter skills training programme based in the Allgau region of Germany. Having had a team photo with both Ussein Bolt and Mel C, who were both on the plane, the team headed out

A week full of hard work, fun and snow started and ended with an epic 30 hour journey across central Europe, before reaching the small town of Mittersill, Austria. The members of the expedition were split into several groups according to their ability and level of experience: the beginners (non skiers) group spent most of

The time had come once again for our Battalion, 101 Force Support Battalion, The Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, to travel to the French Alps for our annual skiing trip: 81 soldiers, keen as mustard, raring to go. 20 hours later, a wet and blustery day in the UK transformed into a very snowy and

As an alternative to Christmas, as an Officer Cadet from London UOTC I flew off to the Caribbean to take part in Exercise Caribbean Wings, spending two weeks sailing around the Windward and Leeward Islands on board a JSASTC CH67 Yacht. The crew of 14 was made up from various parts of the three services.

A group from 100 Regt RA(V) consisting of reservists took part in “Ex White Centurion” a Novice Skiing Expedition to the Zillertal area of Austria. The Exped was based in Zell am Ziller which enabled us to make full use of 668KM of Piste. This was purely a novice based expedition with the aim of

Introduction 1. A party of cadets from Middlesex Wing (ATC) joined members of 90 Signals Unit, RAF Leeming for expedition training over the period 22-28 Jan 12. The exercise was designated Exercise LONG MARCH 2012 and combined a physically challenging march across Poland with ethos and values training. The latter was primarily based on lessons

After 18 months in the planning, 15 members of Gloucestershire ACF, and 3 members from Bristol ACF finally embarked on TIGER VENTURER ZENITH, a high altitude trekking expedition in the Annapurna Himalayas and community project in Langdi village, Nepal. The expedition had 2 aims, firstly to trek to Annapurna Base Camp (ABC) at 4,130m above

16 Cadets and 6 Cadet Force Adult Volunteers of the Norfolk Army Cadet Force have just returned from the organisation’s fifth trip to South Africa. The main purpose of the trip was to give a new experience and a clear insight into the lifestyles and history of a very different and diverse culture. The expedition

Fourteen members of Kent Wing ATC have just returned from a two week expedition to Kenya thanks to the generous financial support of the Ulysses Trust, RAF Charitable Trust and the Singleton Trust. The first week was spent climbing the 4985m peak of Mt Kenya via the Sirimon Route. Starting at 2700m the first day

Expedition Overview This expedition undertook a number of community, Environmental and Adventure projects. 61 Venturers took part in the expedition, supported by a Volunteer Manager team of 26. Each project was supported by a specialist team, based at Raleigh’s expedition operations centre called Fieldbase. In the field, each project was led by volunteer project managers

The CCAT Spanish rock climbing course (CADET ROCK) was based in Albir, Spain during the period 15-22 Oct 11. The Costa Blanca is a well known destination for Autumn/Winter sun rock climbing devotees. The temperate Mediterranean climate at this time of year, a modest 20°-26° C, is perfect whilst during the peak holiday season is

Intsail 2011 took place around the Ionian Islands off the South coast of Greece in Oct 2011. The annual Intelligence Corps adventurous sail training event is open to all serving Regular and TA personnel. It is a perfect opportunity to improve team building and provides a welcome break from the high tempo of operations. Additionally,

160 Tpt Regt RLC(v) organised a Scuba Diving Expedition for Sept 2011 after bidding successfully on a Joint Services Adventure Training slot to Cyprus. The CO recognised that Adventure Training (AT) is a vital part of TA training, because in particular it promotes retention, boosts moral and rewards those members who have undertaken extra commitments

Situated at the meeting point between the waters of the Atlantic and Mediterranean, and the landmasses of Europe and Africa, Gibraltar is a diving location unlike any other on earth. A last bastion of the British Empire nestled in the shadow of the Rock, it is both bustling port-city and ancient mountain-fortress; a monument to

Nepal is best known for its towering mountains and peaks that have challenged humans to their very limits but Exercise Annapurna Tiger focussed on a slightly different trail in the Himalayan kingdom. The Officer Cadets of Exeter University Officer Training Corps (EUOTC) may have dreams of one day conquering Everest but the aim of this

After a two-hour flight delay and an eight and a half hour flight we arrived at Calgary airport and were greeted by our Canadian hosts. We commenced the seven-hour drive from Calgary airport and arrived at Lac La Biche Cadet Centre just after midnight, twenty-four hours after we had left Southampton. After a good night’s

