Archive for Advice from the Experts

Top trekking advice from trekkers past to trekkers future!

November 21, 2012 / admin / No comments

Once our Charity Challengers are safely back home and resting their feet, we send them our charity challenge survey, and one question we are always sure to ask is;

“If you could give any advice to future participants taking part in this challenge, what would it be?”

We ask this as it’s really important for us to know -particularly from a participants eyes view! -  What people could have done with knowing more about, or what they could have been better prepared for, so that our next group of trekkers can boldly head out onto their challenge being that much more confident and better prepared.

So check out the below to see some of the messages that our previous trekkers want to pass on to the next generation of charity challengers!

“Good idea to set up a forum with the others going on your challenge…great to be able to encourage each other and get tips on training and fundraising!” Hilary Banks, Sumatra Jungle Trekker

“Definitely train and if you think you’ve forgotten something don’t panic someone else is sure to have remembered and you will have stuff others have forgotten so be prepared to share your kit as well as your experiences and most of all enjoy.” Sarah Hollies, Sahara Desert Trek challenger

“Look after your feet, make sure you’ve got good socks/liner socks, break in boots.  Boots need good soles to protect from the very rocky day.  Tuck your laces in so you don’t trip up (like I did!).  Take a very warm sleeping bag.  There aren’t many bugs – so don’t be put off.  There are some bushes – so don’t worry too much about no loo in the day!” Sahara Desert Trek challenger

“Make sure you take lots of photos, I wish I had stopped sometimes to take more.” Hellen Vaughan-Williams, Cuban Revolution Cyclist

“Enjoy!”. Kevin Moore, Cuban Revolution Cyclist

“My advise would be to embrace every aspect of the challenge, the organisers and in my case the other challengers were the best people I could have ever met, dont let that pass you by.” Amy Harbone, Trek to Machu Picchu

“Just to go for it, push your boundaries and enjoy the challenge. Take the time to read all the info sent out by Charity Challenge and in particular the kit list. Do the training and it will be a breeze” Adrienne Booth, Great Wall Discovery Trekker

“Don’t underestimate the challenge, altitude and sustained camping are tough. You have to have a strong will, maybe be a bit stubborn to succeed! Take your training seriously but it’s as much a mental challenge as a physical one…Most of all, enjoy (and respect) the mountain, the whole experience even the difficult bits, and stay positive. It will be over too soon! Grace Breathe, Kilimanjaro Trekker

“Do the training!!  I was gald of the different terrain that we had trained in and the numerouse climbs that we had undertaken – it made our trek very manageable. It is also key to train with the equipment that you are going to be using as you are then comfortable with it all and have sorted out any ‘niggles’.” Joy Mitchell, African Bush Trek

“Make sure you have all of the correct kit and are prepared for every season of weather! Poles are essential!!” Brooke Kinsella, Trek to Machu Picchu

For more top tips, and to learn more about all our charity challenges, please visit our website at www.charitychallenge.com, and, to keep up to date on all our challenge news, subscribe to this blog by clicking on the orange RSS button, you can also enter your email address into the adjacent box to subscribe to our mailing list!

Category: Advice from the Experts, Trekking Tips and Tricks / Tags: , , , ,

High Altitude Advice from the experts

May 16, 2012 / admin / No comments

THINKING ABOUT DIET, NUTRITION AND DEHYDRATION ON THE MOUNTAIN

You’d think that spending a day mountain trekking would be an ideal way to work up an appetite! But for a lot of people, it can be very difficult to maintain a healthy appetite at high altitude. The senses of smell and taste can be greatly inhibited by the general feeling of lethargy and nausea that often accompany mild altitude sickness, and hence put you off your food.

This can be a dangerous side effect of altitude sickness, as you will be physically exerting yourself and burning through hundreds of calories every day, so it’s very important to keep up your strength and energy levels.

Our Altitude expert partners at the “Altitude Centre” are on hand with advice.

“Fatty foods and high tech sports nutrition bars are difficult to digest and should be avoided. There are some advantages in taking vitamin and mineral supplements at altitude. ALTI-VIT is a unique vitamin formula developed by leading experts in conjunction with The Altitude Centre to support key body requirements at Altitude. With ingredients including Siberian Ginseng, Vitamin C, Reishi Mushroom Extract and Ginkgo Biloba,  is a nutritional altitude supplement supporting:

  • Oxygen uptake
  • Energy production
  • Immune function
  • Sleep quality

Visit altivit.com to find out more.”

