Sorjoshytta to Arasluokta. 42km 9hrs. An immaculate dawn over the Sulitjelma peaks gave me a boost on my way today. I have five good days before the weather turns against me with snow and strong winds forecast. So my plan is five big days out in the wilderness to Abisko. Each day between 40-50km. 😱 […]
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Sulitjelma Fjellandsby to Sorjoshytta. 25km 71/2hrs. Yesterday I ran out of maps. I had not been concerned because I’d thought they were in my resupply box, but alas no. I researched options furiously last night, with some local help from @hansrichardbrathen 😉🙏 In the end Erland who runs @sulitjelma_fjellandsby came to the rescue by ringing
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Our journey to Bosnia and Herzegovina was an experience in itself. We arrived at Kinnegar late Friday evening and traveled through the night, driving to Dublin by coach, before flying via Munich and Vienna and then getting on a final flight to arrive in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Next we made the treacherous journey to reach
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Each day is a summation of the thoughts of the individual climbers (6 x male CFAVs) Canmore Junkyards – Grade 2 Single Pitch It’s hard to believe that we are in Canada standing below an icefall and our introduction to ice climbing. I was intimidated about the levels of experience amongst the group but the
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The trip started with 10 strangers (8 x CFAVs (6 x male & 2 x female) and 2 x female Senior Cadets) meeting at Heathrow airport after traveling from all parts of the country. Despite a few problems with the trains we checked in as a group on time and set off for the departure
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The expedition took place in the Western Highlands of Scotland between 4th and 10th February 2018 with the aim of providing opportunities for staff and cadets of the RAF Air cadets to develop their winter mountaineering experience. The expedition consisted of two groups – one who were focussed on undertaking several quality winter hill days
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Canford School CCF has been embarking for a number of years on a cross-country skiing expedition to Norway on what is described by all who go, as the toughest and the best trip the School offers. This year saw another twenty cadets, a fifth of our year 10s aged 14 to 15, challenging themselves
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Balvashytta to Sulitjelma. 25km 4hrs. This morning dawned clear of any lingering frustrations over yesterday’s snow. A dusting of new snow gave the icy lake surface enough grip to enjoy the view of Saulo over the border in Sweden. A sociable breakfast with the boys and 9km across the lake brought me to the Coarvihytta
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Lønstua to Balvashytta. 38km 10hrs. I knew today had the potential to be complicated, a lot of terrain to cover, and numerous hidden features hinted at by the contours on my 1:100 000 map. I started early across a small suspension bridge following the summer path towards a place called Graddis. A chaotic maze of
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Bolnastua to Lønstua. 32km 6hrs. Today I crossed the Arctic circle! A wonderful feeling… a real milestone in this journey, and one that I wrote about in various articles before starting. Remarkably I cross it pretty much to the day that I estimated… I have now skied 1525km during 368hrs in the 55days since starting
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Virvasshytta to Bolnastua. 24km 5 1/4hrs. Last night I saw the northern lights! 😍 The clouds had been blown fast away by sunset to leave a clear sky which inhaled all remaining warmth as the stars appeared one by one… The only upside I can see of an outdoor toilet when it is -25C is
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Kvitsteindalstunet to Virvasshytta. 22km 5 1/2hrs. From the warmth of the cabin I heard the wind ease slightly in the early hours of the morning. It was enough to encourage me out of bed… Oatmeal and coconut milk thanks to @thecoconutcompanyco fired me up ready to brave another day. I put all my clothes on,
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Umbukta to Kvitsteindalstunet. 26km 8hrs. Wind; Tireless, tiring, unrelenting wind. I wake and I’m excited about the day ahead. I feel rested, and the quiet hunger that sits within me these days is silent, sated. I’ve heard wonderful things about the Rana cabins, and the next few weeks should be very beautiful. As I shoulder
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Rest day at Umbukta Fjellstue. What a wonderful sensation to wake up with the sun shining through the curtains and know I’m not skiing anywhere today. I peek outside and see the Norwegian flag beating fast against the flagpole, it’s very windy… but nice and warm and snug inside. I pull the duvet up and
