Alpkit Outpost - Issue 02

02

08

Packing it all in.

The art of bikepacking

Run for the hills. Clever gear for a daft sport.

SHHH. GO A LITTLE LIGHTER, QUIETER AND FURTHER AND YOU’LL SEE WHAT NATURE’S REALLY LIKE.

THE DIFFICULT SECOND ISSUE ISSUE 02: OUTPOST BY ALPKIT SUMMER 2016

Connie from Customer Service and Toria, who looks after Alpkit Unplugged Events, setting up their home for the night close to Red Point in Torridon.

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Catch nature off guard

Go lighter, quieter, further.

Our meticulously designed bikepacking bags and well ‘ard bikes are made to feed off-grid ambitions. Moving quietly on two wheels with lightweight bivvy kit means getting further from the tarmac and closer to the wild stuff. We sell all the gear you need online and as ever, there’s plenty of advice and chat if you want a little help planning your next daring deed.

OUTPOST 3

PACKING IT ALL IN 3

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1

Lamprey – camping lantern and mobile usb charger £25

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Hunka – lightweight bivi bag £40

Catch nature off guard

1 FOOD AND COOKING

BIG PAPA SEAT PACK The Big Papa is big brother to the tried and trusted Koala seat pack. It offers extra carrying capacity along with more external attachment options and a secure and stable carrying system. Perfect for extended trips. £85

BRUKIT BruKit is an efficient, grab and go cooking system with minimal set up. Everything you need can be contained in a single pot.

Includes an integral heat exchanger and Piezo igniter, just add a gas canister and your choice of food and drink! £38

LHFOON The titanium Lhfoon is a great addition to the tools of the camp cook or lightweight adventurer. Not only can you reach the bottom of the hydrated food packs (and the BruKit) but also the catering jar of Nutella® that you just picked up. £7

2 WATER AND CLOTHES

STINGRAY FRAME BAG Stingray is a fully bespoke frame bag, an exact match for your bike to maximise your available space. Providing you with a low centre of gravity and a secure attachment system, any compromises you may have to make in terms of off-road bike handling are minimised.

Prices start from £65

ARRO WINDSHELL Lightweight (140g) windproof nylon jacket. A versatile, slim fit layer for adding warmth and protection without weight and bulk. Full-length zip, rear zipped stuff-pocket and reflective trims make the Arro ideal for multi-activity use in all but the worst conditions. £25

LAIKA A versatile piece that doubles as either a lightweight mid-layer worn over a base layer, with a deep venting front zip, or as a moisture wicking winter weight base layer.

It’s smooth outer face means it will layer easily and shrug off all kinds of abuse. £22

PIPEDREAM 250 The PipeDream 250 has been pared down to the bare minimum to give fantastic weight to warmth. Optimised with 250g of 750+ fill goose down and with a temperature limit of -1.5°C, a DWR outer treatment and only 650g total weight this bag is ideal for lightweight 2-3 season use. £130

NUMO LIGHTWEIGHT SLEEP MAT 8.5cm thick 2-3 season full-length sleeping mat weighing just 412g. With no foam inside, Numo has an extremely compact pack size and is favoured by lightweight alpinists, bikepackers and trekkers alike.

All you need then is the puff to inflate it. £40

3 SLEEP AND SHELTER

AIRLOK DUAL 13L (20L AVAILABLE) Dual ended dry bags give access to your belongings from either end so can be used when attached to your bike or pack. These include two 20mm x 800mm straps that can be used to strap the bag to the bars. Can be used with the Kanga or Joey Harnesses (see alpkit.com for more details). £12.50 (£15)

OUTPOST 5

DARING DEEDS REAL STORIES, EXPEDITIONS, ROAD TRIPS AND ADVENTURE.

alpkit.com/deeds

MARK KALCH PADDLING THE WORLD’S LONGEST RIVERS FROM SOURCE TO SEA IS STRAIGHTFORWARD, CLASS V WHITEWATER OR 50 MILE OPEN WATER CROSSINGS NOTWITHSTANDING. WAKE UP, DRINK COFFEE, EAT BREAKFAST, PADDLE FOR 10 OR 12 HOURS, MAKE CAMP, EAT DINNER, SLEEP. REPEAT UNTIL YOU REACH THE SEA. SIMPLE. I’m on a mission to paddle the longest river on each continent from source to sea. Around 22,000 miles. I’ve been lucky enough to paddle the lengths of the Amazon River in South America, the Missouri-Mississippi River system in North America and the Volga River in Russia.

