Instructor Tips | Activities

Introduction

This page is full of little tips and hints collected by the pair of us over years of trail error whilst being out on the hill and on the water. Both of us cannot claim that we have thought of it all ourselves, over the years we have mostly pinched it of more experienced, older and more hairy guides and instructors.

If however you do not find an answer here and have a question please drop us a line and we’ll find the answer for you.

Goggle Maintenance When storing your goggles, and when you take them out on the hill it is worth putting ether newspaper or toilet roll against the inside lens. This will stop any moisture getting into the inner lens. On top of this you will have something to dry your face with before you put your goggles on.
Avalanche Receivers With the cracking winter still going on more and more people are venturing out into the mountains. Something that a lot of people in the UK do not think about carrying is an avalanche transceiver. These are little boxes that are strapped to your body and if you are avalanched people who are also carrying a transceiver can then find you. The prices for these range from £60 to £200 with all makes and models being able to talk to each other. Our tip is get one. 80% of people who are rescued from avalanches alive are done so within the first 7minuites of them being avalanched and they are rescued by friends or others on the slope who have transceivers. However if the mountain rescue team are called in they only on average recover 20% of people alive and this is due to the time the casualty is under the snow. If you go to the alps everyone wears these as they know that everyone else around them wears one, thus they can be found. So next time you are with your friends in the gear shop stop and have a think about what as a group you should be spending your money on, a new pair of sun glasses or a small box that might save you or your mates life.
Telling the time During the winter walking season we naturally wear more items of clothing when walking round in the hills and these are of course of a naturally more bulky nature. The glove is a classic example of how our clothing gets bigger to help protect us from the elements. However this does present us with the common problem of how to see our watch. Though straight away this may not seem like a big problem, come the winter time knowing how much day light is left is pretty important and if you are using timing for your navigation then a watch is pretty useful, unless you are good with the sun. Also in some weather the removal of the glove to see the time may not be safe so how do we tell the time? Well the simple answer is to wear your watch on your rucksack. It gets a little getting used to unless you are a nurse and then unlike myself I am sure you will put it on the right up straight away, but the ease of just reaching down and seeing the time without ever having to remove any layers and having to trouble my skin to the cold in the winter is priceless.
Throw Line Packing When we go river kayaking we all should be carrying a throw line and there are a couple of ways of packing the throw line. The best way I have found is to have the whole line packed away in the bag. This is a slight tweak on the popular method of having a small tail hanging out of the bag. The problem I have found with the tail hanging out is that it catches on bits of equipment and I once watched with amusement as one of my friends walked along the river bank with the tail end caught on a bramble and a full 15m of line un-ravel without him realising it. My tip is to pack the whole line into the bag, on the few occasions I have had to use a throw line in anger I have simply put my hand into the bag, grabbed a handful and pulled it out and every time I have come out with the end and a suitable length to hold for the throw. The great thing about packing it this way is that the bag sits in boat completely clean and tidy and if I need to jump out of my boat I am not worrying about it falling everywhere.
Eating out Whilst camping people carry all sorts of different kinds of food in with them. My personal favorite is the boil in the bag and I have used these all over the world and have never been disappointed with the food. However I have over time found some useful techniques with them and I have outlined these below. Take all outer wrappers of before you leave except one, this spare one you can then take off carefully and use as your rubbish bag When preparing to boil add the packets in first before adding the water (obviously do not have the stove running at this time) then add the water, this way you will not waste water by spilling it and will only need to boil as much as you need. When you start the boil PUT THE LID ON the pan and DO NOT take it of again until you have finished. The pan lid will lift off whilst boiling but try and keep it as closed as possible, this will save you loads of gas. Most boil in the bags take between eight and ten minutes to cook, however this time is measured from when the water is boiling not from as soon as you turn the stove on so be patient and time from the moment you see the water boiling. Once the time is up you have two choices depending on what meal you are at: If it is breakfast use the water you have boiled for your cup tea you have been preparing whilst the breakfast has been cocking If it is evening meal add your dessert (any person who goes into the hills without dessert is wrong) to the already boiled water and allow to cook, that way you do not have to re-boil the water and whilst you eat your dessert is cooking thus saving loads of gas. Once dessert is done you can then use the water for your cup of tea. Basically what you are trying to do is cook as much as possibly with as little gas and water as possible using as little of your own bodily energy thus getting the most out of the energy from your meal. On a warm summer’s evening not such a huge issue but in a snow hole after a couple of hours digging hugely important.
Packing your kit Whether you are going out on an expedition or just going out for a day on the hills having your kit where you want it and (preferably) dry. With the introduction of smaller light weight drybags packing your kit has become easier by allowing you to sort your kit out and place it where you want it in your rucksack. I have found the best way to separate my kit down is into the following drybags. Spare fleece (or other extra layer), neck warmer and spare gloves. First aid kit, emergency food. Lunch. Hat and gloves. These go into the top pocket of my sack for ease of access. Flask and water bottle or hydration pack. These should be stored outside the dry bags. The other method to keep your kit dry is to use either a plastic rucksack liner or a large drybag. This will keep your kit dry but you will have to remember where you put everything. This can also lead you to have to pull other kit out to get to the thing you are looking for.
Washing your Waterproofs Keeping your waterproofs in working order is an absolute must and not just because they can be so expensive but also because a clean set of waterproofs are a set of waterproofs that will keep you dry. The best solution I’ve found is as below When washing the kit in the washing machine ensure you run a rinse on your washing machine first to clean it of any washing detergent from previous washes Place only two items in the machine and wash on a cool wash with NO spin and follow the instructions on the washing agent. I like to use Nikwax as its easy to use. The trick with the machine bit is to only use the wash version, try not to use the wash and waterproof solution as this will waterproof the inside of your waterproofs as well and thus destroy the breathability. Once washed hang for a couple of minutes to allow the excess water to drain of but do not allow to dry and then spray with the waterproofing agent. Ensure you cover areas that will be exposed i.e. your front and shoulders as remember a lot of the time you will have a rucksack on your back. Next gently rub the waterproofs together to ensure an even spread of the waterproofing agent. Then pop them in the tumble dryer on a COOL setting. Do not worry about your kit, they love a good tumble and my Berghuas Gore-tex jacket is still going strong and beading after seven years of use.
Staying dry in your tent When camping you can never guarantee the weather with the wind having a huge effect of your tent. Probably one of the most difficult effects to manage is the bulging tent walls leaning in on you during the night and getting you wet. Tunnel tents can be particularly prone to this and its usually the feet end of your sleeping bag that cops the damp rub down during the night so here’s how to get round this and dry some kit at the same time. Jump into your sleeping when all is done and you plan on not getting out of your tent till the next day. Then grab your waterproof jacket that will probably be wet due to the weather that is now blowing on your tent wall and zip it up. Place your jacket over the toe end of your sleeping bag, obviously via the wide end and not the neck end and Velcro the sleeves together Ensure the draw cords are pulled tight at the bottom of the jacket to stop it slipping off. Now sleep, as you sleep, if the tent wall is pushed in against the bottom of your sleeping bag the water proof jacket will protect you. The heat also lost through the bag will also dry out your waterproof jacket.
Comfort in Your Boots. Everybody’s feet are different and to try to compensate for this boot manufacturers try to create different boots to suit. Unfortunately, unless you have the money to get the boots hand crafted and personalised, boots do not always fit exactly. If you find you have pressure points in your boots then there are a couple of ways that might help. Tie an over hand knot at the ankle point of your boots letting you tie the bottom section and top section at different tensions. See first photo, red tape showing where knot has been tied.