North Wales Western Kokshaal-Too 2010

Mountain Equipment are proud to announce our support of Keith Ball and Matt Stygall and their expedition to Fersmana Valley, Kyrgyzstan.

Keith and Matt

Matt and Keith both have a vast amount of expedition experience and have climbed extensively in Patagonia, Alaska, Alps to name a few, on top of that they are both full times guides and work at Plas y Brenin National Mountain Centre in North Wales.

Keith and Matt tell us more......

"We will fly from London to Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan via Moscow. Purchase supplies and meet with in-country agent, ITCM in Bishkek. Travel southwards overland by six wheel truck and establish a base camp in upper reaches of Fersmana valley. Establish advanced base camp on the Fersmana glacier by foot. We intend to explore the peaks surrounding the Fersmana glacier, many of which are currently unclimbed and present excellent mountaineering objectives. Our main aim is to make the first ascent of Byeliy (5697m) the highest peak in the area of the range. This offers several possible lines, two of which have had significant previous attempts.The nearby peak of Granitsa (Border Peak 5370m) has an awesome looking north face that has many potential lines on it and still awaits a first ascent. We intend to climb alpine style, using the minimum of aid, ideally none!

The North Face of Granitsa

Return overland to Bishkek and fly home.Total duration: 15th August to 12th September 2010

This trip is extremely exploratory in nature; the Upper Fersmana glacier is seldom visited by mountaineering expeditions and has a great deal of first ascent potential. The peak of Byeliy (5697m) is the highest unclimbed summit in the area, Granitsa (5370m) has a north face that is an alpinists dream!
This expedition will allow us to transfer our Scottish and alpine experience to the Greater Ranges and hopefully make some notable British first ascents. We believe that a small team alpine style approach will be effective, giving us the flexibility to make the most of the weather and conditions."

Keith and Matt will be blogging on here while they're away so check back for more info soon.

The North Wales Western Kokshaal-too 2010 expedition is also supported by the Mark Clifford Mountain Grant - applications for 2011 awards are currently being accepted, for more information click here

John Muir Trust - Wild Land Campaign

The John Muir Trust is campaigning for a new environmental designation for wild land in Scotland, and for the expansion and creation of National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, as areas of land largely unaffected by human intervention are being rapidly depleted throughout the country.

Wild land is essential to wildlife, the economy and our well-being. However, in recent years it has come under unprecedented pressures from inappropriate developments, including roads, power lines and poorly sited wind developments. According to Scottish Natural Heritage, the amount of land in Scotland unaffected by visual intrusion from built development was cut from 41% to 31% between 2002 and 2008.

to find out more, show your support and sign the petition click here

British Tahu Ratum Expedition - Update part 2

Due to the continued rain Tom, Hamish and Luke have been stuck in their tents for the past 6 days since reaching base camp and therefore unable to climb. You can read the latest posts from the guys sent via Sat phone over at their blog now here

As I'm sure you will have seen on the international news over the last week Pakistan has seen devastating weather conditions. The deluge of rain has effected around 14 million people across the country - more info here

Due to the severity of this disaster a national appeal has been setup by DEC click here for information and how to make a donation from the UK.

DAV Expedition Team

Mountain Equipment is proud to announce our continued support of the DAV expedition team.

The idea behind the Expedition Team is to take some of the finest young alpinists in Germany and train and prepare them for the hardest routes and peaks through an extensive and exciting 3-year programme.

The 2012 Team is made up of climbers aged between 17 and 23 years old, the team are –

Mirko Breckner
Sebastian Brutscher
Dario Haselwarter
Max Dünßer
Reinhard Hones
Felix Sattelberger

After the launch of the New 2012 Expedition Team at OutDoor 2010 (European tradeshow for outdoor retail) back in July, the guys had their first outing as a team - a weeks training in the Dolomite's with their coach David Göttler and guest assistant team manager Michi Stacheder.

Moderne Zeiten (Modern times) 800m VII - South Face of Marmolada

The team climbed a host of classic and modern routes in the Civetta Group on the likes of Torre Venezia and Trieste, despite less than perfect weather conditions.

You can find out more about the trip and the DAV Expedition team here

Greenland Icecap Challenge

Mountain Equipment are proud to announce our support of the Greenland Ice Cap Challenge brought to you by Mountain Equipment Pro partners Tarka and Katie-Jane L'Herpiniere.



In May 2011 the first ever Greenland Icecap Challenge is taking place. This extreme Arctic race is set to be a grueling epic challenge for those who want to push themselves to the limit both physically and mentally, join the elite few to become an Ultra Endurance Arctic Racer! Solo permits to cross Greenland are forbidden, however for the first time Greenland authorities have agreed to issue a race permit that allows solo unsupported crossings of the world’s second largest icecap.

This unique event is a 540km race where competitors will complete a full traverse of the icecap, a highly acclaimed feat amongst the world of polar explorers and adventurers. Competitors will race for up to 27 days in one of the most inhospitable environments in the world. Temperatures fall as low as -35(excluding wind chill) as competitors, navigate, ski and haul up to 75kg sledges over the frozen terrain. In a bid to be the first to cross the finish line, competitors will need to cross through crevasse fields, protect themselves from some of the fiercest winds in the world and of course always keep an eye open for polar bears. The route will follow an arc above the Arctic Circle from West to East. Competitors may enter as solo racers or teams made up of two, three, or four participants and have the choice of racing supported or unsupported.

Visit the site at www.greenlandicecapchallenge.com

photo: Andy Ward

British Tahu Ratum Expedition - Update

Head over to the Expedition Blog now where you can find the latest post from Tom, Luke and Hamish who are currently making their way up the Karakorum Highway.

The British Tatu Ratum Blog

Fault Line Living

The Team: Serena Davies, Tamsin Davies and Adam Whitaker

Mountain Equipment are proud to announce our support of Fault Line Living.

Fault Line Living are recipients of the 2010 'Go Beyond' bursary from The Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) and Land Rover. FLL is a 15,000 mile expedition and multi-media project exploring the lives of people living on fault lines. During the expedition the team will be talking to schools, scientists, geologists, residents, and city developers to explore what life is like living on a fault line. They will travel from Iceland, through Denmark, Germany, Italy, Greece, Turkey and Iran exploring what it's really like to live in these danger zones, from the ordinary to the extraordinary.

Expedition Stats:

Start date: 31st July 2010

Estimated distance of proposed route: 15,000 miles

Countries visited along the fault line:
UK – Denmark – Iceland – Denmark – Germany – Italy – Greece – Turkey – Iran

The team will be posting much more information in the next few weeks once they are on the road and will be uploading material on a daily basis.

Check the site which launches this week here

and show your support via the Facebook page here