Alpkit Outpost - Issue 12

A N A L P K I T M O U N TA I N J O U R N A L P U B L I C AT I O N // I S S U E 1 2

IT ’ S H A RD TO BEL IE VE TH AT 20 1 9 WA S ONLY 12 YE A R S AGO. THE RECH A R GE EDITION.

Recharge Warm your skin and reboot your soul.

Mountains will bloom and spirits can soar.

Unplug. Recharge. Reconnect.

Go again to nice places to do good things.

Summer is coming.

0 4 L AT E S T A N D G R E AT E S T T H E B E S T G E A R Y O U ’ V E N E V E R S E E N / 0 6 F I N D YO U R I N S I D E O U T S I D E G O I N G S O L O / 1 0 J E N N Y G R A H A M C Y C L I N G T H E C A L E D O N I A WAY / 1 3 A P E R F E C T S W I M S TA R T E R T I P S F R O M K AT E R E W / 1 6 A L P K I T F O U N D AT I O N MACSIMUM ADVENTURING /18 FONT IN SPRING BAL ANCE IN THE MAGIC FOREST / 2 2 M E E T T H E FA M I LY T E N T S A N D T I N Y H O M E S .

2 4 T R E A S U R E D M O M E N T S R E A D E R ’ S L I V E S / 3 0 A L H U M P H R E Y S H O L I D AY O R A D V E N T U R E ? / 3 2 T H E R I P P L E E F F E C T C O N T I N U U M - PA S S I T O N / 34 THE HARE AND THE TORTOISES MEL NICHOLLS HANDBIKER E X TR AORDINAIRE /38 DREAM KITCHEN COOKING UP A STORM IN A S T O R M / 3 9 S T O R E S H E L L O K I N G S T O N!

4 / Latest and greatest

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There’s so, so much to share this season. The latest and greatest kit we’ve ever made! The best gear you’ve never seen and, of course, some favourites re-thought and re-imagined. Here comes Summer. Do what you love, do more of what makes you happy.

1. Reni Hat £14.99 • 2. GNPDGT Towel £19.99 3. Silvertip Wetsuit £199.99 • 4. Dulsie £34.99 5. Haven £79.99 • 6. Flare £29.99 7. Keeshond £59.99 • 8. Draught Excluder £9.99 9. Masino Vest £24.99 • 10. Vagabond High Back Chair £44.99 • 11. Alpkit trucker £19.99 • 12. Gourdon 20L £34.99 • 13. Refresher 1000 £14.99 • 14. Qark £34.99 • 15. Gravitas £169.99 • 16. Ultra 120 £149.99 • 17. Balance £199.99 • 18. Griffon £49.99 19. Padded Pouch £6.99 Coming soon! • 20. Akcelerate £16.99 • 21. Myticafe £39.99 Coming soon!

22. Mytipot 900 £34.99 • 23. EZ Sleeper £24.99 24. Masino vest £26.99 • 25. Bloc shorts £39.99 26. Careon £54.99 • 27. Ranger £349.99 28. Soundbite £34.99 • 29. Juice Holder £34.99 30. Cutlery Roll £6.99 • 31. Boxers £9.99 32. FKT Briefs £7.99 • 33. Aiguille Skort £39.99 Coming soon! • 34. Vayper Shorts Coming soon! £34.99 • 35. Picu Tee £24.99 • 36. Diffusion £19.99 • 37. Lampray £39.99 • 38. Wood Stove £19.99 • 39. Scrub Wash Bag £10.99 • 40. Vagabond Table £39.99 • 41. Tiffin 1900 £23.99 • 42. Drub £5.99 • 43. Drift Pillow £13.99 • 44. Onsen £17.49 45. Swiglet £6.99 • 46. Arlo Trowel £9.99 47. Ultra 120 £159.99 • 48. TarpStar 2 £89.99 49. Vertex Tarp Pole £29.99

‘Latest and Greatest’ at alpkit.com

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The long & short of it:

Be on bikes,be on foot, be a swimmer, be a runner. Be light, be heavy. Be thin, be round.

No matter who you are or what you do, there’s no place for elitism in the outdoors. We’re making more sizes than ever.

Men’s XS – XXL Women’s 6 – 20

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Spring / Summer 2022

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BE M RE

Sustainability is written deeply in our DNA. It’s in our B Corp status, Alpkit Foundation, Continuum Project and Repair Stations. We make gear you’ll love for longer.

And sustainability is woven into every design.

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6 / Find your inside outside

alpkit.com

Find your inside Accidentally walking the Pennine Way solo is quite a thing!

Anna our head of finance reflects on the ups and downs of 286 hilly miles.

I’ve got a bit of a competitive streak. That’s why every challenge my partner has done, I have to do.

And preferably beat him. So when I heard about him completing the Pennine Way as a teenager in three weeks, I knew I had to do it. In two.

The Pennine Way has got so much history as the first long distance walking trail in the UK. It’s a huge physical challenge. It’s close to home.

It seemed like the perfect first multi-day walking challenge for me.

I planned to walk the 268-mile route in July 2021 with my friend, Ellie. We booked all our BnBs in advance and set off together from The Nags Head in Edale. Just two women out on the trail. But it was, put simply, roasting. On day 1, we were struggling to eat properly. By day 2, Ellie had collapsed from heat exhaustion. After a bottle of electrolytes and a taxi back to the BnB, she decided to call it a day. I continued alone.

Some of the most memorable moments are about who I met along the trail.

I really don’t like being on my own. The hardest days were when I would set off without having spoken to anyone. This is when my mental game would slip. The “I can’t do this” thoughts would come creeping in. When I went wrong, I didn’t have anyone else to blame. All I could do was focus on the map. And think about everything I was going to write in my journal when I finished. What I saw, where I went, who I met.

On one stretch, I met with a lovely elderly gentleman. He was a retired geography teacher, who’s now a vicar. Probably in his 80s. And he’d been completing parts of the Pennine Way here and there. While walking with him, he told me all about the geography of where we were.

“Sorry if I’m boring you,” he said. I’m not sure he realised I was making a mental note to write down everything he was telling me as soon as I finished.

I experienced so much generosity over my two weeks walking.

At the end of every day, whether I’d been trudging over unassuming moorland, passing rugged waterfalls or taking in scenes as iconic as High Cup Nick, I sat in a pub, took my boots off to relieve my feet, put my flip flops on and wrote in my journal.

Being alone, I was made to feel like a local. I got chatting with the people behind the bar and got first dibs on the food I wanted.

Family and friends joining me. Homemade cakes.

Slippers. Full English breakfasts. Patient taxi drivers. My dad lending me his gaiters. BnB hosts going above and beyond to check I was OK if I didn’t turn up on time.

After thirteen walking days, I was on the final stretch towards the Border Hotel. There’s not much fanfare at the end of the Pennine Way. I met my boyfriend and my family, got my finisher’s photo and my free half-pint. And, of course, put my flip flops on.