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Steilvasselva to Umbukta. 33km 9 1/4hrs. Only one thing is constant in life; change, and the weather has changed. I looked at the forecast last night and saw more cloud and more importantly more wind for the coming days. As a result today was relatively demanding, more so because of linking two short days into
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Krutfjellhytta to Steilvasselva. 26km 8 1/2hrs. Through the thin, still mists of morning I emerge from the silver birch woods lining Krutvatnet onto the upper fjell. I push my skis ahead rhythmically, like two narrow-boats cutting through clear water… a perfect clean ski-track arcs away behind me. I confess to taking a certain pride in
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Hattfjelldal to Krutfjellhytta. 30km 8hrs. The trouble with luxurious hotel rooms is that they are difficult to leave… I had a lazy start, thinking today would be easier than it was. Nothing is easy in the deep freezer it seems. After speaking to Statskog (forest service) about open cabins in the area I was away
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Furuheim to Hattfjelldal. 32km 6hrs. Today I linked back-roads and scooter trails north out through the Susendal to the local comune centre of Hattfjelldal. From 20km away I could see the plume of smoke from what I now know to be the areas biggest industrial plant-a massive chip board factory. I skied out of the
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Viermahytta to Susendal. 45km 10 1/2hrs Last night I spent ages trying to decide what to do… I felt ok, a little tired, maybe 80%. It didn’t feel enough for a rest day, and cold mountain huts in -30C are tough rests. But if the snow on Børgefjell really was deep I’d need every daylight
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Røyrvik to Viermahytta. 30km 5 1/2hrs. Today’s an easy day… so I take my time at breakfast eating interesting combinations of food smothered in mayonnaise. It’s delicious. I can eat so much at the moment-it’s impressive. The first 16km along a quiet backroad north to Namsvatnet go smoothly enough. One of the two cars that
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I’ve been asked few times what my plan is for Norge på langs and, well, I don’t really have a fixed plan. I have a strategy. I researched the routes others have taken; where they stayed, how long they took, and what major problems they encountered. My research encouraged me not to take a pulk,
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Kvelia to Røyrvik. 55km 9hrs. It was -30degrees C when I set off this morning. I decided to start in my duvet trousers and did not remove them all day. Today I covered more kms than any day so far, but it wasn’t my hardest day. Why? Because I was skiing only on roads today.
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Ex Dragon Eldfjall 2017 began in the early hours on Thursday 31st of August, as twelve Officer Cadets (OCdts) and two supporting staff of East Midlands Universities Officer Training Corps (EMUOTC) were crammed into a van and whisked off to London Luton airport, ready for an early flight to Iceland. The goal of the expedition
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Six Cadets, aged 15 to 17, and two Instructors attended a winter exercise centered around the Cairngorms National Park during February 2018 with the aim of introducing some to the challenges of travelling in the winter mountain environment for the first time and others to extend their existing experience to include graded winter climbing. The
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EXPEDITION 1: Dates: 15th – 31st July 2017 Through July and August 2017, 28 enthusiastic participants, mostly deriving from HQ 2nd Medical Brigade, embarked on an adventure to the southern hemisphere, between latitudes 33’ and 41’ in the high Andes of Chile to conquer snow covered volcanoes on skis. It was broken down into two
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On the evening of 13th October 2017 a cohort of 14 2RIRISH personnel arrived at Belfast International Airport to catch the flight to London. Where on arrival, we spent the night in a comfortable departure hall at London Gatwick Airport. During the course of the evening LCpl Cowan had, unknowingly, donated his passport to the
Devika to Kvelia. 42km 9hrs. Fuelled on formidable amounts of delicious pizza and wonderful homemade butter oatcakes I head north. First out onto frozen Lenglingen lake following the wanded scooter track to the far end. My options from here are either to follow the road or take the slightly longer scooter track a little up
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Gjevsjøen to Devika. 45km 12 1/2hrs. Discipline. That’s what today required, and I don’t mean punishment. The weather had not improved, but I’m rested and ready for a bit of a fight. I felt something settle inside and I knew I wanted to engage. A big day, in less than ideal conditions. Leaving the warmth,
