Page 54 - Wish Stream Year of 2019

Fiames valley, an exceptionally challenging climb with multiple traverses over hundreds of metre drops; sections that required kit and equipment to be slung beneath climbers to enable them to get through squeezes and cracks in the rock. Unfortunately, due to the nature of the challenge, half of us had to turn back halfway up and abseil down the mountainside, 50-60m at a time.
The final day of climbing was spent practicing lead climbs at our initial climbing spot. After
clearing out of our accommodation, the journey back started with a long drive through breath- taking Alpine scenery, much of which had been missed on the way in due to our arrival in dark- ness. The return journey was shorter and took us all the way back to the Academy in little over 20 hours, where we returned our kit and equip- ment, thanked our instructors, and parted ways to go and enjoy our Summer Leave.
Exercise BAVARIAN LONGSTRIDER
OCdt Curtis
Beginning
In the later hours of the 11th August, we set off to the cheerful background sounds of the Com- missioning Ball in full throttle. The long drive from Sandhurst the previous day was soon forgotten, as we woke up to a beautiful Bavarian morning at the (relatively) late hour of 0700hrs. We aimed to start as we meant to go on, and our opening hill climb was to Nebelhorn, east
in time for dinner. All in all, it was an outstanding day and an excellent introduction to the trip.
Midweek
Having chosen to travel to Bavaria for our adven- ture training, we also had the opportunity to par- take in a trek that led to the Kehlsteinhaus, or better known as ‘The Eagle’s Nest’.
It was an early start and the weather wasn’t what we had hoped for; how- ever, we stayed positive and, after a small drive, made it to the bot- tom of our trail. The trail itself was a series of steep switchbacks that took us further and further into the
mist of the mountain. We had heard rumours of a golden elevator that had been hand-carved into the belly of the Kehlstein mountain itself, which turned out to be no rumour at all, and that allowed us to rest our tired legs and make it to the top into the Eagle’s Nest itself. The team had a touch of fortune when we summited the mountain, as the weather started to clear as the
of the main town of Oberstdorf.
The ascent was steep and hard
work, with the loose ground slow-
ing our progress, and the final leg
from the ski lift station to the sum-
mit was particularly tough. With
a bit of determination and having
to fight the heat (29 degrees), we made it. The spectacular views at the summit made the chal- lenging ascent all worth it. However, our descent that lead us via a lake were certainly the highlight of day one, and arguably the trip itself. A short break for a swim couldn’t be avoided and gave us a well-earnt break before we embarked on our final leg so that we could return to the hostel
It was an early start and the weather wasn’t what we had hoped for...
52 SANDHURST