Adventure Bulletin: April 2021
Hello Team Intrepid!
I was going to say something about it finally starting to feel like summer here in the UK. But then it started snowing, so never mind that.
This month’s theme is kayaking, so watch out for those articles coming later in the month. I’m also commissioning for July, August and September at the moment (that’s SUP, solo adventures and bikepacking/cycling). All details about how to pitch here.
Now for some adventure…
INSPIRATION
Tara Lal and Sarah Davies are currently cycling across Australia - west to east, over 5000km. You can read about their trip and track their progress at cyclingoz.com
Climate Sentinels are a group of 6 female scientists and explorers making a 5 week-long expedition, 1000 km away from the North Pole, this April. Read about their climate-neutral expedition and their aims on climatesentinels.com
Anna Blackwell’s film Refuge is being released on Friday, about her most recent trip to Artic Sweden in October 2020. Follow her on Instagram to see it.
Alice Morrison’s BBC series about walking from Morocco to Timbuktu is currently available on iPlayer, if you have it.
Lucy Edwards has written a useful article about how to stay safe when swimming in open water.
Shimano has released a film called All Bodies featuring cyclists Kailey Kornhauser and Marley Blonsky.
Natalie Berry writes an entertaining guide to Climbing in the Solar System for UKC (including routes on the Moon and Mars). Read it here.
Jess Daddio has released part 4 of the Rad Women of Bikepacking series for bikepacking.com (I cannot find the other 3 parts, but perhaps you can with a bit of searching). Read part 4 here.
Sophie Pierce writes about outdoor swimming as a way through grief after the loss of her son. Article here.
Another great UKC entry about Women’s Climbing in Iran and the cultural challenges. Well worth a read here.
Holly Ernest writes about hiking and swimming from boulders to beach on the Lagoon Challenge. Read it here.
Zoe Langley-Wathen is launching a new podcast on 1st May (Head Right Out Podcast) having conversations with resilient women. Here’s her story.
Preet Chandi was on the Outdoors Fix podcast recently. She’s an army officer preparing for a solo expedition to the South Pole in November. Have a listen.
Here’s an interview with Ellie Pell about how she won the Green Lakes Endurance 50k in 2019, leaving the men’s winner with no trophy as the organisers had assumed the overall winner would be male.
Bike it Wild is a film from Sustrans, celebrating the Girls' Bike Club project which aimed to improve levels of cycling among teenage girls in Brighton. Watch it.
I’ve just come across The Paddler’s Podcast from the Clear Access, Clear Waters campaign. Loads of interviews to catch up on here.
Here’s an interview with Scouts ambassador Saray Khumalo, the first Black African woman to climb Everest.
And while we’re on Everest (metaphorically), here’s a broad interview with Nadhira Al Harthy who is the first Omani woman to summit - amongst many other things!
Finally, one to watch. There is currently no solo female FKT for the South West Coast Path. Here’s the line up of women attempting it in 2021.
BOOK OF THE MONTH
This month’s book is Take it All on Board: 8 Steps To Mastering The Slope & Life With Confidence by Kate Mumac.
Using her experiences learning to snowboard, Kate encourages the reader to step out of their comfort zone with confidence. At the end of each chapter are a series of questions based upon the content - which are designed to provoke the reader to think differently about their goals, dreams and life. Kate shares her journey on the piste from snowboarding newbie to BASI instructor training, taking the reader to different resorts and countries. She also introduces them to some of the brightest names in British snowboarding with whom she has shredded including Jenny Jones (Olympic slope style medallist) and Ash Newness (resident coach on Channel 4s The Jump).
About the Author
Kate Mackay is a certified professional performance coach based in the North of England. An NHS Management Consultant and a guest lecturer at the Faculty of Health Studies at the University of Bradford, in her 20 year career she has trained more than a thousand health professionals from across the UK. She is the author of mummysnowboarder.com, the only UK blog to focus on snowboarding for women and families. Kate has been snowboarding for more than 15 years.