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Gjevsjøen weather and rest day. The soft silence outside the cabin confirms that the predicted snow had finally caught up with me. With immense kindness I’d been invited to dinner by the family last night. It was wonderful to share an evening of warmth, good company and delicious non dehydrated food! We discussed my plan
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Gaundalen Fjellgard to Gjevsjøen Fjellgard. 30km, 7hrs. The recommended route today follows a line of old pylons that march linearly from the old farm at Gaundalen, through the pine woods and up onto the open moor. It’s dense cloud when I leave and lightly snowing… so I don’t mind the aid to navigation. In the
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Veresstua to Gaundalen Fjellgard. 36km, 9hrs. Today dawn indecisively. Overcast, flat light, snow showers and a cold wind greeted me as I left the warmth of the cabin. The weather forecast has been changing almost hourly, first predicting bad weather, then good, then something in between… it looked from the sky that the fight was
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Julian Assange, quinoa, the equator and volcanoes seemed to top the ‘pub quiz’ answers connected to Ecuador. So when the question: ‘Do you want to go on an expedition to Ecuador?’ was asked the obvious answer to me was ‘Yes’. As a trained geography teacher who’d never quite managed to cross into the southern hemisphere
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It was the end of a demanding training year for Northumbrian Universities Officers’ Training Corps (NUOTC). Officer Cadets, Staff and Instructors had worked incredibly hard for 12 months to ensure that every one of the 23 staff and students from NUOTC were ready for the culmination of their Mountaineering Programme, the formidable; Exercise Northern Bear.
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On the 16th August 2017 nineteen cadets from Oakham School CCF set out on their journey to Norway to undertake their Gold DofE Expedition. After arrival at Oslo Airport they were collected by the advance party and then set course for the Telemark region of southern Norway, some three hours away. After arrival at the
Telemark Cadet 2017 Read More »
Exercise TROJAN GLACIER was a two-week-long alpine mountaineering exercise to Switzerland, conducted by Officer Cadets from Trojan Squadron of the Defence Technical Undergraduate Scheme. It aimed to introduce personnel already competent and qualified in basic level mountaineering and climbing skills to the high Alpine peak, pushing them to learn further technical skills and develop a
Bellingstua to Verestua. 13 km 3 1/2hrs. Some days in the winter mountains are elusive when we try to capture them with words. No phrase or description does them justice… today was such a day. In the quiet morning light, casting long shadows across the glittering snow I leave the cabin. I have a short
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Meråker to Bellingstua. 53km 11 1/2hrs. Last night I checked the weather. Two good days, then significant snow forecast. So I made the decision to make the long leap to Bellingstua, effectively linking what I’d planned as two days. The groomed tracks around Meråker enabled this, giving me pressed classic tracks all the way out
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Schultzhytta to Meråker. 31km 6hrs. This weekend I’ve had my first human company during the day. My friend Håkon who lives in Trondheim and has helped me position 3 vital resupply packages in the mountains around Trondheim. With the weather forecast to be stunning he asked to join me for the weekend-how could I refuse!
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Nordpå Fjellhotel to Schulzhytta. 43km 9 1/2hrs. After a perfect nights sleep in a luxurious cabin, my friend Håkon from Trondheim met me for breakfast with the plan to join me skiing for the day. It’s my first day of human company and what a stunning day! Håkon tells me he doesn’t do bad weather
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Skordalen to Nordpå Fjellhotel. 30km, 6 1/2hrs. Today I reached the first of three resupply parcels in the mountains around Trondheim. Which is a big boost to spirits because this last section took 3 days more than I originally planned. (I didn’t know the area and my original plan of 5 days Lemonsjø to Nordpå
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As Europe returned to work after the summer holidays, officers from National Reserve Headquarters Royal Artillery (NRHQ RA) headed south on Exercise BAVARIAN EAGLE. We were bound for Haus Magnus in Wertach, which incidentally, is a comfortable, well run Adventurous Training Group (ATG) lodge ideally placed for mountain hiking in the Allgäu region. Eleven of
