by Ian | Apr 4, 2016 | Cambodia 2016
After a slow start being stuck in Winchester due to heavy bank holiday traffic, HSX eventually headed up the motorway towards the beautiful Lake District without too much delay. We arrived at 1.30am at Great Tower Scout Activity Centre; bed was the one thing we were all ready for, so we hit the sack.
Following a fairly good night’s sleep, it was great to get together with everyone for bacon sandwiches and meet more members from HSX. Liam then proceeded to brief us about the plans for the day and a few house rules for the weekend.
Team Cambodia departed at 9.30am (HSX time) for Farleton Crag, a huge limestone pavement east of the M6. Along with Steve and Tom, we completed some bottom and top rope climbs after a short walk to the crag and then finished the afternoon off with abseiling. As a general trend for Team Cambodia, people with longer hair (Bradley and the girls!) were more successful at climbing and keeping their dignity. It was nice to be as a whole team again because we had some quality bonding time. Meanwhile, the other members of HSX either enjoyed a day of climbing at White Ghyll or walking after wild camping at Angle Tarn.
Whilst Friday kept in line with the tradition of beautiful weather in the lakes 
for HSX, Saturday took a complete U-turn as water and wind came in fast and frequently throughout the day. With an earlier start of 7:00am for breakfast, Team Cambodia had a departure time of 8:00am for Jack’s Rake (Jake’s Rake if you prefer) on Pavey Arch along with another group, whilst some members were running on the Kentmere Ring. Although one successful group did manage to reach the top of Jack’s Rake, Team Cambodia decided to turn back after Stickle Tarn as the winds continued to crash against the rock, as little shelter could be found as the fog thickened over the water and base of the scramble.
Another early start looking for the Easter bunny made us all jump out of bed, but to the great disappointment of no chocolate! With another breakfast of bacon sandwiches, Team Cambodia was told to pack for a day of micro navigation at Skelwith Country Park, whilst other members of HSX could scramble up Harrison Stickle or Micro Navigation around Grisedale Forest. Although we only covered 5km in 4 hours, the day was very enjoyable as Team Cambodia were taught some very useful navigational skills like leapfrogging and got to improve our individual map reading skills and using contour lines. Despite the constant moist nature of the day and the occasional surprise hail storm, the weather held up pretty good. The same cannot be said for those up Harrison Stickle, who saw more hail and rain. Team Cambodia were also faced with the challenge of dealing with 3 injuries at the same time ( Tom broke his leg, Matt got hypothermia and Liam had a panic attack) which showed how we could work well together as a team, but still very much needed guidance on what to do in a first aid situation. It turned out that these injuries were in fact not real, but just a test to see how the team would cope. Once we were all dry, Matt taught us a few Confidence rope skills at Great Tower which was a nice skill to learn, especially as it was an activity we could do inside.
All in all great weekend was had by all despite the weather.
Special mentions to Craghoppers as the team were presented with our Cambodia Uniform (Kit Review to follow soon).
by Ian | Mar 17, 2016 | Antarctica 2018
Prior to joining the rest of the Antarctica team at Badagusih this February, Joe headed up to the Cairngorms early to complete his Winter Mountain Leader training.
Based at Glenmore Lodge, one of three National Mountain Centres in the UK, the centre provides training and assessments for instructors as well as coaching course for the general public in a variety of sports. Over the six day course Joe learnt the skills and decision making tools to safely lead groups in winter conditions. This included many different navigation techniques, security of steep icy ground, as well as an overnight expedition in a snow hole.
Given the winter conditions still being experienced across some mountain ranges, we asked Joe to share his 10 top tips of how to stay safe in the mountains;
- Have a plan of what you want to do – heading out into the mountains with no plans can cause you to drift into areas that are potentially avalanche prone without you even realising. Just as importantly, it also means that you won’t be able to give anyone a description of where you are going… just in case you have a problem!
- Check the avalanche forecast – knowing what slopes are avalanche prone will allow you to make an informed decision about where to go to complete your objectives, without the risk of endangering yourself or others.
