Name: Ben Taylor
Nickname: Bin Benji
Position: Sales Assistant (Aberdeen)
Main Outdoor Pursuits: Mountain biking, skiing and bouldering
When I'm not working you can normally find me: At uni or planning silly epics on my bike
My top tip: Buy a powerball they're decent!
Bit of kit I never leave home without: For days out on the hill my camelbak
My red-letter day would be: A sunny day with miles of flowing singletrack to ride and a good pub at the end of it!
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Name: Ruairidh Squair
Nickname: Rhubarb
Position: Sales Assistant (Aberdeen)
Main Outdoor Pursuits: Skiing in Winter, Mountain Biking in Summer
When I'm not working you can normally find me: At the beach, in the pub, on the sofa, out on the bike, anywhere away from work!
My top tip: Watch out for snow snakes!
Bit of kit I never leave home without: Sunglasses - It pays to be optimistic
My red-letter day would be: Waking up early to a fresh dump of snow, skiing the tree lines at Claviere or Courmayeur with a few good friends, then retiring to the pub for a few well earned beers
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Name: Sarah
Nickname: Saz
Position: Assistant Manager (Aberdeen)
Main Outdoor Pursuits: Snowboarding, Skiing, Mountain Biking, Motorbiking and Rock Climbing
When I'm not working you can normally find me: Enjoying as many days on the hill that I can fit in, Spending time with family & friends or having an intense game of scrabble or backgammon.
My top tip: If you don't fall over then your not trying hard enough
Bit of kit I never leave home without: A hat and a spare hat
My red-letter day would be: Waking up to fresh powder snow in the south island of New Zealand, Fresh tracks all day topped off with late afternoon sun around a bbq with a few beers and some quality mates!
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Name: Jason
Nickname: Jase
Position: Sales Assistant (Aberdeen)
Main Outdoor Pursuits: Snowboarding, Mountain Biking, Skateboarding, Bouldering, Hiking and Camping
When I'm not working you can normally find me: On a hillside, in a skatepark or in A & E!
My top tip: Put your salopettes on at home, saves baring your legs to a freezing gale in a car park and dinna fall!
Bit of kit I never leave home without: Merino wool baselayers
My red-letter day would be: Wake up to coffee and bacon rolls. Fill the car and off to the mountains for a days snowboarding. Fit in an hour or two of skating and then hit the pub for many rewarding beers!
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Name: Andy Green
Nickname: My Hero (that's what people call me)
Position: Sales Assistant (Aberdeen)
Main Outdoor Pursuits: Climber/Runner
When I'm not working you can normally find me: Trying to fit in some training/fun around looking after my little on.
My top tip: A mountaineer always pees clear! :)
Bit of kit I never leave home without: RAB Vapourise Smock
My red-letter day would be: Up at 5am, in the car to Lochnagar. Spend most of the daylight battling up one to the classic winter lines. Then home sore and tired for a few pints of ale in the pub.
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Name: David Weir-McCall
Nickname: Dave 2
Position: Sales Assistant (Aberdeen)
Main Outdoor Pursuits: Dry tooling, Climbing
When I'm not working you can normally find me: Catching up on some lost sleep or filming
My top tip: Die young as late as possible.
Bit of kit I never leave home without: My left shoe
My red-letter day would be: Sleeping in a hot country after winning the lottery and aquiring the ability to fly. Surrounded by mountain dew and a burger king on every corner. Nobody around for a thousand miles, just listening to the calming tunes od Europe.....with an Audi R8 sitting in my driveway....Like Ironman.....But mostly just sleeping!
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Location:
Kirrie Hill
Kirriemuir, Angus.
OS Grid Reference NO 392546
Access:
From Aberdeen, follow signs for Dundee on A90, take the Kirriemuir junction before the Forfar turnoff. Follow signs for Kirriemuir and park as for the camera obscura, then a two minute walk down the hill to the climbing.