It was with some trepidation that the seven members of HMS HIBERNIA’s Bavarian Surprise Team embarked on the unit’s first expedition to Naval Outdoor Centre Germany (NOC(G)). Unfortunately, due to unforseen Operational Commitments, a number of the personnel who had originally planned to take part in this expedition were unable to attend. This meant that

On the 8th of September 2011, the departure lounge of Luton airport played host to a medley of excited officer cadets, competent crew sailors and a selection of weathered and rather tolerant day skippers; their Officer Training Corps affiliations betrayed by the abundance of black grip bags and that peculiar but unmistakable manner that is

“Bring on the sunshine” the troops shouted as they exited the plane in Malaga after getting out of their beds at 0300hrs on a Saturday morning. The excitement was curved as they moved by cars through the resorts of the Costa del Sol and into the mountains to a small town called Alora. A quick

Expedition Ventura Dragon Izzard II took place in August 2011 with 25 participants. An Advance Party of four travelled out to Spain overland by minibus with equipment, and set up a base camp in the small town of Espot in north Catalonia. This is just outside the Aigues Tortes National Park, (Aigues Tortes meaning twisted

Pyrenees – An Easy Week, by Emma Reynolds and Megan Calcutt The first day was spent travelling. We reached our campsite late that night, and quickly learnt that we would have to get used to sleeping on slopes and rocks! The Pyrenees greeted us that night with our first storm, and we started the next

Introduction In late 2010 the Ulysses Trust (UT) decided to sponsor and completely fund a challenging, overseas expedition; the aim being to develop enthusiasm for such activities in the participants, with the aspiration that they might undertake to run similar events, themselves, in the future. Given that the participants, chosen from all the UK Reserve

AN ADRIATIC ADVENTURE The Michaelmas term at Shrewsbury School in Shropshire started with a sea odyssey for twelve intrepid travellers from the CCF. Their trip was a culmination of many months of training and preparation, and long sessions in the school pool upside down in a kayak! Expedition Adriatic Adventurer was a Gold Assessment and

Alpine Endeavour was a three week Alpine mountaineering expedition, tackling peaks in Switzerland and Italy. On the first two days we travelled to Saas Grund in Switzerland. From our vantage point in the campsite we could see what laid ahead. The fourth and fifth days were spent on the Hohsaas glacier; for some of the

This summer Oxford University OTC, together with financial assistance from The Ulysses Trust mounted a rock climbing and trekking expedition to the Dolomites in Northern Italy. It was the first major expedition that Junior Under Officer (JUO) James Coates had organised, and he did this during his final year at Oxford University. The expedition consisted

The 8th of August 2011 saw 8 Cadets and 5 Staff from 228 (Bromley) and 2511 (Longfield) Squadrons head off to Helsinki in Finland to undertake Exercise Samiaa Challenge. The Samiaa lakes area in Eastern Finland are a massive complex of lakes and islands which run for hundreds of square miles and contain over 14,000

The CCAT IAM Course was based from a campsite in Saas Grund, Switzerland during the period 21-28 Aug 11. The high mountain range that lies between the Rhone and Aosta valleys, known as the Pennine Alps (Valais or Wallis), contains the greatest concentration of 4000metre peaks. The range includes some of the most famous peaks

Sailing ‘Alba Venturer’ into Victoria Harbour in Greenock at the end of their voyage, using nothing more than canvas and wind, highlighted the skill and confidence of the trainee crew who only a week earlier had set out as novices on this year’s annual HQAC / Ocean Youth Trust Scotland – Offshore Sail Training Expedition.

14 Army Cadets from Greater Manchester and Lancashire Army Cadet Forces took part in RATTLESNAKE VENTURER in the South West USA between 31 August and 19 September 2011. It was supported by Adult instructors from GMACF, the Regular Army and the Territorial Army. Flying from the UK to Las Vegas via Gatwick, the exercise had

Northern Emulous was a multi activity expedition, conducted in the Ardeche region of Southern France, for thirty six Officer Cadets, six instructors and six administrative staff. The aim of the exercise was to increase the skills of those undertaking the exercise, in order to build self confidence, team work, develop physical robustness in an area