Anna’s Reflections and Kit List Looking back, I’ve got such a sense of achievement and I’d love to be back there. I learned so much and my bag was so heavy. I especially learned how much I love flip flops after a day’s walking.

The people I met along the way were so special and the real bonus of going solo.

Airlok Xtra 13L – Dry bag £18.99 “For my ‘end-of-the- day-essentials’” Woodsmoke – Hollow core mountain shirt £74.99 “Kept the sun off my skin” Griffon – Gridded microfleece jacket £53.99 “kept me warm on the evenings” Backpacker First Aid Kit – Supply pack £14.99 Pulsar – Waterproof smock £124.99 “It packs down really small. And despite the very un-British high temperatures throughout my walk, you can’t go for a long walk in the UK without expecting a little rain”.

Journal Flip Flops “Those flip flops were a dream after a big day of walking. Even if the state of my feet horrified onlookers! “

Cut out andkeep

MULTI-DAY HIKING

What to take...

Make the switch from weekend warrior to adventure hero. Go a little bit feral, stay out longer and find out what nature’s really up to. The less you take, the more you’ll do, here’s our list to get you started:

Walking & carrying

Cooking & sleeping

Bits & bobs

Hiking boots

Plenty of food

Hip flask (full)

Backpack

Kitchen supplies

Book (paperback)

Walking pole(s)

Snacks

Hygiene supplies

Map(s)

Matches or lighter

Power bank

Compass

Stove

Repair kit

GPS

Fuel

Poop trowel

Sunglasses

Water treatment

Toilet paper

Sunscreen

Tent

Hand sanitiser

Water bottles

Sleeping bag

First aid kit

Insect repellent

Sleeping mat

Lip balm

Camera/phone

Survival bag

Pocket Knife or multi-tool

‘Multi-day’ at alpkit.com

NOW JUST CHOOSE YOUR ROUTE...

How to thrive rather than just survive Anna’ s top tip...

I would say my advice is to take it steady and don’t try to rush! That way you can enjoy the trail more.

I think another good bit of advice is to not to have a strict plan, or accept that the plan might change

and you constantly need to adapt to the situation around you, be that weather or injuries for example.

However, this is difficult to do on the Pennine Way as accommodation is so limited.

Chris Townsend recommends Never leave without a good book. Great for nights in the tent or even for long stretches of straight path!

You can tear out pages as you go if you’re really keen on saving weight. Or send a new book ahead to the next town.

Spring / Summer 2022

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KEEP RUNNING

TILL THE JOY CATCHES UP.

In half an hour you’ll know you made the right decision...

Just go. Whatever the voices in your head are saying. Just get out there. It’ll all make perfect sense.

1. Qark – Rechargeable head torch £34.99 2. Gravitas – Lightweight waterproof jacket £179.99 3. Koulin Cap – Lightweight cap £20.99 4 Koulin Trail Tee – Base layer t-shirt £21.99 5. Artlu 10L – Running backpack £49.99 6. Vayper Shorts £34.99 Coming soon!

‘Running’ at alpkit.com

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alpkit.com

REAL STORIES OF JOURNEYS, EXPEDITIONS AND ADVENTURE.

Cycling the Caledonia Way Words & pictures by Alpkiteer Jenny Graham

Jenny Graham is our latest Sonder Rider. Wow! She holds the Guinness World Record for being the fastest woman to circumnavigate the planet by bike. 18,000 miles unsupported in 124 days 11 hours. And she had an absolute blast in the process. Jenny is deeply rooted in her community in the highlands of Scotland, which she says is the best playground in the world. For a little light relief she goes bikepacking there.

If you were to spend one week riding your bike, with the first rays of the year shining down on you, you’d be hard pushed to beat the West Coast of Scotland as a location.

Am I biased? Yes, most definitely! As a native to the Highlands, I have rose tinted glasses. But even a Scottish sceptic would be hard pushed to resist this rugged coastline. Untamed jaggy peaks and long sea lochs that guide your eyes into mystical glens. The sea is sprinkled with islands and home to many castles and ruins. Every turn on the road gifts you a new view, leaving you feeling exhilarated by the wild landscape.

This week, I was trying out The Caledonia Way. It stretches 234 miles up the West Coast of Scotland from Campbeltown in the south to my home turf of Inverness in the north.

I didn’t ride the whole way. I chose the most accessible sections between Taynult and Inverness.

I used the route as the backbone to my trip ensuring forward momentum, filling the days with add-on miles.

I would mix it up with some quirky inside stays and some stunning nights under the stars.

And to add an extra element of FUN into the first few days, I had Scottish travel blogger Kathi Kamleitner joining me as she tried out an e-bike for the first time. Although we would follow different itineraries during the days, we still shared miles and meals.

Day 1 was a short ride having caught the Highland Explorer train from Glasgow to Taynuilt. The ride was so short that I had almost discounted it from the plans. How wrong I was – Glen Lonan has so much to offer!

After a short climb out of Taynuilt through some tight wooded lanes, the glen opens out into rolling meadows and fields with the Glen Etive mountains

Jenny Graham Alpkiteer making a grand backdrop. The sweeping tarmac road is home to more highland cattle than it is traffic. After a long selfie-shoot with these iconic hairy cows, we spent the evening in luxury with a stay at the Glenlonan Bothies where we baked pizzas by the lochside.

True to form, the second day was overly ambitious.

#AimHighThenHaveALongLieIN is a standard joke amongst friends as my extravagant plans often get squeezed with a lax morning start.

Today would be no different.

The Caledonia Way took me to Oban then on to Port Appin where I was due to spend the night.

But I set off in the other direction, following the Oban Sportive Route south to Kelmeford before cutting across the hill to the shores of Loch Awe. The riding was great, but it was a greeting from Janine at Catch-a-Carrot Vegan Pop Up Café that fuelled both my body and soul. I found out about Janine by using Wild-About-Argyle’s Taste of Place website which is just unbelievably exciting to use. It’s a genius, interactive map that means you can plan your bike ride around the food and beverages you fancy that day… I’d welcome this kind of map on all my bike rides!

I topped off my long day with a mammoth climb up to the Ben Cruachan Dam. Although it’s a long detour, it’s a classic and well worth doing.

I met back up with Kathi by the Falls of Lorn and we rode together into Port Appin where, after sharing some great food at The Pier House, I opted for my first night under canvas. I ate breakfast the next morning looking out at Castle Stalker.

Now the big miles were out of my system, it was time for the real magic. I let go and relaxed into a different pace. Catching the small boat over to the Island of Lismore, I dropped down to the west shores to check out the ruin of Castle Coeffin.

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With not a soul in sight, I lay on the grass beneath it, with the sound of the sea bashing against the rocks and the heat of the sun beating down on me.

I felt I could stay in that exact spot for the rest of the trip. Reluctantly, I made my way back to the mainland for the afternoon, where I bid goodbye to Kathi.