Two further symptoms of Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS) are constipation and diarrhoea which tend to alternate and this can be dangerous as well as distressing. You can take medication to help with these symptoms but it is very important that you keep well hydrated and keep up your food intake – even if you aren’t hungry. On all our treks the water is boiled and cooled to sterilise it. Those with particularly sensitive stomachs may consider iodine tablets to further treat the water. A top tip to neutralise the taste of iodine, is to dissolve an effervescent Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) tablet into the water.

Indeed drinking is just as important as eating! Adequate hydration is essential to allow the body to regulate its chemical balance in response to the change in altitude. Aim to drink 3-4 litres each day and if possible try to add electrolytes to your water. Two brand names to consider are Nuun and Dioralyte. These will help to replace the body’s salts that are lost whilst walking.

The air at high altitude is always very dry. With each breath water will be stripped from your lungs. If you use your mouth to breathe a dry cough is likely to develop. TOP TIP: Try to use your nose to breathe through to prevent a dry throat. If this is not possible, suck a honey cough sweet to help lubricated the throat.

If you want to learn more about our mountain challenges, you can visit our website here. Also, to find out more about the good work and advice the Altitude Centre dishes out, please visit their website at www.altitudecentre.com. To keep up to date on all our challenge news, both altitude related and not, please enter your email address into the adjacent box to subscribe to our mailing list.

Category: Advice from the Experts / Tags: , , , , , , , ,

“Enjoy or Endure” – Convenient Kit lists from our friends at Outdoor Hire!

April 18, 2012 / admin / One comment

Warm, dry and comfortable will get you a long way on any trip. Avoid the misery of the wet, the cold and the downright uncomfortable by hiring kit fit for the job in hand. Get this right and enjoyment will surely follow.

We find that a lot of our challengers don’t want to spend a ton of money on kit which they may hardly ever use again. So we teamed up with our friends at Outdoor Hire to solve the conundrum by providing top notch kit for hire.

Layer, layer, layer, topped with a well fitted backpack, sleeping bag and mat – no skimping on quality when you hire at a fraction of the cost of buying.

When embarking on an adventurous challenge having the right kit makes a world of difference.

A Fantastic and efficient service, supplies top quality equipment /clothing , and makes once in a life time challenges affordable. I Will be using outdoor hire again!! Jambo Jambo

Dave Fowler, Kilimanjaro Challenger 

Outdoor Hire have also made the whole process easier still by providing up-to-date and challenge specific Kit Lists for every one of our challenges. So whether you’re climbing Kilimanjaro or cycling across Cuba, these Kit lists show you want you need and how much it costs.

http://www.outdoorhire.co.uk/charity-challenge/index.html - check out your Unique Challenge kit list here!!!

Category: Advice from the Experts, Trekking Tips and Tricks /

How to get the most out of your Kit with Cotswold Outdoors

January 27, 2012 / admin / No comments

It is a truth universally acknowledged that you can’t summit mount Mt Kilimanjaro without the right footwear, and that you would have a very unpleasant time of it if you tried to cross the Sahara desert in jeans and a t-shirt.  In these extraordinary climates of mountain winds, desert heat, jungle humidity and icecap colds, you need clothing and equipment that is a little bit extraordinary itself.

Here at Charity Challenge, we work with outdoor experts Cotswold Outdoors to create the most up-to-date and relevant kit lists and provide you with expert advice on what kit you need and how to use it.

Take a look at these two videos from Cotswolds Outdoors to see how you should be adjusting and fitting your boots and rucksacks before you set out on your challenge!

http://bit.ly/yUrsLa – how to correctly fit and adjust your boots

http://bit.ly/yUrsLa – how to correctly fit ad adjust your Rucksack

Category: Advice from the Experts, Trekking Tips and Tricks / Tags: , , , , ,

An introduction to Altitude

November 28, 2011 / admin / No comments

We’ve got an Everest Base Camp expedition heading out next week, so we thought it only fitting that we spend some time contemplating altitude. High Altitude can sometimes be a forgotten factor for beginner mountaineers, but when scaling a mountain such as Mt Kilimanjaro or trekking to Everest Base Camp, reaction to high altitude can be the make or break factor!

Here at Charity Challenge, we always want to see as many of you as possible smiling down from the mountain summit, so we work with the London based ‘Altitude centre’ to bring you the most up-to-date news, training methods and high altitude coping mechanisms. Indeed, Altitude experts at the altitude centre state that the preparations for high altitude are just as important as fitness training when it comes to our mountain challenges.

“To climb a mountain you need a certain level of fitness, but fitness alone will not get you to the top. As you climb higher, the air gets thinner. Each lungful at altitude gives you less oxygen so your body has to work harder to maintain the supply” says Richard from the Altitude Centre.

