Expedition Reports

The AMA winter meet is a highlight of the year, weather permitting and, for the last two years has been based in Glencoe. This is a world class destination for winter mountaineering and the Glencoe hostel provides an excellent base. On arrival we met our instructor for the week, Andy Hogarth, a runner who climbs […]

Ex TELEMARK TITAN 2024 was the FANYs’ first foray into telemark skiing as part of a fortnight of race training in Pralognan-la-Vanoise, culminating in the British and British Army Telemark Championships. The Corps was keen to take part in the exercise as, since 2019’s Ex Viking Challenge, kindly sponsored by the Ulysses Trust, members had

JOINT GLACIER 24 was a seven-day adventurous training expedition to the Stubai Valley in Austria. The purpose of the trip was to take eight non-skiers and eight with a variety of experience and instruct them either in skiing or take them to their next qualification level.The purpose of this type of trip is to expose

Exercise MONTY MERGER 24 (MM24) was the most recent iteration of Headquarters Home Command and Standing Joint Command (UK)’s annual skiing Adventurous Training expedition. Split across two weeks, there were all levels of skiing ranging from beginners through to those developing their instructional capability before attending the Ski Leader courses which will qualify them to

The 2023 MR Sailex once again generated excellent participation figures with 47 reservists from across the Maritime reserve taking part, representing 12 units. This was the fourth running of the event, which has been supported each year by the Ulysses Trust, without whose support the event would simply not happen. Aims Maritime reserves Sailex has

WHAT WE ACHIEVED​​PHASE 1: ​ Novice climbers, many of whom were completely new to the sport gained the required knowledge to safely climb using a top rope on a sport climbing route. Students with previous experience were able to gain valuable log book days, in preparation for the Rock Climbing Supervisor qualification.​ PHASE 2: ​ Once students had gained sufficient experience and were

During September 2023 the Honourable Artillery Company (HAC), an army reservist unit in the City of London, took 22 soldiers and officers out to the Mont Blanc Massif, with the objective to summit Gran Paradiso, a 4,061m peak in the Aosta Valley, Italy. This expedition comprised a core component of their Alpine Mountaineering Foundation (AMF)

159RLC EX DRAGON BARBARIAN NEPAL 7th October to 30th October 2023  Planning a trip such as adventure training in Nepal can take literally years to get everything right and ensure all the important considerations are met. On top of this, finances are possibly the biggest restriction now on any large organisation and especially those in

“Exercise Northern Rock-Warrior” deployed 14 individuals, from the newly formed 215 (Scottish) Multirole Medical Regiment to Sardinia, Italy for a rock-climbing expedition with foundations in mental resilience and wellness training.  Prior to deployment the expedition leader and second in command, (both climbing instructors) put together a business case, fundraised, carried out a medical recce to

Between 25 September and 13 October 2023, MAS(A) (Management Accountancy Services Army) personnel participated in an arduous adventurous training exercise in a remote region of Nepal. The team trekked the Manaslu Circuit for 10 days through blistering heat, monsoon rain and a little snow whilst reaching an altitude of over 5100 metres! After months of

Exercise SPITFIRE ADVENTURE 23 was a 20 Works Group Royal Engineers (Air Support) canoeing expedition which took place on the Green River, Moab, Utah, from 9 – 24 Sep 23. The main aim of the exercise / Expedition (Exped), which were successfully met were to: a. To develop teamwork, leadership and confidence in a challenging

A trek over the Pyrenees in the footsteps of the Prisoners of War that made this their escape route during WW2. Background: During WW2 Saint Girons was in the occupied zone of the South of France and it was from here that PoWs would jump off the train and head into the Pyrenees to attempt

(09 – 27 Aug 23) at Yukon, Canada Ex Dragon Fireweed saw 16 members of 37 Signal Regiment spend 14 days in the Kluane National Park in the Yukon Territory. Yukon is in the north-western corner of Canada and is bordered by Alaska and the Northwest Territories. The sparsely populated territory encompasses natural scenic beauty,

3RWELSH is always keen to offer opportunity to its soldiers as a reward for their service to the unit and the wider Army Reserve in general. To that end, the annual battalion skiing trip is a key event in the unit’s Forecast of Events and extremely popular with our serving soldiers. For several years now

In Sep 2023, 101 Engineer Regiment ran EX BLACK CHARGE 4 in Somerset, a multi-day AT package in the Cheddar Gorge area. 30 Reservists from the London, Kent and Essex regions undertook a series of land-based challenges as well as extra-curricular activities to improve their leadership skills and enhance their civilian qualifications. The aim of

Ex TIGER SWISS ROCK was an alpine rock-climbing exercise for members of the Army Mountaineering Association. The unique challenge of the exercise was to push the boundaries of alpine rock climbing to provide development opportunities to an experienced cohort of Adventurous Training instructors. Ex TIGER SWISS ROCK was a ‘road trip’ exercise, constantly moving, with

After a long adventurous training hiatus following the pandemic, six members of 457 Battery, 106 Regiment Royal Artillery deployed to Stavanger, Norway on Ex Tiger Cara Nordic, a sailing expedition aboard the NATO Joint Warfare Centre’s (JWC) sailing club yacht, Aurelius II. Sailing over nine days, the aims were to develop team cohesion and introduce

