Trekking in New Zealand: The top 10 routes to try

Sophie Nicholson    Top 10s, trekkingholidays     Hiking New Zealand, New Zealand, trekking, trekking holidays, trekking in New Zealand

Anyone with an adventurous bone in their body and a love for the outdoors must have considered trekking in New Zealand. It’s got to be one of the most challenging and diverse adventure destinations on the planet.

Walking The Routeburn Trek. Image: Flickr/ Or Hiltch

Trekking here will take you to both islands; to the peaks of volcanic giants; around cavernous valleys, deep-filled with the darkest of waters; and to sandy shores loved by surfers and travellers alike.

You should definitely do your research before you go, and plan routes that are achievable based on your experience and ability. Here are 10 of the best to consider before you lace up your boots.

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Trekking Boots: New models for 2012

Sophie Nicholson    Trekking Gear, trekkingholidays     hiking boots, trekking boots, Trekking equipment, trekking gear, trekking holidays, Walking boots

When buying trekking boots ask yourself, “what are they for?” Trekking can be anything from a weekend wander to a holiday in Nepal, complete with ascent to Everest base camp.

Choose boots that fit your feet and your journey. Image: Flickr/ mckaysavage.

I say this as, realistically, your trekking boots may serve as your weekend walking boots, and only the most dedicated of us own 2-3 pairs.

Key things to look for if you are new to trekking are the ratings (2/3/4 season),the materials (leather or synthetic) and of course the price.

Read on to find the  best trekking boots on the shelves – and on the hills – in 2012. And never, ever buy boots based just on what you read online: Try them on first!

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Top 10 Treks in Nepal: the best routes in the Himalayas

Sophie Nicholson    Top 10s, trekkingholidays     Hiking, Himalayas, Nepal, Trek, Treking in Nepal, trekking, trekking holidays

For any true mountain lover, trekking in the Himalayas in nothing less than a rite of passage: the ultimate trekking destination. Each year, thousands of trekkers and mountaineers make their way to Nepal to see its awe-inspiring mountains first-hand and to immerse themselves in this sacred and culturally diverse land.

Trekking in Nepal. Image: Flickr/mckaysavage

Nepal is blessed with a rich and demanding landscape of lush green forests, high shining mountains, hilly foot trails, and beautiful lakes and springs. With such an abundance of trekking holidays on offer, it can be difficult to know where to start when planning a trip to Nepal.

This guide hopes to help point you in the direction so that you can find the trek best suited to you. Trekking in Nepal may be a once in a lifetime holiday, so we want to make sure you get it right, right  from the beginning….

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Snowshoe beats boot for winter walking

Sophie Nicholson    trekkingholidays     Iceland, snowshoe, snowshoeing, trekking, Trekking in Iceland, Walking, winter sports

For some, the onset of winter cannot come soon enough. Most skiers, snowboarders, ice climbers and snow leopards spend all year impatiently waiting for temperatures to fall and for snow to start falling on them there hills.

Sometimes boots just aren't enough. Image: Photos: Ragnar Th. Sigurðsson

However, not all outdoor enthusiasts are made of the same stuff, and for many of us average hill walkers, the arrival of winter can actually put paid to any trekking holidays we’ve planned – and be a bit of a pain in the icicle.

If you are not versed in the world of crampons and the art of self-arrest, a hard winter can kind of put paid to any of those fabulously relaxing and invigorating winter walking days out on the hill.

But don’t pack away your trekking gear just yet…

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Movember, Moustaches and Motor Bikes

Sophie Nicholson    ash     Alps, climbing, France, Motor cross, Motorbikes, Snowboarding, trials

In a month where men grow moustaches for charity, one blogger finds her own way to mix it with the boys. And with the snow yet to fall, she’s taking on the rough stuff…

The sun may well have shone relentlessly over the past few weeks but there’s no denying that summer is long gone here in the Alps. The sky is still brilliantly blue but the everpresent scent of burning of leaves, the early morning frost on cars and total lack of people anywhere are constant reminders that it’s definitely November.

Gripped - and no tasche

Hmmm, yes November. A strange month indeed. I mean, what really happens in Movember apart from people growing dodgy facial hair for charity? In the climbing world at least November definitely signals a time of transition. Some will just head indoors and immerse themselves in the sweaty, shirtless, self conscious world of the climbing gym. Others will pack away rock shoes and chalk bags, replacing them at the front of kit cupboard shelves with crampons and ice axes as they eagerly await favourable ice climbing temperatures and conditions.

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Cuts and crampons: the IML journey continues

Sophie Nicholson    trekkingholidays     Alps, climbing, France, IML, International Mountain Leader, mountaineering, trekking

It’s been quite a month in the Alps! After a July dominated by rainfall only previously seen on the West Coast of Scotland, August finally stepped up to the mark in terms of weather and the sun and rock lizards came out to play once more. Normal service has been resumed and it’s been a full-on month in terms of outdoor activity in the mountains .

Climbing skills, essential for an IML

Peppered with some serious road biking involving numerous ascents of the notorious Col de Joux Plane, most of the fun has been had on the rock and ice here in the Haute Savoie. August has revaled a whole host of firsts for me in terms of mountaineering experience – my first ‘girls only’ climbing day on the Chamonix crag of Les Gaillands in France, my first total meltdown on the multipitch Vipere au Pied at Barberine, and now I am the proud owner of my first set of stitches as a result of a crampon/leg combo whilst descending the Petite Aiguille Verte last week.

All have been fantastic learning experiences and I have loved every bit of  them all. Ok, ok…. perhaps losing my composure at altitude wasn’t exactly my proudest hour but what it did teach me is that I’m really going to have to work on my steep rock climbing technique if I’m ever going to be a complete climber! Some guy called Einstein did once say ‘in the midst of difficulty lies opportunity’ and as he’s considered to be quite clever, I think I’ll take his advice.

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Stars and Stetsons: skiing in the US

Sophie Nicholson    Adventure Sports & Travel Thoughts, bestskiholidays     ski, Skiing, Skiing Holidays, Snowboarding, united states, US, winter sports

It’s August and I’m thinking about skiing in the US. Strange? Maybe. But you can’t really blame me when there is snow falling in the Alps in the height of summer at 2,000 m. Extreme weather (in so much that it’s extremely weird) has prompted more than a little bit of reflection on the season just gone and how best to approach the winter to come.

Just in case you forgot...

When one thinks of extreme skiing there are generally two places that come to mind – Chamonix and Jackson Hole. I am incredibly fortunate to live just 45 minutes from the former but until recently have never been to the jewel in Wyoming’s Stetson, Jackson Hole.

I’ve always wanted to of course, which real skier wouldn’t? Like Chamonix, JH is synonymous with legends of the white crystals and therefore kind of symbolises a right of passage for any lover of the steep and deep stuff. As a result, when the opportunity to get over there finally came around earlier this year, well let’s just say I was literally linedancing on the spot with excitement.

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