Earlier this year I headed to Australia to paddle the continent’s longest river the Murray-Darling. Around 2,300 miles from south-east Queensland, heading west into the outback and then south all the way to the ocean. To change things up, I chose to paddle an inflatable SUP board.

I spend a long time researching the rivers. Everything from water levels, climate, topography, re-supply points and history. By the time I get on river there is not much I don’t know about where I am headed. But it’s one thing staring at images and data on a computer screen and another actually experiencing it.

Beginning at the source of the river I spent three days on foot following its meandering path. For the first time I had with me an Alpkit Jaran 2 tent. I prefer two person tents on long journeys. A little heavier but the extra space is well worth it.

READ MORE ONLINE: Mark has an adventure packed blog at markkalch.com/ 6 alpkit.com

The river never really got going. No or little flow and log-jams formed by floods five years prior stacked themselves two stories high. I precariously dragged my board up and over these behemoths. Often the river all but disappeared. No decent rainfall, cotton farms draining their share of the water and the simple fact that this was outback Australia.

In 50 days I managed to drag and paddle almost 1000 tough miles, but a few days out of Bourke in New South Wales I began to fade. In the middle of 40°C days my muscles stopped working. At night my head felt as if it was going to explode, my limbs cramped and I threw up what little food I managed to get down. When I eventually ended up in Bourke’s hospital emergency ward it was clear that my kidneys were beginning to fail and my muscles were cannibalising themselves. Doped up on morphine, blood and spinal fluid were taken to test, still the doctors were at first mystified.

I spent a couple of days in and out of emergency and another four days in the infectious diseases ward.

Nurses and visitors wore gloves, face masks and plastic coveralls – at least I got a room to myself. Leptospirosis Meningitis (known as Weil’s Disease) was the culprit.

Sharing the often stagnant water with the wild pigs, kangaroos, and cattle was always a risk.

I was a mess for a while. And I had no idea how long my recovery would take. With three small kids and a seven month pregnant partner waiting for me at home I made the tough decision to suspend my paddle.

I was gutted.

I will head back to Australia next year to paddle and drag the remaining distance to the sea. Despite the frustration, the Australian outback and the few people I met were unforgettable. And I suppose a few brushes with mortality just make for a better story in the end.

VIVIENNE RICKMAN-POOLE EVERY APRIL FOR THE LAST FEW YEARS I HAVE TAKEN ON THE ADVENTURE OF SWIMMING OUTDOORS EVERY DAY. It all started after my friend and fellow swimmer Wendy, took part in #30daysofbiking. Not owning a bike I first thought it would be great to swim the month alongside her, so to speak. There are no rules involved, ‘just simply to experience the sheer joy of being outside in water one way or another every day for 30 days’… The first month was an intrepid adventure, experiencing all the weather Snowdonia had to throw at me. I swam with the deepest snow in 30 years on the hills, broke ice to get in, endured crazy hailstorms, laughed my head off all alone in some rough winds and bathed in glorious sunshine.

I had thought a lot about what form this April’s adventure would take, knowing it had to move on from previous years. #30Lakes30Days actually came about by accident, perhaps a typo on an email from a TV researcher or just wishful thinking… it was an idea that horrified me at first but which I later embraced with enormous enthusiasm.

It wasn’t easy from the start, the first few days saw me picking up some horrible bruising from a terrible lake exit plan and a nasty tummy bug from another lake.

I spent three glorious days with

a BBC film crew following me on my journey before picking up a chronic back injury only a day after filming finished! However, a brief visit to hospital and a compressed nerve later, #30Lakes30Days continued albeit at a considerably slower pace than I was used to. My greatest challenge was not being able to drive and navigating myself to a different lake everyday. I am incredibly independent so it was hard asking for a lift here, there, and at times, anywhere!

