Ian Adamson: Adventure Racer and Kayaker

In 2004 Ian broke the Guinness world record for endurance kayaking. To achieve this he spent 24 hours kayaking along the Yukon River in Canada. He racked up an impressive 262 miles, smashing his previous world records of 217 miles and 203 miles from 1998 and 1997. That’s 400,000 paddle strokes! Endurance kayaking is not just a case of settling down to a steady pace along the course of the river. “You need to find the fastest current, which means your net speed is slower, but your distance covered is greater.” Ian wrote in an interesting article for Paddler Magazine. Using a GPS is essential for maximising the benefit of this strategy, however it does not help prevent you getting sore buttocks, which is a common ailment in endurance kayaking.

In the interview below Ian tells us about his achievements, his plans for the future and his route to becoming an endurance athlete, as well as providing some tips for anyone wanting compete at a higher level.

If you enjoy reading about adventure racers, our interviews with The North Face sponsored Endurance Runner Sam Thompson and World Champion Orienteer Graham Gristwood also make a good read!

Ian Adamson Interview

CheapTents.com: What inspired you to get into Adventure Racing?

Ian Adamson: My parents were my initial inspiration to start exploring, although I have always had an in built drive for adventure. One thing that drove my folks nuts was my habit of disappearing for most of a day from a very young age. When I was 8 I had an 8 ft plywood sailing dingy which I would take on long (6-8 hour) journey’s in Sydney harbor. We lived up one of the rivers and I would sail down into the harbor, dodging the ferry’s and container ships. By the time I was 14 I had a lazer (14 ft fiberglass sail boat) and was heading out into the ocean. This came to a head on day when I was run down by a large racing yacht.

At 17 I backpacked around Britain and Europe on a rail pass, and at 18 took a year off after high school and sailed a 36 ft wooden yacht 6,000 miles up and down the great barrier reef. I then walked most of the way across China and Tibet when I was 20 (1986), and them made my way through south Asia, north Africa and eventually to Britain.

Our family spent a lot of time backpacking and hiking, so map and
compass was familiar to me before I could read.

I’ve always raced anything and everything, including track and cross
country, swimming, Nordic skiing and road cycling from elementary
school, then kayaking, orienteering, triathlon and adventure racing
since 1984.

CheapTents.com: What has been your biggest sporting achievement?

Ian Adamson: Gold, Silver and Bronze medals at the ESPN X-Games were super cool, although I’m most proud of my Guinness World Record in kayaking (262 miles in 24 hours.) The one I remember most was my 7th and final world championship win in Sweden in 2006. We had a close to perfect race in fantastic weather and on a brilliant course. It was good enough for me to retire and call it good.

CheapTents.com: What is you biggest weakness?

Ian Adamson: Ice cream, chocolate and red wine! If you mean athletically, I was probably worst on my feet, which is paradoxical since I was a handy middle distance runner at school and have decent PRs in 10K through 50 miles.

CheapTents.com: When did you feel like you ‘made it’ as an Adventure Racer?

Ian Adamson: After winning Eco-Challenge, X-Games, Raid Gauloises and Southern Traverse (which morphed into the Adventure Race World Championships.) This was 1998 and we were making good money with sponsorship from Salomon and prize money. “We” being Team Eco-Internet which Robert Nagle and I co-founded in 1995, and later Salomon and then Nike.

CheapTents.com: Do you feel like you’ve satisfied your goals?

Ian Adamson: Absolutely yes. I went way further and way longer than I would have thought possible. This is really due to my exceptional teammates and sponsors, too many to mention. OK, I do want to throw in John Howard, Keith & Andrea Murray, Steve Gurney, Danelle Ballangee, Mike Kloser, Michael Tobin and Monique Merrill as well as the cast of rotating teammates we were fortunate to bring on the team over the years.

CheapTents.com: What do you find most challenging about training?

Ian Adamson: These days making the time is the kicker since I have a more than full time job as Dir or Research and Education at Newton Running.

CheapTents.com: What has been your worst injury from outdoors sports and how did it happen?

Ian Adamson: Probably the brain damage from lack of sleep over the years. I’ve not had a significant traumatic injury, so acquired diseases (such as Leptospirosis from Borneo), and sleep damage are the big ones. I mostly don’t remember because sleep deprivation destroys your memory.

CheapTents.com: What will be your most challenging event for next year?

Ian Adamson: I was asked to run Badwater so I’m going from office chair potato to running fried potato in six months. So far so good, I’m up to 45 miles on my long run since new years.

CheapTents.com: Where would you like to be in 5 years time?

Ian Adamson: Doing pretty much what I’m doing now. Working at Newton Running and directing/producing events. I’m currently in Haikou, Hainan working as the swim course director for Ironman China.

