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Nigel Vardy

Terra Nova Equipment – Brand Ambassador

TNE

The best partnerships are those where both sides work to help each other. Therefore I am very pleased and proud to announce that I have accepted a role with Terra Nova Equipment as a Brand Ambassador.  We are both based in Derbyshire and have worked together for many years.  Where we exactly first met is lost somewhere in the mists of time, but they have helped me on many occasions with my expeditions across the world. Initially it was with the specialist needs that Frostbitten hands require in the way of gloves.  Getting any to fit was an almost impossible task, but with a little imagination and a lot of pinning we have succeeded.  Since then I have also tested many tents, sleeping bags and rucksacks, and regularly place gear reviews on their website.

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Safety 1st (aid..?)

1st-Aid

Last month I sat my Outdoor First Aid qualification in the lovely Peak District village of Castleton.  It was an extremely enjoyable two-day course, which pushes the usual first aid at qualification further, due to the difficulties experienced in an outdoor environment.  Ok, so my hands make wearing the silicone gloves a bit challenging and removing some of the packaging painfully difficult, but that’s no excuse not to get a qualification.

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Sunshine, south westerlies and skylines…

Windmill

During the last few years, the green energy debate has become a huge subject, both in engineering and the outdoors.  Scores of wind turbines and solar panels have appeared across the countryside and coastline, and there seems no end in sight to their construction.  Some people love them, others hate them.  One things for sure though – they’re here to stay.  Besides my mountaineering exploits, I’ve spent over 25 years in electrical engineering and see what many of these sites actually produce when it comes to so-called ‘green energy’.  So, here’s the low down as I see it…

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Country roads, take me home…

Longwalls3

The British countryside is suffering a major problem – congestion.  This ‘green and pleasant land‘ as William Blake put it, is becoming more Goretex than grass, more litter than landscape and more car park than copse.  The major problem is not only the sheer number of people (UK – 609 per sq mile against Poland at 328 and Spain at 210), but also because of their desire to use the outdoors.  Though we all have a right to go out and enjoy ourselves, we have no right to cause damage. As a Leave No Trace Trainer, I do everything I can to protect the countryside I live in and enjoy.  One of the seven principles of Leave No Trace is ‘travel and camp on durable surfaces‘.

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Working with the media part IV – Radio

Alter-Rock

In my fourth media blog, I’d like to talk about working on, and with Radio.  The airwaves are full of local and national stations, all needing interviews and experts to comment on news and events.  The BBC has an excellent network and it’s here where I do most of my interviews.  My local station (BBC Radio Derby) and I regularly stay in touch, and this is paramount.  You must always keep in touch with the media.  If you’re launching a new project, product, climbing a mountaineer etc, give them a call.  Remember, relationships are a two-way thing…Read More »Working with the media part IV – Radio

You and Yours – Here’s Me and Mine…

Cairngorm-Plateau

The 2012/2013 Scottish winter season has caught the eyes of the press on many occasions, due to the high number of avalanche victims.  There have been 13 deaths so far, with Journalist (and ex MSP) Dorothy Grace-Elder attracting much attention with her views.  Today, she appeared on the Radio 4 programme You and Yours, with the opinion that all Mountaineers should hold rescue insurance.  Here’s what I think…

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George Lowe CNZM OBE – The last of ’53…

George-Lowe-B+W

It is with great sadness that the news of Georges death was announced.  My thoughts go to his wife Mary and to all the family.  The last of the John Hunt 1953 expedition has gone and with him a great mountaineering dynasty is over. I met George many times as we only lived a few miles apart in Derbyshire, and what I remember about him is a tall, quiet, unassuming gentleman, who never boasted about his adventures, but gladly shared them…

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A South African Saga part 1 – Getting drenched in the Drakensburgs…

Cathederal-Peak-Dawn

The flight to Johannesburg is nothing like going to the far reaches of SE Asia, but still I felt exhausted when I arrived.  I had been working and presenting hard for the last few months and it was beginning to show.  Also, a nasty chest infection had caught hold of me in Austria recently and didn’t want to let go.  A few days out in the mountains should do me good then…

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