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Day one saw an early start to our expedition as we met the coach just outside the centre of Rotherham for our journey down to the Isle of Wight. We had the one stop on the way down to Portsmouth, as cadets just love burgers, and arrived at the port with a couple of hours
AT Summer Camp, Isle of Wight 2017 Read More »
As part of its role Exeter UOTC is tasked with organising high quality and demanding Adventurous Training (AT) for the Cadets. This should deliver foundation qualifications but also give the Cadets exposure to just how demanding AT can be and how it can be used to develop personal qualities and teamwork. The Dolomite mountains of
Rørøs to Skordalen. 30km 5 1/2hrs. Today had potential to be dull and difficult. Strong winds from the south, overcast, and my next fixed destination, Nordpå, too far to reasonably or rationally do in a day. So I opted to split the journey and hope tomorrow will be a short day. How fortunate to find
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Staffordshire and West Midlands (NS) Army Cadet Force deployed a 24 strong expedition to Alberta, Canada to conduct Mountain Biking, White Water Kayaking, Mountaineering and Caving. “Opportunity of a lifetime” Cdt Brandon Connon, Old Hill Detachment “The best thing I have every done” L/Cpl Sol Flaherty, Leek Detachment “stunning scenery” Sgt Phoneix Everill, Uttoxeter Detachment
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A kayaking trip in Scotland? To many this would conjure up thoughts of being cold and wet however to the group of 10 Officer Cadets, many only just back from a kayaking expedition in France this was a chance to further develop and hone their skills on what promised to be a more technically challenging
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The Rolex Fastnet Race 2017 was the largest offshore yacht race in history, featuring some 400 yachts and 3000 crew members from 29 countries, competing over a 1120km course from Cowes to Plymouth via the Fastnet Rock off the Southern Irish coast. Thanks largely to the Ulysses Trust’s generous sponsorship of three members of the
Wesslighthouse 2017 Read More »
As 06.00am approached, the 30 cadets and 9 adults of Glasgow & Lanarkshire Battalion had been up and about for ages excited about what lay ahead. Some had skied before whilst others were complete novices. No matter what, there was not a thing that could have dampened their excitement for the ski trip to Serre
Northern Ventura Snow Peak 2018 Read More »
Operation Drakensberg Elephant was a 22-day expedition to the Drakensberg Mountains and surrounding area in the country of South Africa. The expedition encompassed 27 air cadets and 6 staff from across Warwickshire & Birmingham Wing with the primary objective of providing an overseas expedition focused on 3 weeks of Adventure Training, cultural education and engagement
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Vingelen to Rørøs. 47km 9 1/2hrs. Wow… what an amazing day. I love skiing. I love Norway. I love skiing across Norway. I love snow. I love winter landscapes. I love feeling strong enough to ski forever. 😊 There was a lot to love about today… maybe even my best day yet-and I’ve had a
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Two British Army Reservists from the hugely successful ICE MAIDEN expedition will be joining fellow Antarctic crossers from the award-winning SPEAR 17 expedition at the Ulysses Trusts’ 25th Anniversary Reception at Lancaster House on Thursday 15th February 2018. Ice maidens Major Sandy Henne and LSgt Sophie Montagne are two of the team of six British
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Lomåsen to Vingelen. 20km, 4 1/2hrs. I expected to wake tired and sore… but I felt fine, but very hungry. I was seriously considering a rest day because Eystein’s house in Lomåsen would be perfect for that… but I’m running out of supplies… The thought of the supermarket in the quiet rural village of Vingelen
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Grimsbu to Lomåsen 52km, 12hrs. Today I made a poor decision…and over-estimated the distance I could cover in these conditions. This was the first day that was uncomfortably long… it started in Musher heaven and finished in Trucker hell. It started with a good plan… when I arrived at Grimsbu last night I discovered that
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Grimsdalshytta to Grimsbu. 33km 7 1/2hrs. An early start from the hut because I thought it could be a long day… I started with an easy ski down the grimsdalen before I had to climb to a snowed-up hamlet Tollevshaugen. I was aiming to intersect with cut tracks above Folldal. Tor-Ivan @lemonsjoe.no fortuitously introduced me
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Døvre to Grimsdalshytta. 30km 7 1/2hrs. Today I passed between the Rondane and Døvrefjell, through the Grimsdal… which is appropriate because the day started pretty grim. The kind of day it would be easy to roll over and go back to sleep… little visibility 40kph winds and snow showers. No challenging navigation, a snowed-up road,
