The limits of endurance

Striking out into the Cairngorms

Mountain rescue and leader training are defined by extremes. They happen at the limits of endurance, in the face of shear weather and foreboding terrain.

But the mountain attracts and demands and, as Will Close-Ash wrote from his latest training session in the Cairngorms, “it’s not the mountain we conquer but ourselves”.

…it will work for you!

Way finding in the white

Will is part of Northumberland National Park’s search and rescue team and regularly trains teams for the mountains with his company, Mountain Energy.  Surely if SplashMaps work for Will, they’ll definitely work for you!

This week’s mission

Will bought his SplashMaps at the RGS’s Explore Weekend

We met at Explore recently where he equipped himself with Cairngorm SplashMap for this week’s mission as well as a personalised SplashMap of his local area titled “Mountain Energy”.

Unforgiving mountains of Scotland

A knee provides a platform for bearing taking

Will, joins the list of fabric converts that have tested this map against the unforgiving Mountains of Scotland. Experience of how the map stands-up in the worst of scenarios, how it excels for navigation and – yes – how to take a bearing on a non-stiffened map is growing. Check his full review here.

Maps stuff away easily

“..you haven’t got the hastle of opening a paper in the wind and when it’s all done you just swiftly pack it away in your pocket” he explained at the Royal Geographical Society.

White-out conditions

But why are SplashMaps increasingly favoured for use in the extremes? I asked Will if there’s anything he’d like to say on the subject:-

Finding his way in White-out conditions

“…I used the map in white-out conditions in the Cairngorms in 40mph winds and it was great. Easy to stow away and then get out, no flapping (from the map or me) and no creases to try and work around!”

It worked for Will

I guess it worked for Will on that mountain! It’ll work for you! Time to sort yours out now?