Ex Dragon Taffy Eagle was a weekend’s Adventure Training in Capel Curig, where the soldiers and students of the Territorial Army Unit C Company (The 4th Battalion The Mercian Regiment) got the choice to partake in activities such as Mountain Biking, Kayaking or Rock Climbing. Members also took part in White Water Rafting as a

Our summer camp did not get off to a very good start with regards to the weather: as we crossed the border to Scotland the rain started. This continued for the rest of the day with severe weather warnings on the roads. Monday morning the weather was fine and the cadets went off in their

After months of planning a group of twenty two Air Cadets from the Gwendraeth Valley in South Wales have recently returned from an extremely successful two week overseas adventurous training camp in the British colony of Gibraltar. The key activity during the camp was the open water Professional Association of Diving Instructors Course (PADI). The

On the 28th of August, 11 members of the Universities of Glasgow and Strathclyde Air Squadron participated in an adventure training and force development week in Germany. It proved to be a superb forum for enhancing leadership, teamwork, and personal development. The expedition flew from Edinburgh to Munich, before utilising a combination of trains to

Cadets from South East Scotland Wing and West Scotland Wing travelled to Norway, as part of the 70th Anniversary of the Air Training Corps. The goal of the expedition was for cadets to complete their Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award Expedition. On Tuesday 2 April cadets met at 870 (Dreghorn) Sqn before departing on Wednesday

After a brief introduction to snow chains we departed Bury St Edmonds TAC ahead of schedule (A TA thing). We made good time on our travels despite the constant downpour of rain and arrived safely at the Euro Tunnel crossing 3 hours later. We had a few rest stops whilst travelling through Europe mainly to

Over the period 20th July – 3rd August 2011, Llandovery College CCF mounted a mountaineering expedition to France. The expedition visited two different areas, Fontainebleau, near Paris and Chamonix, in the Alps. Written by a cadet, this is their account of a brilliant expedition: “Stopping off for 2 days at ‘Font’ en route to the

Nous avons fini la GR20 – We finished the GR20 It’s easy to agree to something if you don’t know what you have agreed to. And when I agreed, extremely willingly, to do the GR20, I deny even knowing its location. I also didn’t know the meaning of GR20- the Big Excursion, which surely should

A team of 6 young people aged 17-19 from Kent Army Cadet Force travelled to the French Pyrenees to take part in an Expeditions and activity week incorporating their Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Gold Level Expedition. The planning and preparation was nearly two years from its inception, with the onus on the young people to

Sixteen cadets and five adults from Hereford attended the Sea Cadet Training School at Weymouth to undertake a unit course. The aim of the week was to give cadets the opportunity to experience boating activities on the sea instead of on the River Wye. This would encourage the cadets to broaden their skill-set, enabling them

It was the last few weeks of three years together as Officer Cadets at Sheffield University OTC, and what more fitting way to top three challenging years than with one final challenge. So Friday morning, and we embark on the two day drive to Les Alps and the Zermatt valley where we will begin two

103 Battalion Royal Electrical Mechanical Engineers (REME) is a Territorial Army unit which aims to provide support to all current operations by providing fully trained soldiers with a technically skilled ability ranging from vehicle mechanics to electronics technicians to work in high threat, arduous conditions. On the 09 July 11, 30 members of the Battalion

From 14 — 24 July 11, soldiers and officers from 38 Signal Regiment undertook Exercise Cockney Paradiso, led by 41(Princess Louise’s Kensington) Signal Squadron. It consisted of two elements: the summiting of Gran Paradiso (4061m), the highest mountain in the Italian Alps, and the traverse of sections of the nearby Alta Via 2 high level

3RWELSH again ventured to the Alps to conduct via ferrata and klettersteig in the Dolomites of Northern Italy and Southern Austria. This would be an expedition of two halves; long mountain via ferratas in Italy, short technical klettersteigs in Austria – something for everyone we hoped. Summer can come late to the Dolomites so the

Exercise Corsican Tiger was a 17-day adventurous training expedition to the Mediterranean island of Corsica, undertaken by 23 members of Bristol University Officers Training Corps (BUOTC). The aim of the expedition was to push BUOTC Officer Cadets to their physical limits in an arduous mountain environment, to develop their physical robustness, improve their leadership abilities

After nearly two years of planning, cadets and staff of 633 (West Swindon) Squadron celebrated achieving squadron status on 1st December 2009 with a special expedition to climb some of the highest peaks in the Pyrenees. The trip began with an idea 20 months ago to widen the cadet’s expedition experience and complete a 5

