tgo magazine live letters archive

It'll be a little tents episode then :)

It's all in the pronounciation.

its all far too in tents for me.

I'm reasonably con-tent with this month's edition.

Seems like you two are always here......loitering within tent?

<fx: pokes tentative snout into thread>

Wot you lot doing on the net at this time?

I'm sat on top of Ben Bhalocks logging on via the new iTrowel I got from Codpasting Cob Parpwright - it's got everything: G4 phone, email & web, sat nav & GPS, MP3 and DVD player, hi-def TV, and it crawls off by itself and digs nice cat hole exactly six inches deep ready for my morning ablutions. Then it returns and cooks my noodles for me.

JOhn can't be any good, else Inspector Gadget Dave Mycroft would have one. And he doesn't.

In the meantime, a thought struck me (I should duck next time), but TGO and Trail both reflect the age of the people writing it.

All gloss and no depth - or youngsters in Trail, while TGO is like a pair of well worn slippers and a holey jumper - or middle aged and above.

Oh and to answer you other question John, billy no mates am I, and have no life either. Left at home with the kids whilst the missus is out on the town :(

Gadgets, who needs them?

Cunning Duncan,

Is that your own blog displaying that extremely important gadget?

Yup.

Took the gadget into work today to see if it's any good at fixing software, as my classes are working on Pascal and Unix today.

I haven't read all of this thread so apologies if I have repeated what others have said.

I reckon the balance is about right. I value the informative route choices - I have done routes I might not otherwise have tried. I really rate the gear guides - there is nearluy always a guide about some piece of kit I really must have just as I decide I must have it. As I get older I think Mike Harding speaks with more and more sense (and I wholeheartedly agree with him this month). I could live without "Contemplations" but it would be a damn fine mag that had everything in it to my taste and nothing else.

I miss "Ask the Instructor" - why did that stop?

Still my outdoors mag of choice.

Not sure why but getting better for me. I have often bypassed a fair number of the articles in the past as they were not my cup of tea. Last few Mags seem to be more interesting.I have read everything in the last couple of issues. Seems to be subtle changes. Perhaps Cameron and the team have been listening to comments here and i'm sure through other sources.
keep it going..

Ditto that Muzza , its changed subtly ... or is that me with another years experience? Have my requirements altered slightly.

Thanks for all the input - it's much appreciated. Sorry not to have had any input into this, or the podcasting thread, but I've been away in Morocco sunning myself in the High Atlas.
I suspect John has said everything I would have said but let me repeat one or two things. We don't employ models for the front covers and why the hell shouldn't hillwalkers be good looking? And of course we listen to feedback from the likes of yourselves - it would be a pretty strange magazine that didn't, after all you are the people who buy the magazine. I've written it umpteen times over the years that we want to produce the kind of magazine that reflects the needs of our readers, and the only way we can do that is by listening to what you say and responsing as best we can. So a massive thank you for all your responses - you'll be delighted to know that our circulation is on the increase, the outdoors industry obviously like what we do because they continue to support us enthusiastically and John and I continue to get a kick from producing the damned thing. It would be nice to have the time to produce longer podcasts, and more of them, but please accept these are an added extra, put together by the team in our own time and at our own expense. Why? Because we're enthusiasts. What other outdoor magazine editor would be typing this stuff at 14.50 on a glorious Sunday afternoon???
And for anyone who's interested I've been away walking across the High Atlas taking in the three highest peaks in North Africa. A busman's holiday? Absolutely correct...

How was it Cameron? will there be an article or just pictures on here ?
Have only been to the eastern edge of the atlas mountains but recall some wonderful geology and rock formations and huge canyons with massive dried up river beds. A "deserted" town with a dry quay springs to mind shall have to root in the attic for pictures.
Was it hot? or did the altitude take the edge off the heat?

Hi Jonno,
It was very good. In the 30's all the time, pretty well wall to wall sunshine other than the day we climbed Toubkal, which was rather cloudy but dry. I guess we trekked about 200 miles - a couple of days into Irghil Mgoun, then across the range to Toubkal and Ouaoukirim. Not the most stunning mountain range I've ever encountered but the trip went through a good variety of landscapes from pastel shaded volanics to high plateaux and some scrambling on Ouaoukirim. We only went to just over 4000m/14000 feet so altitude wasn't really a problem. Will there be a feature in TGO? I suspect not - John M wrote a brilliant piece about the same route back in 2002. I don't think I could match that...

It sounds wonderful!

<fx: presses snout to windowpane, and stares out gloomily onto rainy scene in garden>

First of all...Bring back ask the instructor!!!
what a wondeful column that was...i have only had a subscription to tgo for the past 12 or so months but prior to that i picked up the occasional issue and one of the most delightful columns the wide variety of topics that came up and the helpful hints and advice that was revealed was incredibly useful

As to the idea that tgo prefers certain manufacturers that to me seems unrealisitic...try comparing the variety of gear makes that are reviewed and win in tgo compared to trail!! trail if anything are the ones that worry me in their reviews...describing 2.5kg bags as quite light and giving 1st and 2nd place to 3kg packs while suspiciously not even rating the golite galaxy when its only stated con is "it has a floating lid that may leak" hmm!!! Though quite often it is the same makes that seem to get best buy and recommended this is more a reflection on the thought design and quality that goes in to their products than on any bias by judy and chris.
well done tgo you seem to get the balance right (though those gear give aways in trail are quite nice *hint*hint*)