NewsArchive

Sam McConnell to lead Desert Course
We're delighted that this year's desert course is led by reknowned desert explorer Sam McConnell.
Latest Fieldnews available
News from around the world cyclists, our latest courses and loads more, download here
Latest Course Photos on Facebook
A very busy Spring is featured in lots of new course photos on our facebook page - they include training expedition medics with Wilderness Medical Training, and a range of University fieldwork and first aid courses from Oxford to Leeds. They also include some photos from a great three day course in off road driving, vehicle safety, first aid and expedition skills for a team of guys from Holland planning an expedition from Amsterdam to Cape town. See all these photos at our fieldskills facebook page.
JOB in Fieldskills UK office
Part time marketing and admin manager in our UK office in Ulverston. Get full details here...
Desert Safety and First Aid for Rock Art Expedition
We were delighted to work last week with a team from Oxford University who are in the final stages of preparing a three week field trip to record several rock art sites in the Messak Settafet, in southwest Libya. Their fascinating programme will include an in-depth and comprehensive survey of a major rock art site including use of total station/GPS mapping, regular photography and specialized digital imaging techniques. We greatly enjoyed working with the team and were delighted that they found the course useful and enjoyable, "I think you did such a fantastic job today -- exactly the right blend of information, and all delivered with the right tone - serious and intelligent, but also keeping the sensitive things lighthearted." We wish the team the very best of luck and look forward to hearing about their trip upon their return.
NEW Mountain Biking Video
We're launching a range of new MTB trips - more details soon - but here's a little taster...
Fieldskills Support Rafting First
We are delighted to be able to say that last month a British team from the charity 'Journey of a Lifetime' became the first UK based team to descend the Kuamut river in the Malaysian state of Sabah, North Borneo. It being only the second time that the river had been run, the team faced conditions and difficulties that could not be accurately predicted. A log-jam and 10 metre waterfall had to be overcome as well as wild camping in sites where elephant and Leopard footprints were evident - not for the feint hearted! The final day of the expedition proved to be the most challenging. A ten hour paddle on mostly flat water was followed by a night-time transfer by power boat for 6 hours along the Kinabatangan river, a river famed for its crocodiles, through a huge storm. The day lasted from 06.00 until 02.30 the next day and the team managed it all with smiles and songs!
Nick Baker - he knows how to fly....
At a secret location in Borneo, the new Ropeskills team of Simon, Ed, Naz and Martin are working with the famous Nick Baker high up in the rainforest canopy to get rare and exclusive footage. The canopy is science's final frontier, a host of new species are discovered every year by those brave or foolish enough to make their way up to the treetops. At 60 - 70 metres (up to 250 feet) the trees in Borneo are not too small and are home to Leopards, Bears and, well most of the animals in the rainforest are arboreal so we usually encounter something exciting. Nick is an excellent naturalist and we are very pleased to be working with him. Last month we worked with Charlotte Uhlenbroek, filming Orangutans in thier natural habitat and managed to get up close and personal with a few of our orange cousins. Its all happening in Borneo, where are you?
Fieldskills Courses featured in the Guardian
We have just completed our annual training course at Oxford Brookes University. This year the program was expanded to a three day program combining first aid, fieldwork safety and specific tropical forest skills including half a day out in the woods outside of oxford learning about jungle camping, lost and search procedures and safe use of equipement such as machetes. The course was also featured in the Guardian newspaper on 17th March and you can currently view the article online at http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2009/mar/17/survivalists-oxford-brookes
Rock climbing in Borneo
A neglected cliff on an island off the east coast of Sabah is getting some serious attention at long last! Ropeskills have built a climbers camp and brought over two of the UK's brightest climbing stars to develop the island of Berhala as a sport climbing destination. With a cliff of over 150 metres and a stunning beach it promises to offer much to the travelling rock climber. All comers are now welcome to join the fun and if you are willing to contribute to the bolting efforts we will even feed you! See www.climbborneo.blogspot.com for more details of what we are up to....