- 30 – 45o slopes are the biggest triggers for avalanches – knowing this means you can mark up your map with hazardous areas before heading out, stopping you wandering onto these slopes and realising you’re in the danger zone.
- Check you have the right kit – a winter bag is heavy! Normally, in addition my normal summer hill walking kit, I will have an ice axe, crampons, helmet, a flask of hot drink, extra warm layer, lots of gloves (I take three as a minimum) and ski goggles. Making sure your crampons fit your boots the night before is essential, as doing this on a steep slope in howling gale and blowing spindrift is not the place to find out they don’t fit!
- Practise operating with thick gloves on – taking gloves off to put crampons on, take a bearing or open a bag is not ideal and, in extreme circumstances, can lead to frostbite on your fingers. Try doing these activities at home beforehand.
- Put your goggles on quickly – once they’re on your face they’ll likely be on for the rest of the day, or at least until it clears up again. Taking too long to put your googles and they’ll rapidly fill up with snow. This can quickly melt, leaving you with annoying water droplets on your lenses, or worse, completely misted up! In really foul weather consider taking two sets of googles, with at least one set of clear lenses ones which are ideal when using a map.
- Hydration tubes are prone to freezing – any water which is left within the hose can freeze, blocking the tube and stopping you from getting a drink. Having a thermal protector can help, but the best thing to do is blow back the water once you’ve had a drink.
- A 1:50,000 map is better than 1:25,000 – in winter you don’t need to see the detail of a 1:25k map. When the ground is covered in snow most of these features will be buried, so you have to rely more on the contours and what the ground is doing under foot. This is more easily defined on a 1:50k scale map.
- Be well practised in your compass skills – you will be using a compass a lot more in winter. White outs are quite common, reducing your view of the world to a few feet and stripping your concept of up and down. Navigating in these conditions is really hard, and knowing how to use compass quickly and efficiently is critical to make good onward progress on your journey… and more importantly reduces the risk of you walking off a cornices!
- Having ice axes and crampons are cool – but know how to use them. There is nothing worse than putting a hole in your waterproof trousers because you can’t walk in your crampons or you lose an ice axe because you did not know how to self-arrest correctly. Practise these skills in non-consequential environments before heading out into the hills.
With the margins for error reduced in winter, it important that you have the necessary skills to look after yourself. If you’re new to winter mountaineering then it worth gaining the necessary skill from a qualified instructor, who can teach you all you need to stay safe in the mountains this winter.
Hopefully these tips will make your life much easier and more enjoyable in the UK’s winter conditions, and remember there is nothing wrong with turning around if the conditions don’t feel right!
Feel free to comment with any of your favourite tips, or leave any questions for the team and well get back to you.
by Ian | Feb 22, 2016 | Cambodia 2016
Well according to Robert Plant and Jimmy Page there are two paths which lead to the Stairway To Heaven, a legendary song that was inspired by a ‘trip’ to Cadair Idris. On the weekend of the 22nd to the 24th of January HSX also climbed the Stairway To Heaven, enjoying a wet and windy weekend in the mountains to the south of the Snowdonia national park. Wikipedia however claim there are three main paths (the Pony Path, the Fox’s Path and the Minffordd Path) to the top which is a height of 893m.
Our Cambodia Expedition Team along with other members of HSX set of from Ferny Crofts on Friday evening for the long drive to Mid Wales, arriving late at Joe and Dobby’s house. We all piled in, found our rooms and hit the sack for a well earned rest. Up early on Saturday morning, with sausage sarnies and porridge filling us all up before a briefing about who was in which team. Our team was all of HSX Cambodia (minus a couple, who were missed) with Dobby and Steve joining us; there were
three teams in total. The first task was to complete route cards for our weekend walk, with the aim of climbing Cadair Idris and camping out on Saturday night. When we left the comforts our hosts house the weather was good, with a mix of blue skies and cloud. We headed off in the mini buses to our start point. The walking was initially on roads before heading off onto tracks with a gentle climb to warm us up. Lots of catching up since our last weekend and conversations about what we had been up to over Christmas and the start of the New Year was a great way to begin the walk, and spirits were high all weekend.
A focus of the weekend was to learn and develop our map reading and navigation skills. We took it in turns to lead the group along our route and all of us did so with confidence and great skill. We learnt about the Four ‘D’s’ which are distance, duration, direction and description – and these are key to successful route planning and navigation.
The walk up to Cadair Idris was initially quite gentle however when the terrain became more challenging our expedition leaders took over navigation. The weather continued to be dry and mild and the mood of the group buoyant. Cadair Idris is not in the same league as the more rugged and higher peaks of Snowdonia however it looked really exciting to climb, with patches of snow still on the ground and some seriously strong winds to contend with higher up. We decided to leave packs at the bottom of the climb to save time and energy (although little did we know that some gremlins would take great delight in adding a few extra pounds of weight in the form a rocks to most of our packs!). The route up was initially straightforward and sheltered and as we gained height the terrain became steeper. Although the tracks we had been following died out, the route was still obvious and the need for map and compass was for a lot of the time unnecessary.
Lunch was eaten on the go and we got to the top of Cadair Idris early afternoon. The views were stunning and gave an amazing 360 degree panorama. After a short stop at the top we began our walk back down retracing our footsteps. The wind continued to blow and thankfully for the time being kept the clouds and rain away. On the descent we bumped into the other two HSX teams, having a quick chat before going our separate ways again. As we left the hill side and began the walk in to our camp for the night 
Matt enlightened the group on the link between Cadair Idris and Led Zeppelin. Interestingly there are numerous other myths and legends associated with this peak. With bottomless lakes and the suggestion that if you sleep alone on the slopes you will wake up as either a madman or a poet! However the mountain’s name is generally understood to refer to the mythological giant ‘Idris’ who was said to have been skilled in poetry, astronomy and philosophy.
As we neared our camp site the weather began to change and rain started to fall. Our pace quickened and as we arrived at camp and started to put up tents, the rain got worse. Tents up, dinner cooked inside the tent porch and hungry tummies fed we turned in for a very early night. Sleep was not initially on the cards, and to honest not a great deal was had by Tom, Ed or I. The sound of the wind and rain kept us awake on and off, and Ed getting acquainted with the inside of the tent which seemed to spend most of the night flat packing on his side kept some of us amused (not Ed!)
Up early and with rain still falling we had a quick breakfast on the go whilst packing up camp before a short walk back to the mini bus. Wet packs were stashed in the back before meeting up with the other two teams and commencing our drive back home. As we left the mountains behind, we took lots of great memories – the sense of achievement at having climbed Cadair Idris and getting to know both the HSX Cambodia team members and HSX members in general even more.
We arrived back at Ferny Crofts just after 3 giving us time to sort out wet tents before our lifts home arrived. Another brilliant week end. Thank you to Joe and Dobby for the use of their house, to those who arranged the weekend and those who drove. Most of all thank you to HSX Cambodia, we make a great team.
Report by Bradley Carter
Photographs by Tom Mawby & Liam Foster
by Ian | Feb 18, 2016 | Antarctica 2018
February saw the Antarctica team assemble at Badaguish near Aviemore. Joe, fresh from his Winter Mountain Leader training down the road at Glenmore Lodge, joined the rest of the team who had made the long journey up from the South.
The team planned to spend most of the week on a ski mountaineering course, building upon the success of the recent Alps ski trip in December. Making the most of the glorious conditions and fresh snowfall, the team got up bright and early on Monday morning and headed into Aviemore to collect kit and meet instructor Graham. On the hill, the group learnt how to apply ‘skins’ (strips of carpet-like material attached under the ski to provide grip when going up-hill) and headed into and Coire Laogh Mor.
On the way in, Graham coached the group on the different style of ascending steep slopes, and taught us about the different settings on our ‘risers’ allowing us to keep our feet at 900 to the slopes and ski more efficiently. Being able to lift our heels out of our bindings took a bit of getting used to, as this was totally different to downhill skiing experienced in Alpine ski resorts previously.
Expecting an easy day with lots of learning, we were soon shocked when we arrived at the tops of the Ski Tows and Graham showed us the rest of the route he had planned for us; a ‘quick’ ascent of around the side of Cairngorm, followed by Stob Corie an t’Sneachda and Cairn Lochan, before a decent down Lurcher’s Gulley. Being seasoned Scotland veterans we’d walked these routes numerous times. Never one to shirk away from a challenge, we relished the opportunity to push ourselves and skis.
Given the heavy snowfall over the weekend there was lots of powder to be found, which made for some interesting descents and our first attempt at skiing downhill saw most of the group wipe-out in deep snow. Inevitably, this was followed by much laughter from Graham who finally gave us some top tips with how to deal with deep powder… maybe we weren’t as expert as we thought! Enjoying the most of the good weather, we covered a total of 20km and enjoyed stunning blue sky views.
Our second day with Graham was a total contrast, with +100mph mile an hour winds predicted on the Cairngorm Plateau, we headed around to the Lecht Ski area an hour north of Aviemore where winds were a bit more manageable. After a bit of coaxing and digging the van out of ice, we headed out into the scrawl, Gor-Tex’d up to the eyebrows.
With lots of spindrift whipping around, the team spent the day focusing on perfecting our technique and managing our kit; an extremely useful taster for those infamous Antarctic storms! Overall, the team preformed much better and Graham was pleasantly surprised with how quickly the team picked up the skills needed to move quickly and efficiently in the mountains.
With the winds dropping and the cloud base rising, Wednesday and Thursdays saw the team heading back out into the Cairngorms in order to reinforce what we’d learnt over the previous couple of days. With the mercury heading back below freezing, the snow pack firmed up and the skiing changed, with much larger patches of ice and nevee forming; definitely a test of the team’s limits which required digging the ski’s edges into the hard-packed snow.
Overall it has been a great week in the Cairngorms learning another vital skill required for the long slog to the pole… and back.
by Ian | Feb 9, 2016 | Patagonia 2017, Patagonia 2017
Since its foundation in 1986, Hampshire Scout Expeditions (HSX) have successfully run over 20 international expeditions for Hampshire Scouts across the globe. In 2017 we’ll be breaking new ground and heading to the Patagonian Andes!
Patagonia is a sparsely populated region located at the southern tip of South America, shared by Argentina and Chile. The region comprises the southern section of the Andes, characterised by granite pillars, deserts, steppes and grasslands.
Over the course of this six-week expedition the participants will experience Chile’s unique culture, incredible sights, stunning scenery and a fascinating history. All elements that we will explore as we work with its warm and welcoming people as part of a community development project. The expedition will draw upon participants from across Hampshire who, with the support of an experienced leader team, for this once in a life time experience over the winter of 2017/18.
Prior to the expedition the participant will undertake an 18 month training programming focusing on teamwork, personal development and leadership skills to ensure that members gain as much as possible from the experience. The hope that as well as being a life changing experience for those involved, such experiences and contacts will bring greater understanding and tolerance, of the multi-cultural society in which we live today.
The expedition aims to continue the HSX tradition of being a life changing experience for all involved and inspiring the next generation of expedition leaders.
If you’d like to know more about the expedition please feel free to contact the leader team (Patagonia@hsx.org.uk) or stay tuned to the blog for more details.
for HSX, Saturday took a complete U-turn as water and wind came in fast and frequently throughout the day. With an earlier start of 7:00am for breakfast, Team Cambodia had a departure time of 8:00am for Jack’s Rake (Jake’s Rake if you prefer) on Pavey Arch along with another group, whilst some members were running on the Kentmere Ring. Although one successful group did manage to reach the top of Jack’s Rake, Team Cambodia decided to turn back after Stickle Tarn as the winds continued to crash against the rock, as little shelter could be found as the fog thickened over the water and base of the scramble.