Between the 8th and 16th July 2023, 12 Officer cadets (OCdt), 2 Officers and 2 instructors completed an expedition to Iceland to achieve the Summer Mountain Foundation Course (SMF) by finishing both the Laugavegur and Fimmvörðuháls trail. Through hiking over 75km with 7,500ft of elevation whilst carrying tents, rations, and relevant equipment everyone had an

The objective of the expedition was to take 12 novice kayakers with 2 experienced guides, to the beautiful and challenging Isles of Scilly, exploring the archipelago whilst simultaneously developing skills and safety at sea, and challenging the team and individuals to push beyond their comfort levels. These base objectives were not only met but surpassed,

Between 17-23 June, 8 students and 2 instructors from the Northumbrian Universities Air Squadron completed a series of progressively harder hikes, climbs and scrambles across challenging via ferrata routes located in the North, Central and East ranges of the Italian Dolomites. The six different via ferrata completed put our mental and physical resilience to the

Ex NORTHERN AMAZONAS FORTUNE was a 4th Battalion The Royal Yorkshire Regiment Kayaking / Canoeing expedition to the Rio Urubu, Amazonas District, Brazil, 23 June – 08 July 2023. A physically and mentally demanding expedition, conducted in one of the most bio-diverse and challenging environments on Earth, where 13 novices and 2 instructors completed an

The aim of Dragon Dive 2023 was to take twelve regular and reserve service personnel from various Army units to participate in a diving expedition to enhance their skills and knowledge in a more challenging environment. We also wanted to qualify newly qualified divers to their next level of diving to become British Sub Aqua

Our expedition to Annapurna Base camp, nestled in the heart of the Himalayas, proved a challenging yet rewarding endeavour for the fourteen members of our team who set out to conquer this arduous expedition. The objective was clear: to reach the base camp of the majestic Annapurna Mountain, which would set out to test our

Nestled within the grandeur of the Sierra Nevada mountains in California, the Yosemite National Park emerges as a captivating tapestry of awe-inspiring natural wonders. With its iconic granite cliffs, glacial valleys, thunderous waterfalls, and ecological diversity, the national park and its majestic Yosemite Valley offered the perfect setting for an expedition. In Mid-May a team

Three hours west of Oslo lies Norway’s premier ice climbing destination.  Nestled in a strikingly beautiful, deep east-west oriented valley, the lack of winter sunshine falling on the town of Rjukan results in a gloriously extended climbing season. With numerous and highly varied frozen waterfalls throughout the valley we were spoiled for choice, from the

Ex TIGER WINTER INTRO was a winter mountaineering exercise for members of Regional Command Headquarters.  The unique challenge of the exercise involved making Adventurous Training accessible and worthwhile for a group of ‘more-mature’ service personnel, who still had the urge to be stretched and challenged, but without the intensity of demanding physical activity associated with

At the end of September 58 members of the RNR came together from 12 units for the annual RNR Sailing Expedition, this time bigger than ever.  Build Up Keen to build on the success of previous years, a dedicated small team of Naval Reservists spent months planning this weekend of adventure in the Solent. Each RNR

Originally planned for 2020 but delayed by two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, fourteen members of 37 Signal Regiment finally set off for the adventure of a lifetime on 21 November 2022.  PLANNING  Planning and executing an oversees expedition is no mean feat. From funding, medical plans, pre deployment training, sourcing kit and equipment,

Exercise Dragon Himalayan Endeavour; a major pan-Army expedition to summit Himlung Himal (7126m) was first put into motion 2019. Led by Major Gethin Davies, it wasn’t until September 2022 following a necessary expedition pause due to COVID-19, that the 25-strong expedition arrived in Nepal. Between 2019 and 2022 the team began their expedition training which

Ex Dragon Barbarian Odyssey 4 – 5 – 13 Nov 2022 Diving Expedition to Malta Achievements 5 Newly Qualified Diving First Aid Trained in (BSAC Oxygen Administration) 7 Newly Qualified Ocean Divers 1 Newly Qualified Advanced Diver Logbook experience for all Sports Divers and Dive Leaders towards their next diving grades. Depth progression Sports Divers

Sixteen members from the National Reserve Headquarters Royal Artillery (NRHQ RA) took part in Exercise COCKNEY RATTLESNAKE 22 in September 2022, an overseas adventurous training expedition to the Lake Tahoe region of California and Nevada, USA.   The aim was to complete the 172-mile Tahoe Rim Trail (TRT) around the Lake Tahoe basin rim (not shore

Who?8 RAFMA adventurers from across the UK. What?The northern portion of the Grande Randonnée (GR) 20, widely considered Europe’s toughest trek. A total of 105km trekked and 8,100m climbed over 9 days, starting in Calenzana and finishing in Vivvazona. When?8-20 September 2022 – the tail end of the summer season on Corsica. Delayed from 2021

The Yukon – A land of never-ending mountains, endless forests and swarms of mosquitoes. The above statement sums up how the twenty-one participants on Ex DRAGON MAPLE will remember much of the Yukon. The journey from Whitehorse to the base location at Kluane Lake took two and three-quarter hours but the Alaska Highway seemed to