Sign Up for the Prince's Rainforests Project
The Princes rainforest project is attempting to raise awareness of deforestation and potential solutions - you can now sign up and show your support direct from our site
Fancy Working in Borneo?
We are currently expanding our training activities out in Borneo and are looking for a training manager to head up this expansion both in terms of sales, management and delivery of courses. You would be likely to also get involved with our other expedition activities and events. Description: Training Manager To take on the training side of our Borneo operations, planning and running first aid (HSE) courses, Forest safety courses and jungle training. We have a lot of clients including the Royal Society, WWF and universities from all over the world. These clients need managing and an ongoing dialogue formed to attend to thier training needs. We require an enthusiastic and adaptable individual who has something 'extra' to offer the post. Your salary would be commensurate with local pay scales and will allow a reasonable standard of living. Increments will reflect performance. You will experience life in Malaysia and learn to enjoy the many benefits of living in Asia. We have a modern office in a small city on the coast. Accommodation is not included but we will help you to find good local accommodation. You would be expected to support our other activities which include climbing, mountain biking and adventure tourism from time to time. QUALIFICATIONS First aid trainer, SPA, ML We may be able to provide trainining for the right candidate. APPLY Send a CV and covering letter to admin@fieldskills.com
Fieldwork Training Expanded
Following the success of the course Fieldskills ran in Leeds back in January we have extended our program to run the course again for a group of fifty masters students. We are now looking to offer this course to other departments at Leeds and other Universities around the country. The course again looked at combining first aid skills with risk assessment and crisis planning. All of the students agreed they would recommend the course to other students in their position. One student said "I feel much more aware of safety issues and more confident in problematic situations". A nice addition was running the course in the Biology Museum so the first two day course we taught to 1 lecturer, 25 students and a tapir skeleton!
Fieldskills offer Off-Site Safety Management
Find out more about Fieldskills' new RGS accredited Off-site Safety Management Course...
Filming the Canopy with the BBC
We are continuing our support of the Danum Valley, who as we speak are playing host to a film crew from the BBC 10 o'clock news. The crew are filming for a feature on the 10 o'clock news and if you tune in tonight (10.00 BBC1, 10th Dec) you will see live footage from the canopy at Danum. Fieldskills have been proud both to work in the past training the researchers the crew are working with and to provide safety support and rope rigging to the film crew. You can also see what they've been filming on the bbc science and technology page: http://news.bbc.co.uk/player/nol/newsid_7130000/newsid_7135800/7135863.stm?bw=bb&mp=wm&asb=1&news=1&bbcws=1
Borneo Mountain Bike Expedition 2008
A ten day trip that includes a two day jungle training course to prepare you for the expedition ahead, and a white water rafting trip on the daunting Padas river with Riverbug, Borneo's most professional and best equipped rafting company. We will also undertake some short training rides to get used to the terrain and bikes with expert riding tuition from our professional rider, Justin. The five-day odyssey is a ride around South East Asia's highest mountain and at 4000 metres it is no small hill! These granite spires will watch us ride around her foothills, splash through her chilly mountain streams and camp on her flanks. The ride is an all-inclusive deal and by that we do mean all-inclusive, food, beer, wine, energy bars (powerbars) energy gels and drinks, bottled water, pre-built camps. All hotels and transport, bike maintenance, chocolate bars and even insect repellent! We also have a mechanic, a local guide and a qualified medic with a satellite phone and full vehicle back-up with extensive evacuation plans and the support of the local helicopter company so you are in safe hands! All you need to bring is a sleeping bag and your personal riding kit. This ride is very rarely attempted because of the logistics needed to provide backup but Fieldskills have teamed up with Bike Beyond, Australia's most intrepid mountain biking company (www.bikebeyond.com.au) to prepare this event for the adventurous mountain biker that wants to try something a little different…… