Canoeing/Rock Climbing, 'Cadet Austrian 3 Venturer (Tiger)', Austria, Pitztal, Jul 2011, ID 1142

Royal Grammar School Guildford, CCF

The sun was beginning to enter North Court of the Royal Grammar School in Guildford as 11 cadets and 2 officers mustered at 0645 to begin our journey to the German Austrian border. The boys, aged 14 and 15, were keen to begin their adventurous training - a week of activities in the beautiful amphitheatres of the Bavarian Alps

Following our journey to Sonthofen, we were met by our guides for the week who explained the programme; 6 days of activities - climbing and abseiling, klettersteig, mountain biking, open canoeing and canyonning – was an exciting prospect, but, despite it being July, it was clear that our plans would be at the mercy of the weather. It was difficult to believe as we sat in the evening sun that a major front was due to arrive in a day or two – it was going to get very wet!

The next morning we woke to clear blue skies and headed out to the crag in the warm sunshine. None of the boys had climbed on rock before and looking up the long slab was a scary prospect. Under the coaching and watchful eyes of our guides the boys worked in teams, slowly taking more responsibility and by the early afternoon the cadets were working safely in pairs. An abseil ended the day with a buzz; apprehension was swallowed, wobbly legs quelled and every boy dropped over and down the high cliff. It was wonderful to see so many of the boys stepping willingly outside of their comfort zone – this was what we had come for.

The second day was disappointing for all but served as an excellent teaching point for ‘judgement’ and ‘responsibility’. After walking uphill for an hour to reach the start of the Klettersteig, our guide’s assessment of the worsening weather meant that the activity had to be abandoned. That afternoon as the rain hammered down we took a visit to the excellent indoor climbing wall, thankful that we were not attached to a steel cable at the top of a mountain. To escape the weather, the next day we drove over the border into Austria. The drive was well worth it; there cannot be many beginner level klettersteig routes which climb up past and then over a huge waterfall! With the scenery, exposure, noise and spray this was an amazing experience and at the end of the week this was voted the best day.

Day four presented a fresh challenge – mountain biking. On paper this was back in the boys comfort zone, but few had cycled 30km in a day or hammered down root and rock strewn single tracks with a steep drop on one side! Teeth had to be gritted up long hills and on the roads the boys quickly learned about slip streaming and taking turns at the front. After a long day, exhausted but happy, they collapsed in the Fellhornbahn carpark.

The final two days, cannyoning and canoeing, presented the greatest personal and team challenges. Firstly, encased in two wetsuits, helmet and harness, we abseiled over waterfalls, jumped into icy pools, swam, climbed and slithered until we reached the bottom of the gorge. This was exhilarating and fantastic to watch the cadets abseil with little or no hesitation – the change from day 1 was huge. Despite this, the canoe tour was my favourite day. Swollen rivers meant the water was romping downstream and many usually obvious hazards were lurking beneath the surface. The boys were were required to work as a team to ensure they negotiated the rapids safely. At times emotions ran high but everything came together in time for the most dangerous section – the joy, pride and unity of the group afterwards was palpable.

After dinner on this last night we all gathered to review the photographs and video during the week. This was a wonderful way to relive our individual and group experiences and, importantly, set the cadets up for their final ‘activity’, a personal reflection exercise. To finish, here are a selection of the responses to “How has adventurous training benefitted you?”:

It has made me realise that my limits can be stretched, so when put back into a normal situation I feel calmer.

It has made me able to go further. If for instance I am scared of doing something then I can just remember an activity I have done.

It has given me more courage and determination to succeed. I also learned to respect what you cannot control, i.e. nature.

We are very grateful to the Ulysses Trust, whose grant allowed the expedition to be marketed at as low a price as possible, thus making it accessible to the greatest possible number of cadets. Without such funding the expedition would struggle to recruit enough cadets to make it viable to run.

Tom Shimell

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