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Mountaineering, 'Northern Edelweiss', Switzerland - Valais, Jun 2010, ID 991

Northumbria University OTC

Immediately after our annual camp in Haltern, Germany, 25 members from the Northumbrian Universities Officer Training Corps headed south to the Valais region of Switzerland for a 10 day multi activity expedition that was designed ‘ to take us to our limits!’ What this statement meant, we were unsure but definitely excited to find out!

Part of the expedition was designed to introduce the OCdt’s to the world of mountaineering. Five days were spent gaining an understanding of what opportunities a map and compass could offer. The terrain was steep and for some reason the compass had a tendency to head upwards. But what we discovered high up in the mountains was breathtaking! The Lake Salanfe was picture perfect, framed by the Dents du Midi.

Although some expedition members were regulars to the Alps during the winter, none had been to the vast outdoor playground during the summer months and the activities were unbelievable! The canyoning involved donning a wetsuit that was a physical work-out to put on, but with the glacier run off barely above freezing, the squeeze was worth it. The instructors took us sliding, scrambling and falling down the river. As we progressed, the rock slides and jumps became higher; some even involved abseiling, providing numerous opportunities to laugh at people gaining their confidence.

We discovered a high wire centre involving an obstacle course through the trees. One of the zip wires was 180m in length. It was a mental challenge to jump off the cliff face and into mid air, but once the initial adrenaline had worn off, the feeling was amazing. During the climbing we set each other challenges; ascending the rock face blind folded, removing the use of body parts and then timing ourselves. It involved a lot of communication to assist each other but the trust was there. The Via Ferrata was similar to climbing as you had to trust your equipment. It took us up a rock face, over a waterfall and through a forest. Some found the going mentally challenging as it required nerves of steel to manoeuvre around various sections. However, everyone loved it and the sense of achievement at the end was buzzing.

The highlight of the expedition was the mountain biking. The fact that we were given a warning about the risk assessment demonstrates just how much this activity was to take us to our limit! The bikes were awesome, the safety equipment making us look like Robocop and the Bike Park a huge playground! Once confidence had been gained on the training loop, we were off, discovering as much as possible of the Porte du Soleil. Some of the dismounts were funny, some nerve racking but the equipment prevented any injuries apart from pride. The majority of the costs involved with the mountain biking were met by a Ulysses Trust Award and without it, this activity would not have been introduced to the 25 members of the expedition, a true thank you from all of us – we’re hooked!

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