Hear more from Kate at www.mummysnowboarder.com or @mmysnowboarder in Twitter and #mummysnowboarder on Instagram.
Read the Book
Members can read three chapters of the book here.
You can buy a copy of the book through its dedicated website takeitallonboard.com or on Amazon.
GEAR TESTING
Last month’s test team are already out putting the gear through its paces. We’ve got some more lined up for you and we’re particularly looking for READERS.
A selection of books from Vertebrate Publishing: Structured Chaos, Peak District Gritstone, Day Walks in Northumberland, Day Walks in Fort William and Glen Coe and Wild Winter. Definitely some UK adventures to be had in there.
Anything from Swedish outdoor brand Klattermusen’s full Spring/Summer 2021 Lookbook - we’re talking jackets, waterproofs, baselayers…
Some Cicerone guides coming soon, watch this space!
Want to be in with a chance to review one of these items for Intrepid Magazine? Here’s a friendly red button:
Members will find all the details in their extra email.
SPOTLIGHT
This month’s adventurer is Nikki Love. She is an adventure runner and author (her book With a Little Dash of Crazy is in the Intrepid Magazine Online Library). I met Nikki by complete chance at a trail running event. She’s wonderfully positive and very modest, encouraging everyone to chase their extraordinary.
Despite being a “slow” runner, she’s run around Malta and Ireland and got the Guinness World Record for the most consecutive marathon distances by a woman. She’s hoping (fingers crossed) to add Australia to the list this year, running 4000km across the island.
Nikki is running 100 marathons in 100 days across the UK this summer, starting on 1st May (which, yeah ok, is maybe not summer). Find out more about it and maybe join her on a 5k loop at nikkilove.co.uk
OPPORTUNITIES & EVENTS
Outward Bound’s Women’s Outdoor Leadership Course is open for applications until midnight on 2 May 2021. The course is for women who have already started their UK outdoor leadership journey (ideally with 2 out of 3 of the training courses done for ML, RCI or SPA and Paddlesport Instructor or equivalent).
The course itself runs from 20 September - 26 November 2021 at Outward Bound Ullswater. At least one person receiving this email has been chosen to do this course. Maybe this time it could be you? More details and how to apply here.
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BMC Women’s Ready to Rock Courses are running this summer at venues across the UK, helping indoor climbers to make their first moves onto rock. There’s a huge selection of dates depending on where you’re climbing, but they’re all 1 day courses and cost £60.
Better still - there are 4 free places available to women facing financial hardship through the Pinnacle Club Centenary Sponsorship Fund.
All the details, dates and how to apply can be found on the BMC website.
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Bradt Guides are looking for “Crones” to feature in a new book. Jay Courtney is seeking “women who have found their way to do, or to be, what they really want at this stage of their life”. She says, “I am on a quest to find and celebrate the lives of women who are embracing their ‘third act’ with gusto.”
If that could be you, here’s a full explanation about the book and how to get in touch: bradtguide.com/crones
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Visit Switzerland have launched the 100% Women Peak Challenge. Between 8 March 2021 and 8 September 2021, they are calling on female climbers from all over the world to climb a 4,000m peak of their choice (in Switzerland). There are 48 peaks above 4,000 m peaks in Switzerland and they hope to get a full set of female summit selfies in the timeframe.
For details of the challenge and how to enter, visit their website.
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Ascendancy Apparel have an Adventure Grant that appears to still be open (no closing date listed, so act fast just in case!). They say, “We’re giving away a total of £1000 in cold, hard, adventure ready cash in our first wave of grants! We’ll be awarding £500 to the adventure that excites us the most, and awarding five separate lots of £100 at random!”
To apply, there’s a simple form explaining how you’ll spend the money. Get your grant applications in here: ascendancyapparel.com/adventuregrants
Phew! Well that should keep you busy when you’re not outside. If you think we’ve missed something, or want to share something in next month’s bulletin do get in touch. People seem to be starting to announce adventure plans - always happy to shout about them for you :)
Stay intrepid,
Emily