The Outdoors Show: its the biggest show on earth!

Mark Pawlak    ash     Adventure Sports, camping, climbing, cycling, Kayaking, MTB, Outdoors Show, travel gear, trekking, Walking

Well, we might be exaggerating a little, but it’s massive! If you are into any of the major outdoor activities then look forward to The Outdoors Show in January – and we’ve got 3 pairs of tickets to give away!

From 12 – 15 January the Excel in London hosts four separate shows all pooled together: The Outdoors Show, the London Bike Show, the Tullett Prebon London Boat Show and the Active Travel Show.

The Outdoors Show has been running for 11 years. This year it’s host to the Finlandia Vodka Travel & Adventure Stage, where adventurers like shipwreck hunter David Mearns will be sharing their exploits, and there’s also as the best of the Banff Mountain Film Festival to watch.

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Adventure sports you never heard of: Yak Polo

James    trekkingholidays     Adventure Sports, Adventure Travel, Afghanistan, pakistan, Polo, Yak

In a new, occasional series by James from Untamed Borders Ltd, he explains the basics of less well-known adventure sports. Using the classic journalistic trick of a fake interview, he explains the history of ….Yak Polo

So what is Yak Polo?

It’s polo, but instead of horses, the players ride yaks.

Why yaks?

In the high mountainous areas of the Hindu Kush and Pamir ranges in southern Tajikistan, north east Afghanistan and northern Pakistan, horses struggle to cope with the rarefied air in altitudes over 3500 m. The local people of these regions have taken to using yaks to play polo rather than horses.

Yak Polo - popular in the Hindu Kush

People play polo in Pakistan and Afghanistan?

Sure. Polo comes from the mountainous regions of northern Pakistan and was adopted by the British Army to keep the cavalry fit. The matches are a far cry from the Hurlingham Club. There are no champagne tents, high heels or blokes in blazers called Tarquin. Just huge, dusty polo fields with tea tents and samosa stalls.

The rules are different too. Pakistan polo, also known as frontier polo, allows players to check each others sticks and each team has designated chuckers who restart the game if the ball goes out. It is not uncommon to have pitch invasions and general mayhem with players and horses coming off injured.

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Hard or Soft: How Mountain Bikers Shop for Tail

Gabriel    mountainbikingholidays, Pro Tips     Adventure, Adventure Sports, cycling, Downhill, mountain biking, MTB, off-road

Mountain bike technology has come a long way over the past 20 years. Once, bike manufacturers created stiff and solid frames that would roar down hill before people really knew what they were doing (no helmets, no body armour). This video gives you an idea of how rocky and risky downhill descents were on a rigid frame.  Then they decided to put motorcycle suspension on these bikes. And an industry was born!

It began with front-suspension forks. Companies like Rock Shox and Manitou couldn’t keep them on the shelves. Then bike manufactures had the idea to make each wheel float independently of the frame. Full-suspension bikes became fashionable and the market was flooded with them.

Today, the industry still makes a number of sharp and snazzy dual-suspension bicycles that make the heart pound (probably because many of them look like combat helicopters). The next time you go shopping for a mountain bike, get one with a lock-out front suspension. However, before you dump over 3K on the latest “full-susser,” consider these tips so you don’t wind up buying more bike than you can ride:
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Go rafting in Berchtesgaden

Adam Woods    raftingholidays     Adventure Sports, Alps, Berchtesgaden, germany, Rafting

For most people, the mention of the word ‘Alps’ usually conjures up images of valleys, forests and mountain peaks shrouded in a layer of thick snow, icicle-adorned pine lodges offering sanctuary from the cold, and retro-dressed skiers and snowboarders strutting their stuff on the slopes. The image imprinted on my mind is something markedly different.

Hard to believe though it is, for a few months every year, the snows melt away to reveal a rich, fertile land that’s something akin to Disney fairy-tale (much to the disappointment of those retro-dressed skiers, I might add). It’s now that the image becomes one of deep green valleys, shimmering lakes, and craggy mountain passes. Instead of the perennial shriek of amateur snowboarders, only the pleasant sound of distant cowbells rings in your ears!

There's rafting here, too Image: Flickr/indichick7

But there’s still plenty of fun and adventures to be had in such seasons, and one of the best places to have it is in Berchtesgaden, tucked away right in the south-east corner of Germany. The receding snows and melting ice caps ensure the canyons flow with gushing water, perfect for rafting.

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Kayaking: Why throwing yourself in at the deep end works

Jonathan Tait    ash, kayakingholidays     Adventure Sports, canoeing, Kayaking, river kayaking, watersports

I can’t breathe. My leg is trapped, bent back on itself into my kayak. My kayak is in no better state than myself, stuck, almost upright, between a rock and a tree. I rip my leg out and fall forwards into the water, my leg now caught in the drowning tree. I push and kick outwards, water crashing over my head at unimaginable speed.