CheapTents.com: What are your main ambitions?

Ian Adamson: Pay off my house and spend more time with my partner Leah doing fun and pampered adventures. We aim to sail somewhere tropical each year, or cycle overseas (she has family in Spain and mine is in Australia.)

CheapTents.com: For other budding outdoor sports enthusiasts, what tips can you provide to help other compete at a higher level?

Ian Adamson:

1. Have fun with whatever you do.
2. Work on your weaknesses and maintain your strengths.
3. Stay hydrated.
4. Eat healthily (complete protein, complex carbs, fresh fruits and
   vegetables) immediately after exercise.
5. Nap if possible after eating after exercise – this helps repair and
   tissue building immensely.
6. Don’t overtrain, but definitely don’t undertrain.

CheapTents.com: What are your favourite bits of gear, and why?

Ian Adamson: I love topographical maps, especially marine charts. The aesthetic and function of a good map is hard to beat, and you can plan, dream and then execute with map in hand.

CheapTents.com: Any people or sponsors that you’d like thank?

Ian Adamson: Rail Riders Adventure Clothing was one of our first sponsors back in 1995, and John d’Arbeloff (owner) is still a friend and sponsor. He is providing my apparel for Badwater. Another long time and current sponsor is Princeton Tec, who were one of the first headlamp manufacturers and continue to push the edge of what is possible in lighting technology. I’ve used and still use their lights for everything from scuba diving to high mountain climbing. I’ve made some great friends over the years, including Kim and Coup at GoLite, and Murphy Reinshcriber who was my first sports agent and opened the door for me in event production. Robert Nagle of course, who is an exceptional teammate, leader and friend.

CheapTents.com: Anything else you would like to say?

Ian Adamson: Love what you do and do what you love. Pretty much anything is possible if you have a goal and a modicum of determination. I’ve had a full career as an athlete, a career as a bio-mechanical engineer, event producer, writer and now my new one at Newton Running.

CheapTents.com:

Thanks for answering our questions Ian! A most enjoyable read.

As well as being an awesome adventure racer, Ian Adamson is a motivational speaker and also organises the 24 hour triathlon event.

Rail Raiders have produced this fun video highlighting Ian’s achievements. It shows him participating in range of adventure sports as well as playing the flute!

Ian Adamson International Adventure Racing Successes

• Eco-Challenge – 1st 2001, 2000 and 1996, 2nd 2002 and 1997, 3rd 1995
• Primal Quest – 1st 2006, 2004, 2003, 3rd 2002
• AR World Championships – 1st 2006, 2004, 2nd 2005, 3rd 2001
• Southern Traverse – 1st 1996, 2nd 2005 and 1998, 3rd 2000
• Raid the North Extreme – 1st 2004, 2001 and 1999
• Raid World Championships – 1st 2004 and 1998, 2nd 2005
• Raid World Cup – 1st USA 2003, 2nd USA 2005, 2004 and 2000
• Extreme Adv. Hidalgo – 1st 2002
• Balance Bar – 1st OR 2003, 2nd CO 2003
• Hi Tec – 1st NY 1999, 3rd LA 2001
• ESPN X-Games – 1st 1997, 2nd 1996, 3rd 1995
• Adventure Xtreme, CO – 1st 2003, 2nd 2001, 3rd 2002

Eco-Challenge

The Eco-Challenge was an endurance adventure race competed by teams of four. It was an annual event held in the USA from 1995 until 2002. The race included mountaineering, trekking, mountain biking, horseback riding, camelback riding, whitewater canoeing, sea kayaking and scuba diving.

Primal Quest

Primal Quest takes place in the Badlands of South Dakota, USA. It is team based adventure racing expedition. The four person teams must run, ride and kayak a 600 mile course through remote wilderness.

ESPN X-Games

The ESPN X-Games (Extreme Games) event take place in the USA every year and includes extreme sports such Skateboarding, BMX, Moto-X as well as Street and Rally Car Racing. The Winter X-Games includes skiing, snowmobiling and snowboarding.

Badwater Ultramarathon

The world’s toughest foot race!

The Badwater Ultramarathon is the most demanding and extreme running race on the planet. Taking place every July, in temperatures up to 55°C, adventure runners compete in a 135 mile non-stop run, from Death Valley to Mount Witney, California.

The funds raised by the lecture will go towards subsidising young people on their Scottish and Alpine training courses. They provide a very worthwile service and thousands of students have benefited from their courses over the last thirty years. At only £10 per ticket it is a great opportunity to support the trust as well as getting to hear Sir Chris Bonington, one of Britains most sucessful mountaineers. For more details on the Jonathan Conville memorial trust and to find out how to buy tickets  for the event see below.

