From anxious recluse to trier, speaker, author and, some days, trainee astronaut, Paula McGuire is the world’s least likely adventurer, with the world’s most inspiring adventure story. She joined us on a course recently and here’s some funny and honest observations!

No matter who you are – seasoned outdoorsman, eager enthusiast or, like me, just an idiot with borrowed waterproofs and an underdeveloped sense of mortality, I guarantee you’ll learn something on a Backcountry Survival course. Whether it’s adding to your navigation skills, developing greater awareness of the wild environment, or picking up something about yourself that you’d previously just stepped over, you’re bound to head home better equipped than when you arrived.

Over and above all that new knowhow though, there are a few added nuggets of knowledge that strangely aren’t mentioned in the course outlines. So I’ll mention them for you; here are the five most surprising things I learned on a Backcountry Survival course.

1. That a little of what you don’t fancy does you good
I won’t lie – guilt gives me acid reflux – I quite like being comfortable. Not wrapped in cotton wool exactly, but definitely at least draped with some. And, for at least 90% of my time on the BCS course, I was so far from my comfort zone I needed a small-scale map and a travel pass to find my way back. As always in life though, those moments when your mettle is tested are the most valuable for growth, and while I don’t think my mettle quite achieved an A-grade pass, I’m confident it was moved up a class by the experience.

2. That you can survive almost anything on a tube of Primula
Who knew that a tube of squeezable cheese is not only a taste sensation (so I’m told) but also sustenance enough to fuel an entire day of breaking trail and shovelling snow? I’m not sure why the manufacturer has yet to promote this nutritional benefit but I imagine it won’t be long before a familiar face graces their adverts.

Please note: Primula is not at this time included on the essential kit list for BCS courses, but only, I suspect, since instructor Graeme has already depleted Scottish stocks of the product to below national shortage levels.

3. That you can give two healthy men palpitations with just one little finger
Hold on, before you get any ideas, it’s not that sort of course. But I have to say I was amazed by the effect I could have on my burly instructors with just the tip of my pinkie. Flinching, wincing, even the odd pained yelp – I could elicit all manner of reactions just by pointing a finger at a map. Yes, I know, you lose all navigational accuracy under the shadow of even the smallest digit, but surely it’s much more fun making grown men squirm than spotting a potentially life-saving exit route.

4. That tortoises have it tough
I’m a herpetoculturist. Wait, don’t go, it’s not contagious. What I mean is that I keep reptiles, with a particular penchant for tortoises – probably because they’re the only creature I have a hope of outpacing over 100 yards. But never have I felt such affinity with my shelled friends than on this course when, carrying what I can only describe as all my worldly belongings plus a snow shovel on my back, I fell over. If you have ever seen an upturned tortoise, struggling against its very nature to right itself, you can imagine my plight. If you haven’t, don’t fret, it’s not an entry requirement.

5. That good people can make any situation bearable
Whether it was Graeme’s constant chatter and incessant name-calling (Frodo, in case you were wondering) or Neil distracting me from the fact that I was carrying more weight than an amateur sumo by pointing out interesting features in the completely white landscape, the two instructors pulled me through the course more than just physically. I don’t doubt that they despaired at the fact that the only reason I was surviving their survival course was because they were holding my gloved hands through it, but their patience in the face of my complete lack of ability was unwavering. And, trust me, my lack of ability has quite a face on it.

Huge thanks to Neil and Graeme from Backcountry Survival for a wonderful day of winter-surviving.

Paula.

To find out more about Paula and the important work she does visit http://www.paulamusttryharder.co.uk/

Do you have the skills to stop a potentially deadly slip in the mountains?  One of the most important survival skill to possess if you’re out in a winter environment is the ice axe arrest and the self belay.

We cover these skills plus loads more on our Scottish winter skills course and 3 day snow hole expedition.

A short video of the weather conditions you might encounter this time of year on the UK mountains.

Always make sure you have adequate equipment to tackle icy conditions such as ice axe and #crampons. Make sure your map and compass work is on point, and you have sufficient survival equipment and spare clothing should the worse happen.

Rubbish day on the hill today, don’t go, you wont enjoy it 🤪 Great first day of our 2 day winter skills course looking at #navigation #iceaxe and #crampons #avalanche and #selfarrest techniques. Really glad we have a return to full on winter conditions in the #cairngorms as we’re back to back for two weeks!

BCS and the LSI are just back from the Ardnamurchan peninsula up NW Scotland running the Coastal module for the Land-based Survival Instructor.