This is the very first bend in the river and I’m already underwater, attempting to rip myself free from the various obstacles that hindered my oxygen supply. Eventually I struggle loose and I float through the now calm waters.

Don't expect your first trip to be so easy! Image: Library of Congress

This isn’t to scare you. This is my first attempt at kayaking, in Tena, Ecuador and I’m on a Class 3 rapid. Rated from 1 – 6, a class 3 is certainly strong enough for a beginner. Having only been in the kayak a few minutes I haven’t adjusted to the feeling of wobbling on the water, and I get sucked in to the wrong side of the rapid.

Once the trip resumes, it is a very enjoyable experience. Generally calming into a Class 2 ride, the river weaves its way through the unspoilt Amazon fringe, passing kingfishers and goldpanners.

Boasting the highest density of rivers anywhere in the world, Tena is the perfect spot to hop into the water. Not being a water baby my nerves were shredded. But my point is, when travelling, when trying adventure sports, throwing yourself in at the deep end is the best way to maximise the experience. I am buzzing with adrenaline and it is a vitalising moment.

Training to be an International Mountain Leader

Sophie Nicholson    ash, trekkingholidays     Adventure Sports, IML, International Mountain Leader, Mountain, scotland, trekking

Well it’s been a wee whiley since my last post but an absence of information certainly is not an indication of a lack of activity! Since I last blogged, I’ve started something that is shaping up to absorb my life for the next couple of years. What I’m talking about is working towards my International Mountain Leader qualification.

I started the process 2 weeks ago at Glenmore Lodge in Scotland. I completed the first of many stages that will be required to gaining the qualification that I hope will enable me to share my love of the mountains with other wannabe mountain goats.  It was an amazing and intense week of learning but perhaps the biggest revelation of all was the realization of exactly just how much commitment this is all going to require.

Groupwork is everything

The journey to becoming an IML requires that first you get your Mountain Leader qualification. This involves the week of training that I’ve just finished, then a year of consolidation of the necessary skills and experience, and after that a week long assessment. Should you be successful you are then eligible to join the IML scheme which is structured in the same way – a week of training, a year of consolidation and only then can you put yourself forward for the assessment week which takes place here in the Alps.

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Top Five Kite Surfing Tips for Beginners – How to Stay Safe

Paul McWilliams    ash, kiteboardingholidays     Adventure Sports, kite surfing, kiteboarding, kitesurfing, kitesurfing holidays, Safety, Safety Tips

One of the fastest growing and most exhilarating sports in the world, kite surfing can give you a rush unlike any other. Kite surfers are capable of reaching frightening speeds and getting almost unbelievable air (check out Lewis Crathern jumping over Brighton Pier in the UK, if you don’t believe us) but it can also be pretty dangerous. So it’s vital when starting out to ensure you’re riding as safely as possible. Here are our top five tips for staying safe, making the most of your kite surfing experience and avoiding what is known as a ‘kitemare’.

Protect Yourself

Make sure you have all the necessary safety equipment. Helmets and vests can save your life. Ok, you might feel a bit restricted and let’s face it, no one looks great in a helmet, but in the event of a collision or a board leash propelling the board at your head, it might just save your life.

Know the line

Watch out for lines, and not just power lines. One of the most common causes of accidents is getting caught, tangled or hit by your own kite lines. These things can move at quite a speed and can cause ugly injuries (lost fingers anyone?) so make sure you keep an eye on them and always carry a hook safety knife to cut yourself free from tangled lines.

Communication

Always let someone know where you are going but it’s best to try and always go with a friend. Let the authorities know if any thing goes wrong, even if you have lost a board at sea. This might be a minor annoyance to you, but it could be worse if they think that a kite surfer has been lost at sea.

Be sensible

Fairly obvious we know, but follow a few simple rules and you can significantly reduce your chances of having an accident. Avoid power lines and rocks, and always make sure you keep a safe distance from others. Hitting the water might hurt but not as much as another boarder or the rocks. Always check the weather before you go and avoid offshore winds. Get caught in one of those and it’s a long swim back to the shore.

Know your limits

Kite surfing is going to be fun and it’s going to be fast, but only when you are sufficiently practiced to know what you’re doing. Winds can reach incredible speeds and they don’t have much regard for what you’re doing. It’s easy to get overpowered and out of control and then you become a danger to yourself and everyone else.

Stick to these simple principles and there’s no reason you can’t have a lifetime’s worth of adrenaline rushes from kite surfing. But whatever you do, please don’t go trying to jump over a pier. Let’s leave that to the professionals.