What is the Jonathan Conville Memorial Trust?

The family of Jonathan Conville established the Trust after he died on the Matterhorn 29th December 1979, aged 27. He was a sound, ambitious climber who had been to school at Marlborough College, spent some time in Australia, joined the Army (Paratroop Regiment) and taught at the Outward Bound School, Lock Eil. He identified strongly with the outdoors where he constantly found challenge. The Trust’s aims are to encourage and assist young people to train for and pursue their love of the outdoors in the spirit of adventure, which Jonathan embraced during his life.

The Trust encourages safe and enjoyable practice in mountaineering, by operating subsidised training for young people, operating Scottish Winter Courses based in the Cairngorms and Alpine Mountaineering Courses based in Chamonix.

Boundless Horizons – Sir Christian Bonington CBE – Ticket Details

When
Thursday 3 June 2010 7pm – 8.30pm
Bar open 6pm – 9.30pm

Where
The Royal Geographical Society
1 Kensington Gore, London SW7 2AR

Price
Tickets £10 Admits ONE

How to Buy
Please send SAE with name/email/telephone contact details to:

Melissa Kay
C/o JCMT
Titchbourne Barn
Redlynch
Salisbury
Wiltshire
SP5 2JX

Cheques made payable to Jonathan Conville Memorial Trust
Telephone 01794 884118

Get yourselves down here and get climbing.

Harrogate Climbing Centre (HCC) offers both indoor climbing and bouldering, as well indoor and outdoor climbing courses and qualifications. On offer are taster courses for people new to climbing, beginners courses and courses for climbers to develop their skills and even leader courses.

HCC's 14 meter multi-angled climbing wall.

The main indoor climbing wall is a whopping 14 meter multi-angled wall, designed by Entre-Prises. Climbing grades range from 3+ to 8a. There is also a bouldering section which features problems from V0 – V8, as well as a Fr7b stamina circuit.

Climber and owner of the Harrogate Climbing wall, John Dunne, told the BMC:

I wanted to bring Yorkshire’s premier climbing centre to the heart of Yorkshire’s best climbing; so when I found the perfect building just south of Harrogate town centre, I jumped at the chance of turning it into a modern climbing facility.

Only ten minutes’ drive from Almscliffe on a rainy weekend, the focus of Harrogate Climbing Centre is to provide for climbers and boulderers of all levels. We have applied all the lessons we have learnt from our experience at the Manchester centre, and used them to develop a climbing wall you’d have to travel a long way to beat!

Climbing for Everyone!

Everyone is welcome to come and climb. Climbing is available for corporate groups as well as kids, schools and youth groups. Life membership only costs £10 and entitles members to concessions on entry and the option to purchase discount packages. If you do not have your own climbing gear, you can hire it for a small fee.

Under construction. HCC's new climbing wall.

Harrogate Climbing Centre

Hornbeam Park Avenue
Hornbeam Park
Harrogate
HG2 8QT

Tel: 01423 815024
E-mail:
info@harrogateclimbingcentre.com
Website:
harrogateclimbingcentre.com

HCC Opening Times:

Mon-Fri: 10-10pm
Sat:10-8pm
Sun: 10-6pm

If you’re not able to get to Harrogate to go climbing or bouldering, there are plenty of indoor climbing walls in the UK. If you are not sure what equipment is needed for safe climbing, have a look at our advice about climbing gear, which provides information about climbing harnesses, shoes, ropes, belay devices and other protection equipment.

They are usually made from lightweight, waterproof, ripstop fabric and are secured around your rucksack with elasticated drawcord. When not in use they can be packed away into their own little stuff sack.

Trekmates Backpack Covers are available in small, medium and large to fit different sizes of rucksacks. Small fits 20-45 litre rucksacks, medium fits 45-65 litre rucksacks and large fits 65+ litre rucksacks.

Do I Need a Rucksack Cover?

The purpose of rucksack / Backpack covers is to protect your rucksack from the rain, but are they really necessary?

A wet rucksack is heavier than a dry rucksack, so the rain cover will help keep your rucksack lightweight. It will keep most of your backpack bone dry, although it does not cover the shoulder straps or hip belt. If you have been out all day hiking in the rain, bringing a soaking wet rucksack into your tent can make the rest of your outdoor gear damp. If you are staying at a hotel or guest house, or simply going home you will still need to dry out your rucksack if it is soaking wet. The rain cover will dry out much faster than a rucksack.

When packing a rucksack most people would use a rucksack liner, Mountain Equipment Wet & Dry Stuffsack or plastic bags to keep their outdoor gear dry. Therefore the rucksack protector is normally unlikely to keep your kit much drier than it would otherwise be. However, water does have a knack of finding its way into places, so if you are on a long hike and unfortunate to be in constant bad weather, the rain cover might be the difference between damp or dry camping gear. Camping can be bad enough in the rain, without having a soggy sleeping bag!

