It's really happening - a winter adventure race across the Cairngorm plateau that could be the UK's hardest ever.
We now have full details of the Scottish winter adventure race
we've been hinting at for the last month and it promised to be a
serious toughie based around the arctic-style savage lands of the
Cairngorm Plateau.
The three-day Red Bull Northern Exposure 2002 looks like one
muther on an adventure race. Dates are April 12th-17th and the event
will be based around Mountain Trekking, Mountain Biking, Canadian
Canoeing and Ropework/winter skills, plus some secret disciplines
that will only be revealed during the race itself - so you can
probable expect some weird and wacky winter mountain pursuits.
I say that confidently, as the race organisers are none other than
On The Hill journos and adventure race madmen Steves Duffy and
Watkins who've teamed up with course designer and top UK racer Gary
Tompsett to create what they say is 'a winter race with a
difference'.
'Our aim is to create a race that will really challenge the
world's top teams, but will also allow relatively inexperienced teams
to complete the course ranked if they pace themselves and make
sensible route choices,' says Duffy in a thinly veiled attempt to
attract unsuspecting innocents to the event. Watkins adds that the
event is intended to bridge the gulf between sprint races and
expedition-length events.
In addition to title sponsors Red Bull, Berghaus, Glenmore Lodge
(Scotland's National Mountain Centre) and On The Hill Magazine have
been confirmed as event sponsors, and the organizers hope to announce
a final major sponsor and the details of the prize package early in
the New Year. The race is also being filmed for television and you
can bet there will also be coverage on this site though from which
end of the camera remains unclear.
There will be 40 mixed teams of four competing and the entry fee
of £500 includes pre- and post-race accommodation and food, plus
entry into possibly the biggest party the AR World has ever seen.
The event web site will be up at www.redbullnorthernexposure.co.uk
from 21 January, but anyone interested in competing or helping out at
the event can e-mail or simply
phone Steve Watkins on 44 (0)1869 350485.
Adventure racing - need we add - is, of course, unimaginably hard,
but this one looks unimaginably harder than most...
