The Highlands

10 Under The Ben

Peter — Fri, 30 May 2008 22:44:08 +0000

10 Under the Ben, takes place up in the Nevis Range this weekend.

The 10 hour mountain bike marathon from No Fuss Events will treat riders to an awesome course incorporating sections of the World Championships cross country course, as well as some stunning sections of singletrack and fire roads in the shadow of the North Face of the countries highest mountain Ben Nevis.

This exciting event is certain to pull a large and committed crowd, and we’re hoping everyone has a good, safe, fast run.

We’re looking forward to some SMS updates over the weekend from Edinburgh team ‘The Cron Jobs’. Shez (pictured), is our man on the hill.

Fri 30th May, 20:44:

‘Many, many shifts! Tom’s first at 9am ‘ish, then I’ll probably be on 1.5 hours after, and so on till 7pm ‘ish!

Props go out to John, Ben, Ross, Stu and Si as well!

Commiserations to Magnus, he has a photo of the drugs the doctor gave him to beat off the chest infection. Tom and I are going to take up the slack with a two man, rather than three man team at the last minute. Wish us luck, it’s going to be tough.’

Sat 31st May, 08:43:

‘Sun’s out!

Ladies Scottish Climbing Club at 100

admin — Tue, 27 May 2008 21:54:38 +0000

Scotland’s oldest mountaineering club for women marks its 100th anniversary by climbing one of the country’s most famous peaks in costumes from throughout its century.

Watch BBC News item

Edinburgh Mountain Film Festival

admin — Sat, 10 May 2008 11:37:16 +0000

The Edinburgh Mountain Film Festival is seeking film and photo entries for the 2008 festival, which will run 17-19 October 2008. They are also running a new literary competition in association with the Mountaineering Council of Scotland.

The literary competition has prizes for both prose and poetry. There are cash prizes totalling almost £500 and the winners in each category will also receive a pair of weekend passes for this year’s EMFF. The closing date for entries is 31 August. Full details.

The categories for the 2008 photography competition are:

A Winter Adventure
Pushing My Limits

Open to everyone, professional or amatuer alike the prizes include cash, membership of the MCoS and a Harvey’s map of the Cairngorms. And, of course, there is the thrill of seeing your photo in a public exhibition! Closing date for entries is 31 July 2008. Full details.

The film competition will consider any film with a focus on adventure - be that climbing, kayaking, skiing, mountain biking or whatever. Short films and ‘mockumentaries’ will also be considered! Closing date for entries is 30 June 2008. Full details.

Scotland is windy - shocker!

admin — Fri, 09 May 2008 08:15:48 +0000

A BBC film crew have captured some footage showing it gets windy in Scotland. The shots were included as part of BBC natural history producer Fergus Beeley nature diary from Beinn Eighe’s National Nature Reserve show water being blown back uphill on a windy day in Torridon. They have been picked up by the media as an ‘and finally’ and widely circulated. It’s only take 3 months for this material to surface, front line journalism at its best - keep up the good work chaps!

See the original article on the BBC website

A note at the end of the article states ‘Secrets of the Highlands is likely to be broadcast on BBC Two in the Spring of 2009, on the BBC Natural World series‘. Watch this space for updates.

Scotland Outdoors - a new magazine

admin — Sat, 03 May 2008 10:13:39 +0000

A new magazine is being released later this month - Scotland Outdoors is a new quarterly magazine for outdoor adventurers of all ages who want to experience Scotland’s wild places at first hand.

Their aim is to use the best writers and photographers to showcase opportunities to explore one of Europe’s greatest natural playgrounds with features on adventure travel, active outdoor sports, wildlife, ecology, plus the people and issues that shape Scotland’s outdoors.

Rather than being available on the newsstand, Scotland Outdoors will be distributed through targeted partnerships with key outdoors stakeholders, including accommodation providers, Green Tourism Business Scheme members, Wild Scotland members, visitor centres, specialist tour and outdoor retailers.

For more information see: www.scotlandoutdoorsmagazine.com

Cumberland Ale Keswick Mountain Festival

admin — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 09:03:35 +0000

Of the things I love in the world Ale, Mountains and Festivals are all close to the top of the list - so the this years Cumberland Ale Keswick Mountain Festival is a must. It runs from Wednesday 14th to Sunday 18th May 2008 with an excellent line up of talks from explorers, climbers, mountaineers as well as mountain bikers, canoeists and photographers. All this plus an array of activities are on offer - in and around Keswick, the ideal base for exploring The Lakes (or ‘The Ponds’ as some north of the border like to call them). Some of the highlights include:

The Birketts owt on’t Fjalls (Out on the Fells)
Andy Kirkpatrick - Strange Penchant for the long, the cold and the difficult
Doug Scott - A Crawl down the Ogre
Chris Bonington and Tony Riley - Interactive Photography workshop The Everest Years
The Life of Julia Bradbury - her recent adventures in the Great Outdoors
Alan Hinkes - The Big 14
Mick Fowler - Matterhorns of Tibet
Stephen Venables - Higher than the Eagle Soars
Full details at www.keswickmountainfestival.co.uk

Homemade Mountain Movie Award

admin — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 08:13:49 +0000

The site ‘Live for the Outdoors’ has launched a homemade movie competition offering people a chance to share their mountain films. Monthly prizes are on offer as well as an overall prize of a paid assignment to Everest Base Camp. Winners will also be shown at the Kendal Mountain Film Festival later this year.

They are looking for homemade videos on any outdoor subject – from a capella monologues on why you love your boots, to the glorious sunrise seen from your tent doors or your attempt to conquer Scafell Pike. Your video must be under 3 minutes long, feature all-original material and have a clear focus (eg ‘Our day on Tryfan’, ‘My Favourite Wild Camp’ or ‘Why I Love Glen Coe’).

For more information see the Homemade Mountain Film Awards.

To help folk a long they have also created a couple of tutorials which offer basic advice on how to get the best out of your kit.

A message from Moutain Rescue

admin — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 07:53:28 +0000

Short film from the Lakeland Mountain Rescue Teams highlighting some of the common misconceptions and issues facing modern teams.

Images from the 1924 Everest expedition

admin — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 10:45:20 +0000

Bentley Beetham was a schoolmaster in the north of England in the 1920’s, as keen naturalist and rock climber his excursions to the Lake District brought him the friendship of Howard Somervell, with whom he became climbing partners. The reputation he earned would eventually lead to him being chosen as a member of the 1924 Mount Everest expedition.

Beetham’s legacy is his astounding collection of photographs that paint a portrait a moment in the history of mountaineering - these images can now be seen online at the Bentley Beetham Collection.

Caledonian Challenge jobs

admin — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 07:29:37 +0000

The RBS Caledonian Challenge is one of Scotland’s largest team fundraising events, it take place on Saturday 14th and Sunday 15th June 2008. They are currently looking for people to fill a number of roles, including:

Events Executive (Fundraising)
Health and Safety Consultant
Marketing Internship
Marshal Opportunities

For full details see the Caledonian Challenge site