Outdoors Blog
A space indoors for all things outdoors!
Wild Camping
Jun 24th
There are fewer things which satisfy the soul on a fresh summers’ morning than shaking off the tent and heading into the great outdoors. The gentle rustle of a sunset breeze on the outer-tent layer, the satisfying squelching as the first peg breaks the tender grass and into the soil, added to the squeaky tweets of the nearby birds. Getting away from it all and heading back into nature is really what it’s all about.
...just try and not choose such apocolyptic weather conditions!
Unfortunately, the dream and the reality are often more than tent-poles apart. The idea of ‘getting away from it all’ often transcends into pitching up in the middle of a tent infested field, next to spattering shower rooms and with the sounds sourced from a portable DVD player not too far away.
Erecting a tent in a remote location without regard for paying for the privilege was once a practice for hippies and survivalists, but it’s creeping into the mainstream… apparently. After all, it is difficult to gage the popularity of a pastime where its practitioners do their upmost to stay out of sight!
So if you are part of the increasing campers who are swapping the sites for some serenity, there are a few tips and tricks which will help you along your way.
Use your common sense; avoid agricultural land and be discrete, out of sight of any farms or inhabited lands. Try and arrive late and leave early. I would recommend timing your stay with out-of-work hours (arrive after 5pm and leave before 9am). Before lighting a fire, unless you really do class yourselves within the extremities of remoteness, check you are allowed to do so. Pack light loads, keeping outdoor clothing and other general camping paraphernalia to a minimum.
Camp close to a nearby water source and always be prepared to move on.
Most of all try and keep your camping party small and quiet.
You’ve come this far, not waste the opportunity to enjoy the peace and scenery!
Land of the extreme: part 2
Jun 7th
The relaxation period is well and truly over once you hit the South Island, and the extremities you have been exposed to so far will seem like child’s play!
Take the exquisite scenic route 6 along the west coast and you will reach the Fox and Franz Joseph glaciers. The journey may well be the longest you make whilst in New Zealand, but only because of the frequent ‘picture-moment’ stops you will be regularly making.
The Fox Glacier is of genuine natural beauty. Stop by in the tiny village and book a trip glacier walking for an once-in-a-lifetime experience. Simpletons would say it is like walking along a giant ice cube; however the sheer size and positioning of the glacier combined with the fascinating science behind it, is makes it so much more. And be ready to have your sense of proportion and perspective thrown too.
After spending a day walking on the ice, why not skydive over it?
“With a backdrop of the southern alps, glacier’s, rainforest and the ocean, it’s hard to imagine a better place to jump out of a plane than Fox Glacier”, Lonely Planet.”
Enough said really! It was officially voted the 2nd best drop zone in the world, coming only behind the Himalayas. If you are going to only one thing in New Zealand, make sure it’s this….
…or…..
The Nevis Bungy Jump in Queenstown!
Queenstown is considered the adrenaline-activity capital of this extreme country. The small little ski-town is charming base for a host of activities. The Nevis Bungy is the third highest platform bungee in the world at 134 metres. AJ Hacket was the man that started it all, and his latest innovation (if the bungy jump isn’t quite enough for you) is the Nevis arc. Billed as the world’s tallest swing, I shall let the video below do the talking.
Other activities in this fun-filled town includes a jet propelled ride down the Shotover River, helicopter rides which take you over the spectacular Wakatipu basin, and ski/snowboard opportunities a plenty on any one of the great mountain ranges in the area. I recommend Coronet Peak or The Remarkables.
Exhausted?
To the World Cup; by any means necessary!
Jun 4th
England fan Rob Forbes has arrived in 2010 World cup Mecca South Africa after swimming and cycling all the way from his home in Gloucestershire, UK.
Rob, 27, started the epic 11,800 mile, 8 month journey last October by pedalling through Europe to Gibraltar before swimming 16-miles to Africa. In that time, he has clocked up a lactic acid-inducing 10 hours a-day in the saddle. He now plans to run a 90km marathon now he is there!
Rob wasn't aware he overslept the USA game...
Rob set himself the goal of the world’s longest triathlon to raise money for charity. Along the way however, a competition was launched to find football’s biggest football fan – a contest Rob has made it down to the last four in.
“As a hugely patriotic England fan and triathlete I was left with no choice but to swim cycle and run my way to the World Cup. I have tickets for all of England’s group matches and hope to follow their progress all the way to the final,” said Rob.
Rob invented the idea of travelling to the World Cup by cycling swimming and running to raise money for the Re-Cycle charity which collects second hand bicycles and transfers them to Africa.
For most Africans, cycles represent the only way of travelling around.
Rob set himself a £19,000 fund-raising goal and cycled through a total of 21 countries and two continents, and at time of writing is in Pietermaritzberg in South Africa.