It was a fantastic journey, I had more lectures on my health than I care to recall, more blissful moments alone than I can remember, more pain than I wish to endure again and have most definitely slept more in one month than is surely humanly possible?! Oh, and somehow still managed to work… I don’t want it to end but it’s time to turn my attention back to my other creative projects and get this nerve sorted!

There are no rules involved ‘just simply to experience the sheer joy’

READ MORE ONLINE: Take the plunge and get into wild swimming with the experts outdoorswimmingsociety.com Check out Vivienne’s film on vimeo.com/156957605 OUTPOST 7

THE GLORIOUS DAFTNESS OF RUNNING UP HILLS If life is all about feeling the highs and lows, then mountain running is life in high definition. There’s just something about combining the pain of up with the floating feeling that you have miles spare in your legs, that makes running one of the most addictive things you can do in the hills. The steady rhythm of one foot followed by the other, the lack of kit and heavy clobber make it the simplest, lightest and most natural way to eat up big mountain miles.

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Catch nature off guard

Gravitas jacket £120 Koulin tee £14 Koulin tight £18

Nick from the AlpFactory putting the new running collection through its paces high on Liathach, Torridon.

OUTPOST 9

INTRODUCING OUR CLEVER NEW GEAR FOR A PRETTY DAFT SPORT

Nick descending in the wet Gravitas jacket £120

Nick and Toria climbing Liathach.

Laika £22

When we design gear, we always do away with fuss and nonsense.

Overcomplicated may look fancy and tech, but out there, actually doing stuff, simple wins every time. If you mix pareddown effectiveness with our direct, no retailer supply model, you get solid, big mountain gear for relatively small bucks.

KOULIN TECH TEE £14 Lightweight, 100% polyester, high wicking technical base layer with zoned fabric, reflective logos and a discrete rear zipped pocket, ideal for fast moving activities.

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The Gravitas is the first of our new range of three waterproofs to arrive. It’s fast and light, as you would expect, and the cut is engineered to give maximum freedom of movement across the chest and arms.

It also makes a super packable ‘just-incase’ waterproof for those changeable days that seem to be almost all of them.

The Yakutian mid-layer, Koulin tee and Koulin tights are made beautifully and designed with all the right details.

Together they are pretty much all you need to run for the hills – just be sure not to forget your trainers though. Although if you flip to the next page, it turns out you may not need them.

YAKUTIAN £30 Moisture wicking and quick drying, quarter zip mid-layer, stretch-fit fleece for versatile warmth no matter what activity you’re doing, with thumb loops, flatlock seams and a useful zipped pocket on the upper left sleeve.

GRAVITAS WATERPROOF JACKET £120 Super light, fully waterproof 3 layer jacket with simple but effective features to maximise protection and minimise fuss.

Light and packable enough to take just in case.

Oooo.

Clever.

Catch nature off guard

CLEVER FEATURE Semi elasticated hood opening with wired peak – allows you to pull hood up without undoing the front zip whilst providing maximum protection.

CLEVER FEATURE Neat, semi-elastic cuffs are shaped over the back of the hand for extra protection and means you can push your sleeves up to aid cooling – simple and quick.

If it’s really tough out there, bring yourself back from the edge with a bag of Haribos. They not only provides a sugar rush but also a chance to be kind to your inner child. #onlyonthehill

CLEVER FEATURE Rear zipped security pocket for keys, cash or phone.

CLEVER FEATURE Discrete thigh stash pockets, ideal for energy gels or hats and gloves when moving quickly.

Nom, nom, nom. Who even cares if they are cakes or biscuits, nothing lifts team morale like a packet of Jaffa cakes to share.

KOULIN TIGHTS £18 Body mapped tights with mesh panels, for endurance mountain sports where close fitting comfort is important.

VIPER £15 Bright, compact and light, the versatile 125 lumen Viper is designed for trail running, walking and climbing. Takes 3xAAA batteries and is compatible with rechargeables.

Of course we sell serious expedition high energy dry meals at alpkit.com that actually taste pretty good.

But what we’d love to know is what is your survival secret snack is. Scotch egg, Banana Soreen, Snickers?

