Equipment Outfitters

No matter how large your boat, finding enough storage will be a constant challenge and you’ll soon find you have more items than space to store them in. This gives rise to one of the first rules of boating: “A place for everything and everything in its place.” After using an item stow it in its proper place. A corollary rule states “less is more” aboard a boat. Stick to essentials and you’ll reduce fuel-guzzling weight. Read the rest of this entry »

To begin with, there has to be a motive for selecting an outdoor holiday. Why live in a tent, caravan or motorhome when there is the alternative of living in a high class hotel?

If you are like the majority of people, the answer to this question is initially a matter of cost. Hotels are expensive, especially for large families, and now that annual holidays tend to last for three or four weeks, not many families feel that they can afford to spend the whole of that time at an hotel. Accommodation for an outdoor holiday may cost less than a tenth of accommodation in an hotel, so that what is saved on overnight charges can be spent on sightseeing, entertainment or dining-out — or simply not spent at all. Read the rest of this entry »

A complete knowledge of lifesaving and first- aid skills are also much needed assets in each team member. With the extreme altitude of these climbs, abrupt weather changes can strand an injured climber on the mountain for days before rescue is possible. Without sufficient first aid, a climber can die before outside assistance is made available. Because temperatures can quickly drop off the scale, advanced life-saving protective gear is also required, and must be available during the entire ascent and descent.

Most climbing is not, however, done in remote areas on massive peaks. It takes place within hours of major urban areas and towns around the globe. The fact that many climbing areas are accessible does not make them any less extreme. A simple categorization system has been created in every country to classify the difficulty of a climb. In France the system uses a series of numbers and letters; in England ascents are graded on difficulty and danger; in the U.S. climbers use what is termed the “Yosemite scale” to help explain the various levels of difficulty climbers can attempt. The Yosemite grading system uses the following structure for each climb: Read the rest of this entry »