Everest Base Camp - invitation to join me

The next big adventure I am focused on is joining Snowball Expeditions (see link on this blog) as a guide on the Everest base camp expedition over the summer next year. Thanks to Mark for inviting me along! There remain a number of places for the three expeditions (I hope to be on the one starting on 10th August). Anyone interested should contact me via my email on jonathan.geldart@gtuk.com and I'll send you the details.

Extreme environments - leadership and business

I was out last night speaking to a group of senior marketing and business development leaders from UK professional service firms about the lessons I have learnt from my outdoor experiences. The main focus of my talk was around the issues leaders on expeditions have and how these can relate to the workplace.

Thinking about situational leadership, recruiting people for their attitude and not their skills as well as a focus on training as a priority were my main themes.

The short presentation was well received.

Anyone interested in having me speak (UK only) should contact me via my email at jonathan.geldart@gtuk.com

More Welsh weather

After the wedding the next outdoor activity was in Wales over the last few days.

The Grant Thornton International marketing team asked me to give them a flavour of the Arctic selection event for them to get an idea of what the great outdoors could offer them.

It turned out to be a good deal more than they had expected!Pitch black forests and lashing rain were order of the day (or rather - night!) There was an overnight bivey out in a pretty bad storm and with water leaking into the shelter two members of the team got very wet. 

The decision to abort the long daytime walk was an easy one as the weather got worse and worse. We repaired to the Mount Severn activity centre who were simply brilliant. I was able to take four of the team out for the rest of the day but two (for safety reasons) were left recovering in the centre. The rest of us took a wet and icy route up towards the source of the Severn but, not wanting to have the novice team out in more dark foprest, I decided to bring them back in early. Day 3 was spent in the grounds of the centre with a number of team building exercises. This included getting to grips with our Arctic Geodesic tent (above).

Feedback for this corporate event was good - despite the weather and the dark. 

Anyone wishing to book one of the corporate events please do contact me - but beware - these are not 'fluffy bunny' walking on the hills. The events are designed to test participants determination and resourcefulness and well as their resolve to complete difficult tasks in difficult conditions. The connection to high stress work is direct and  effective but there is an element of 'no pain - no gain' to all activities.

Over the Andes for a day out in Chile

Yes - a day in Chile!

I was so lucky to be able to go on business this week to Buenos Aires and then to go to Chile for the day on Monday 29th September.

This was one of the views from the plane of the highest mountains in South America.

A real privilege to be able to go there and I'd love to go back - on foot!

Ice warrior training - early bath!

Unfortunately I have had to leave the training early to solve a problem back at work!

Very disappointed to have to leave course director Howard Jeffs and trainer Emma but needs must. It was good to get three days with the team and I wish them well in completing the course in their preparation for the expedition next year.

I managed to get in a full day on Moel Siabod on Sunday and climbed it twice in the day! First time was the 'tourist' route from Plas y Brenin but then I tool the NE ridge down to the old mine workings before cutting across the back of the corrie and straight up the corrie wall on some very interesting and challenging scree to the top again. A full 7hrs on the hill with 12.5 miles and 1200 m of ascent. A good day!

Worked with the team on rope skills and navigation training for the rest of the weekend.

Now planning a course in December for a business group.....

I really should do more of this!

Hong Kong, Snowdonia, Chile, Argentina, Spain....

Getting ready for a week working in Hong Kong from Sunday 7th. Being the Global Director of Marketing Communications for the 5th largest firm of accountants and business advisors brings travel as part of the job. On this occasion it means packing two bags at the same time - one for work and one for the hills. I'll be returning on Friday 11th to the UK and picking up the other 'Outdoor bag' for the week as one of the leaders on the Ice Warrior training in Snowdonia!

Who said life was boring?!

Snowdonia is a week and then - having to leave on the Friday is required so I can fly to Spain on Saturday for the weekend and Monday. Back for a couple of days and then a flight to Buenos Aires on Saturday 3rd gets me over to Chile for Monday 6th and then back in to Argentina for meetings the rest of that week before I am back in the UK on the 10th October!

Hoping to get some running in in Hong Kong and a quick bit of outdoors in Argentina before the long flight back via Sao Paulo in Brazil!