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31 (Tower Hamlets) is one of the most diverse RAF Air Cadet squadrons in the country. For many of the cadets, the organisation offers a rare opportunity to leave London, and to experience life outside of a city. A highlight of the year is always going away for the week on annual camp. Nationally however,
Towering Heights 2017 Read More »
Exercise Thor’s Azure saw seven Officer Cadets from DTUS Thunderer Squadron undertake the Tour de Mont Blanc, a 171km mountaineering round trip in the Alps, starting in France and spanning across Italy and Switzerland before finishing back in France. The exercise began with an early start with the team setting out from Southampton in order
Lemonsjø Fjellstue to Dovre. 43km, 9 1/4hrs. This section is tricky for all those attempting Norge på langs; how and where to cross the deep Otta valley. In recent low snowfall years this has often meant a lot of walking along roads… 😱 I took local advice from Tor-Ivan at @lemonsjoe.no and skied first to
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Hindsæter to Lemonsjø, 22km, 3 1/2hrs. Half day on immaculately cut classic tracks northwards to the hidden gem of a ski area at #lemonsjøen . The tracks wound their way through pine forests and rolling meadows, never too steep, no wind, cold and with plenty of sunshine. The kind of day that breathes energy into
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Cumbria ACF is a leading youth training organisation based in the North-West of the England, delivering a programme of challenging military, adventurous and leadership training to young men and women aged from 12 to 17. In May 2017, we took 35 cadets (over 10% of our strength), eight adult volunteers and five Mountain Leaders to
From September 2017 until January 2018 cadets and adult volunteers from TS Stirling Sea Cadets in Birmingham took part in the charity Snow Camp’s ‘First Tracks’ and ‘Graduate’ programmes. These are the first two of a three phase progressive snow sport programme run by the charity for disadvantaged young people. First Tracks is a two
Snow Dome Venturer 2017 Read More »
Gjendebu to Hindseter Fjellstue. 38km, 8 1/2hrs. Today I felt like a character in ‘The Revenant’ movie. I started before light because I wanted to make this a big day… and I had all 19km of lake Gjende to cross. 😱 The first 10km I broke trail… and then noticed in the milky whiteness a
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Tyinstølen to Gjendebu. 32km, 8 1/4hrs. The good weather continues, it’s still cold but now there’s cloud cover so only -10C or so. I started just before dawn, heading out across the lake to pick up a pisted track that has been cut along the E side. This runs to Fondsbu, a big DNT hut
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Sulebu to Tyinstølen. 19km 4hrs. Short day to re-supply in Tyinkrysset and re-charge the legs ready for a big day through the Jotenheim tomorrow. Leaving Sulebu cabin with -26C and the first alpine glow on the horizon was unforgettable… so rich for the spirit marvelling at how amazing our natural world is that I was
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Bjordalsbu to Sulebu. 30km, 7 1/2hrs. Physically a little easier today but still bitterly cold. Started hauntingly beautiful… skied out my last few hours with Joker through immaculate untouched white mountains… to Breitstølen Fjellstue. Erland Gray, Joker’s boss met me to take Joker home. Joker was so excited to see him- it was wonderful to
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Storestølen to Bjordalsbu. 30km 8 1/2hrs. Today was a cold, cold day… clear skies from dawn until dusk and a big move north to make. About 1000m of climbing today as well, in two main sections, the first immediately up above storestølen fjellstuga and the second up high and deep into the Skarheimen mountains. Only
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Finse to Storestølen. 25km, 7hrs. What an amazing day with a real mountain feel! 😀❤️🐕 A tough day with deep snow but made easier by a husky who worked his paws off today. We had a late start, met a lovely group of people doing Polar training at Finse with the amazing ladies Hannah and
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Kjeldebu to Finse. 30km, 8hrs. Today was a tough day… a day of contrasts. Started in snow showers, finished in steady snow. Winds stayed moderate, thankfully. Joker and I shared the work. When the snow was deep (first half) he walked beside or behind in my tracks, then when we got firmer conditions he walked
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Sandhaug to Kjeldebu. 30km, 8hrs. Beautiful sunrise again today… we’re into the flatlands of the heart of the Hardangavidda, just as well since Joker’s a little tired. Maybe he thought we were just doing two days? Mostly he’s been walking beside me today, but put a good pull in up to Dyranut and then chased