“Swimming across the strait for six hours was a huge physical and mental test. But I saw whales and dolphins.”
Who was the first to climb Mount Everest?
May 20th
An Australian adventurer is attempting to cure the controversy once and for all by setting off to discover evidence that is was in fact British climbers Andrew Irvine and George Mallory who scaled the peak first.
Currently, the title goes to climbers Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Sherpa who scaled the dizzy heights (29,035ft) on May 29, 1953; nearly 30 years after Irvine and Mallory were alleged to have made it.
Duncan Chessell’s main hopes of concluding this long unsolved mystery all rest on finding the camera that is believed to be with Irvine, should he be found. Chessell says the weather conditions near the summit have reenergised the attempt to find him; “I was at North Col last week and the wind was 150 kilometres an hour, and it was stripping snow off the mountain which has been there for many years.
“There is now a bare rock exposed which has been deeply covered for decades in the most likely areas where Andrew Irvine’s body may be.
“It is my intention to search those areas en route to the summit and take this rare opportunity to find him and, perhaps, the missing camera.
The British pair was last sighted in 1924, on the northeast ridge of Everest, only a few hundred yards from the summit. Mallory’s body was discovered in 1999, but missing was a photograph of his wife he kept in his pocket.
Mallory’s plan was to leave the picture on the summit.
Mallorys goggles were also in his pocket, suggesting he was on the decent during fading light when he fell to his death.
The Holy Grail remains the camera, which could furnish the most crucial clue; a photograph of the summit.
Check out the trailer for Wildest Dreams, a film being commissioned by National Geographic based upon a recreating of Mallory and Irvine’s epic adventure.
Land of the exteme: Part one
May 14th
You’d be hard pressed to find adventures that are as spectacular in their nature as they are in their backdrop, than in New Zealand. Both islands, thought more so the South Island, provide the ultimate playground adrenaline-junkies and adventurists alike.
Touching down in the North Island and the self proclaimed ‘capital of the southern hemisphere’, 
Auckland, you are greeted with your first thrill; Jumping from the Auckland Tower! Jumping from a ledge on the roof of the tower 192m up, you’ll reach speeds of up to 83km/hr, and capture some magical views of the city (if you keep your eyes open of course).
Next stop; Rotorua. Fight your way through the sulphuric smell produced by the hot springs and geysers which are incredible as they are frequent around the town, and you will eventually find Mount Ngongotaha, where you can experience the fun filled gravity ride on 3-wheeled carts across 3 tracks which all offer inspiring views of the picturesque town below. Friendships can be broken in this highly competitive form of racing; You have been warned.
No time to waste when you reach the bottom, as a short drive away is the home of an iconic New Zealand brand; Zorb! Jump inside a Zorb (we recommend opting for the ‘Zorbit’ model), a massive inflatable ball, and be released from on top of a frightening steep hill, rolling your way to the bottom. It’s the equivalent of rolling a hamster in a hamster ball down a ramp (not that we condone that sort of thing!).
The human/hamster clone worked well...
A 60-mile drive south gets you to Taupo, home of the biggest lake in New Zealand. The town is friendly and has a relaxed atmosphere, perfect to unwind with a spot of fishing.
Jump onboard the Picton ferry from Wellington and you’ll weave your way through the beautiful coves and sounds on your voyage into Picton. You’ll pass Arapawa Island, Curious cove and Waikawa all astounding in their beauty, so it’s worth getting a window seat on the ferry.
Savour these last few moments of relaxation, and you will soon be in the South Island…
Head for the Andes for some adrenaline adventures
May 10th
If hitting the slopes with your snowboard or skies its quite adventurous enough for you, you will no doubt be happy to hear there are some more extreme methods of exploring some of the best untracked powder in the world. Heliskiing and catskiing excursions are becoming increasingly popular and are now a lot more accessible than ever before.
Regarding heliskiing, Chile is fast becoming the destination of choice for those who wish to ski their own tracks. At Valle Nevado, you ascend in a helicopter up to an altitude of 4500 metres (14,764ft) for you to descend back down again though the Andes mountains of untouched snow. The mountain guides are fully trained and use state-of-the-art safety equipment for when the you reach the steep verticles (up to 1830m/6000ft) which are packed of power. For convenience, there is a helipad directly at the Valle Nevado Resort. A resort in Portillo also offers a heliski service.
Another way of accessing the untouched mountain powder is by snowcat. This off-trail, slightly cheaper-than-helisking method is a great way of reaching the heights otherwise unreachable, and more environmentally friendly too, as most of the snowcats run on biodiesel fuel. Located 67 miles north of Santiago, Ski Arpa specialises in backcountry snowcat skiing and riding adventures.
Described as the first true snowcat skiing operation in the Andes, it differs from most snowcat adventures in the U.S or Canada as runs average a vertical of 800-1000 metres (2,600-3,200ft).
