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 …
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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 …
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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 …
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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 …
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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 …
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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 …
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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 …
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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 …
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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 …
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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 …
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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 …
Medical Operation Support Group: 3-11 September 2022. DOLOMITI OWL was an Army Reserve Adventurous Training expedition in the Italian Dolomites. A self-supported, lightweight 8-person team from the Medical Operational Support Unit (MOSU) completed the alpine Alta Via 1 route – 120km and 21,600 feet of ascent – over a challenging 6 days, using mountain huts. …
As the Unit Adventurous Training Officer (UATO) for 2 R IRISH and with the pandemic restrictions starting to disappear, I decided it was time to get the ‘boots back on a trail somewhere’. The last unit expedition had been to the Pyrenees, and I wanted to do something similar but keep it in Europe as …
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The winding path following the Bharbun Khola bent round to the South as we approached Kakkot, in the afternoon sunshine. We were met by 6 women carrying immense loads in Doko Baskets. The usual team chorus of ‘Namaste’ began. They looked quizzically at us. There had been no trekking groups this deep into the Dolpo …
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EXERCISE ITALIAN ODYSSEY 22 – 42 ENGINEER REGIMENT (GEO) Spending 20 hours traveling through 4 countries in a minibus isn’t ideal, but as day breaks on the winding road leading out of Innsbruck, it all becomes apparently worth it. Resting high above our campsite is the Marmolada Glacier. After setting up camp in the town …
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