High Altitude isn’t always simple to get your head around, so I’ve asked the experts to answer some of the most commonly asked questions.

So what is “High Altitude”? And what effect will it have on me?

High altitude generally refers to altitudes greater than 2,000 metres (6,560 feet) above sea level. As altitude increases, atmospheric pressure decreases, which affects humans by reducing the partial pressure of oxygen, basically, there is less available oxygen to breathe as you get higher

At what height do I need to start worrying about high altitude?

The lack of oxygen above 2,400 metres (8,000 ft.) can cause altitude sickness. Altitude sickness, also known as acute mountain sickness (AMS), is the effect of high altitude on humans caused by acute exposure to altitude. It commonly occurs above 2,400m (approx. 8,000feet). The symptoms can be similar to the common flu, severe AMS can be life threatening.

How can I test how susceptible I am to reduced oxygen?

We offer an AMS (Acute Mountain Sickness) consultation where you can find out immediately how your body reacts to breathing reduced Oxygen as found at altitude. During the consultation you will be tested at reduced oxygen levels found at 3000m and 5000m to see how you will cope.  Our Altitude specialist will also offer tips and guidance which you can use on your trip up the mountain.

(Charity Challenge itineraries we allow good acclimatisation schedules to help your body gradually adjust to reduced oxygen levels, thereby allowing better acclimatisation.)

What can I do to prepare for High Altitude conditions?

At the Altitude Centre, we use the latest technology to simulate altitude conditions. You can come into our office and do a 15-day IHE (Intermittent Hypoxic Exposure) course, designed to pre acclimatise you for your trip. We also hire out machines so you can pre acclimatise in the comfort of your own home, either whilst watching TV or via an altitude tent which will allow you to acclimatise while you sleep! Visit our website www.altitudecentre.com to find out more about preparing for trips to altitude.

Here at the office, we’re often asked about effects of high altitude on our more mountainous challenges, so we’re really happy to be working with the team at the Altitude Centre in bringing you a series of altitude focussed blogs, which will cover everything altitude that you need to know to make it to the top of the mountain.

If you want to learn more about high altitude and how it affects you, subscribe to this blog and visit the ‘Altitude centre’ website for up-to-date news, and information about booking a high altitude preparation session.

To keep up to date on all our challenge news, both mountainous and not, please enter your email address into the adjacent box to subscribe to our mailing list.

Category: Advice from the Experts /

10 top training tips for cycling

November 17, 2011 / admin / 3 comments

1. Get up an hour earlier and go out for a quick cycle in the morning before work.

2. If you can cycle to work, do so. If you get to work by public transport, get off a stop or two earlier than usual, so that you can cycle some distance each day. If you drive, park further away than usual, get the cycle out of the car and cycle the rest of the distance to work.

3. Cross training such as swimming, squash, badminton, running, walking and any other sport will also help get you prepared.

4. Joining a leisure centre is a good idea as the local fitness instructors may well be able to design a programme specifically for you using the many different cycle trainers in gyms. Most good gyms have exercise bikes and leg resistance trainers.

5. Book onto a regular spinning class and / or circuit training class to improve your leg strength and stamina.

6. Book weekends away with the family or friends to some mountainous region in the UK to experience cycling on different road surfaces with different gradients and in a mountain environment to test out all your equipment.

7. Book onto the Pre-Expedition Training Weekends in Snowdonia run by Expedition Wise.

8. Turbo trainers are very good, although quite expensive to buy – try out e-bay.  They come in to their own in the long winter months as they enable you to train indoors on a “real” bike.  It will keep you fit and get you used to the shape of your bike. Fluid turbo trainers are quieter if noise is a problem in your household and changing the tyres to road tyres will help if you are using a mountain bike.

9. Use your lunchtimes to take regular brisk walks or cycle around your work area.

10. You should make the time to cycle on some consecutive long days as on the training schedule.  It is the accumulation of cycling day after day that really tests you on expedition.

Click here to check out all our cycle challenges. For more challenge tips, stay tuned to this blog series (by clicking the orange RSS button). If you’d like to receive up-to-date news on our latest challenges, promotions and developments, please enter your name and email address into the adjacent box.

These notes were compiled by Brian Jackson, BA (Hons) in Sport, Health and Physical Education, who operates a series of Pre-Expedition Training Weekends for both trekking and cycling charity challenges. See www.charitychallenge.com for more information.

Category: Advice from the Experts, Trekking Tips and Tricks / Tags: , , , , ,
 
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