Thirty-five cadets and staff from Squadrons throughout Essex Wing ATC have returned from a successful major two-week expedition in the French and Andorran Pyrenees. The cadets, who had to undertake various training days and weekends in preparation for the demanding expedition, all had the aim of completing their Gold or Silver Duke of Edinburgh’s Award

Outline:This Expedition built upon the previous successful expeditions run for both Pate’s Grammar School CCF and the Army Cadet 150 Expedition last year. The aim of the Expedition was to complete an arduous and adventurous canoe journey in Algonquin Provincial Park. Delivering JSAT and BCU qualifications as part of the journey and to give adult

The sun was beginning to enter North Court of the Royal Grammar School in Guildford as 11 cadets and 2 officers mustered at 0645 to begin our journey to the German Austrian border. The boys, aged 14 and 15, were keen to begin their adventurous training – a week of activities in the beautiful amphitheatres

5am, Friday 22 July and people were already stirring in the drill hall. Nervous energy looking forward to a trip that we had all spent many days reading about. The Tour of the Oisans, a 180km circular route along the GR54 around the Ecrins National Park in southern France with over 13000m ascent. Usually walked

A group of 14 intrepid adventurers deployed to the UK’s most southerly point – The Lizard, in Cornwall on Sunday 17 July 2011. The rain was hammering it down, but with our spirits high, we were all excitedly looking forward to finding out what the coming days and 115 miles would bring as we trekked

The Expedition took place high up in the Val de Bagnes in the Valais region of Switzerland. The party consisted of two members of staff and three cadets who flew out to Geneva, together with another two members of staff who drove to Switzerland with the camping gear. The purpose of the Expedition was to

The first international sailing exercise undertaken by the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (FANY) took place from 30 July to 6 August 2011. This most successful Exercise, which received support funding from the Ulysses Trust, enabled six members of the Corps to charter the Gibraltar Garrison’s yacht ‘Pickle’ for a week. Led by an experienced Coastal

GUERNSEY CADETS MAKE COMBINED OPS WORK Guernsey Cadets from the ACF and CCF combined to complete a Duke of Edinburgh Award Gold Expedition by retracing the journey of the original Cockleshell Heroes. ‘Of the many heroic raids …. none was more courageous or imaginative than Operation Frankton’ With these words to instil a sense of

In July and August 2011, Operation Aquarius took place in Northern Ghana, West Africa. It was planned as a Voluntary Service Overseas project with an Expedition phase and a cultural phase on the Cape coast in Southern Ghana. The origins of the expedition go back to early 2009, when the Squadron Staff met Capt David

Exercise Dragon Venturer Baidarka II was organised following the relative success of a similar exercise in 2010. The aim of the expedition was to give the cadets an experience of three outdoor activities in British Columbia. Two of these activities would involve camping in wilderness locations which presents a number of challenges. The expedition consisted

Following on from a successful visit to the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) based at East Boston High School (EBHS), earlier in the year, Lordswood CCF was invited to participate in the JROTC’s Junior Cadet Leadership Challenge (JCLC) held at Fort Devens, an active US military base, over the period of 20 – 24

101 Force Support Battalion REME were set the challenge by the CO of conquering the Three Peaks and travelling to each peak by sail and bike – ‘The Original 3 Peaks Challenge’. The first task was to drive to Largs to collect Sirius, sourced from the RAF, and sail her back to Caernarfon. The crew

50mph winds and snow halt summit attempt On Mt Mgoun Mt Mgoun is not well known but at 4068m/13,346’ it is the second highest peak in North Africa, second only to Mt Toubkal; both are in Morocco. The aim for this rather mature group (average age was 50!) of Territorial’s was to cross the High

Exercise Water Cockney was a military sub-aqua diving expedition in Malta. The expedition consisted of 20 personnel from a mixture of TA and regular units. The exercise was organised by MOD Leighton House and all diving and accommodation was co-ordinated via a local dive company “Selkies” based in Sliema, Malta. The country of Malta consists

The Pyrenees offers a rich environment for a canoeing expedition. The combination of ancient culture and modern eco-tourism generates an intimate, laid back and genuine atmosphere that creates a quality of life that is difficult to match. The high mountain landscape bordering France and Spain, the effects of a diverse Mediterranean climate and broad spectrum