From Port Appin to Kentallen, the cycle path is amazing! After a long flat section on an old railway line, the route climbs up at Inshaig, taking you through Highland Titles Nature Reserve. Sweeping around the hillside, the busy road is completely out of sight and mind. The sunset was incredible and, as I climbed the last high section of the day, I watched the Ardgour hills morph into layers of greys against the contrast of the burning sky.

Day 4 on the Caledonia Way took me to Fort William via the Corran Ferry but, with plenty of time on my hands, I looped around by Kinlochleven in search of cake. The town itself doesn’t hold the charm of its neighbour Glen Coe, but it does hold the excitement of being a true hub of adventure.

It’s surrounded by some of the biggest peaks in the country and has multiple bike, hike and run routes passing through.

Across the Corran Ferry, I followed the quieter west side of Loch Linnhe. I had a welcome surprise as I stumbled across a new brewery and beer garden on route. Ardgour Ales affectionately have pictures of local goats on the labels – apparently the beer is good too!

The rest of the trip was on familiar ground as I made my way up the Great Glen Way, stopping for a long brew on the shores on Loch Lochy then for pizza in Fort Augustus.

I carried it around to the edge of Loch Ness to watch the sun go down then climbed Glen Doe in the dark with the promise of some camping buddies at the top.

I was only 3 hours from home when I woke on day 6 but I was in no hurry to end this trip. Instead, I lay on the shores reading my book until midday then spent all day meandering around local trails.

That night, I watched the sun set on the north end of the loch at Dores beach. I skirted around the busier section to my favourite secluded spot and lay on top of my tent with a fire going gently by my side all night. What a perfect ending to a wonderful adventure…

12 / Cycling the Caledonia Way

alpkit.com

Jenny’s route:

Jenny’s Kit list: “The type of racing that I like to do is the grassroots bikepacking type events – traditional adventure racing. Where you’re out there! It’s not just how fast you can make your bike go, it’s about living on your bike efficiently. It’s about looking after yourself in the wild places for days at a time.”

Aeronaut 1 – 1-person inflatable tent £189.99 Pipedream 400 – Ultralight sleeping bag £214.99 Cloudbase – Inflatable sleeping mat £47.99

The new Sonder Camino.

Everything we’ve learnt about gravel in the last 5 years.

Kepler Leggings – Merino base layer £58.99

The new Camino is smoother, stabler, faster and more responsive over the bumps, lumps and loose stuff than ever before. The perfect gravel bike whether shredding your backyard byways or setting up for global races. The new Camino is ready for deep forests, multi-day tours, sand and grit and everything on the way there.

Sonder Camino – Builds from £869

The new Camino from £869

Mytipot 900 – Titanium camp mug £34.99 Bruler – Meths camping stove £29.99 Kepler Long Sleeve – Merino base layer £59.99

‘Camino’ at alpkit.com

Spring / Summer 2022

13 Words & pictures by Kate Rew

IN PURSUIT OF A PERFECT

Alpkiteer Kate Rew is the Founder of The Outdoor Swimming Society and author of a new handbook that will help you swim anywhere.

Here she gives her starter tips on exploring new swims.

No-one has done more to introduce people to the joys of fully immersing themselves in nature.

Knowing someone else has swum in a place gives us a feeling of permission. For me, finding a swim – seeing a place, or a picture of a place and working out how to swim there – is where the fun starts.

I once took my whole family to the Eastern Sierra in California to swim in its meandering hot river and dip in its hot pots, based on images that popped up on Instagram. It was more dipping than swimming and perfect for our sons at the time: a Sunday afternoon we spent chatting to locals in pools on a ridge I will never forget, a shared experience found via a mutual love of water.

We always peer out over bridges as we drive about, and look out of train windows, studying and naming the rivers below. Swimming and descriptions of water pop up everywhere –

fiction, non-fiction, newspaper articles – to get the dreaming started.

Necessity is often the mother of the best finds: the need to find a body of water to train in (but when I wake up, not when a pay gate opens) or to locate a place where a group of disparate friends can meet under a full moon. Maps are useful – OS maps for blue space, satellite maps for a virtual reconnaissance – followed by a willingness to get into conversations. You will likely develop a sixth sense for people who share your love of water, and from whom information can be gleaned.

A dream becomes a plan when you step back and look at the swim itself as a journey. Where is the best swim experience to be had, with whom and with what extras? But a good deal of planning is casting your mind over what might go wrong and putting ‘control measures’ in place. Swimmers call this ‘doing a DIY risk assessment’. On a simple plunge risks may be far and few between. On an epic adventure the risk factors (cold incapacitation, boat traffic, weather) could run to pages. You are not looking to remove risk – there is no such thing as a safe swim, only safe swimmers – but you are seeking to name the risks and manage them.

14 / In pursuit of a perfect swim

A micro version of a DIY risk assessment: Dista nce: How long is the swim and how long will it take?

Are you fit for this distance or is there training or acclimatisation to do?

Entry and exit: Do you have the strength to haul out where you jumped in? Will a falling or rising tide put an entry point out of reach?

Water condi

tions: Is there a current or chop? What is the water quality? Do you need to delay for a few days while storm water washes through?

Timings: Think about daylight hours, tides and other water users.

Weather: What conditions (such as wind speed and direction) might make it easy, difficult, dangerous or impossible?

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people: Who, if anyone, is coming? Factor in confidence and open water experience: a physi cally strong pool swimmer may feel ‘out of their depth’ and struggle with fear and panic in big swell.

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nsible use: Can you do this swim without negative impact? Think broadly here: this may mean avoid ing crowded ‘honeypots’ and going elsewhere or washing, clean ing and drying all swim kit to avoid the spread of invasi ve species.

Extras: Who doesn’t love the person who has a spare pair of goggles, brought emergency sandwiches or worked out that if you walk up the footpath behind the car park, you can see the entire stretch of river you have just swum ?

Buy Kate’s new book Outdoor Swimmers’ Handbook £22

alpkit.com

Nefyn Swimwear Set Two-piece swimsuit using ECONYL®, a recycled material made from ocean plastics and nylon waste, for short, sharp dips and warmer waters. £29.98

Bredon & Hythe swim shorts Streamlined swim shorts using ECONYL®, a recycled material made from ocean plastics and nylon waste, for warmer waters or short, sharp plunges.

Bredon £15.99 Hythe Jammers £21.99

Dulsie Long-sleeved one-piece swimsuit using ECONYL®, a recycled material made from ocean plastics and nylon waste, with extra warmth and sun protection for outdoor swimming. £37.99

Hurley Long sleeved swim top using ECONYL®, a recycled material made from ocean plastics and nylon waste, for extra warmth and sun protection when swimming outdoors.

Men’s and Women’s £32.99

SWIM EVERY DAY Tepid (ooh), warm (arhh), cold (Just a little bit), baltic ( Duel Front Zip Shorty Shorty wetsuit with a front zip and varying panel thickness.

