Expedition Reports

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 […]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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,

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

Prior to its deployment on Operation Tosca (United Nations tour of Cyprus), members of 104 Regt RA (V) travelled to Mittersill, Austria, to embark upon Exercise White Dragon, an adventure exercise combining both alpine skiing and ski touring. After skilfully managing to fit all our luggage and ski equipment into a combi van, we departed

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.

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

My love hate relationship with this 4.3 mile high summit started in 2007 whilst still serving as a regular Army Air Corps soldier, 5 years later as a Territorial Army Air Corps soldier and full time mountain guide this pile of ancient rock, scree, ice and snow is still testing and challenging me, and even

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

Like any adventure training trip, the journey out was full of anxious new, and a variety of experienced skiers,  in their seats ready for a long 20 hr coach journey to Les Arcs. All I can say is thank god for a toilet and Capt Ebo playing DJ on the DVD player. The group of

Intsail is an annual Intelligence Corps Adventurous Sail Training Exercise open to all Corps personnel as well as non Int Corps personnel working alongside the G2 community. Training objectives are essentially those set out in the RYA Competent Crew and Day Skipper syllabus, so the exercise provides an excellent opportunity for novice or recently qualified

In early October, eleven of us set off for the Indian Himalayas, with the aim of climbing several previously unclimbed and unnamed mountains around 6000m in height. The team was made up of a broad spread of ranks and units, both TA and regular. After arrival in Delhi, we picked up our Liaison Officer from

Introduction Dragon Venturer Eagle was a trekking and climbing expedition to the Everest region of the Nepalese Himalayas which took place from the 8 to the 28 October 2010 to mark the occasion of the 150th Anniversary of the Cadet Forces. The Expedition team consisted of 20 Army Cadets aged 14 to 18 along with

Following on from previous successful expeditions run by this unit that were quite technical adventurously, we were in pursuit of a new challenge that would be more accessible to all cadets and provide an exclusive experience out of the everyday for the participants. Oman was selected as our destination for October 2010 for its majestic

Dive One: Dive One: Our first dive consisted of becoming familiar with all the diving apparatus and diving techniques. The previous day we had been issued with all our equipment to save time so we could have more time in the water. Also our dive instructor gave us an overview of what we would be

On the 18th Sept 10, 10 personnel from 165 Port Regt and 2 personnel from 17 Port and Maritime Regt departed from Heathrow to Edmonton in Alberta, Canada for expedition Mulberry Paddle. After the eight hour flight, we were met by Lt Lisa Bayduza, Commanding officer of 2995 Lac La Biche Army cadets our hosts

7 Battalion The Rifles deployed on their Annual Training Period to Oakhampton camp for 2 weeks on 10th Sep to consolidate and confirm training that had been taking place throughout the year. In order to give the soldiers some much needed R&R from the mainly range based activities, it was decided to organise a series

For the 13th successive year, Major David Waterworth, Devon ACF’s Cadet Executive Officer, organised and ran an Adventure Training expedition to the Los Picos Mountains of Northern Spain. Once again the Ulysses Trust awarded a very generous grant which kept the cost to the individual Cadets and Adult Instructors down to a very affordable level

A group of 14 intrepid adventurers deployed to the most northerly point of the North Devon coast on Saturday 25 September 2010. With the sun shining and our spirits high, we were all excitedly looking forward to finding out what the coming days and 120 miles would bring. Starting off at the lovely seaside town

An Icelandic proverb: If you don’t like the weather, wait a minute! After a couple of hours’ kip on the floor of Stansted Airport and an uneventful flight to Keflavik, five cadets and three staff from Queen Ethelburga’s College CCF set up their first camp in Reykjavik at the start of a two-week walking expedition.