West Mercian Wing Air Cadets have successfully completed an overseas expedition to celebrate the 70th Anniversary of the Air Cadet organisation. The challenging trek saw all members of the group ascend Pic Du Canigou, the highest peak in the eastern Pyrenees, France. The expedition was organised to provide a challenging physical journey that would fulfil

After 2 years of study, the culmination of the National Diploma in Public Services course is a 12 day trip to the Pyrenees in the south of France. For all of the students, who are also cadets with Gloucestershire Army Cadet Force, this is an opportunity for them to complete their final assessments in adventurous

In 2009 cadets and staff from 2443 (Okehampton) Squadron ATC completed the National 3 Peaks challenge, climbing Ben Nevis in Scotland, Scafell Pike in England and Snowdon in Wales, all within 48 hours. It therefore seemed the next step to progress this to the National 4 peaks challenge, completing the 3 peaks challenge again but

In early April, 12 officers and soldiers from across the Regt converged on Bexleyheath ready for an adventure. Bags packed, things inevitably forgotten, but keen to get started on the long journey to Kathmandu, via Doha. Once there, the team staggered out of the airport into a completely different world. There was a veritable mob

Canford has been running cross-country skiing expeditions for some fourteen years now with a number of cadets each year benefiting from the experience of a week’s cross-country skiing, snow holing, camping and ice-climbing, whilst experiencing the delights of the famous Norwegian ski touring huts. This year, once again, helped with some generous support from the

This year, the Regimental skiing trip was a little unusual. Normally we head south, and ski downhill, in Austria. However we decided to head north and ski up-hill in Scotland. After an early start and a long drive, with rising excitement as we started spotting patches of snow on the mountains either side, we arrived

25 hours on a coach, students suffering from travel sickness and a broken air conditioning unit resulting in the coach reaching a roasting 33 degrees during the journey. This is how 40 Officer Cadets (OCdts) from Liverpool University Officers’ Training Corps (LUOTC) were welcomed into the French Alps ski resort of Tignes. The expedition, Northern

During the Easter holidays, a team of 8 staff and cadets, travelled to the Hardangervidda mountain range in Southern Norway, where we were to carry out an arduous cross-country skiing expedition. The aim of the venture was to introduce a novice group of cadets to cross-country skiing and carry out a ski tour expedition in

Sunday 10th April 2011, Sgt Philip Houseman and Officer Cadets Matthew Waterston, William Bowkett, Lewis Hart, David Keay and Charles Woods-Stride set out from Oxford on Exercise Blue Innsbruck. The following afternoon we arrived in the small Austrian village of Greiss. There we joined Captain Tania Noakes who would be leading the expedition. Kit was

Over the period 9th – 16th April 10 cadets from Lordswood Boys’ School took part in a week’s off-shore sailing expedition aboard one of the Tall Ships Youth Trust ‘Challenger’ yachts. They were part of a large party from Birmingham that chartered the whole flotilla of four Challengers under the sponsorship of the Enterprise Sailing

From 9th- 16th April 2011, 9 students accompanied by 3 staff members from Selly Oak Trust School, Birmingham, a secondary school for students with moderate learning difficulties, took part in a sailing expedition along the south coast of the UK. The Cadets, all members of the Combined Cadet Force (Royal Navy) at Selly Oak Trust

Legend has it that the ashes of St James the apostle lie in the magnificent cathedral in the heart of Santiago de Compostela in North West Spain. After Jesus’ crucifixion the eleven (Judas hanged himself) left Jerusalem to spread the gospel. James sailed to modern day Spain and preached to pagan Galicians in the North

Phoenix Cockney Slide was a Distributed Training (DT) Level 3 overseas exercise for beginners to advanced skiers, taking place over the period 1st – 9th April 2011. It was based in Tignes, South France. The intent was to take seven inexperienced skiers (Officers and soldiers), and provide them with the instruction in order to gain

High winds, high plateaus, high water and high adventure are the nature of Northern Jacobite Venturer (Ex NJV). Our now annual Scottish exploit is in it’s 4th year and hopes to reach maturity on our next visit. This is a multi activity week designed to give cadets from Giggleswick School the opportunity to produce a

Under the watchful eye of our Contingent Officers, Major Patchett, Captain Willmore and Lieutenant Macgregor, we loaded up the coach with our kit for the first leg of our journey to Edinburgh Airport on the early evening of Monday 4 April. We were about to embark on what was described as a tough, challenging expedition