Easy to get into, easy to get out of. Designed for SwimRun. Men’s and Women’s £139.99

Terrapin Natural Swimming Wetsuit Swimming wetsuit designed for natural position in the water, with thinner more flexible neoprene for a greater range of movement. Men’s and Women’s £129.99

Lotic Swimming Wetsuit Fine-tuned to maximise comfort and time in the water; a combination of flexibility, thickness and stretch makes Lotic our best all-round wetsuit for swimming in open water.

Men’s and Women’s £149.99

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Silvertip Thermal Swimming Wetsuit Increased buoyancy and thermally lined, Silvertip is the ideal wetsuit for swimming in cold water. Men’s and Women’s £219.99

£450,000

over 1,500 projects

This trip has made a huge difference. It was a great experience for me and my child too. I never knew the things she was capable of until we came on this trip.

Alpkit only exists because of our wild places and people that make them. Alpkit Foundation is our payback, our social dividend to protect the places we love for everyone to enjoy.

We give small awards to ordinary people doing extraordinary things that make the world a better place. You help every time you buy from Alpkit.

And we’ve donated 40% of our profits since 2015 to the Alpkit Foundation.

We’ve received 5,000 applications and given 1500 awards to improve education, environment, diversity, mental health and participation in the outdoors.

That benefits over 30,000 people altogether.

Thank you from us to all our customers that make this happen.

If you have a project that would benefit from Alpkit Foundation support, apply at alpkit.com/foundation

My son loved the week. He has a learning disability and social anxiety. He struggles with his behaviour and finds it hard to find an accepting social group. But he had a fantastic time... He has made friends of a similar age and participated in every activity, which again is not like him. When I went to collect him, he seemed so comfortable and happy – it was so emotional to see.

‘Alpkit Foundation’ at alpkit.com

Spring / Summer 2022

MACSimum

A DVENTURing

Instilling confidence in children, regardless of disability, by spending time on activities they do not normally get to experience, or thought possible, is such a powerful thing.

It is constantly being proven that outdoor activity and learning can hugely benefit confidence, independence and resilience, particular through early formative years. Growing up with disabilities and the obstacles presented by them, many of which requiring adaptation and learning how to live with, these kinds of experiences can prove even more important and really life changing.

This is why the Alpkit Foundation is delighted to have added support towards the costs of week-long adventure experiences to promote independence and boost confidence for unaccompanied young venturers, as well as smaller children and their parents. These experiences are organised by MACS (Microphthalmia, Anophthalmia and Coloboma Support), a charity that supports families of children who are born with small eyes, no eyes or a gap or cleft in the eye. Around 90 children are born with these incurable conditions in the UK each year.

My daughter came back more confident but more importantly more independent, this is the longest she’s ever been away from home. I think she was nervous to start with, but she really got into the stride of it and loved every second.

If you’re going to support Jeff Bezos's bid for world domination, please set Alpkit Foundation as your Amazon Smile charity!

Liz Bates, CEO at MACS outlines why these experiences are so beneficial.

“MACS children can face multiple issues.

The absence of eyes is often linked to brain development which can also lead to learning difficulties, behavioural problems and other health conditions that place our children into shielded medical groups. MACS children often need to undergo repeated hospital visits and have multiple surgeries; many also have prosthetic eyes fitted which can help their physical appearance but they are still disadvantaged by both their visual impairment and their visible differences.

This is why both practical and emotional help is needed for them to develop confidence. These kinds of trips are designed to build confidence in the children who will spend time on activities they do not normally get to experience including canoeing, caving, zip wires and climbing.

This allows them to achieve things they never thought possible.”

Weeks like these are certainly not cheap, but the effects are invaluable.

“We are a small charity led by people with lived experience of MACS conditions. With a small team of seven staff we support over 1000 families in the UK with MACS conditions. We need to fundraise to cover the cost of this trip to make it accessible to all MACS children. The trip has astonishing impact.”

One of the parents described to the group how difficult it was for their child to make friends at school as everyone just wanted to mother them – they were overjoyed to see their child develop friendships and play and talk with the other children on the trip.

As well as giving the children confidence it has been equally important to help give the parents greater understanding as to what their children are capable of. Accompanying the younger children has helped highlight to the parents what is possible and this has then given them the confidence to get out and do more as a family.

To find out more about MACS please visit their website macs.org.uk

18 / The Magic Forest of Font

Finding balance in the Magic Forest of Font Blocky boulder problem. Answer: Bloc Shorts

If you’re upping your bouldering game or feeling strong after a winter inside then Font in Spring is probably already calling to you.

As a climbing area it is vast, legendary with mostly soft, sandy landings!

If you’re Font curious or a newb to this rounded sandstone, expect a slap in the face with your grades – don’t get despondent this will be healed with time. The transition is something like moving from limestone to grit – the first panicky reaction of looking for holds and not finding them is gradually replaced by learning new rules about friction.

There’s a particular style of climbing that Font encourages and once it starts to click, it feels amazing. More flowing, balancy – maybe even esoteric. You can of course find plenty of thuggy starts but expect the finish to be pulling up onto a tenuous mantle with your feet on slopers.

The variety is simply staggering, let these beautiful sandstone creations help you find your level and then follow the trail through the forest until you’re done.

Project Bouldering Mat Expect to see schoolchildren larking about on kids problems within yards of someone stretching themselves on world class test pieces – there really is everything for every grade.

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If you want to pass as a local replace the giant stack of mats with a scrap of carpet to wipe the sand off your shoes and tuck an old bar towel into your waistbelt. Then make everything look effortless and you’ve cracked it. And the really easy bit of looking like you belong is devouring tons of delicious pastries – magic climbing energy!

Gripping in the Griffon top

The kicker is that Fontainebleau town is also a beautiful place to hang out. Camp by the River Seine and wander into the town in the evening.

There’s umpteen bars and restaurants and the atmosphere is chill. And of course the evening is the perfect time to plan your progress into the balletic boulderer you are becoming.

Mellow finish in the Arco Vest and Mello Tights

Fun Font Facts: 1. We call it Font, locals call it Bleau.

We say tomato they say tomate.

2. Problems, problems, problems.

More than 20,000 – enough for a lifetime.

3. 35 million years ago it was a beach.

4. It’s just 1.5 hours from Paris 5. Winter is a tad wet, summer is a tad hot.

Spring is the Goldilocks season in Font.

6. People have been bouldering in Font since 1800’s – it might just be the birthplace of bouldering.

20 / Pitch Perfect

alpkit.com

spr ung, Spring hlasneed a yo u stily hat woolle

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The longer you spend in your tent the closer you get to the good stuff. The owl hooting in the distance as you fall asleep. The incredible variety of the dawn chorus.

And the fresh air just keeps improving your sleep.

If you want to feel more, just stay longer.