It trailing the runs once you arrive isn’t an adventure enough, reaching Ski Arpa itself is an adventure. To start with, the only way to get up the unpaved road is by 4wd vehicles, then two snowcats, with a total capacity of 22 riders, takes skiers to the summit (3740m/12,500ft). Before you descend, take a breather and have a look around for some breathtaking views: to the east, Cerro Aconcagua, the highest peak in the Americas (696m/22841ft) and to the west, the Pacific.
If you have the budget that allows, head for the Andes this season and Ski down some of the best untracked power in the world.
Looking forward to sleeping on the job
May 4th
The title of this post is a phrase that Phil Latham, recently employed by UK outdoor store Halfords, will be able to say at work on a regular basis, for the 27 year old freelance outdoor instructor has just beaten off competition as far wide as Brazil for a ‘job’ most of us could only…err…dream of; A sleeping bag tester.
- Hmmm, what to do today….
Halfords claim that over 1000 applicants applied for the job, with eager sleepers from Russia, Canada and Finland applying for the position, which pays a minimum of £600 a week.
The unusual role will consist of testing a range of sleeping bags to the absolute limit, both in terms of warmth, strength and longevity. He will be sleeping under canvas for a number of nights sampling a variety of sleeping bags, and then giving feedback to the product development team.
With the ‘staycation’ now an increasingly popular mode of holidaying in the UK, Halfords say they are simply responding to a number of consistent number of camping queries.
But back to man-of-the-moment Phil Latham, who can’t quite believe his luck; “I was a bit dazed when they rang and told me, especially when I heard how many people had applied.”
“My girlfriend saw the job advertised and rang saying: “I have just seen a job you may be over qualified for!”
With festival season fast approaching, it looks like this young man has been lumbered with quite a responsibility.
Whether Latham can make a career out of the job remains to be seen…
That’s one way to warm down!
Apr 27th
Blind adventurer Mike Scholes finally returned home after his trek to the North Pole and flight chaos that followed and proceeded to have a well earned rest run the London marathon!
Mike Scholes’s impressive time of 3hrs 45mins, just four days after returning from his polar expedition is the latest in a long line of impressive feats achieved by the former serviceman, who lost his sight in 2007. The former record-setting hot air balloonist described the marathon run as the most painful run he has ever done, and was still recover from injuries picked up from his North Pole trek; including ‘frost nip’ and a burnt arm and hand after trying to inflate a hot air balloon!
So far, Scholes has raised more than £12,000 for charity.
Want to read about more adventurers? Look no further than OutdoorsBlog!
The Ultimate Adventure(r)
Apr 26th
Ultimate Adventurer Ed Stafford, who is walking the entire length of the Amazon River “…from source to sea”, encountered a new danger on his walk; Lightening.
At the time of writing this article, Ed has been walking for 754 days, encountering dangers such as wading through waters inhabited by black caiman and electric eels, stepping close to deadly pit vipers, and encountering fierce tribes on an almost routine basis. Next it was time to face a lightning bolt!
So they didn’t get hit by a bolt, but a blast on a telegraph pole metres away left Ed and Cho, his walking partner, delirious!
The world-first walk is done in aid of several charities and to raise awareness of conservation issues. His site is feature packed and is well kept thanks to an arsenal of technology Ed and his team has with him.
Ed himself is no stranger to remote expeditions, albeit his current trip bares more characteristics of extremity. The ex-army captain started running expeditions in 2002, and has also worked alongside the United Nations in Afghanistan. He uses other famous explorers such as Sir Ranulph Fiennes, Borge Ousland and Mike Horn and his sources for inspiration.
Sir Ralph Fiennes has said himself should Stafford complete the adventure, described as one of the most dangerous and difficult expeditions ever undertaken, he will be at “the very front line of human achievement.”
Outdoorsblog couldn’t agree more!
Visit the site at www.walkingtheamazon.com.
‘Snake Hunter’ vanishes into Australian Outback
Apr 19th
Armed with just a tent, a kayak, a hunting knife and an emergency beacon, Australian Andrew Ucles recently disappeared into the outback for 100 days, warning authorities ‘not to come looking for him if things go wrong.’
The self proclaimed ‘Snake Hunter’ has admitted to being a fan of late adventurer Steve Irwin, and says he is embarking on his journey to raise awareness about wildlife conservation.
His trek through the Queensland Bushland will see him step through the homes of many deadly snakes, such as Taipans or Eastern Browns. A bite from either snake could cause death within an hour. His life will also be at risk when crossing rivers in his tiny kayak and clambering across treacherous terrain.
None of this seems to bother Ucles however, as he ended his farewell message with, “There is a great chance that I may not return but I feel as though the message that needs to be conveyed is greater.”
Good Luck Mate!