Operation Grouse and Operation Gunnerside were conducted by British trained, hand picked members of the Norwegian SOE. These 11 ‘Heroes of Telemark’ survived in the wilderness of the Hardanga Vidda plateau in Norway for months on end, before successfully mounting two sabotage operations, which severely handicapped the Nazi’s in the race to build the Atomic

"39 cadets … 5 adult instructors … destination Salzburger Sportwelt …" After 30 hours by road and sea, we reached our destination of Küchl, a typically pretty Austrian village surrounded by the stunning Tennengebirge Mountains. Some anxious glances were exchanged at the absence of snow, but our hosts at the Hotel Mühlthaler, soon put our

The eagerly anticipated day of departure, 6 Mar 11, started bright and early at London’s Gatwick airport. All of the ship’s crew, except the skipper who, as Exped project officer, had flown ahead to oversee a week of yacht maintenance, boarded for the 8 hr 45 min Virgin Atlantic flight to St. Lucia. The crew

In February 2011, Sea Cadets & Royal Marine Cadets and staff from London and Southern Area joined together to take part in the annual Exercise Alpine Adventure. They travelled by coach to Bavaria in Southern Germany, staying in the town of Bad Hindelang. Once in Bavaria, the cadets undertook a six-day training package; three days

Following the 24 hour journey by mini bus the 4 Yorks team arrived in Sonthofen in the Allgäu region of Germany, ready to attempt the Basic Ski Proficiency Alpine qualification. What was left of the arrival day consisted of signing out the necessary equipment and settling into the accommodation. The exercise was planned and conducted

30 members of 39th Signal Regiment (Volunteers) completed a seven day skiing exercise in Zell-am-Zee in Austria in February 2011. Exercise Lynx Glacier allowed TA soldiers of all different levels to learn and in some cases improve their skiing skills in a demanding and challenging environment. For five soldiers it was their first ever attempt

The aim to the expeditions was to introduce Alpine Ski Touring and pisted skiing to Cadets and Cadet Force Adult Volunteers (CFAV’s) from the ACF, CCF and ATC, further develop those who have previous experience and provide an opportunity for CFAV’s to gain an instructor qualification or revalidate existing qualifications. This expedition was solely dedicated

February half-term provided the time required for 14 cadets from all 3 services of the RGS Guildford CCF to attend the contingent’s annual Winter AT based in Bavaria. The cadets were accompanied by 3 officers from the Contingent. The cadets arrived in a very green and relatively warm Sonthofen as, like most part of the

17 members of London Wing Air Cadets led by Pilot Officer Chris Booty (OC 282 SQN) travelled to the far reaches of the Indian Thar desert to undertake a very special task; to change some very special lives forever. The team embarked on the ‘Thar Horizon’ expedition with the sole aim to bring happiness to

NORTHERN CHALLENGE 2 was a 150 (Yorkshire) Transport Regiment RLC (V) ski expedition to Ruhpolding, Germany at the beginning of February 2011. Led by a TA Captain with the support of a regular SSgt, the expedition looked deceptively simple to organise on initial inspection. It was only when the icy slopes of the funding applications,

If you’re craving the kind of excitement you can’t get from a nine-to-five job, the Territorial Army could be just what you’re looking for. Members of 32 Signal Regiment (Volunteers) had a taste of that real excitement. They’ve left their civilian jobs behind temporarily, to be part of EXERCISE NORTHERN GEO ADVENTURE, in La Tania,

Exercise Northern Wanderer conducted by Tayforth University Officer Training Corps (UOTC) was both ambitious and challenging in scale and scope. The exercise took place above Rjukan in the Telemark region of Norway over the period 3rd January to 10th February 2011 and drew Officer Cadets from St Andrews, Dundee, Stirling and Abertay Universities. Two separate

Expedition ANTARCTIC ODYSSEY 11 was part of a Reserve Forces adventurous training project to climb the ‘7 Summits’ comprising the highest mountain in every continent; a challenge yet to be achieved by any military organisation. The project is jointly patroned by the Duke of Westminster and Sir Chris Bonnington and to date the team have

After a trouble free flight to Lanzarote, the ten-strong crew arrived at Puerto Calero to embark on HM Sailing Training Vessel KUKRI, a Nicholson 55 cruising yacht, and to meet the Skipper. The first full day was taken up with finding our way around the boat, stowing the mountain of kit away and buying supplies.