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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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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The world’s top 10 rock climbing locations

Lucy Grewcock    rockclimbingholidays     climbing, climbing in New Zealand, climbing in switzerland, Climbing in the US, Climbing in Yosemite, Rock Climbing, rock climbing holidays, rockclimbing

From near-vertical granite walls and icy ascents, to contorted sandstone spires, bolted volcanic domes and hanging limestone crags, every climber will have a personal preference of what represents the world’s ‘best’ rock climbing.

Yosemite - home to 'El Cap' Image: Flickr/ jitze

Plucking out some of the best-known and most revered routes from around the globe, our ‘top ten’ embraces this diverse discipline, and gives an insight into some of the most challenging routes in the sport.

If you’re unhealthily obsessed by scaling massive chunks of rock and making your way back down again, be sure to attempt at least one of these world-class challenges at some point in your lifetime.

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Get Climbing!

Mark Pawlak    rockclimbingholidays     climbing, free climbing, ice climbing, mountain climbing, Rock Climbing

Just launched, we are on the lookout for climbers who are bloggers and bloggers who climb. So, pretty soon we hope to have roped together a team of writers who can advise on the best routes, the best gear, the accommodation and hostels to crash in when you go, and the most inspiring countries to visit.

Climbing: The ultimate confidence builder Image: Flickr/alexindigo

Don’t worry about it all getting really technical – while we’ll search out experts so they can share their years of experience, we are also looking for people new to the sport.

I’ve climbed maybe a dozen times, but always with someone belaying on the other end of the rope, and there’s so much to learn! Apart from getting ‘disco knee’ on just about every ascent, I used muscles that I never imagined I had: how is it possible to have muscles in your fingers?

Adventure sports build confidence, but having enjoyed all manner of pursuits, rockclimbing is the one that instantly helps you face fear. It also needs you to have an unwavering faith in both your equipment and the people climbing with you. So in one way it’s a very solo experience – almost entirely so when you look at the free climbers – but in another, it’s a team challenge.

And the rewards are instant. When you reach the top of your first climb, regardless of how high or which grade it was, the payback is immense. And you often get to abseil back down!

If you’ve got stories to share and the knowledge to bring great posts to our latest blog, drop us a line.

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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Waterproof camcorders: tough enough or digital bluff?

Natalie Ashett    Adventure Sports & Travel Thoughts     camcorder, cameras, climbing, Scuba Diving, white water rafting, whitewater rafting

Guest blogger Natalie jumped at the chance to test the latest generation of waterproof camcorders designed to take the rough and tumble of adventure sports…

Adventure sports and technology don’t always go hand in hand. Being able to climb to 3000 ft is no mean feat, but it’s not always the best environment to start fumbling around with gizmos and gadgets. Being able to record stunning vids of the Great Barrier Reef while snorkelling, or pictures of your friends’ faces while you’re white-water rafting is usually a good enough reason to get clicking – but what do the clips look like? And how do these ‘ruggedized’ movie makers perform under pressure?

The problem with mixing expensive equipment with adventure sports is that there’s always a chance that your precious piece of kit could end up in gadget heaven. Drum roll the clever people at Panasonic who’s latest range of hard-wearing, waterproof, touch screen cameras and upright HD camcorders are designed to be used ‘in-action’.

As a technophobe with a slightly pathological fear of heights, I was delighted to be invited along to Go-Ape Adventure Park to try out their new range of cameras 15 metres (45 ft) in the air. Throw in the fact that we were blessed with typical British summer weather – monsoon storms and a little bit of thunder – and it was my idea of a perfect day.

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From Follower to Leader….

Sophie Nicholson    ash, trekkingholidays     climbing, IML, International Mountain Leader, Mountain leader, Rock Climbing

Just over a year and a half ago I jacked in my comfortable yet rather benign life in West Sussex and embarked upon a journey into the unknown. I had no clear idea of what it was that I wanted, just a gut feeling that this was not where I was supposed to be. I left with just one clear goal in mind – to follow my love of the outdoors and in particular, mountains.

The adventure since has been one wild ride and over the course of the last 18 months I have ski toured in the Canadian Rockies, trad climbed in the wilderness of Scotland, trekked high into the Himalayas, stood on top a 4,000m Alpine peak at sunrise and ice climbed in the Vallee du Giffre.

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