A large part of the course was teaching candidates about the plentiful acquisition of food in a coastal Survival situation.  Spending time on the shore line you can easily understand why Sapiens and other humanoids spread throughout the planet via the coastal arteries. It is impossible to starve with just a small amount of knowledge.

In this article we’re going to look at Shellfish, mollusks and bivalves. In a survival situation these are the easiest source of protein to identify with very little physical output.

The “R” Rule

This basically states that it’s safe to forage for shellfish during the months that have the letter R in it. This is due to poisonous Algae blooming during the summer months i.e May, June, July and August. The Algae blooming is known as a “red tide”, as they turn the water a red discoloration. There are two main types of shellfish;

Filter Feeders 

Filter feeders such as Mussles and razor clams do exactly what it says on the tin.  They can filter upto 5 litres of salt water and hour, ingesting the plankton and other small organisms, whilst trapping poisons and Algae in their filters……cooking and eating filter feeders during summer months or a red tide is likely to cause food poisoning, even if the meat is cooked well. Undercooking filter feeders can lead to very serious illness.

Grazers 

Limpits and winkles graze on plant matter….think of the as being similar to snails.  The likelihood of becoming ill eating grazers is far less likely than filter feeders, however caution should be exercised.

Limpits

In our eyes, one of the most underrated foragable on the shore line.  We’ve all seen these large shell fish clinging to rocks, they use a sucker or “foot” on the underside of the shell to attach so they don’t get swept away by the tide.  When collecting limpits a swift kick of the foot should be used to detach them by suprise, if you can’t release on the first kick then just leave it as you’ll end up cracking the shell.

Limpits can be boiled, however turning them upside down and cooking them in their shell is the simplest way to do this. When cooking them in this way, a good identification that they’re ready to eat is that they’ll release from their shell and float about. Take the meat out of the shell and turn them round, you’ll see a black sack…….get rid of this as its the stomach and digestive tract, and is full of grit.

Mussels

Mussels on the left hand side of the bowl

One of the most sought after shoreline delicacy’s, and you pay a pretty penny in a restaurant for them! Mussels are filter feeders so care must be taken when harvesting and cooking. On the shore line you’ll find mussels growing in rock crevasses where they are protected from the tides, they attach via bysall threads which unlike limpets can be easily plucked.

Due to the filter feeding nature of the mussel we prefer to boil them in fresh water.  Once cooked make sure that before eating you see that the shell has parted whilst cooking. If the shell hasn’t parted then discard it, this is a sign that the mussel was probably dead before the cooking process and likely to poison you if ingested. Mussels can also be cooked in the embers of the fire, although it’s likely that the shells won’t open properly.

Winkles and Whelks

These small sea snails are superb eating, however unsubstantial. This being said they can be collected en mass and eating them is a lot of fun.  Similar to Mussels winkles and whelks should be boiled up in fresh water. Once cooked, you’ll need to fashion a sharp stick to “winkle out” the meat (this is where the term “to winkle something out of someone” comes from). All small sea snails in the UK are edible.

If you want to learn more about coastal foraging and get some hands on coastal survival training then please get in contact.

There are but a few extreme conditions on this earth that are as punishing or worse than the extreme cold. Ice and snow bring hypothermia, frostbite, isolation from help and natural food sources, extreme discomfort, and in certain cases, death. Thankfully, human innovation has taught us how to survive such conditions. So with that in mind, here are some of the most crucial tips for surviving the extreme cold.

Breathing, Conditioning, and Preparation

The body can be trained to withstand extreme cold. This has been proven by 59-year-old Wim Hof, a man who’s known for his legendary feats involving extreme ice endurance. Also known as The Iceman, Hof has completed a marathon in the Arctic at minus 27 degrees Celsius wearing only shorts, a feat which he completed thanks to the Wim Hof Method. This involves slowly, but progressively switching the hot water in your shower to cold for 10 days, after which you must stay in the cold shower for two minutes per day. Take 30 deep and full breaths and exhale in short spurts during this cold shower, and at the 30th and final breath, exhale completely and hold your breath. Whilst still holding your breath, do as many push-ups as you can safely do. Hof says that doing this routine for 10 weeks straight can give you the same superhuman endurance he has. While we don’t advise going out on the ice half naked like The Iceman, using his methods to develop endurance has been proven to be highly effective in preparing both mind and body for the extreme cold. If your next trip is in cold conditions this could be useful.

Combine Moisture-Wicking and Insulating Layers of Clothing

In an article by the BBC they point out how you should resist the temptation to wear tight layers of wool, and instead opt for loose layers that won’t curtail blood circulation to the skin, allowing insulating air to keep you warm inside your clothes. Avoid moisture getting trapped in between layers by opting for moisture-wicking inner clothes. In the cold, the right clothing choices can save lives.