Let us know at #onlyonthehill OUTPOST 11

DARING DEEDS REAL STORIES, EXPEDITIONS, ROAD TRIPS AND ADVENTURE.

alpkit.com/deeds

ALEKS KASHEFI FROM COUCH TO 4,750 MILES BAREFOOT, MINIMALIST AND UNSUPPORTED IN A FEW SIMPLE STEPS Getting off the sofa with a free running app has been the start of something very big.

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At 34 years of age, with an ever growing waistline and with my normality crumbling around me, I turned to running to get me out of a hole. It started with a free couch to 5km app and early mornings of death.

Then it seemed logical to get the 10km version of the app. This quickly became a half marathon and then marathon app, moving me to longer stints of running.

And throughout the whole process finding out more and more about barefoot or minimalist running.

Then came the next step… just run barefoot! Weirdly, it actually worked and I’ve not really gone back, running at most with some thin sandals strapped to my feet.

This minimalist and efficient philosophy has followed me through skateboarding and climbing, and after a dabble with some ultra running, I decided to extend the ideas to running the length of the country barefoot, carrying everything I thought I needed to complete the 1,200 mile route self-supported. Turns out, I was going to love it despite getting severe Achilles tendinitis early on, breaking a toe and getting food poisoning near the end of the run. Thirty-eight days later I’d finished, having seen some incredible parts of the country and left wondering what on Earth I could do next.

Through a chance conversation, I learnt about a trail called the E1, which runs from the top of Norway, through Europe and ends in Rome, with plans of extending the route to Palermo in Sicily. This now seemed like the next logical step. Now, with 3 months to go before I start at Nordkap, in Norway, kit testing is being done, training is underway and sponsors are taking an interest. I’m lucky enough to have Alpkit on board in terms of equipment. So, at the age of 37, I’m heading for the biggest challenge of my life!

Running over 4,750 miles along the length of Europe, passing through the Norwegian and Swedish fjords, the Swiss Alps and finally the Italian Apennines carrying the minimal kit I need to complete the journey self-supported, and claim the position of being the first person to complete the E1 trail route in one single effort.

READ MORE Help support the project at @barefootandstupid or visit alpkit.com/deeds/barefoot-and-stupid

THE

A weekend pass includes free camping, free on-site activities, free live music, free lectures, free adventure films and stuff like that from Friday evening through to Sunday afternoon.

ACTIVITIES INCLUDING

BIKING • RUNNING • PADDLING • CLIMBING • BOULDERING • WALKING • CAVING • SWIMMING • CRAFTING • LEARNING • RELAXING...

NORDIC WALKING learn all about this great form of exercise with West Norfolk Nordic Walking INTRODUCTION TO OUTDOOR CLIMBING make the transition from resin to rocks with Thornbridge Outdoors BUSHCRAFT SKILLS become one with the way of the woodlands with Thornbridge Outdoors FELL RUNNING GUIDE experience the challenge of fell running with Dave Taylor VENTURE KAYAKS MATLOCK RIVER SAFARI explore Matlock and the surrounding area by open canoe GO DEEPER UNDERGROUND an extended caving trip for those with previous experience, run by Thornbridge Outdoors

MONSAL DALE BIKE AND ABSEIL follow the Monsal Trail with an exciting 80ft abseil DERWENT WATER SAFARI Explore the Peak by open canoe with Thornbridge Outdoors EDEN WILD FOOD learn to forage for your dinner from nature’s larder with Matt Normansell MOUNTAIN BIKE RIDE explore the local trails on a 3/4 hour ride with bearded bike guru Ed Oxley of Great Rock ALEX EKINS PHOTOGRAPHY SESSION learn the basics and beyond of outdoor photography from photographer and mountain guide Alex Ekins EXPEDITION AND TRIP PLANNING learn how to plan, fund and complete that dream trip with expedition leader Becky Coles

If you know the BIG SHAKEOUT, you’ll know when it comes to music and speakers we punch well above our weight.

KEEP AN EYE ONLINE AT ALPKIT.COM TO STAY UP TO DATE.

23/24/25th September 2016

OUTPOST 13

TRAVEL QUIETER, LIGHTER AND FURTHER, AND STAY OUT LONGER You are never really going to see what nature’s up to, unless you’re prepared to sleep out amongst it. Our range of bivvy bags, tents, cooking gear and other paraphernalia will have you living off-grid for just as long as you like.