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Litlos to Sandhaug, 22km, 6hrs. Today was a troublesome day… Joker decided to take his foot off the gas. Maybe dogs don’t respond well to rest days…? He pulled for 6km and then when we lost the visibility and the wind picked up decided to walk beside me… then when the snow got deeper, behind
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Rest day 😀 0km 0hrs… as planned due to bad weather all day. Litlos has a new winter cabin since my last visit… lots of map checking, planning, stretching, eating and sleeping. Joker made it somewhat less restful by suffering cabin fever… the intense moonlight after the storm encouraged some less than sleep inducing howling
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Hellevassbu to Litlos, 18km, 4 1/2hrs. Today was not a day for sleeping. Joker woke me by licking my face at 6am. Nice. Still dark for another two hours… I guess it’s time to get up. We started from #hellevassbuin the dark… and what a #sunrise! Joker had energy to spare and pulled most of
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Haukelister to Hellevassbu, 22km, 6hrs. First day skiing with Joker! Bjørg Selvåg kindly met me at Haukeliseter fjellstue after an epic drive to share a day in the mountains and give me guidance on how to look after Joker on this next stage. Joker is her greenlandic husky and as she told me in December…
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Holmavasshytta to Haukeliseter Fjellstue. 20km, 5hrs. Wow… what a day… left two couples holed up at Holmavasshytta after the bad weather with a late start because I didn’t think the weather would be good enough to go… but the wind dropped through the night, and visibility actually improved! The strong winds had compacted the snow
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Bleskestadmoen to Holmavasshytta. 18km, 7hrs. Left the cabin in the woods with high hopes of better weather… sadly not to be 😂 the wind picked strongly about midday and decided not to try to link two days… good call! It was enough just getting to Holmavasshytta!
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Krossvatn to Bleskestadmoen 25km, 7 1/2hrs. Started in stronger wind and less visibility but a good, long day across a lot of lakes and a big descent before the final climb and this video… Today I fell over a lot.
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Vassdalstjørn to Krossvatn, 10km 3hrs… and a leisurely afternoon at an amazing hut. ❤️ Started with wind and poor visibility, lots of defensive skiing and careful navigation. Picked up old sled tracks and the visibility turned magical!
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Storevatn to Vassdalstjørn 40km, 11 1/2hrs. Good forecast, no snow, light winds, but flat light. Make hay whilst the sun shines… and GO! 😀 Long day out alone in the winter hills… decided to try to get past Blasjø reservoir. This vast dammed lake provides 17% of Norwegian power (so I’m told). Last light as
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The Ice Maiden Expedition has become the first all-female team to cross the Antarctica continent from coast-to-coast using muscle power alone. The Ulysses Trust is proud to have been a major sponsor for such a challenging and ambitious expedition. After spending 62 days on the ice, the six soldiers crossed the finish line at the Hercules Inlet
Wow, what a trip! I am sitting in the airport at San Francisco, waiting for the flight home, reflecting on the last two weeks. It is hard to know where to start. I could run through the ‘stats’ (everyone climbing between 50 & 60 pitches or 2500 to 3000m of rock over the course of
Dragon Venturer Cadet Rock Yosemite 2017 Read More »
In August 2017 twelve Officer Cadets (OCdts), two instructors and a member of support staff from Oxford University Officer Training Corps (OUOTC) flew to Alberta, Canada for a twelve day open canoeing adventurous training package. The main aim of the expedition was to challenge OCdts, most of which have never open canoed before, by tackling
Blue Poseidon 2017 Read More »
In the corner of a quiet Essex pub, ‘three nods’ around the table meant we’d just agreed to run Essex Wing’s first ever overseas paddling expedition. A fantastic journey down the Ardèche River had begun … In the months that followed, routes were chosen, letters of intent sent and a staff team built. The nominations
The summer of 2017 saw Royal Air Force Air Cadets from the Bristol and Gloucestershire Wing take on the Canadian Rockies. The self-supported cadet expedition which was the result of two years of planning, fund raising and training was, led by Adult Sgt Edward Smart. It saw 19 cadets & staff from 9 different squadrons fly
Mountain Storm 2017 Read More »