Think Worse Case Scenario

The worst thing that can happen is being isolated in the wild with no help for miles around. The best option for shelter is to find some sort of structure or to stay in your vehicle where you can stay warm. Lacking those conveniences, Back Country Survival can teach you how to properly dig a snow hole, which you and your companions can use to survive for several days. It’s not as simple as it sounds – it will need to be situated where the snow accumulates the least, and there needs to be proper ventilation to avoid the potentially lethal build up of carbon monoxide when cooking food or melting snow to drink. While it may seem extreme, these methods are necessary for surviving the most extreme conditions.

Use Your Skills to Conquer Your Fears Apart from surviving an emergency scenario, these tips can also help you through planned outdoor adventures, which are becoming more and more popular with package trips to extreme locations. Out of the many adventure trips offered currently, the most dangerous and sought-after remains Mount Everest, the world’s tallest mountain peak. For this, you’ll need not just your survival skills, but a sizeable bank account as well. In an article by Lottoland on dream bucket lists, it details how a trip up Everest can cost up to $75,500 (£58,000) per person. This includes all the provisions that you’ll be needing for your journey and the fees for the Sherpa or guide who will show you the way. Combined with the guidance of your Sherpa, your own survival skills could lessen the chances of you getting into trouble on the mountain. A quick side-note, the rules have changed recently, which means that you will need to have climbed a 7,000 metre peak before even attempting Everest. Read more…

Final place left on our scheduled winter courses 8th-10 of February. Join us for the ultimate winter survival course. Learn to navigate, move safely through a winter environment and spend the night out in an emergency snow hole.

BCS were asked to respond to a tragedy recently by the Sunday Post. A great argument for print being replaced by digital.

Poor representation of what we said, along with the main quote coming from someone that has no place being called a survival instructor.

When all is said and done we hope that the family get some piece of mind over the loss of a loved one.

 

This weekend saw the first opportunity to snow hole, winter is definitely here! Setting off from the ski car park at Cairngorm, we navigated up onto the Cairngorms plateau.

The plateau itself is technically a sub arctic plateau, and completely unique from the rest of Britain.  This is the perfect place to cover true Survival skills.

Further along the the plateau we went until we ended up in a “Lee slope” where the snow had accumulated to a depth of 6 metres. A quick avalanche risk assessment followed by 3 hours of digging we ended up with a comfortable snow cace to spend the night in.  This snow cave was at a height of 1060 metres above sea level……we were the highest people sleeping on land in the whole of the UK.

An early start in the morning and navigation in whiteout conditions saw us standing atop Ben MacDhui, the second highest point in Britain.

The film above is panning over to the Loch A’an basin in the very heart of the Cairngorms. National Geographic voted it in the “top 100 places on the planet to visit before you die”, we completely agree.

We still have some spaces left on similar winter adventures for this season…..get in amongst ot!

What better gift to buy a loved one than a voucher for one of our winter courses!

We offer a wide range of winter skills course including our 3 day snow hole expedition.  Fancy sleeping in a snow shelter at the top of a mountain in the depth of winter……….then this course is for you!

Vouchers for all of our courses are available, just click on the box below.

Many thanks to our friends at Trailblazer Outdoors, that filmed this review at the tail end of our Fjallraven training event down in North Wales this summer.

If your looking for a quality piece of FR gear but want to stay within a budget then look no further!

Backcountry are proud to announce that we have partnered up with SPOT Gen3 a company that produces the best and most versatile PLB (Personal Location Beacon) on the market.  We will be using them as part of our Location lessons on our courses open to the public and advising our private clients working in remote locations to utilise them.

Stand-by for a full in depth review.

It’s that time of the year!  Anyone spending time on the mountains should be thinking about packing the following;

• Crampons
• Ice Axe
• Spare winter warm clothing
• Head Torches + Spare batteries (All year round)
• Group shelter
• Orange Survival bag + Foil Blanket
• Back-up GPS

As well as extra equipment please make sure you know how to;

• Use your Ice axe and crampons effectively
• Your map and compass work is on point
• Check out what the weather is doing (MWIS)
• Check out what the avalanche hazard is (SAIS)
• You’ve worked out a safe line of travel, taking into account all of the above as well as taking into account your own personal skill set (honestly!) This can be done by studying your maps prior to leaving home.
• Always leave a route card and/or tell someone of your intentions and what time you will be back.