Between August 3rd and August 12th, Sheffield UOTC took 16 intrepid Officer Cadets to Cortina d’Ampezzo, in the midst of the Dolomite Mountains in Italy. The purpose of this expedition was to introduce the group to the climbing methods of via ferratta, where one climbs up the side of a mountain using a variety of

Every Leader knows that an expedition never entirely unfolds according to the plan and that the inevitable curved ball or two is to be expected. Co-ordinating two expeditions travelling to France on the same day with a multitude of pick up points collecting eighteen canoeists and ten mountaineers on route to Dover not unsurprisingly did

The weather and views were stunning, and the long walk provided an excellent opportunity to acclimate ourselves to our ice gear and to practice the principles that would keep us safe while journeying across ice and crevasses for the duration of the trip. The gradual ascent became quite steep as we neared the 3300m col

On the 6th August 2010 eleven cadets and two staff joined the Ocean Youth Trust (OYT) Scotland challenge vessel ‘Alba Endeavour’ for the start of an exciting adventure which would take them across the North Sea into the Fjords of Norway and back through stormy conditions to Edinburgh. Often the question is asked ‘What are

On the 2-8th August Bristol University Officers Training Corp was fortunate to send twelve Officer Cadets yacht sailing in the Solent area on the south coast. The weather was excellent and the Solent was full to bursting with crafts of all types hoping to enjoy the festival of Cowes week. Sailing during the week was

Cockney Oceanic was a Sailing Expedition with the ULOTC on a Nicholson 55 that took place in the United Kingdom, Channel Islands, France, Bay of Biscay, Spain and Portugal from 27 August to 24 September 2010. Divided into two legs, it saw 22 participants in total; 4 Skippers and 18 crew members sail from Gosport

Monday 2nd August Crew collected foul weather clothing – oillies and willies, and further safety briefings were conducted. In the afternoon we practiced coming-alongside drills in the marina and set off into the Solent for some sail training, practising man-overboard drills and tacking the boat. Sailed down the Solent to a mooring buoy at Yarmouth

In September 2010 256 Field hospital (volunteers) deployed a group of seven on an expedition of the Mont Blanc mountain range, a famous long distance trek at altitude. Mont Blanc is the highest mountain in Europe (4807m), the mountain range has 400 summits, more than 40 glaciers, and crosses into three countries (France, Italy and

In September 2010, four adult staff and a 19 year old cadet of the Air Training Corps, all experienced and strong walkers, embarked on a 14 day trek through Upper Dolpa, Nepal; a very remote, sparsely populated, poor, culturally Tibetan Himalayan region; the route included three passes above 5000 metres. The `strenuous` graded trek was

On the 15th July, after almost a year of fundraising, physical training and equipment buying, I departed Heathrow airport and swapped my life in civilization for 5 weeks in Oscar II Land, at 78 degrees North in Svalbard. The expedition was split up into three phases, the first being a training and preparation week, which

(TIGER) SHRIVENHAM TAURUS BETHESDA was an 8 day multi-activity expedition to Snowdonia for members of the Defence Technical Undergraduate Scheme (DTUS). Adventurous Training is a big part of what DTUS delivers as it provides an ideal vehicle to maintain interest in Service life and to develop leadership and physical attributes. 20 members of DTUS went

Twenty-three personnel from Bristol UOTC took part in Freedom Tiger, following “Le Chemin de La Liberte” or the Freedom Trail, through the Pyrenees. The convoy, consisting of two combivans and a minibus, left Bristol to catch the Portsmouth to Caen ferry, followed by a very long drive to St Girons in the South of France.

