Page 115 - RAPTC Year of 2019

JOINT SERVICES MOUNTAIN TRAINING CENTRE
Boldly going where no British Army personnel had gone before; Ex Arctic Mountaineer saw WO2 (QMSI) Brant lead a team of 12 Army personnel into the remote wilderness
that is Auyuittuq National Park on Baffin Island. Situated in the Canadian Arctic, the National Park provided a harsh and challenging environment to test and further develop the team which were made up of participants from across the Army. Baffin Island presents unique challenges: its harsh climate; the brutal but stunning terrain and the sheer remoteness. The expedition was based on an exploratory model, with daily activity being planned in accordance with the terrain in which the team found themselves but also dictated by the weather and avalanche conditions.
The awe-inspiring sense of space and remoteness struck the team as they made their way into the National Park; granite mountains towered over the river valley, sheer rock faces giving way to the occasional glimpse of a glacier. Ski mountaineering blends the disciplines of skiing with mountaineering to enable access to more remote and challenging terrain – something some of the team had never had the opportunity to do before. It wasn’t long before they were strapping skis to backs and precariously balancing across ice and rocks, a good way to get rusty skills back to the fore in preparation of what was to come. The expedition brought together a range of skills the team had learnt on different courses,
The Ex Arctic Mountaineer team in front of the world-famous Mt Asgard
The scenery took your mind off pulling heavy pulks
WO2 (QMSI) W Brant RAPTC
such as the use of an ice axe and crampons, awareness of risk in mountainous environments, using an ice axe or skis as a belay, and some of the more technical elements of ski touring.
The environment was merciless and unforgiving, with temperatures dropping to –35 at their lowest; you know it’s cold when your eyelashes start to freeze together! But the opportunities to explore were endless. A long day tour around the foot of Mt Asgard was a particular highlight; conditions were perfect, and the views out across the frozen lakes and mountains stunning. It was slightly concerning to stumble across fresh polar bear tracks but soon forgotten as ascending further up the glacier; Mt Asgard came into view. Surrounded by such fantastic views, it was impossible not to be wholly inspired; a privilege to lead a team into such an environment that brought challenge at every point of the expedition.
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JOINT SERVICE MOUNTAIN TRAINING WING (BALLACHULISH)
Capt (MAA) P S Mellor RAPTC
“Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think
about it. Go out and get busy”
Dale Carnegie
Don’t Panic its only snow’...said no OC of Ballachulish ever! Imagine that you are on Operations, you have tasks to complete and all the areas available to you to complete
those tasks are riddled with enemy snipers and mines. The minefields change daily, and the snipers are never in the same place. Now add a wind chill of -20, reduced to zero visibility, and you are getting close to establishing a sense of what it’s like to teach in Bal Wing. In the winter, the weather and threat of avalanche is real; making bad plans and wrong decisions will get you, and everyone around you killed.
During my 18 months in post, teams from Bal Wing have rescued and saved lives of Civilians in avalanches and taken part in several searches for lost people. All of this mainly due to the right time and place (of us anyway). We have deployed to Canada (twice) and countless deployments to the Alps to support various JSMTC
Cpl Pirie (Bal Wing Chef) dragging his resupply to the huts on CANICE
serials and concentrations. In short, Bal Wing is an action-packed whirlwind of experiences and adventure. If you have a phenomenal work ethic, thirst for adventure and experiences comparable to