Overview:
Lots of high quality, sandstone sport climbs from F3+ to F7a+/b, with most of the routes between F5+ and F6b+; quite a rarity for Scotland! Most of the routes are well bolted with double bolt belays, making it a fantastic crag for people looking to progress from indoor to outdoor climbing. It is a good idea to wear a helmet as the sandstone is a little fragile near the top of some of the routes.
The crag has a pleasant sunny aspect, so would be a nice sun-trap all year round. During the summer months, nettles can be prevalent at the bottom of some of the routes, so it’s a good idea to wear trousers.
There are toilet facilities at the car park, but bring some toilet roll as there never seems to any there whenever needed!
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Name: Tristram Fox
Nickname: Badger
Position: Senior Sales Assistant (Aberdeen)
Main Outdoor Pursuits: Mountaineering, Skiing, Running
When I'm not working you can normally find me: Hanging off some crimpers
My top tip: Jaegermeister is good for you as it contains many herbs.
Bit of kit I never leave home without: Rockshoes and chalkbag
My red-letter day would be: A mornings skiing in the Pyrenees, bouldering at Targasonne in the afternoon and Cervezas in the evening. Bueno!
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Name: Lorna Owens
Nickname: Lolo or Forlorn
Position: Manager (Aberdeen)
Main Outdoor Pursuits: Skiing, Snowboarding, Mountain biking, Climbing, Hill Walking, Motorbiking
When I'm not working you can normally find me: Anywhere doing one of the above, so good luck with that!
My top tip: Growing old is inevitable, Growing up is optional, So stop saying you can't and just go for it!
Bit of kit I never leave home without: Superfeet and Lipscreen
My red-letter day would be: Fresh tracks on a bluebird spring morning. Then riding my motorbike down a mountain pass to an unspoilt secluded climbing spot, chucking in a few routes with good mates. Then watching the sunset with a few beers, swapping stories of an epic day! Happy days!
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Location – Wheels Cycle Centre, Callander.
The weather was fine when we rocked up at the centre late afternoon. The evening started off with us picking our accommodation for the evening, courtesy of Hilleberg, with myself and Steve from Perth opting for the light and spacious Nallo 2 GT. Although not as bad as the west-coast midges, the local winged horrors did make an appearance, so as soon as the tents were up the BBQ was lit and everyone tried various different methods of defense, the conclusion being the more beers you have the less you seem to notice them…
Other than dodging midges, the evening was spent getting to know the other people on the course, and the representatives from the different companies present. As well as Hilleberg; Katadyn, Lundhags, Optimus, OMM, Vasque, Nepa, Icebug, Polygiene and Trek ‘N’ Eat were all there with their respective products. A couple of the people running the course were also Royal Marines, who use a lot of the kit when in the field. It was very interesting to hear how things like the water filters and stoves performed from these guys.
Having never stayed in a HIlleberg tent before, I was pretty impressed by the comfort of the night’s sleep I got! The heavens opened during the night, so it was the best possible test. The Nallo 2 GT is the extended version of the lightweight, 2 person, Nallo 2. Having the extra porch space would be very useful if you are on a multiday trip. The venting was superb, even with the rain pouring down; the humidity level inside the tent was low enough that there was no condensation in the morning. Just a bit of a sore head!
The next morning was spent learning about the various different products on show from the different companies. Because it was still pouring with rain, the tent training was a very soggy affair! Luckily you can pitch most of the lightweight two man tents inside the Atlas base-camp tent. Quite a comedy situation pitching tents…inside tents! There was also a lot of water about to test the Katadyn water filters!
By the afternoon the rain had stopped, so we spent a couple of hours doing some team building exercises with the Marines. Everyone was dreading this, but thankfully the games were more of a mental challenge than a physical one! It was interesting to see how different people cope with different problem solving exercises. Good communication and effective management seemed to be the key…
In all this was a very interesting and fun course, despite the weather! While we don’t stock all of the brands that were on show, it’s always good to see what’s out there – and we can easily get hold of anything from these companies. Many thanks to all those involved.
Trist, Aberdeen Shop Staff
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