1. Bloc Short £42.99 • 2. Bivvy Nights Motel £26.99 • 3. Trail Run T-shirt £26.99 • 4. Mountains £26.99 • 5. Idwal Beanie £26.99 • 6. Woodsmoke £74.99 • 7. Origin £179.99 • 8. Arco Vest £26.99 • 9. Bloc short £42.99 • 10. Mello tight £32.99 • 11. Bloc £54.99 • 12. Phud £119.99 • 13. Jeanius £64.99 • 14. Heiko £119.99 • 5. Griffon £53.99 • 16. Waffa £37.99 • 17. Boulder Bucket £26.99 • 18. Chalk Bag £24.99 • 19. Flask 800 £11.99 • 20. Sonder Trucker £21.99 • 21. Diffusion £19.99 • 22. Flare £31.99 • 23. Frejus £349.99 • 24. Pipedream 200 £149.99 •

Spring / Summer 2022

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Packabley duvet da feeling

25. Hydrater £15.99 • 26. Flask 350 £9.99 • 27. Tippla £24.99 • 28. MyMokka £9.99 • 29. Qark £34.99 • 30. Snap 800 £14.99 • 31. Snap 1200 £18.99 • 32. Slurp £11.99 • 33. TiMigos £15.99 • 34. Tiffin 1900 £23.99 • 35. Tiffin 1300 £19.99 • 36. Kraku £34.99 • 37. Soundbite £34.99 • 38. Cutlery roll £6.99 • 39. Pipedream 400 £214.99 • 40. Drift £14.99 • 41. Koro £49.99 • 42. MytiPot 900 £34.99 • 43. Dozer £59.99 •

‘Pitch perfect’ at alpkit.com

22 / Meet the family

alpkit.com

‘Tents’ at alpkit.com

Tiny homes now available!

Deceptively spacious, in whatever desirable area you fancy.

One

Polestar

£129.99

900g

<2 mins

One Ø11x39cm

4 mins 100cm

Going solo might feel a little more scary at first, but it moves the adventure to a whole new level.

45cm

I want to be alone:

Soloist

£109.99

£159.99

1200g

One Ø14x40cm

4 mins 100cm

Elan

980g Ø11x42cm

23

Tetri

Kangri

£139.99

Share the load.

Share a brew.

Share a few rubbish jokes.

Two

Frejus

£449.99

2.9kg Ø50x20x20cm

3.7kg

Two

12 mins

Ø19x60cm

98cm

117cm

8 mins

Two

£349.99

10.2kg

12 mins

Aeronaut

Viso

Jaran

Ordos

Aeronaut 1 £189.99

Viso 2 £149.99

Jaran 2 £214.99

Ordos 2 £234.99

1200g

Two

Ø28x13cm

3kg

8 mins

Two Ø22x48cm

Aeronaut 2 £214.99

Viso 3 £169.99

1500g

Three Ø32x15cm

Two Ø15x42cm

Jaran 3 £279.99 3.5kg

8 mins

Three

Ø23x48cm

118cm

105cm

10 mins

2kg

6 mins

1.7kg

5 mins

Ø13x42cm

Ordos 3 £269.99 2.3kg

6 mins

Three

Ø15x45cm

106cm

Two

From £234.99

99cm

110cm

100cm

6 mins

From £214.99

102cm

One

From £149.99

1.9kg

5 mins

Ø15.5x46cm

108cm

From £189.99

Ø75x30x20cm

115cm

Bring a friend:

The more the merrier:

There’s no need to stay in on your own anymore.

Now’s the time to organise a party in your tent.

200cm

15 mins

Zhota

£329.99

12.22kg

Four

Ø70x35x25cm

12 mins 180cm

Four

Axiom

Heksa

£549.99

8kg

Four Ø60x35x30cm

10 mins

£699.99

5120g

Six Ø23x60cm

9.7kg

15 mins 170cm

£534.99

122cm

Roundhouse

Ø60x28x28cm

24 / Treasured moments

alpkit.com

reaSured T s moment We love to hear about the small moments that you create and then carry with you forever. Especially when we’re with you at the time.

Please write to us about them at treasuredmoments@alpkit.com or share them on social: #alpkit #goniceplacesdogoodthings #sonderbikes

‘Treasured Moments’ at alpkit.com for more stories

Ian Aitken

I guess that going for a swim has always been a part of my life. As a teenager, going for a swim was a part of an adventure of walking and camping overnight in the outdoors. Just before the pandemic, my mum died. I felt busy dealing with this but, not long in, I needed to go for a swim.

Luckily, when I was in the Alpkit store in Keswick a few weeks later, someone had mentioned there was going to a barbecue and swim at Bassenthwaite lake. So I went along and it really helped me as a starting point in the grieving process.

The photo above is at Birk’s bridge on the River Duddon, I love how the sunlight hits the bottom of this pool of water as I swim over. This spot has lovely but cold clear water, so I have used a Silvertip swimsuit to keep me comfortable.

You get to also see a variety of wildlife when you go to swim in these rivers. One of my favourites is a dipper, just a joy to watch as it plays in the river.

Heather (Winning Story)

I grew up in South Devon and, for as long as I’ve known about the South West Coast Path, I’ve wanted to walk it.

I had another reason too. My Grandad had passed away when I was very young, having battled Multiple Sclerosis for many years. He loved the Coast Path and, when he was too unwell to be able to walk, my Dad used to give him a piggy back and carry him along the path. I could try to fundraise to help find a cure for this terrible illness by walking the path that Grandad loved.

Spring 2020 and we were plunged into the chaos, uncertainty and horror of Covid. By the middle of the summer, as everyone cautiously started to try to resume some sort of normality, I realised I had my opportunity to go walking. My job had finished with Covid. My grown-up head said I should get another job immediately, my heart said: ‘if the last few months have taught you anything, it’s to make the most of life, go walking!’

Spring / Summer 2022

Clare Ashton

When asking my ten-year old daughter Emily what she enjoyed about her day in the Lake District, she replied quite succinctly, describing her descent of Scafell Pike: “the running down the mountain and sliding down the scree”. A day of scrambling up the Piers Gill route with her dad Carl on the last day of the Easter holidays.

Ian BrownbridgE

Earlier this year, I went with my girlfriend and her little girl for her first proper winter walk. We wrapped up warm, filled flasks with hot chocolate and set off from Blackpool to Barley to walk the Sculpture Trail there. The closer we got, the heavier the snow fell, leaving a fresh crunchy layer of snow on the ground.

Rustam Al-Shahi Salman

Our Sonder Camino gravel bikes took us on a fabulous day trip to Cape Wrath with our son on his MTB, and our Border Terrier Mabel in her K9 backpack. The weather was so good that Malcolm, the Cape Wrath Ferryman, agreed to help us cross the Kyle of Durness with our bikes before the season started! Thanks also to the Ministry of Defence for not running any training exercises in the bombing range, while we crossed. The route is normally travelled by minibuses, but none of them were running out of season – it was so much nicer to enjoy the glorious gravel by bike (although I was glad to have carried a spare inner tube!).