One thing to watch out for is that since the cover does not form a watertight seal, water can get inside the rain cover where it collects in a puddle at the bottom.

Rucksack covers do not only protect your rucksack from rain. If you are cycling with a rucksack, the cover will provide protection from mud on splattered up from your bike’s rear wheel.

If your rucksack has garish colour that is just too bright, then a black rain cover can be used to keep your back pack looking more sombre.

One of the cons of using a rucksack protector is that they are a hindrance if you want to carry things on outside of rucksack. Items like sleeping mats do not fit easily underneath rain covers.

In high winds the rucksack cover can get blown off. Therefore, after putting the cover over your rucksack and pulling the drawcord tight, it is worth tying the drawcord to the rucksack’s grab handle. Then if the wind blows the cover off, at least your cover won’t blow away down the mountainside.

In my experience, using a rucksack protector is worthwhile, but they are not everybody’s cup of tea.

Rucksacks with Built-In Covers

Some rucksacks have the covers built into them, for example, some Lowe Alpine and Berghaus rucksacks have built in rain covers. The raincover is normally zipped away in a pocket. When it starts to rain the cover can be pulled over the rucksack and is normally held in place with elastic. These covers are a much better fit that the generic rucksack covers since they are designed to fit a specific rucksack. They also have the benefit that they will not get blown off your rucksack in high winds.

Rucksack Covers for Travelling

If you are travelling a Life Venture Combi Transporter Rucksack Cover would be useful. This type of cover is not only a rain cover but also a transporter cover. It keeps all of your rucksack’s straps tidied away, preventing them from getting snagged and broken during flights or train travel.

Another worthwhile product if you are going travelling with a rucksack is a Pacsafe Luggage Protector. This is a wire mesh which prevents thieves gain access to your rucksack by slashing it open with a knife.

Review a Rucksack Rain Cover!

What is your opinion of rucksack rain covers? Are the worth the bother or are they your kit’s saviour from the rain? Let us know, click on comments below!

Camping, Walking and Climbing on Midway Atoll

Almost straying off topic from camping, walking and climbing, but keeping on the subject of the Albatross, I accidentally discovered a photo through a Google image search. The photo was taken on the remote Pacific Ocean of Midway Atoll.

Midway Atoll, also known as the Midway Islands, are located approximately 1450 miles to the north west of Honolulu, Hawaii. (See Google Map below.) Until 1993 The Midway Atoll was home to a United States Naval Facility. It has since become the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge, operated by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. It is possible to visit Midway Atoll providing that you obtain a permit. However the three islands that make up Midway Atoll are tiny, flat as a pancake and covered with nesting birds. So there are no opportunities for climbing, walking or camping. As I said, this post almost strays off topic – but not quite!

The Albatross and Plastic Waste

There are 18 species of seabirds including the Short-Tailed Albatross, Black-Footed Albatross and the Laysan Albatross. There is a large coral reef and marine life is plentiful, with Monk Seals, Green Sea Turtles and Spinner Dolphins swimming in the Pacific lagoon.

With its highest point at only 13 m above sea-level, rising sea levels are going to be a threat to the Midway Atoll nature reserve over the course of this century. However, as can be seen from this photo, there is another immediate threat to the sea birds: waste plastic.

This Albatross has died as a result of eating plastic. Source: Chris Jordan http://www.chrisjordan.com

The nesting babies are fed bellies-full of plastic by their parents, who soar out over the vast polluted ocean collecting what looks to them like food to bring back to their young. On this diet of human trash, every year tens of thousands of albatross chicks die on Midway from starvation, toxicity, and choking. Chris Jordan.

Great Pacific Garbage Patch

You might well wonder where all of this plastic has come from, given that Midway Atoll is located in the middle of the vast Pacific Ocean. The answer is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Bottle tops and other plastic litter dropped into the sea and rivers, or blown by the wind from our streets end up in the ocean. Vast amounts of small plastic items, degraded plastic and other debris float just underneath the ocean surface. They are trapped in an ocean gyre, which is an enormous circulating current that swirls around, in this case, in the whole of the north Pacific Ocean. The problem of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is being investigated by Scripps Environmental Accumulation of Plastic Expedition (SEAPLEX) which is…

Seeking the Science of the Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch.

Seaplex want to find out how much plastic is out there, how it is accumulating and distributed, as well as the effect that it is having on marine life. Hopefully from the information that they obtain it will be possible to formulate an effective method of collecting and removing the plastic rubbish. The solution will not be easy because, for example, using fishing nets is not possible since the plastic pieces are so small that they would just pass through the net.