The Upper Valais region in Switzerland, with routes up to 3,000 meters altitude and surrounding the magnificent Groesser Aletsch Glacier, was selected for a summer mountaineering expedition, exercise ALPINE BULL, which took place between 24th and 30th July 2017. Twelve personnel with a mixture of background, qualifications, and experience from 11 Infantry Brigade and headquarters
Tiger Alpine Bull 2017 Read More »
The aim of the expedition was to introduce Officer Cadets to Alpine mountaineering, including teaching them crevasse rescue techniques and skills for moving on a glacier using ice axe and crampons, and to give them experience of summiting an Alpine peak. There were 11 military participants and one civilian International Federation of Mountain Guides Association
Gaukhei to Håheller. 22km 5hrs. Started in the fog, tricky navigation, mostly white, linking lots of frozen lakes. Saw ptarmigan and a fox… then into my cosy cabin for the night
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Bortelid to Gaukhei, 22km 5 1/2hrs. First 5km on empty tracks then… into the wild. Strange sand castle trees and lots of white! Making @4k/hr A little nervous, snow showers, light winds, visibility could be better! “Begin at once to live, and count each separate day as a separate life”
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Introduction On the 16th June 17, myself and a team of mountaineers left Northern Ireland heading to Chamonix, France for what would be one of the most memorial experiences of my life. Flying into Lyon it was late evening when we arrived in Chamonix. Despite the long journey, seeing the mansion that our exercise planner
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On the 16th of July, after a difficult few weeks of exams and revision, we were all looking forward to an exciting trip, walking a section of the Carros de foc (or Chariots of Fire) which is part of the Aigüestortes mountain range, white water rafting and canyoning, abseiling down the many water falls. As
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The St Albans sea cadets had planned a sailing trip for 28 cadets and six staff to sail three 72 foot Challenger yachts across to the Channel Islands. This was to take place over six days. Commencing Tuesday 25th July after travelling to Portsmouth by coach, we arrived to meet the three boats at 1200,
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A day or so after having returned from our two week Annual Camp in Denmark a rather unexpected and exciting opportunity presented itself to me, sailing! Being a fairly sporty person I am always up for trying something new but this was something I had not even considered before. I quickly learnt that the Royal
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Between 17th-24th November 2017, eighteen volunteer reservists from 212 Field Hospital undertook a rock climbing expedition to the Costa Blanca region of Spain. The aim of this expedition was to challenge the participants mentally and physically, using rock climbing as a medium to do this. The group consisted of greatly varied ranks, ages, and –
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Wonderful evening with Kristine before deep snow in the woods and compact skiing up the snowy roads to Bortelid. 25km 5 1/2hrs
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Thanks to the likes of Jacques Cousteau and our own Sir David Attenborough, for the uninitiated, talk of scuba diving may conjure up pictures of kaleidoscope coloured reefs, the inimitable ‘Finding Nemo’ clownfish and a plethora of sharks and weird and wonderful fish. However, reality and fantasy are rarely synchronised as the members of Exercise
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Cadets from Lord Wandsworth College CCF traveled to a small village called Autrans near Grenoble, France, to engage in a week of exciting Adventurous Training activities. The idea behind the expedition was to take part in challenging activities in a setting that is bigger and better than anything the UK has to offer. We were
A day of contrasts… 42km to Torsland in Longdalen… skiing on the road now but the rucksack’s too heavy and the day was too long
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Summary Exercise Dusty Dalmatian saw 12 students from Cambridge University Air Squadron, one member of staff and one external instructor travel to the Istria region of Croatia to conduct 6 days of single pitch outdoor climbing, followed by one day of indoor lead climbing at Big Rock, Milton Keynes. The group was accommodation in a
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There’s a very good reason for the Foreign Legion having bases on the island of Corsica, it’s rugged, hot, mountainous and a challenge to all who want to operate there! The island is traversed from Calenzana in the northwest to Conca in the southeast by the GR20, the toughest of all France’s Grand Route long-distance
Short day to Hessa to a warm welcome from old friends.
