One of the more nuanced elements of military training to explain to the civilian employers of the officers and soldiers of 3 Military Intelligence Battalion (3 MI Bn), is the notion of “adventurous training”. This is particularly the case when this involves skiing! What may seem on the surface to be entirely recreational by the […]
Cockney Skadi – 3 Military Intelligence Battalion Read More »
Between the 1st and the 10th April, 44 cadets and 9 Adults from Northumbria ACF travelled to La Plange in the French Alps for 7 days fantastic Skiing. This was our second venture of this size to be undertaken by Northumbria ACF into the Alps to conduct skiing of this type. The Exercise was designed
Northern Alpine Adventure – Northumbria ACF Read More »
This was going to be my first trip away with the CCF. I have only recently joined the CCF and jumped at the opportunity to go on the canoe /kayak expedition to the South of France. All the cadets gathered at school on the 8th and said their goodbyes to parents. The journey was fairly
Ex Dragon Ventura Allier – Ratcliffe College CCF Read More »
From 03 – 10 January 2016 the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (FANY) kicked off their adventurous training year by taking part in Exercise (ALPINE) SNOW FOX XXI in Val D’Isère, France. Ex Snow Fox is the pan-Yeomanry Alpine Skiing Championship which aims to promote fitness, physical agility, teamwork and leadership. This year we had 14
Ex Snowfox 2016 – First Aid Nursing Yeomanry Read More »
Early on 11th August, 17 cadets from Oakham School CCF departed on an expedition which was to combine an appreciation of two battlefield sites from the Peninsular Campaign with a challenging trek across the Sierra de Gredos mountains of central Spain. The journey took in a 24-hour ferry crossing between Portsmouth and Santander which provided
Expedition Peninsular Cadet – Oakham School Combined Cadet Force Read More »
A team of 12 Air Cadets and 3 staff from 234 (City of Durham) Squadron have returned from the challenge of a lifetime, trekking in the French Pyrenees and summiting the mighty Pic du Canigou. It had taken 15 months of planning, fundraising and training, so when the Cadets arrived at the airport, the excitement
Pyrenees Trekking Expedition 2015 – 234 (City of Durham) Sqn ATC Read More »
Exercise Northern Alpinista consisted of a two week mountaineering expedition to the Benasque valley region within the Spanish Pyrenees. The expedition took place during July 2015 and was supported by 15 Officer Cadets (OCdts) from Leeds University Officers Training Corps and Regular and Reserve Forces instructors and staff. The location was chosen for its appeal
Exercise Northern Alpinista – Leeds University Officers’ Training Corps Read More »
It’s one of the toughest summits to reach in the Pyrenees. At a mighty 2784m above sea level combined with a 20m final sharp ascent, stunning views and a test of nerve, few mountains can rival the excitement of the Pic du Canigou in southern France. After 15 months of planning and fundraising, a team
Operation Vertex – 2344 (Longbenton) Squadron Air Training Corps Read More »
The Tour de Mont Blanc is one of the most popular long-distance walking routes in the world, traversing through France, Switzerland and Italy as it circumnavigates the immense Mont Blanc massif, the highest mountain in Europe. The full distance is usually walked in 10 days; due to work and time constraints we had decided from
The overall aim of the expedition was designed to introduce and develop overseas leadership skills for adult volunteer staff by participation in a real ‘expedition situation’ where they are the participants. Each day was spent in the mountains developing technical, journeying and leadership skills in a demanding high alpine environment. The area chosen was the
Exercise Mercantour 2015 – HQ Air Cadets Read More »
A “Very Polite” Walk in the Alps – Reservists on the Tour du Mont Blanc. By Sapper Kimberly Gee and Sapper Kofi Steele (Reservists with 75 Engineer Regiment, currently studying at Manchester Metropolitan University) When presented with the opportunity to attend Ex Northern Ypres Paccard, trekking the Northern half of the Tour du Mont Blanc,
Exercise Northern Ypres Paccard – 75 Engineer Regiment Read More »
Between the 27th March and 5th April 33 cadets and 13 Adults from Northumbria ACF travelled to Serre Chevalier in the French Alps for weeks Alpine Skiing. This was the first venture of this size to be undertaken by Northumbria ACF. The Exercise was designed to give the cadets the opportunity to learn to ski
Exercise Alpine Adventure 2015 – Northumbria Army Cadet Force Read More »
Valais, organised by the Swiss Military every two years. Teams of three depart Zermatt and race to Verbier, a distance of 53km (110km actual snow distance) and ascend a total of 4000m. The Swiss Army organised the first military patrol in 1943 to test the abilities of its soldiers. The modern race format is renowned