On 9th July seventeen cadets, two school staff and two regular soldiers – Dins and Glyn, left Heathrow for Belize, via a stopover in Houston. On arrival in Houston a quick stop by the hotel and then off to see a baseball game – a very overrated experience. The following morning a quick flight and

Following months of planning, training and fund raising, the time had finally come to begin the final phase of this expedition. During the build up to the expedition cadets had raised sponsorship through bag-packing, a 24 hour sponsored swim and approaching local businesses to seek donations. The cadets themselves took ownership for fund raising, thereby

The Expedition started with 4 cadets and 2 staff being driven early in the morning to Gatwick airport en route for Geneva. A delayed flight led to a small panic with trains and buses but eventually the group arrived at the campsite at Bonatchiesse high up in the Val de Bagnes in the Valais region

Introduction On 25 July 2010, 59 cadets from the three services, accompanied by 10 adult staff, a doctor and a Media Ops man, set out for Lesotho on a major adventurous training exercise as part of the Cadet 150 celebrations, returning home on 18 August. The expedition provided a challenging and life-enriching opportunity for Cadets

Cockney Blue Calypso was a Scuba Diving expedition with the ULOTC that took place in Gozo from 11 – 22 July 2010. It consisted of 29 students and 5 instructors. We were divided into two groups for the duration of the expedition; the novices, who would be undertaking the British Sub-Aqua Club (BSAC) Ocean Diver

Outline: This Expedition was put together as part of the Cadet 150 celebrations. The aim of the Expedition was to complete an arduous and adventurous canoe journey circumnavigating Algonquin Provincial Park, delivering JSAT and BCU qualifications as part of the journey and to give adult instructors the experience they need to progress with their instructor

Newbury Air Cadets walk from Coast to Coast – 192 miles covered in an epic 8 day feat of endurance Cadets from 211 (Newbury) Squadron, Air Training Corps recently took part in an expedition of great stamina and fortitude; walking from St Bee’s Head to Robin Hoods Bay along Wainwright’s Coast to Coast path. Whilst

The chosen activities were Rock Climbing, Mountain Biking, Trekking, Canyoning, and a High Ropes confidence course. These did indeed produce the qualities we wanted to see from 151 Regiment soldiers. The weekend started early for some after their long drive up to North Wales from the Greater London area, with Minibuses travelling from the various

4 Officer Cadets from the University of London Officer Training Corps spent 13 days in mid August sailing through the North Sea and Channel as part of a very memorable sail-training expedition. In Leg 4 the Tri-Service Adventure Sail Training Centre (JSASTC) 55′ Yacht, Dasher, took part in the last 3 days of the international

Liverpool UOTC’s 2010 annual climbing trip began by setting up camp on the Edelweiss Lodge Wilderness Campground in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Day one brought a beautiful sunrise and glorious sunshine as the group set off climbing at a crag approximately 30 minutes drive away from base camp. The instructors went through all the basics with everyone and

Monte Bianco – A New Venture This summer, twelve cadets from the Canford School CCF linked up with the Italian Alpine Regiment in Perenni Barracks, Courmayeur, to conduct some Alpine climbing. The task was clear enough: twelve cadets and two members of staff guided by instructors along with three Alpini guides and funded by the

Iron Mountain was a Via Ferrata adventure training expedition to the Alps, in particular the Dolomite region in Italy, the Tirol region in Austria and Southern Bavaria in Germany. It took place over the period 19th June to 3rd July. The expedition party was made up of 10 students from Bristol UOTC and 2 TA

Immediately after our annual camp in Haltern, Germany, 25 members from the Northumbrian Universities Officer Training Corps headed south to the Valais region of Switzerland for a 10 day multi activity expedition that was designed ‘ to take us to our limits!’ What this statement meant, we were unsure but definitely excited to find out!