Plastic Waste in the Atlantic

Not just the Pacific…for the past 20 years the Sea Education Association have been studying an accumulation of plastic debris in the North Atlantic Ocean. Whilst the existence of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is relatively well known about, plastic rubbish in the Atlantic Ocean has generally been overlooked.

Once a collection system is devised, it would be great if all the plastic could recycled. Perhaps it could be made into recycled fleeces and tents.

Lead Poisoning and Droopwing

In addition to death caused by eating waste plastic, 10,000 Laysan albatross chicks die each year from lead poisoning due to toxic, lead-based paint that was used on the Midway Atoll Naval Base. The chicks are unable to hold up their wings, which drag on the ground and become vulnerable to open sores and fractures. This form of nervous-system damage is called “droopwing.” The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have spent $1.5 million since 2005 to clean up 24 of 95 buildings that contain lead-based paint.

View Larger Map

Ben Nevis Escape Route

If you are planning to walk up to the top of Ben Nevis the first thing you need to know is the escape route from the summit. Regardless of the weather in the valley or on the mountain tops when you start your hike, by the time you reach the summit the weather may have closed in, resulting in near zero visibility. This has happened to me.

There are two dangerous gullies which must be avoided. Falling down them is likely to result in fatal injuries. They are Gardyloo Gully and Five Finger Gully. To avoid these gullies, from the summit trig point follow a bearing of 233 degrees for 150 metres (roughly 100 double steps), and then a bearing of 284 degrees. These are magnetic bearings that should be followed directly from your compass alone.

Ben Nevis summit seen from Gardyloo Gully. Source Geograph. © Copyright Angus and licensed for reuse under the Creative Commons Licence.

What is the Best Route up Ben Nevis?

The route that most people take up Ben Nevis starts in the valley of Glen Nevis, near the campsite. The footpath is well maintained. It runs along the side of Meall an t-Stuidhe, up towards the Lochan. At 640 m there is a T-junction where you turn right and head south across Red Burn, before the path zig-zags up a boulder field on the side of Ben Nevis. The final approach to the summit is a more or less a straight run up a gently undulating plateau. The route back down is simply the reverse. This tourist route is known as the Pony Track or the Motorway, due to the number of walkers on it! As a rough guide it takes about 9 hours to walk up and back down the mountain.

The first half of the Ben Nevis ascent is green and pleasant, the second rocky and mountainous. Source: Flickr by coda.

There are also scrambling, mountaineering and climbing routes to the summit, such as Carn Mor Dearg Arete.

Ben Nevis Best Hiking Gear

It is shocking to see what some people wear on Ben Nevis. On the two occasions that I have hiked up to the summit there were lots of people wearing jeans, t-shirt and trainers. Whilst the valley was lovely and warm with late April sunshine, the summit was cold. There was a thick covering of snow over the top 200 m of the summit. The visibility from summit was clear the first time that I there, but the second time that it started to snow and there was a white out. Visibility was down to a couple metres. This experience demonstrates the importance of being prepared for all weather conditions when hiking up Ben Nevis, or indeed any other mountain, such as Scafell Pike in the Lake District.

Kit list for Ben Nevis

Essential Gear and Clothing:

• Rucksack, 30 – 50 litres capacity should be sufficient
• Waterproof Jacket and Trousers
• Fleece Jacket
• Long Sleeved Mid-Weight Fleece Top
• Wicking Base Layer
• Waterproof Gloves
• Warm, Waterproof Hat: a Lowe Alpine Mountain Cap of course!
• Hiking Trousers, such as the Craghoppers Kiwi Trousers. Zip-offs are a good idea when it is warm in the valley, then you can put your legs on when it gets cold further up.
• Two Pairs of Trekking Socks, one thin and one thick.
• Stout Walking Boots
• 2 litre Hydration System
• Packed Lunch
• Ordnance Survey Explorer Map 392: Ben Nevis & Fort William
• Silva Compass

Emergency Survival Equipment:

• Emergency Rations
• Mobile Phone
• First Aid Kit
• Emergency Whistle
• Survival Bag
• Head Torch
• Spare Laces for your Boots

Optional Kit:

• Scarf – provides a lot of extra warmth for its weight
• Spare fleece top
• Gaiters
• Walking Poles
• GPS
• Sun Glasses – the snow gets bright when its sunny
• Sun Tan Cream / Sun Block
• Anti-bacterial handwash
• Flask
• Terra Nova Bothy Bag
• Victorinox Swiss Army Penknife
• Cigarette Lighter
• Camera

It is quite a list, but all this outdoor gear should ensure that you keep comfortable, warm, dry and blister free. Hopefully you will not need any of the survival kit, but its always best to take it.

Crampons and Ice Axe

Is it necessary to take crampons and an ice axe? In winter conditions, yes it is, and it is also necessary to know how to make a self arrest using an ice axe. The YouTube video below, from the Mountaineering Council of Scotland, shows various techniques and is well worth watching.

In late April / early May when I walked up the summit was covered in snow. Providing you keep well away from the edge, the plateau is relatively flat and walking in the snow is easy enough without crampons. There were a few places further down the path which were covered in icy snow patches, several metres in length. At the time I did not have crampons and they would have been useful for these short sections.

It is important to be aware of cornices, where the snow overhangs the edge of mountain cliffs. These can give way under your weight, leading you to fall to your death. As mentioned above, keep well away from the edge when there is snow!

Best Avoided

During the summer months, Scotland is famous for its midges. Fear not, there are plenty of ways to avoid getting midge bites.

And don’t forget to take with you a Model T Ford car, a bed, a wheel barrow, a piano and barrel of beer. All these items have been taken up the top of Ben Nevis for either publicity stunts or just for a laugh. What bizarre item(s) would you take up a mountain? Let us know, click on “comments” below!

The Fusion 2 back system is comfortable and well ventilated.

The Berghaus Arete Tour 40 Extrem rucksack is a high end pack suitable for climbing, scrambling, mountaineering, ski mountaineering and ski touring. It is made from durable fabric, has a solid construction and is packed with features.

It has a Fusion 2 back system, which comprises of non-absorbent thermo-moulded back panels with a large air gap in the middle. It is surprisingly comfortable and the air gap provides ventilation, helping to stop you getting too hot and sweaty.

Both the shoulder and chest straps are height adjustable. The shoulder straps are not uncomfortable, but could do with a little more padding. However it is worth bearing in mind that too much padding on rucksack shoulder straps could restrict your arm movement. The length of the hip belt is adjustable from both sides so that the buckle remains in the middle.

The Berghaus Arete opens up like a suitcase.

Rucksack Features

The feature that struck me as being different for a rucksack of this size is that it is entirely “unzippable” allowing you to open it up like a small suitcase, for quick and easy access to all your equipment. This feature is typical of rucksacks designed for ski touring. However, being able to get to any piece of your gear without having to empty the entire content of your rucksack is a benefit on any walk, climb or expedition. Let’s face it, no matter how well you pack your rucksack there will always be something that you’ll need in a hurry and you can guarantee that it will have found its way to the bottom of your rucksack!

Inside the rucksack, underneath the lid there is a bivi draw cord to seal in all your outdoor gear and a Y-shaped rope compression strap for securely storing climbing rope. The lid is fastened down with a single buckle, although personally I prefer rucksacks to have two buckle attachments on the lid. The buckle is mounted on an adjustable strap so that it can be used to compress your gear, increasing the stability of your pack. It also has side compression straps to help stop your gear moving around sideways.

Opening the lid reveals more features: bivi draw cord, rope compression strap, mesh pocket and safety instructions.

A very versatile rucksack big enough for hut to hut routes, designed for cragging and rock routes where you plan to be out for the day. Berghaus

The Berghaus Arete Tour 40 Extrem rucksack has more pockets than you can shake your walking pole at, which is great for organising your gear. There are large external pockets both on the lid and at the bottom of the pack, ideal for getting quick access to your waterproofs. The hip belt (waist belt) has small pockets on both sides and there are elasticated pockets at the bottom on either side on the rucksack. Inside the rucksack there are also many pockets and compartments: a large internal pocket, a mesh pocket on the lid and two elasticated pouches, one of which is for holding a hydration pack. There are also two long thin internal pockets which are “shovel and probe storage solutions”. If you’re not going out in the snow you won’t need your avalanche probe, in which case these pockets are ideal for stowing sticks of seaside rock.

The large outer pocket has two zips fasteners. One is red and one is grey, which I assume is to help stop you from accidentally moving both zip fasteners at once, thus opening and closing the pocket in one movement.

Berghaus Arete Tour 40 Extrem Mountaineering Rucksack

Outside the rucksack

On the outside of the rucksack there is a grab handle at the top and there are plenty of straps to hold gear, such as walking poles and ice axes. On each side of the rucksack there are straps designed to hold your skis which have removable, anti-slip pads. The only outer feature that it does not have is an elastic bungy that can be used for holding a climbing helmet or wet clothing.

There are built in safety features such as a small whistle in the chest strap, reflective lettering and safety instructions inside the lid. The whistle is not very loud so it would be best to take along a proper whistle, especially if you are skiing or mountaineering.

The Berghaus Arete Tour 40 Extrem has a capacity of 40 litres, its dimensions are approximately 65cm (H) x 32cm (W) x 25cm (D) and its weight is 1.41 kg.

Arete Tour 40 Extrem

The Berghaus Arete Tour 40 Extrem is a solidly constructed, well thought out rucksack. It is comfortable, adjustable and offers easy access to your gear. With plenty of pockets you can stay organised. It is highly suitable for climbing and mountaineering and, in particular, for ski mountaineering and ski touring. Definitely recommended!

Have you got a Berghaus Arete Tour 40 Extrem or similar rucksack? What do you think of it? Click on “comments” and let us know!

Why not write a review about your outdoor kit?

Climb, Mountain Bike, Kayak, Skateboard

Using Google Maps, Extreme Sports Maps, enables you to place your best location for extreme sporting on a map of the UK. You can zoom right in to give an accurate location and provide a description of your favourite trail, climb, river, spot or track. You don’t have to log in either, although they do like to have your e-mail address to send you updates.

Extreme Sports Map (ESM), The definative visual guide to Skateparks, Skateboarding Spots, Surf Breaks, Dirt Jumps, Mountain Bike Trails and almost every extreme sport spot you could shake a stick at.

Finding the best UK locations is easy. Each spot has a cross marked on the map with the type of extreme sport written next to it. There are literally hundreds of best locations in the UK, so you can filter the one you want. You can choose from Skate Park, Surf Break, Wake Boarding, BMX Track, Snowboarding/Ski, Wind Surf, Paddle (Canoe/Kayak), Street Spot, Downhill Trail, Kite Surf, Dirt Jumping, Climbing/Abseiling, Motor-X and Mountain Biking. The owners apologise if your extreme sport is not in the list, but invite recommendations by e-mail. Anyone know the best place for Extreme Ironing?

Zooming in on the map makes it easier to view different places in a particular area. You can also search for best places by postcode or place name. So whether you are looking for the best place to climb or the best place to mountain bike, using Extreme Sports Map will bring up a good place!

Best Place Map

As well as adding your favourite locations to the map you can also add to photos and YouTube videos to any of the the best places that are already on the map. And its not just the UK, you can find or add a spot anywhere in the world.

It all started after a long visit to South Africa where information about skate spots in particular was incredibly hard to get hold of, and then actually finding these places was near impossible. So Extreme Sports Map was born as a way of locating various parks and street spots, but now that idea has grown into being a visual guide to extreme spots everywhere.

Find or add best places to climb, ride, kayak, jump on Extreme Sports Map.

Extreme Sports Maps is not the only application for Google Maps. It has also been used by fillthathole.org.uk for cyclists to report pot holes in the road. There are many mapping tools available for general navigation, you may be interested in our review of on-line mapping tools.

If you want to share a great location you can also share it here on the CheapTents.com blog. Just click on “comments” below or send us an e-mail: blog@cheaptents.com.

Isle of White Coastline. Source: Wikimedia Commons by Barbara Murdter.

The Island has over 500 miles of well-maintained and signposted footpaths around 30 miles of Heritage Coastline, while more than half of the Island is recognised as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Walks and Hikes

With three speeds of walk to choose from, gentle, moderate and brisk, and five difficulty level from easy to strenuous, the Isle of Wight Walking Festival something for everyone. Some of the walks are themed, for example the “Isle of Wight Ghost Experience”, “In the Footsteps of Thomas Rowlandson” and “Climate and Energy Walk”. There is plenty for nature lovers including “Red Squirrels in the Park” and “Dawn Chorus Magic”. If you like gardens then the “Glorious Garden” walk could be for you, it is a long but gentle walk through the lovely Parish of Shalfleet visiting some outstanding private gardens. If you are looking for romance there is the “Speed Dating Walk”, which boasts no less than three marriages of people who met on this walk in the past. For information about all of the walks visit the Isle of Wight walking festival website. They have a fun navigation bar depicting animated walkers and cute rabbits enjoying the Isle of Wight countryside.

Some of the walks are free whilst others require that you make a small charitable donation. In this way the Isle of Wight Walking Festival raises money for the Earl Mountbatten Hospice, which cares for over 800 patients facing life-threatening conditions every year.

The Isle of Wight is famous for its chalk cliffs. Source: © Copyright John Hardy and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.

The Isle of Wight enjoys better than average UK weather. Considering that half the time I go walking in the Lake District it is raining and the cloud base is just above my tent, heading south to the Isle Wight sounds like a tempting idea. That said, its is always a good idea to take waterproofs when hiking anywhere in the UK!

The 12th Annual Isle of Wight Walking Festival will take place from the 8 – 23rd May 2010. However if you cannot make it then, there are still plenty of opportunities to get out your walking boots throughout the year. There are 14 trails on the Isle of Wight Walking Festival website that can be downloaded as PDFs. The trail guides contain detailed descriptions of the walk, a map and brief notes about interesting landmarks.

Interesting Facts about the Isle of Wight…

• It was an Independent kingdom briefly in the 15th century
• It has a rich maritime history: Cowes Week is the longest-running regular regatta in the world
• There are no grey squirrels and the red squirrel population is thriving
• The 1980s pop group Level 42 is from the Isle of Wight
• There are three breweries on the island
• One of the island’s largest events is the annual Garlic Festival
• The Isle of Wight is made up of a wide variety of different rock types
• There are two rivers called “Yar”, the Eastern and Western Yar.

There is undoubtedly something for everyone and it is hardly surprising that the Isle of Wight is often referred to as Britain in Miniature!

Ryde and Bembridge in the north east of the Isle of Wight. Source: Flickr by PhillipC.

Shanklin and surrounding countryside on the Isle of Wight. Source: Flickr by garryknight.

A Pothole. Cyclists watch out!

The road in question is in the countryside, just on the edge of the city. There are no street lights and it was a dark, rainy winters night. I have a Cat-Eye Power Opti-Cube LED bike light, which I am very pleased with. It provides enough light to see where you are going when it is dark, but when faced with the glare of the headlights of on-coming traffic it is impossible to see the road surface.

The wind was behind me so I was cycling at a fair pace, looking forward to getting home. I had cycled past a section of road that I knew to have pot holes. In order to avoid them I had kept to a position further out in the road than normal. After cycling about another 5 metres I began to move back towards the edge of the road. It was then that I hit the nasty pot hole. Despite having a reasonable pair of suspension forks, when my front wheel hit the edge of the pot hole the bike stopped dead. I took to the air! Fortunately I was travelling towards the side of the road and not in the path of on-coming traffic. My flight ended abruptly when I ploughed into a wooden fence on the verge. Fortunately my injuries were minimal: just a big scratch on my forearm. Luckily too, my bike was undamaged although I really ought to buy a new helmet since the side of my head hit a fence post. A kind motorist who had seen what happened pulled in to check that I was ok, which makes a pleasant change from motorists usual disregard for the safety of cyclists.

The next day I rang the council to report the pot hole. They did not seem overly interested until I told them that I had fallen off my bike. To their credit the pot holes were filled in a few days later.

Cyclists Fill That Hole!

Now I have found out about another way for cyclists and other road users to report pot holes to the council, which I think is worth sharing. Its a nifty website run by cycling organisation CTC, called Fill That Hole .org.uk. Since cyclists are particularly vulnerable to pot holes and cracks in the road, I would recommend that all UK bike riders add it to their bookmarks.

Report a pot hole to the council using FillThatHole.org.uk

Its not all bad news. The discovery of this pothole has given me the opportunity try out Fill That Hole!

Its a relatively straight forward process. Just click on “Report a Hazard” and fill in the questions. These include giving a description of the pothole, including its approximate size and depth. The next bit I like. Using Google maps, you find the location of the pothole, click on the map and a little red flag appears indicating the position of pothole. You also need to add a detailed description of the location of the pothole.

When you click “next” a page appears asking you to confirm the location, and the highway authority has automatically been identified.

The next page asks whether you were injured, whether your property was damaged and what mode of transport you were using. Finally you need to enter contact details. Then you can submit the report. Job done. All you need to do now is sit back and wait for the council to chuck a lump of tarmac in the pothole.

You get confirmation of your submission by e-mail and also the opportunity to add comments, update the report when the hazard has been fixed and even upload photos of the offending pot hole.

You can also find out where other potholes are by searching on the map or via the list of authorities. The following is comment that someone has made about the stretch of road where I fell off my bike, as mentioned above:

The road surface at the side is just horrendous. Its full of lumps bumps and potholes. You have to try and drive/cycle/ride in the middle of it to avoid getting that bone shakin feeling! Its been like that for years and never been re-surfaced. Its heavily used so you have no choice but to drive in the normaly driving position at much detriment to car/bicycle!

Pot Holes Filled

One other feature of the Fill That Hole site is that you can see how effective different highways agencies are at fixing potholes. The site average for all highways authorities and councils is only 33%.

The pot hole that I reported had already been filled by the time I rode home 2 hours later. So I assume that it had already been brought to the councils attention and scheduled for repair before I reported it to them. So unfortunately I will be unable to report on Fill That Hole’s effectiveness until I am able to report another pothole!

Is your council reluctant to sort out potholes? Are you a cyclist who has used Fill That Hole .org.uk? Did the pothole get filled? Share your experience, click on “comments” below!