Ex Valais Eagle 2014 – 144 Para Med Sqn, 170 (Infra Sp) Engr Gp RE Read More »
A team of nine cadets and staff from 2344 (Longbenton) Squadron have succeeded in climbing their first foreign peak – the Pic Du Canigou in France. Flight Lieutenant Will Close-Ash, who famously assisted in rescuing a group of Belgian climbers on the peak in 2008, was leading the team. The group of seven cadets and
Operation Vertex – 2344 (Longbenton) Squadron Air Training Corps Read More »
This expedition was held between the 21st and 31st of July. It was a Summer Alpine Mountaineering Expedition, which its main aim was to complete a section of the GR10, a well renowned French hiking route. The GR10 follows the Pyrenean mountain range, which is situated between the French and Spanish border. This route is
Exercise Dragon Pyrenees Pursuit – Birmingham UOTC Read More »
An expedition has 3 components: Plan, Do, Recover…Fantasise, Criticise, Romanticise!. “We’ve climbed Mt Kenya…what next?”. That was the challenge posed by the Commanding Officer on our return from Kenya in 2013. The European Alps were closer and Mt Blanc the highest in western Europe at 4808m was a perfect ideal. The long and laborious process
Ex Northern Alpenglow 2014 – Glasgow & Strathclyde UOTC Read More »
Exercise Ibex EMU was a mountaineering expedition that ran for 19 days from the 14th July – 1st August. It took place in Saas Grund, Switzerland and Chamonix, France. The main effort of the expedition was to summit Mont Blanc. Our unit had attempted to do this previously but had failed due to poor weather
Ex Ibex EMU (Dragon) 2014 – East Midlands UOTC Read More »
Exercise Somme Dragon IX, generously supported by the Ulysses Trust and the Berlin Infantry Brigade Military Trust Fund, deployed for France on the 28th of June. Led by Capt Mervyn Jones, Platoon Commander Rossett Platoon, Clwyd and Gwynedd ACF, 32 Cadets from Albuhera Coy aimed to honour those who made the ultimate sacrifice as well
Exercise Somme Dragon IX – HQ Clwyd & Gwynedd Army Cadet Force Read More »
Wasn`t it Winston Churchill who first spoke in terms of “the end of the beginning ?”. The Lochnagar Crater lies only a few hundred metres from the Albert to Baupamme Road which served as the axis of advance for the First World War`s Somme Offensive. It was created by a massive underground detonation which heralded
Lochnagar Crater III 2014 – Rossett Army Cadet Force Read More »
It had been two years since CCAT had organised an overseas canoeing expedition. In the preceding years we had dipped our toes in a few areas in Europe, the Pyrenees 2011 and Brianćon 2012 and whilst both were moderately successful neither area had been able to offer a broad range of white water venues that
Exercise Cadet Paddle 2014 – Cadet Centre for Adventurous Training Read More »
Challenging, isolating and inspiring, ski touring offers a unique way of exploring the mountains. Such exploration was one of the main aims of Oxford UOTC’s Exercise Blue Tour, a seven-day ski tour through the Italian Adamello and Ortler Alps. The group of eight Officer Cadets met in Oxford on 27th March 2014 and, having been
Blue Tour 2014 – Oxford UOTC Read More »
The unit set off from school with extremely excited cadets and eager parents, as they were potentially getting some respite. The travel to the Channel Tunnel was almost uneventful, barring the inevitable Dartfort Tunnel traffic. During the first fuel stop a pool of pink fluid was under the mini bus engine. Not a good omen;
Dragon Ventura Ardeche – Ratcliffe College CCF Read More »
Late in March this year, the North West Officer Training Regiment embarked on what has become an annual week-long expedition to the French Alps – this year in Les Contamines – to undertake Alpine ski and Ski touring training at 3 levels: Ski foundation (SF) 1, 2 and 3. The aims and objectives of such
1413 – ‘Northern Alpine Snow’ – Les Contimines, France Read More »
The aim of the exercise was to take 16 cadets and 6 Cadet Force Adult Volunteers who wouldn’t normally have the opportunity to ski in the Alps, on an Alpine Skiing expedition to Flaine, France. All personnel attending the expedition took part in the Ski Foundation Level 1 Course taught by three qualified instructors, Regular
1326 – ‘Snow Cadet’ – France, Flaine Read More »
Ex Phoenix Dragon is the annual Ski training package for 101 Force Support Battalion, Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers. Taking place in January each year it aims to expose soldiers, young and old to the mountain environment in physically testing conditions to develop their leadership ability, their self knowledge and physical determination. So it was,
1371 – ‘Phoenix Dragon’, France – Massif et Park National de la Vanoise Read More »
