Expeditions & Nordic Walking | Part 1 – Pre-prepping!

I am Steve Ellis, an INWA Nordic Walking National Trainer with British Nordic Walking, and an International Mountain Leader with almost 50 years experience of adventures from the back garden to remote mountain summits. As a Nordic Walking Instructor, I founded Gemini Outdoor in 2011 and have been inspiring and leading fellow Nordic Walkers to achieve their dreams of walking in amazing places. From hour-long walks in Malmesbury to week-long expeditions in Morocco…and a whole load more!

During a series of blogs, I will share ‘top tips’ of information, that have helped me take

1-hour Nordic Walkers to become ‘expedition pole-pushers’!

Since the mid-1970’s, I have either been gaining experience of walking in countryside, hills and mountains in all seasons and weather, or running my own expeditions as part of my business ‘Gemini Outdoor’.

Expeditions deliver a range of opportunities for eager adventurers desiring the will to ‘see what is out there’! Most people start with a day out in the hills, and gradually over time as their fitness improves, develop their inquisitive nature to seek out ‘what is possible’ by pushing themselves further and over longer durations. Some of us take it a little further and start combining day trips into weekends, perhaps with planned camp-out, or even wild camps.

My expedition hero is famed Anglo-Irish Antarctic explorer, Sir Ernest Shackleton, whose exploits and outstanding leadership have been well-documented. As an 8-year-old, I took his lead in exploring local countryside with friends, armed only with a jam-sandwich and coins to call-home at lunchtime, and strict instructions to be home for supper! During teenage years, train journeys and weekend climbing expeditions in the Peak District evolved. Generally, with limited funds, these involved having to walk miles between stations, campsites and crags, burdened with rucksacks stuffed with everything for fun adventures! My 20’s incorporated numerous canoeing expeditions in Europe, from high in the Arctic Circle in Finland, down to Spain; and from the French coast to the old West German border in the east! Throughout the 90’s, I started to formalise all that I had learned during 20+ years of adventures and leadership; thus, starting my quest to become a qualified and professional expedition leader...in 2004, I achieved the accredited Mountain Leader (ML) award! Not satisfied with just holding the ML and having gained more overseas experience, in 2009 I enrolled on the International Mountain Leader (IML) scheme, achieving this in early 2012.

In 2005, my wife and I undertook a life-changing expedition, walking the infamous Pyrenean GR10 route from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean. For 3-months, we carriedeverything on our backs, pitching our tent daily in remote areas. We enjoyed the most amazing experiences and learned so many valuable lessons. Encountering an array of emotions, obsessing about food, suffering heat exhaustion, hypothermia, flu, insect bites, injury and ‘most alarming’ waking up one late Autumn morning to find fresh snow and bear prints (yes, you read that correctly!) that were way too close to our tent!! Why am I telling you all about ‘my journey’ to becoming an expedition leader? It’s important to understand that ‘the journey’ is one filled with gaining experiences, making mistakes, reflecting upon why aspects turned out they way they did, or better than you could have hoped for…these aren’t things you necessarily gain from ‘a course’ or ‘reading a book’ they are aspects that help define the way you think and act!

As I am sure you appreciate, ‘expeditions’ don’t start the moment you get out of your transport to start walking...preparations commence months or even years in advance!

This is what I call the ‘pre-prepping’ phase…

Initially, we have to consider a few key attributes before we ‘start the ball rolling’:

• What are our goals?

o Physical – eg climb a particular mountain or complete a trek a route,

o Emotional - eg follow in the footsteps of others, achieving a personal goal

• Where in the World are we going?

➢ UK, Europe, Africa etc

• How do we get there?

➢ Local trip by car, train, bike

➢ Short flight away

➢ Long haul flight

➢ Multiple modes of transport

• Who is going?

➢ Do they have the right level of fitness

➢ Will the group fit together

➢ Do we invite or advertise

• How many people can/should we take?

➢ Small number = fewer leaders

➢ Large numbers = increased numbers of leaders and larger transport requirements

▪ What qualifications and experience do leaders require

• What logistics considerations are there?

➢ What transport requirements are needed

▪ Taxi/Train/Cars to airport, flight to destination country, taxi to

accommodation, minibuses to route start, use of pack

animals/handlers during expedition

➢ Communication

▪ Lead up to departure date – face-to-face, social media, emails,

phone calls etc

▪ During expedition – mobile phone (network/signal), sat phone

(illegal in certain regions), in-country contacts with mobile phones

➢ Cultural Considerations

▪ Language, Religion (eg Ramadan), particular dress-codes etc

➢ Accommodation

▪ Hotels, Riads, Youth Hostels, Camping, Bothies, Huts, Refuges

etc

➢ Route Choice

▪ Is the route suitable for all attendees

▪ Is it a suitable route to Nordic Walk

• Are any adaptations required

➢ Will altitude be a Factor?