Between the 8th of May and the 3rd of July 2010 a total of six cadets from the Air Training Corps took part in the Joint Service Round-the-World sailing expedition, Exercise Transglobe, on board HMSTV Discoverer. Cadet Sgts Christopher Marchant and Stephen Lynn sailed from Antigua to Charleston. Cadet Warrant Officer Steff Page and Cdt

On Sunday 4th April 2010, a group of 32 staff and cadets from 65 (Bridgewater), 86 (Heston) and 2484 (Bassingbourn) squadrons left Heathrow to head out to Borneo to take part in Expedition Tropics Eagle, a two week expedition to Sabah in Malaysian Borneo. This was the culmination of many months of planning, training and

In the Easter break, twelve fortunate CCF cadets embarked on a highly challenging yet fulfilling ski-touring expedition to the Hardangervidda Plateau in Southern Norway. Our dedicated CCF Officers , Captain Tony Willmore, Major John Patchett and Lieutenant Zoe Scott, with their excellent leadership qualities and fun approach, ensured that the cadets not only gained fantastic

Conrad Anker recently repeated the old adage that if you need to ask why people climb you won’t understand the answer. Why, after a trip exposing us to cold, hardship and risk, do the bad memories fade faster than the good ones, enticing us back to the mountains again? No sooner had we returned to

I was assigned a vacancy as crew on ADVENTURE, the Royal Navy boat of Transglobe Leg 9. I was to sail from Montevideo to Antigua, a distance of over 5000nm, in 5 weeks. We assembled at Gosport and, after kit issues and briefings, we flew, via Madrid, to Montevideo. The total compliment was 14 people,

On the Wednesday 24 March eleven boys and one girl packed their bags and departed on the Bradfield College CCF Ski Expedition. The 3 days of expedition preparation saw the group experiencing the difficulties of cross country skiing, scrambling like bambinos on ice to obtain the necessary skills required. On the first day of the

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

London/Cambridgeshire Territorial Bomb Disposal Regiment ski towards Regular Service 101 Engineer Regiment (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) has squared up to its last major challenge before changing from being a Territorial Army unit to becoming a Regular Army unit with both Regular and Territorial squadrons. 34 members of 101 Engr Regt (EOD) have deployed on Exercise Cockney

I wish to report of the successful and happy adventure had by all those staff and cadets who attended Alpine Adventure this year: it was absolutely fantastic. Lots of forward planning and preparation had gone into making the week as enjoyable as possible. Organised by the London Area SCC Adventure Training team, Alpine Adventure has

During February half-term, 19 members of the RGS Guildford CCF from all 3 services took part in a Winter Adventurous training programme in Bavaria. All went well on the journey until our initial flight was cancelled and then our replacement flight had to abort its initial landing into Munich, both due to poor weather conditions.

13 Territorials and one CCF adult instructor spent 18 days in January this year on an adventure training expedition of a lifetime, taking part in Exercise Transglobe, a Tri Service circumnavigation of the world. Leg 7, the only fully crewed TA leg, sailed across the Tasman Sea from Hobart to Auckland on one of the

On a cold snowy Saturday evening, 15 personnel from 6 Regt AAC (Volunteers) gathered at Bury St Edmunds TA Centre ready to deploy to Austria to undertake week 1 of a 2 week adventure training expedition. Mission; to teach novice skiers to Basic Ski Proficiency level and for those who already had this qualification; to

It soon became very apparent to all of us that the off-piste techniques were extremely different to those required when on-piste, despite the excellent conditions. Each day we tried to improve both our skiing and touring skills. For the majority of us, ski touring required a new skill set and the PTI’s gave instruction regarding

This exercise was a Regimental Adventure training opportunity for members of 39 Signal Regiment (V). The aim of the exercise was to give members of the unit an opportunity to learn to alpine ski or for those who could already ski to gain more skiing experience. The exercise was conducted in Zell am See in

The aim of Exercise Alpine Challenge 5 was to introduce 8 fairly inexperienced cadets to Alpine Climbing with the view of tackling three of highest and most interesting peaks in the Austrian Otztaler. This is one of the many mountain ranges in the Tyrol District and whilst it is not the highest area in the

Snowy Dragon is an annual skiing adventure training for the TA and regular components of 170 (Infra Sp) Engr Gp. It took place in Morzine, France from the 9 – 30 January 2010. The objective of the exercise was to coach the students to enable them to attain basic or advanced ski proficiency in alpine