If you’re struggling with any of the above then why not join us on one of our winter courses? We don’t just concentrate on Survival techniques for when things go wrong, but look at prevention rather than cure!

If you’ve been on one of our courses before, summer/winter/exped the we are offering 15% off your winter courses this 18/19 season…..bargain!

BCS would like to invite previous clients and associates to our 10 year anniversary party on the 22nd and 23rd of March 2019.  The event will be held at a remote Bothy in the highlands that sleeps 20, first come first served. Anyone booking after the first 20 will have to bring tents.

The event is a laid back affair and BCS instructors will not be working. Please get in contact with us if you are interested.

This event is FREE. Please bring food/drink.

A short videos sent in from one of our clients on the morning of day 2 of our multi-environment Survival course.  Want authenticity when you book on with a Survival company?  All our instructors have years of experience and come from a mixed background of civilian and military, to give you the most realistic and up to date information/experience money can buy.

Here’s what some of clients said about the 3 day course from this weekend;

It was a real pleasure to meet you and work with you all over those few long days last weekend. Many thanks to Neil and Grumps for the superb instruction and patience along the way. For me, the course hit the donkey on the nose and I will continue to practise the skills that we were taught, back home. Corrin

Hi team I can only reiterate what everyone else has said, good team led by fantastic instructors, throughly enjoyed my weekend & learnt lots of new skills, watch this space for example pics!  Loving the photos as did not take many. All the very best for the future team Mark

Dear all, I also arrived home and my dog went crazy, it seems that I still have the survival smell on me. It was a wonderful time and, even with a bad memory, I will not and won’t forget this! In three days we really bonded and I miss all of you. I keep on thinking back to all of you and your specialties. Niel and Graham, thank you very much for an excellent course. Niel with your expertise on everything and Graham  with the sheep stories (although I didn’t understand much of your English, I enjoyed your great sence of humor). Mark with the great building drive and other Mark from Edinborough with your great social skills. Greg with your enthusiasm and the bright look at life, Corrin with your surplus of nice army stories and all those jokes, Anna with your special remarks ” fire?, it’s useless!”, Jelmer with your drive to go on and enthusiasm (I love you😊). Again it was an amazing experience, I will also send some pictures and feel free to use them where ever you want👍🏻. All the best and regards, Dirk.

Same here guys. Just completed our trip from the Highlands to the lowlands. It was a very special trip for me with  special people. I wont forget this for a very very long time, unless i get lymes ofcourse😉 But even then, fuck it, it was well worth it. Thanks again guys, all of you Jelmer

Wow! Great pictures!! Thanks a lot guys. Especially for the really amazing time we had. These three days felt like a lifetime and I already miss to be out in the nature with all of you. Take care and maybe life let us cross our paths again! Anna

Hi all, firstly thanks all for a fantastic time, an experience I’ll never forget. Neil and Graham you were top lads and what u both know about the survival subject is unbelievable 🙂
I don’t think I could have been stuck in the wilderness with 8 nicer people so again folks thanks for making it the experience it was. Greig

Once again a big thankyou to all the shops that turned out to our first Southern training course for Fjallraven; Cotsolds, Tisos, Trekkit, Elis Brigin, Bushcraft Store, Taunton leisure, Crib Goch and Trailblazer Outdoor.  We have been running courses aimed at shop employees distributing Fjallraven for 4 years now, and in our eyes this is the best way to train up individuals that are being asked the question by customers. So what do the attendees learn?

Similar to our Multi-environment courses we cover;

• Clothing choices and which materials to use in which environments

• Pitching tents in a wild camping setting

• Use of a range of stoves, from gas to petrol

• Location lessons, including what type of equipment they should be selling to their clients; whistles, survival bags, PLB, foil blankets

• Game preperation

• Navigation skills including map and compass and GPS

If we can help your establishment with outdoor, clothing or equipment training then please get in contact with us.

Well done to all attendees on the first module of the LSI (Land-based survival instructor) the award is an independently accredited qualification, through the Institute of outdoor learning, run by BCS and our partners, to ensure quality in the Survival industry. Quick video of @buzzstewart24 during a fire lighting demo. We are taking on candidates for next year and anyone interested in becoming a Survival instructor should get in contact either via BCS or the LSI website. For more info click HERE

We’ve got a few places left on our Mountain and wild camping 3 Day Expedition course.  Usually this course comes in at £360, we’re giving it away for £250. Still not convinced? Read a trip report from one of our clients that attended last year.. Here

Contact us direct for booking information. Offer Valid until 01/08/18 or until full.