ORDOS 2 (ORDOS 3 AVAILABLE) £175 (£225) Ultra-lightweight 2 person inner pitch first tent, DAC poles, weighing 1.3 kg (1.6kg).

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RIG 3.5 (RIG 7, RIG 21) £45 (£69, £95) Siliconised ripstop nylon tarp with 16 hypalon attachment points, ideal for a solo mission when you need to move as light as possible.

KORO £40 A high powered titanium gas canister stove suitable for mountaineering in subzero conditions. Compact design and made from titanium to save weight.

MYTISTAX £50 Lightweight titanium 3 piece pan set including 2 pots and a non-stick teflon frying pan, a versatile and portable cooking set.

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

Catch nature off guard

Come and see us as we tour the country through 2016. Here’s a list of some of the bigger events we’ll be showing our goodies at.

We shall also be running and attending smaller events through the year.

So keep a watch out on alpkit.com/events or sign up to our newsletter for regular updates.

KESWICK MOUNTAIN FESTIVAL 19th-22nd May THE BUSHCRAFT SHOW 28th-30th May YORK CYCLE RALLY 18th-19th June NORTHERN GRIP 23rd-24th July TRYWERYN FEST 23rd-24th July DEEP WATER SOLO 26th-29th August DART 10K 3rd-4th September ALPKIT BIG SHAKEOUT, THORNBRIDGE OUTDOORS, DERBYSHIRE 23rd-25th September WELSH CANOE SYMPOSIUM 29th-30th October TYNE TOUR 4th-6th November KENDAL MOUNTAIN FESTIVAL 17th-20th November OUTPOST 15

At last. A hardtail that doesn’t rattle your eyeballs out.

Marketing man Dan finding the limits of grip on the Sonder Transmitter in Torridon, Scotland.

Kepler Velo LS £39 Arro windshell £25 16 alpkit.com

Catch nature off guard Einstein said he cracked the theory of relativity whilst riding his old bone-shaker of a bicycle. It just makes you wonder what he could have come up with if he had been given a Sonder to play with. There’s something about a slack head angle, beefy 650b+ tyres, wide bars and a super responsive hard tail underneath that has an immediate rightness.

It’s a hardtail without the downsides. Fast and responsive up. Fast and responsive down – have we mentioned fast yet?

Don’t let the fat tyres fool you, these roll brilliantly. The Transmitter is just one of three new bikes from Alpkit, go online to alpkit.com to find out about the others.

If it’s fun without the fluff and nonsense you’re after, you’re in the right place.

LOVEMUD MEMBAR SEAT POST 31.6 (Reverb compatible frame with stealth routing.)

The Sonder Camino Ti is a titanium dropbarred open-road adventure bike for exploring the world. The Sonder Broken Road, is a titanium off-road adventure machine for long distance, multi-day bike packing. And the Sonder Transmitter is an all mountain, any mountain bike that allows you to take the skills you’ve developed at trail centres into the wild.

ROCKSHOX SEKTOR SILVER RL BOOST 130MM FORK

650B+ WTB TRAILBLAZER 2.8 AND TRAIL BOSS 3.0 TYRES

SRAM NX1 1X11 SPD GROUPS WITH SRAM LEVEL DISC BRAKES

LOVEMUD RUMPUS 650B+ BOOST WHEELSET WITH 45MM RIMS TRANSMITTER NX1 Prices start from £849

We’ve been riding mountain bikes since the start, so it makes sense to put all that real world testing and experience into practice and bring you the very new and very Alpkit range Love Mud. It’s designed for all year round British riding and world travel – the sort of conditions that find the weak spots out pretty quickly. There’s just a few bits and bobs here, you’ll need to go online to Alpkit.com to see the range.

LOVE MUD FINISHING KIT Handlebars, stems, headsets, seat posts, saddles and pedals to finish off any custom build. £various

LOVE MUD TRAILSIDE 16 Lightweight 16 in 1 multi tool for all trailside emergency repairs. £15

RUMPUS WHEELSET 650b+ size wheelset with 45mm, tubeless compatible rims ideally suited to tyres that are 2.8-3.5ins wide (available in 100/110/135/142/148 hubs) £199

OUTPOST 17

THE BRITISH SUMMER IS COMING GRAB YOURSELF A WATERPROOF THE BALANCE JACKET The waterproof, windproof and breathable all rounder.