We were the only people there, other than the lovely lady who runs the Ozone Cafe, open 24/7/365, at the 1827 Robert Stephenson lighthouse at Cape Wrath. She rewarded us with tea and chocolate cake to fuel us for the return leg, where, fortunately, Malcolm was waiting to ferry us back across the Kyle.

After a few hours of walking, jumping, throwing snowballs and having a laugh when I slipped and fell square on my backside, we were back at the car.

The adventure didn’t end there. The snow had continued to fall and made the drive up the hill out of Barley “character building”.

We were home soon enough and having pizza for tea. The little one did enjoy herself but definitely prefers sunny weather for outdoor adventures.

Julian Alps, Slovenia

Alpine dreamin’ since way back when

Meet Your new Swim Twin.

Dulsie & Hurley If you swim in mountain lakes and rivers you know the joy. But lugging a wetsuit onto the hills and hip hopping around on the rocks getting into it is no joke. That’s why you should probably own a men’s Hurley or a women’s Dulsie. Made out of a beautifully soft Italian fabric, recycled from fishing nets, it’s a cinch to pop on and off. Zoned panels provide warmth where you need it and it’s a great way to protect yourself from the sun. Its fit and feel are so natural that it’s like skinny dipping without the risk of shocking the hiking club. It may well be time to say ‘hello’ to your new swim twin!

Women’s Dulsie £37.99, Women’s and Men’s Hurley £32.99

‘Swimwear’ at alpkit.com

Available in: Women’s Dulsie – Vino and Black Women’s Hurley – Aqua and Black. Men’s Hurley – Paprika and Tarmac

1. Pipedream 200 £149.99 • 2. Woodsmoke £74.99 • 3. Escape Hip Pack £64.99 4. Cloudbase £47.99 • 5. Strada Cap £24.99 • 6. MyMokka £11.99 • 7. Smith Engage MIPS £99.99 8. Morphosis Jacket £99.99 • 9. Smidge Repellent Spray / 75ml £8.50 • 10. Rhythm Elite Cycling Jersey £54.99 • 11. Strada £64.99 • 12. Phase 800 £39.99 • 13. Fuel Pod £437.99 14. Deluge Frame Bag 51L £42.99 • 15. Koro £49.99 • 16. Slurp Mug £9.99 • 17. Rhythm Glove £16.99 18. Draught Excluder £10.99 • 19. GPS • 20. Outdoor Provisions Nut Butter £1.90 21. 1L Water Bottle £13.99 • 22. Aktif Ankle £13.99 • 23. FKT Boxers £9.99 • 24. Aeronaut 1 £189.99 25. Solo Adventure First Aid Kit £9.99 • 26. Juice Tank £29.99 27. Sonder Persuaders £3.50 28. Torino £74.99 • 29. Primus Power Gas £3.99

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gravel riding uniform

VEL FOR TH TRA E

GRAVEL •

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VEL FOR TH TRA E

As Elvis used to sing “True love travels on a gravel road”.

The further you ride, the more days you are out, the more it all starts to make sense.

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30 / Holiday or adventure?

alpkit.com

when does a become an

? e r u t n e v d A Words & pictures by Alpkiteer Alastair Humphreys

Al Humphreys is wondering what’s the difference between a holiday and an adventure.

Like most of us these days, I feel far too busy with all the commitments of real life. So one of my greatest pleasures is to have both a chunk of empty time in my calendar and the jangle of enough coins in my pocket to go off and do something exciting.

Everyone chooses to spend their precious spare time and money differently. Do you go on holiday, or do you feel the call of adventure? Beach or desert? Ice cream or ice cap?

But what exactly is the difference between a holiday and an adventure? Intuitively they feel very different, but are they really? I turned to Twitter to gauge other people’s opinions on the subject.

When I began trying to answer this question I felt drawn to the old definitions of the different types of fun.

Type 1 fun is obvious fun. Eating ice cream.

Jumping into a swimming pool. Dancing to music.

Type 2 fun is retrospective fun. Mud, rain, blisters, then laughing about it all later in the pub.

Type 3 fun, incidentally, are those expeditions which are not fun at the time, and not even fun to dwell upon afterwards! Close shaves, near misses, and misery-fests: these are best avoided whenever possible!

For me, a ‘holiday’ involves Type 1 fun things like nature, freedom and fresh air, whilst ‘adventure’ involves all those things PLUS a dash of Type 2 masochism, misery, asceticism, and looking

forward to the end. I enjoy going on holiday, of course, but I’m generally only able to relax like a normal person once I’ve gone for a massive, exhausting run that preferably involves getting lost and having a few adventures along the way.

After that I’m as ready as anybody for the breakfast buffet and inflatable unicorns!

If holidays are supposed to be relaxing, then perhaps adventures are about the challenge and the unknown. We choose them not because they are easy, but because they are hard. The perfect example for this in my own life was rowing across the Atlantic Ocean. We were at sea for 45 brutal days and nights, rowing hard for 3000 miles.

But the end of our journey was Barbados, perhaps the ultimate holiday destination? One day we were struggling, anxious and uncomfortable. And then literally the next day we were lying on sun loungers under palm trees sipping cold beer and looking out at those ocean waves in disbelief. This was a neat demonstration that adventures involve pushing yourself forward, whilst holidays very much involve lying back and relaxing.

When I plan adventures I aim for a strategy of pragmatic recklessness. I came up with the phrase when I was cycling around the world and preparing to ride through a country that the Foreign Office strongly advised me to avoid.

I worked hard to minimise my risks, but also accepted that I was choosing to take on an element of uncertainty. With all my adventures, I try to plan enough to be safe and to give me a decent chance of success. But beyond that I dare myself to leave the rest to chance or fate. I want to embrace risk, surprises, serendipity and to be able to take less travelled paths on a whim. I always assume that because holidays are easy, they don’t need planning. I always regret that decision!

My holidays seem to revolve around restaurants that needed booking but weren’t, venues that require

Alastair Humphreys Alpkiteer

31

tickets I don’t have, and somewhat too much last-minute improvisation to be truly relaxing.

The definitions of adventure and holiday are difficult, in part, because one person’s gentle stroll is another’s epic Everest. The activities I might choose for a relaxing getaway would seem horrifyingly epic to some people. Likewise, a gentle morning run for Nicky Spinks would leave me gasping and sobbing. A climber like Pete Whittaker would feel on holiday on many climbs that would leave me clinging on for dear life.

This then makes pointing at an activity and defining it as a ‘holiday’ or an ‘adventure’ difficult.

If it feels like an adventure to you, then it is an adventure. That’s all that matters here.

In my opinion, holidays and adventures overlap.

This is certainly suggested by the explosion of cycling holidays, swimming holidays, and trekking holidays. If you have a limited amount of spare time then it is understandable that people try to tick both boxes at once. If Alpkit offered to send me on an all-expenses holiday in order to better research this article, then I’d certainly be looking for places I’d never been, a sense of achievement, adrenalin and aching limbs, as well as fluffy pillows, excellent food and a glass or two of fine red wine. These things need not be mutually exclusive in life!