▪ Above 1500m altitude can affect individuals

▪ What altitudes will be encountered

• Mt.Kilimanjaro – c.5900m (Tanzania)

• Mt.Toubkal – c.4100 (Morocco)

• Monte Prado – c2000m (Italy)

➢ Pre-Training

▪ What is the starting fitness level of attendees

▪ What health considerations could preclude attendance

▪ What Nordic Walking ability do they possess

➢ Training

▪ How long do we have o train participants

▪ Schedule dedicated training, including extended sessions

➢ Mountain Walking Experience

▪ Do participants have any experience of walking in the mountains

and/or at altitude

• If not, are they willing to gain experience prior to the trip

• If yes, are they willing to gain further experience

• Dates need to be set in advance, with progressive

levels of duration and intensity

▪ Do attendees have any experience of walking at night

• Kilimanjaro and Toubkal both require pre-dawn starts➢ Equipment

▪ Footwear – by far the most important aspect of attire

• Sturdy enough for the rigours of the trek; yet comfortable in

a range of terrain and temperatures

• Toubkal starts in the valley whereby daytime

temperatures can reach 30C; yet at the summit it

can be freezing!

• Boots need to be worn-in, in plenty of time to avoid any

number of issues that could quite literally stop you in your

tracks – hot-spots, blisters etc

▪ Rucksack contents

• Do participants know how to pack a rucksack properly, or

what to carry

▪ Kit bag (when using pack animals)

• Type of bag that can be loaded, kit list (to keep weight to a

minimum) etc

➢ Clothing

▪ Taking into consideration temperature differences encountered at

various altitudes, what you wear has to be carefully considered

(overall weight is an issue whether each person is carrying their

own; or pack animals are utilised)

▪ A ‘layering approach’ is by far the best method to adopt...wearing

lots of thin layers allows the walker options of whether to add or

remove!

▪ Waterproofs – at certain times of the year waterproofs may never

see the light of day; other times, you may never take them off – so

it is good to invest in quality apparel that can withstand the

elements! They are also a great way to keep the biting cold wind

out – particularly early hours at altitude, over a thin duvet jacket!

▪ Sun-protection – the power of the sun’s rays can be a great tonic

after a long UK winter; however, the effects (sun burn, sun-stroke,

dehydration etc) can be debilitating and ruin not only your own

chances of a successful and fun trek, but also those in your group!

The items that fall into the ‘pre-prepping phase’ are considerable and certainly those mentioned above are not an exhaustive list; however, what is important, is to recognise the scope and depth of planning that goes into organising trips and expeditions. In addition to this, there is the important matter of who is going to lead the expedition?For me, this is very easy to assess. Whilst I am experienced and suitably qualified as an International Mountain Leader to lead within the remit of my qualification framework; as part of my risk assessment; I consider whether or not, I am necessarily the most ‘Suitably Qualified & Experienced Person’ (SQEP) to lead a particular adventure. To that end, in areas that I am unfamiliar with (eg trekking in Africa) and/or have little/no experience of (eg trekking at altitude), I like to mitigate the risk by working with in-country guides and organisations. That said, once I have experience of these areas, unless I am regularly visiting certain arena, I may still use in-country persons to mitigate risk; and ultimately increase the likelihood of participants enjoying a fulfilling and safe adventure. After-all…safety is paramount!

In Part 2, we will look at the various training methods we have used to prepare Nordic

Walkers who walk regular 1-hour sessions to prepare them for hours of ‘pole pushing’

day after day, on home and foreign soils; also, possibly at altitude.

In the meantime, enjoy your ‘pole pushing’ time, set yourself goals and ‘take a look at

what is out there’…you never know where you may end up! Case-in-point, on a Nordic

Walking beginner's course, I was chatting to a lady about the 2 hour walks we undertake

in the Marlborough Downs (an area of gentle rolling hills), she was horrified about the

prospect of walking up hills! Two years later she stood with me, on top of Mt.Toubkal at

4167m…with an open mind and a determined attitude, anything is possible!

‘Linking Nordic Walks & Expeditions’ author, Steve Ellis is an INWA Nordic Walking National

Trainer, Personal Trainer and International Mountain Leader.