Everything you need in a jacket without any extra features that don’t really help but bump the price up. Available in June (but we’re taking orders now). £145

Connie braving the elements on Liathach, Torridon.

Getting wet from the inside out is rubbish, so all of our new waterproofs are super breathable.

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In the UK, on average, it rains one day in three.

If like us you live near the Peak District, on the other two days it’s probably windy, squally, sleety or sort of inbetweeny. One thing is certain, you’re going to need a good waterproof jacket. It’s just that as the rain gets warmer you can get away with a lighter, more packable one. And all the way through summer you’ll be glad of a just-in-case jacket.

There are three jackets in the new range and one smock.

The Gravitas as the name suggests is our lightweight, serious number, the Balance is a great all rounder, the Arro on page 5 is a versatile, windproof jacket and the Pulsar is a high performance waterproof smock.

We will be able to get you a Gravitas for May and the others are all due to land in June. As ever, get your order in smartish because these are going to sell-out.

Catch nature off guard PARALLAX PANTS Tough and waterproof with half-way YKK Aquaguard® zips. £50

PULSAR SMOCK A tough waterproof for people that appreciate the traditional virtues of a smock design. £90

PA R A L L A X PA N T S It must be summer, the rain is getting warmer.

The Parallax waterproof trousers are lightweight and slim fitting with an active cut and great freedom of movement.

Half-length waterproof YKK Aquaguard® zips minimise the hip hopping you have to do to get them on. And a 2.5 layer ripstop fabric helps with abrasion resistance.

THE GRAVITAS JACKET Sometimes we can be serious, especially when it comes to designing a super light waterproof. This is the all mountain, all activity waterproof that’s perfect for a rainy spring and Summer. £120

GR AV I TA S J A CK E T Our waterproofs are perfectly packable for inbetween days.

The Gravitas is waterproof, windproof and breathable, and because we’ve specced a three layer fabric it’s also built tough. Light enough for minimalist back packers and tough enough to last for years the Gravitas is designed to be all the waterproof you are ever going to need.

Nick thoroughly testing the Gravitas.

OUTPOST 19

The Celtic Jumble Torridon

The Celtic Jumble

“AFTER HEAVY RAIN SOME OF THE LANDINGS CAN BE A LITTLE WET. WEAR WELLIES AND BRING A GROUNDSHEET TO KEEP YOUR MAT DRY.” There’s a new bouldering guide out to Torridon by Ian Taylor and Richie Betts. If you haven’t yet developed a love for beasting yourself in remote and beautiful places this little guide is a perfect start.

A few of us have been waiting a while for this beauty.

Torridon, along with Dumbarton, is arguably the finest bouldering destination in the highlands and Torridon along with Skye is arguably the finest destination in the world.

And after snow, monsoons and hopefully a bit too much time on fake indoor rock the far North West is a brilliant place to breathe clean air and reconnect with the real stuff.

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Catch nature off guard

Nick from the factory on the classic Malc’s Arete.

WE’VE GOT YOUR BACK.

Above: Pads, left to right: Mujo £130 Project £160 Opening Gambit £30 Phud £69 Left: Equipment for Extremes Hoodie £30 Models own toothbrush

Above: Nick wears Swoosh Tee £18 Below: Toria wears Flourish Hoodie £28 Opening Gambit £30 Mujo £130

Whether meeting up with friends at the local boulder hotspot or on a solo quest to find that mythical virgin boulder you can name as your own, you can have confidence that Alpkit has the right mat. With three mats to choose from between £69 to £160 all frequent flyers should be able to find their perfect new partner.

The Project is a large Taco style bouldering mat with shoulder strap that gives you absolutely the best protection for £160.

In the middle is the Mujo for £130, it’s large and hinged with a rugged and innovative construction. At just £69 the Phud is our lowest price but still not a compromised product. It’s a full taco bouldering matt that’s compact and lightweight.