But perhaps the final word, in this piece penned by a self-titled Adventurer and Author, should go to @LakesStiles who replied to me on Twitter that ‘Adventures are self indulgent people writing about their holidays….’

MAYBE THE INTERNET HAD THE ANSWER...

Adventures are less relaxing, but always have the best stories. @alistairmagowan Holiday you’re running away from something.

Adventure you’re running toward something. @jnicedill An adventure is to seek challenge. A holiday is to escape from challenge. @junkcano I think risk is an essential ingredient of adventure, but for me that risk does not have to be about pain or failure… it can be about discovery, connection, the unexpected, delight, euphoria… all of which may be unknowns but are possible without unpleasantness. @DanRavenEllison Adventures are less relaxing, but always have the best stories. @alistairmagowan Adventure has a goal, a plan, a pass/fail. Holiday is enjoying doing very little which is why you can spend a holiday in bed and still have achieved the goal! @JordanJaunt

32 / Continuum

THE BENDRIGG EFFECT

Adventure for all

Providing people with the opportunity to give something back to society, to come to a place with no judgement and be given the opportunity to do something good ”.

The Bendrigg Trust is a registered charity providing residential activity breaks for people of any age or ability. Promoting inclusion, encouraging independence and building self-confidence through adventurous activities. They deliver courses for disabled and disadvantaged people.

The Continuum Project is supporting them.

When Alpkit Keswick highlighted the work at Bendrigg Trust, we knew they would make a great Continuum partner. They receive your second-hand outdoor kit.

Nick joined Bendrigg as a volunteer in 1995 and having seen some incredible moments that really highlight the power of outdoor experiences.

We are incredibly grateful to be a part of the Alpkit Continuum Project, one of our core values is the Outdoor Environment and we are always looking for ways to improve our carbon footprint as an organisation so to be able to be a part of this fantastic scheme really does make a difference.”

Martha – Marketing and Fundraising Officer.

“Visitors may not have spent much time in the outdoors, or may not have the finances to purchase gear, so we provide them with clothing and equipment to stay warm and safe. We have a “It’s not just the participants of our services who resource centre where our visitors and volunteers are impacted, but a big part of our mission as a are kitted up with waterproofs, wellies, fleeces, charity is to work towards equality and inclusion. walking boots, hats, gloves and everything else The visitors obviously feel a huge benefit from being able to access things they may have thought they need for a day of adventures. The gear from the Continuum Project helps to increase our levels impossible. We call it the Bendrigg Ripple Effect”. of supplies.

Nick Liley. Centre Director

“People often say it is a magical place. We create an atmosphere where visitors always feel the impact of our work. I clearly remember my first visit to Bendrigg as a volunteer at the age of 15 – changed my life. I was supporting a visitor down the abseil, just seeing the smile on their face and their sense of achievement, made me realise the power of the place”.

What’s extra special about Bendrigg are the multiple, beneficial layers it provides, for participants through to the passionate volunteers and those on the Bendrigg Alternative (BA) scheme.

“The BA scheme is part of Bendrigg’s foundations, from the beginning our founders brought together offenders (or people at risk of offending) with people with disabilities, to have adventures in the outdoors together. It’s a very powerful concept which has developed over the years. The scheme sees us working closely with the prison services, to identify offenders who are soon to be released.

It’s a truly inspiring place. Check out the Bendrigg Trust bendrigg.org.uk But what’s the Continuum Project?

When you’re done with your gear, it doesn’t mean that it’s done for. Through Alpkit’s network of Continuum partners, we find your old gear a new home. It’s all about closing the circle. Reduce, reuse, repair, recycle. It’s a critical part of our effort to reduce consumption and waste. So far we’ve found a new home for over three tonnes of gear!

Get unused gear out of your wardrobe and give it a second life. Drop it off at an Alpkit store or send it to us in the post.

‘Continuum’ at alpkit.com

It’s what’s inside that really counts.

And PrimaLoft® Gold is the best synthetic insulation there is. Its warmth-to-weight ratio makes it the perfect choice when grams matter. And it compresses small enough to be practical for multi-day trips on bike or foot when moving lighter, faster and freer.

And if you’re wondering if a sleeping bag is worth £159.99, just sleep on it.

NEW!

‘Ultra’ at alpkit.com

The new Ultra 120 sleeping bag

34 / The Hare and the Tortoises

alpkit.com

REAL STORIES OF JOURNEYS, EXPEDITIONS AND ADVENTURE.

The Hare and the Tortoises Words & pictures by Alpkiteer Mel Nicholls

London and Rio paralympian Mel Nicholls lives for adventure.

This is her account of chasing down a world record on her handbike.

Sebring is a small town in mid Florida. It’s surrounded by countryside; miles of orange groves and cows.

It’s heart is Sebring raceway, the location of Bike Sebring 24, an ultra-endurance non-stop cycle race.

February 2022, two years in the making, me, my handbike and my crewman Andy were heading to America, ready to deliver Project Ultra US – my first official ultra-cycling race, and an attempt to break the 24 hour female handcycle world record.

Our lead up to this race was one of ice storms, a warm-up race of sub zero temperatures, frozen bikes, 4am pep talks and hot water bottle fired laps. Admittedly, it wasn’t the introduction to 24 hour racing, or our first stop in Texas that we had envisaged – I have never had to race in ski trousers before – but it was an incredible experience for my world record attempt in Florida two weeks later.

By race number 2, we had travelled west to east, I had cycled in ever-changing states of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, Texas and Florida.

Endless traffic-free trails, cycling into the setting sun along the Mississippi River in New Orleans, miles of sunshine state riding the Withlacoochee State Rail Trail, at 74km in a single straight line, the longest paved rail-trail in Florida, I met not one but eleven wild tortoises along the Florida Trail, and can they move when they want to. I met cyclists of every age, every bike and every one a story to share. Soul fuel cycling and ultra-race inspiration.

Nerves at level 10 as I sat on the start line of Sebring raceway just before 6am enclosed by a wet blanket of thick fog and the darkest moonlost sky. I knew much of what was to come over the next 24 hours – the soreness, the thousand mile stare, the rollercoaster of emotions, the nausea, the hallucinations. I had visited some dark places racing my first 24 just two weeks previously in Texas and I was about to take a fast-track ticket right back there.

After three track laps putting down the power to keep with the pack, my heart rate at max, my muscles in spasm and my brain telling me I should still be in bed, racers hit the roads for the first hundred mile loop. I started to relax into the race, I found my cadence and a steady power, now to keep it for the next 24 hours.

Mel Nicholls Alpkiteer Andy was my in-ear comms, waiting at the 50 mile turnaround with drink refills and any instruction passed from the road. A system of zero faff breaks of electronics charging, evidence documenting, athlete fuelling, shoulder taping and ice delivery.