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Introduction Fourteen officer cadets, four Reserve Forces staff and one Non-Regular Permanent Staff member departed Scotland on the drive to the Bourgogne region of France on a Rock Climbing expedition. This region was chosen due to the climate, variety of rock types and the needs related to delivering the RSF course. This was due to
Overview From the 9th of July to the 16th of July 2017, 20 Officer Cadets from Bristol University Officer Training Corps took part in a week of Sub-Aqua diving in the area of Buggiba, Malta. Their aim was to either gain initial qualifications or further progress in BSAC qualifications, while simultaneously taking advantage of Malta’s
Our ambassador, Tania Noakes, has completed her epic ski trek expedition to raise funds for the Ulysses Trust’s 25th Anniversary Appeal. Tania set-off on the classic Norge På Langs, or ‘Norway from end to end’ on 14th January 2018. A journey of over 2,500km from the southern tip of Norway, Lindesnes to the most northerly point, Nordkapp. She completed
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50km, 8hrs 15mins of power walking from Lindesnes Fyr on the coast to the snows of Marnardal. A fierce start but heavy rain forecast today…
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A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step..
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In June 2017, a crew consisting of soldiers from The Scottish and North Irish Yeomanry took part in an expedition to sail the Royal Armoured Corps Yacht Club boat, Yacht Ajax, from Gosport to Barmouth in Wales. Named ‘Exercise Sea Wolf’, reflecting the unit’s cap-badge of a grey wolf, the aim of the expedition was
On the 19th November 2017 two reservists from the University of London Officer Training Corps began a three-week Adventure Training exercise on-board Yacht ‘Discoverer’, one of the Army’s two Challenger 72’ Ocean going sail training yachts. The aim of Ex Pacific Longbow was to challenge participants in a demanding environment and to develop their individual,
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The Ten Tors Challenge is a challenge for teams of young people between the ages of 13 and 19 to walk 35, 45 or 55-mile courses across Dartmoor in just 34 hours. The event takes place from Okehampton on the first weekend of May every year. This year was the 57th running of the event.
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Day 0 We met at 1530 on the 26th March at our Town Headquarters. At 1600 the transport arrived bringing with it the Boss as well the remainder of our diving equipment. We stopped quickly at a service station for a toilet and food break. On arrival at RAF Brize Norton we found out that
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“This trip is a life changing event and I am not the only one who has said that.” Cadet Aaron Burke. Whilst everyone in Middlesex and North West London ACF were being picked up by coaches to go to Annual Camp at Sennybridge in South Wales a group of 18 cadets plus 6 adults had
In August 2017 40 cadets and 12 staff from London Area Sea Cadet adventurous training Team descended onto the town of Newquay in Cornwall for Summer Rock 2017. 5 Days of adventurous training slightly different and more extreme than what the cadets of London area are normally used to. Thanks to the Ulysses Trust we
Expedition information Middlesex Wing took part in August of this year on an expedition to Serbia. The aim of the expedition was to canoe in areas not normally used for this activity taking cadets into unfamiliar environment while controlling the exposure to risk. I would like to say the expedition was a success and was
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Four seasons in one week maintained the ambitions of Ex Northern Jacobite Venturer. Temperatures of 20o C for the first few days gave way to wet and wintry by last day of the expedition. Our now annual Scottish exploit is in it’s 11th year and is successfully delivering all five phases of a cadet’s five year
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Exercise Northern Inca Unicorn 17 was conducted from the 26 Oct to 12 Nov 17. It was led by Staff Sergeant (Senior Permanent Staff Instructor) Guy Bufton, its aim was to promote the Joint Service Adventure Training scheme at all levels within 32 Signal Regiment, in particular junior ranks and to provide a fertile learning
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I was just browsing through my emails when Ex Dragon Eagle Sphinx stood out to me. One week adventurous training, diving, in the red sea. I’m sorry, who would turn that down? No previous experience was needed as training had been organised prior to this exercise, so complete beginners including myself could be part of
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Ex AMA 60 was a Pan Army, Army Mountaineering Association (AMA), High Risk and Remote, mountaineering & trekking expedition to the remote Dolpa region of Western Nepal. It was open to all AMA members, and the team consisted of both Regulars and Reserves. It was conceived to celebrate 60 years of the formation of the