As you would expect from a company full of bouldering nuts there’s a massive range of gear online. For everything from chalk to guidebooks, go to alpkit.com

EXCLUSIVE UK DISTRIBUTORS FOR FIXE ROCA AND ALIEN CAMS OUTPOST 21

The Alpkit Foundation is delighted to support Blind Veterans UK, a national charity that works with blind ex-service men and women.

80 GOOD CAUSES AND COUNTING...

Alpkit set up their Foundation in July 2015 to help people overcome obstacles that prevent them from Going Nice Places and Doing Good Things. Run by a mix of staff, customer and independent trustees, it’s funded by the company’s profits, with around 1% of annual sales going into a pot to help people enjoy the great outdoors. So far we’ve helped train first-aiders in Nepal, given equipment for after-school clubs, activity centres and scout groups; run camping trips in the UK; canoe adventures for disadvantaged kids; DofE training for schoolteachers, mountain leader training and explorer scouts.

GET INVOLVED You can make a donation or find out more at alpkit.com/foundation

HUNDREDS OF MOUNTAINEERING, CLIMBING AND ADVENTURE FILMS, ON DEMAND.

20 % OFF

YOUR FIRST 3 ORDERS USE THE CODE:

Featuring the latest releases and festival award-winners, alongside timeless classics, SteepEdge’s hand-picked collection from around the world celebrates critically acclaimed, established filmmakers as well as promoting up-andcoming talent.

ALK20

SIGN UP steepedge.com 22 alpkit.com

We help Lancashire Boys & Girls Clubs. Their mission statement is: “to inspire and enable all young people, especially those considered to be disadvantaged, to realise their potential as productive, responsible and caring citizens.”

We are funding Caitlin.

She will study the critically endangered blue-eyed black lemur.

It’s estimated that fewer than 2,300 individuals are left in the wild. The blue-eyed black lemur of Madagascar is one of the most threatened primates to date.

MOUNTAIN

A PODCAST ABOUT ADVENTURE

he ounta n odca t a aunched n o e er t a onth ho a out ad enture n d ace tor e o c er e orer and a tho e ho nd a home in the hills.

Mountain is hosted and produced by Christopher Sleight, a radio producer, journalist and climber living in Scotland.

Described by reviewers as “gripping,” “wonderful escapism” and “mountain life at its best,” it quickly became one of the most popular outdoor podcasts in the UK iTunes store.

Mountain combines narrative journalism and immersive storytelling – with deft use of music and sound – all set in the most dramatic of landscapes.

LISTEN NOW mountainpodcast.com

Catch nature off guard SEMI ELASTICATED HOOD WITH STIFFENED PEAK

MINIMAL NARROW SEAMS

Could be

£200 Bu t isn’t!

LIGHTWEIGHT 7D FABRIC (20K HH, 40K MVTR)

BONDED HEM WITH FULL DRAWCORD

A ‘£200’ JACKET FOR £120?

Our new Gravitas jacket is one of the lightest 3 layer waterproof, breathable jackets available.

Conceived by our experienced designers for fast, active outdoor sports like trail running, mountain biking, adventure racing and alpinism.

Because we’re not tied to big name fabric providers, we’ve been able to independently select a fabric which we know will do the job perfectly.

We haven’t slacked on the details either; the fit, the construction and the features are all class leading.

Gravitas is constructed in a factory with the highest standards of manufacturing and employee welfare.

Here’s the simple bit. Rather than getting a retailer to sell it alongside other similar products for £200, we deliver it straight to you, our customers, for £120.

Award winning customer service is standard.

OUTPOST 23

HOW TO ORDER Go online, have a look around – you know how internet shopping works – or visit our factory store if you live in or are passing through the Midlands and ask for a coffee. If you can click it then it should be in stock. If you order before the postie gets here it will go out the same day and there is a pretty good chance you will get it in the following couple of days. Oh yes... and all our prices already include UK postage.

ONLINE:

EASY RETURNS:

ON PHONE:

FREE POSTAGE:

alpkit.com

Free 123 Day Returns

+44 (0)1773 417007

Free UK Postage

All prices featured are correct at time of going to press but are subject to change.

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