Ice Warrior training week

Ice Warrior - see the link on this site to connect - is running its week long camp craft training week in the heart of Snowdonia from 13th September. I will be there all week working with the team on developing their camp and other skills.

So much to cover including medical and navigational work as well as camp and cooking as well as a host of other work. It will be a full and long week for those attending.

More on this in due course.

Tyn Connel bunkhouse weekend

Photos show 'Last cup of tea before the off' and 'General view of the valley looking West'





Well - a wonderful bunkhouse with excellent facilities but weather of a mixed nature (from torrential downpour to bright sunshine)!

Thomas and I spend a variously wet and dry Saturday tramping over a variety of both challenging and beautiful terrain. As he said to me "People don't do this usually do they?!" Perhaps they should! The 20km route took in a good variety of upland and lowland walking and the New Inn pub in the village of Llandewi Brefi is a must for the hungry traveler with great food and a friendly (predominantly Welsh speaking) bunch of locals! I'd recommend it!

Getting the 4x4 over the rough track from Tyn Connel to the road to the East was a challenge so thanks to the helpful electric pump provided by the local 4x4 club who turned up in the rain just when they were needed most!

Christian spent a good and very chilled weekend reading and with his camera - no phones, no computers and just lots of wild place made even this insomniatic young man sleep!

Planning for the weekend enters the final stages now. Everything is packed into the car and the lads briefed on food and kit they need. The weekend looks like a mixed one from the isometric maps issued by the Met Office at lunchtime today. 

It's a very early start tomorrow morning to get onto the hills without, hopefully, getting caught on the M4 in bank holiday traffic. The base for the, mainly Sunday, big walk, is Tyn Connel Bunkhouse inland from Llanddewi-Brefi in the Southern Cambrian Mountains. I've one lad wanting to spend a 'chilled' weekend with his tripod and high definition digital camera, whilst the other will be spending the time reviewing the area for future overnight wild camping and interesting routes for a fuller exploration of this relatively unused part of Wales. 

Should be good!

More leading in the hills

It looks like a busy schedule at work is going to me supplemented by a busy one in the hills over the next two months.

Following a 'relaxing' week on a narrow boat on the Oxfordshire canal last week which was down in the diary as 'holiday with family', I will now be taking two people out in the Central Welsh hills on August Bank Holiday weekend. Based at the Ty Cornell bunkhouse (in the Southern section of the Cambrian Mountains) we will be spending two days working on navigation and gps skills over the steep sided and river cut moorlands of this lovely part of Wales which seems to get hardly any visitors. Well worth a visit if you are looking for remote mountain biking and walking.

September includes acting as one of the leaders on tis year's Ice Warrior expeditions summer camp craft course in Snowdonia. The week long course is based around the Plas y Brenin mountain centre and will take in most of the hills and mountains of Snowdonia - including some of the little known parts of the range to trial night navigation and remote camping.

More on this in due course!

Training for Ice Warrior Arctic expeditions continues

Over the weekend of 4th - 6th July 2008 I was out again acting as leader on the selection weekend for Ice Warrior. A group of hopefuls were put through their paces in the hills of mid Wales. This exercise quickly sorts out those who have the right attitude to opperate and survive in the outdoors and those who don't. The whole process is broadly self selecting at the end of the day. You know if it's for you pretty quickly!

Speaking engagements

I am free for a limited number of speaking engagements during the year.

Topics include:

'An Arctic Journey' the story of the 2006 Geomagnetic North Pole expedition (with permission from Ice Warrior Expeditions Ltd)

'Managing risk - lessons from the Arctic and the outdoors'

'Leadership and management - lessons from the Arctic and the outdoors'

I am also available for training and guiding in the UK for individuals and small groups. I am a member of the Moutain Leader Training Assoiation (MLTA) and a qualified Walking Group Leader under the British Mountaineering Council and MLTA

First blog of a new life

I have never been one for this kind of new fangled blogging stuff but readers beware - I am on line and on the case. I have no doubt that blogs will be few and far between but in the interests of the many who are prevailing on the one to talk about the few.......... here is the world according to Jon Geldart...