During the day the roads far reaching of Sebring stretched north through its never-changing landscape. Evidence required for a world record attempt include photographs of notable locations.

With the exception of a number of Trump flags adorning roadside farmsteads, one orange grove looks rather like the next and the next, and without a ZIP code emblazoned on their rump, the hundreds of cows weren’t much help either. Aside from the scenery, my fellow ultra racers kept the best company, on one occasion putting in a cheeky sprint just to catch a racer who’s bike and jersey were covered in unicorns.

The 12 hours of darkness returned us to the track.

I mentally feared the 3.8 mile loops through the night, but found strangely mindful and comforting.

There was little chat on the course through these witching hours, but my own thoughts, trying to comprehend why there was a giant Bugs Bunny ahead of me, and in my more sane moments a rendition of Eye of the Tiger as I passed through the pits and support team HQ, had me find another gear that only grew stronger.

Like the hare, some racers had by now stopped.

For some it was the ‘cold’ Florida night, some the wind, mechanicals, fuelling, pacing. From the start I had been the only handcyclist, and I was not stopping until the race clock hit 24:00 Utterly broken, sunrise brought tears of elation, of achievement, of relief and of a slight sadness it was all over. I saved my last sprint for the finish line.

As the sun rose from the horizon behind me; a burning amber, I lay like the tortoise on his back, on the cold track unable to move. My thousand mile stare at the new dawn.

3 Layer durability

PFC FRee DWR

100% recycled outer shell

Light+, Packable us j t in case

HELLO SUMMER Our weather forecast for the next few months includes sideways spring rain, summer storms and skies that look like a giant elephant’s bum. And if you’re only going to go out on sunny days, it probably means you don’t live anywhere near us! If you’ve also decided that rain won’t stop play then take a little look at the Sigma Jacket. Three layers of toughness give 20K hydrostatic head balanced with a 20K breathability rating - making this the perfect allrounder.

All the waterproof performance you need, balanced with the comfort of breathability. And because size really does matter the new Sigma comes in sizes 6 - 20 for women and XS - XXL for men.

The new Sigma £149.99

NEW! ‘Sigma’ at alpkit.com

HELLO RAIN

Spring / Summer 2022

37

We’re Officially Carbon Neutral!

We’re officially Carbon Neutral under PAS2060, the British Standard for Carbon Neutrality. We offset our Scope 1, Scope 2 and Scope 3 Operations and Transport.

But we recognise that offsetting isn’t part of the solution. It’s just one step we can take on our path to Net Zero. Then we’ll take another one.

And another one.

But what is Net Zero? We define it as the total decarbonisation of our entire value chain. The SBTi’s Net-Zero Standard provides the guidance and tools companies need to set science-based net-zero targets. It’s about rapid, deep emission cuts of 90-95% to reach net-zero under the Standard.

The remaining 5-10% of emissions that cannot be eliminated can be offset.

We worked with the SBTi to confirm our targets.

We’re going to halve our absolute Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions by 2025 from our 2018 base year. And we’ll reduce our full chain carbon footprint by a minimum 15% per annum to zero carbon economy by 2050.

To reduce our carbon footprint, we first had to estimate it. We’re the first brand that we know of (and we’ve done a lot of searching) to calculate our full-value carbon footprint end-to-end.

That includes raw materials, energy use, logistics, transportation, customers travelling to stores, staff commuting, and recycling at the end of a product’s life. An average Alpkit order from end to end is 23kg of carbon.

We estimate that two-thirds of the carbon impact of a product is spent in making it. Just 15% of the impact is in your ownership. The single biggest thing you can do to reduce your footprint is use your gear for longer. Extending the life of your kit from 3 years to 5 years will reduce your carbon footprint by a whopping 40%!

We’ll let you on to a secret called emotional durability. Your kit doesn’t forget. It’s with you for every adventure. Every trip. Look after it and it’ll look after you. And then pass your kit on, recycle it, donate it. Anything to avoid landfill.

We’ve got our targets on our journey to Net Zero.

And we’ve got a plan to get there. We’ll choose more environmentally preferable materials.

We’ll make gear that lasts longer, repair all our products in our Repair Stations, and give your gear a second life through the Continuum Project.

We’ll select factories based on their ethos, values and their use of renewables. We’ll minimise air freight and use low carbon transport.

If you have any questions, you can get in touch with us at together@alpkit.com for more information.

What the Scope?

• Scope 1 are emissions from your direct energy use (eg. gas, diesel).

• Scope 2 are emissions from your indirect energy use (eg. electricity).

• Scope 3 are all other emissions other than Scope 1 and 2 such as staff commuting, parcel delivery, shipping and airfreight, product manufacture, customer wash and care of a product, end-of-life disposal.

‘Net Zero' at alpkit.com

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1. 500ml Water Bottle £10.99 • 2. 1L Water Bottle £13.99 • 3. Miyagi £14.99 4. Snapwire Fork £7.99 • 5. Snapwire Spoon £7.99 • 6. Snap 1200 £18.99 • 7. Snap 800 £14.99 8. Refresha 350 / 500 / 1000 • 9. Cutlery Roll £6.99 • 10. MyMokka £11.99 • 11. Vagabond Pan Set £29 12. Kraku £28.99 • 13. Tiffin 1300 £19.99 • 14. Tiffin 1900 £23.99 • 15. Soup Pot £19.99 16. MytiMug 600 £27.99 • 17. Wood Stove £19.99 • 18 & 19. MytiStax £59.99 • 20. Myticafe £44.99 21. Lhfoon £8.99 • 22. MytiBowl 600 £19.99 • 23. Kraku £28.99 • 24. Cupertino £20.99 25. Bruler £29.99 • 26. Mytikettle £59.99 • 27. Tifoon £7.99 • 28. Spork (plastic) £2.99 29. Brukit coffee press £12.99

Aglio e Olio a la upgrade Ingredients: 200g pasta 2tsp of ground coriander 2 thinly sliced garlic cloves A sprinkle of paprika Sea salt to taste

t , This isn’ pa sta y n a t jus n’s za a Y this is special Pasta!

5 stalks of broccolini 5 stalks of asparagus 10 sliced mushrooms Bunch of parsley 5 cherry tomatoes

Prep: Boil the pasta with sea salt 8-10 mins. Generous amount of oil in the pan. Add the spices + salt+ garlic + a third of the parsley. Stir until you can smell the garlic and the coriander.

Add the broccoli and asparagus. Keep stirring and add the mushrooms after 3-5 mins (I like my broccoli crispy and brown). Once the mushrooms are cooked smash up the tomatoes and add them to the pan. Add the pasta to the pan + the rest of the parsley + more oil. Stir for a minute on very low heat and enjoy. This goes surprisingly well with Cheddar cheese too (shhhh – don’t tell the Italians).

Recipe and questionable use of the word ‘broccolini’

by Bristol store hero Yazan Abbas

Spring / Summer 2022

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