Page 22 - 2019 AMA Winter

EXPEDITIONNEWS
long drive back to Worthy Down via the Channel Tunnel again.
Whilst Ex ALPINE TORCH didn’t achieve its aim to summit Mt Blanc, it was great expedition, which has proven to be an excellent recruitment and retention tool. The interest from current serving AGC(ETS) members to conduct further big mountain- eering expeditions has been extensive; so much so, the Expedition 2IC is already
putting together plans to return to Mt Blanc next year. Many of the expedition members
‘All left better instructors from their experiences on ALPINE TORCH’
are keen to return and two individuals have put their names forward to participate in
the British Armed Forces expedition to climb Mt Everest in 2024.
The expedition unfortunately fell foul of some pretty poor weather conditions; the worst June weather in the Alps for a number of years. However, the conditions absolutely tested, not just the moun- taineering skills of each individual and instructors, but also stretched the deter- mination and motivation of every single part of the expedition. This ultimately is the aim of Adventure Training; to stretch Service Personnel so they develop to better soldiers, sailors and airmen on operations. The expedition also was incredibly beneficial for our Reserve instructors. All were highly experienced operators in the mountains as Alpine Mountain Leaders, but had not experienced such treacherous conditions as group leaders before. They learned a huge amount from the BMG instructor and all left better instructors from their experiences on ALPINE TORCH.
The Expedition Leader and the whole team would like to thank the AMA with their support enabling us to deliver this expedition.
22 / ARMY MOUNTAINEER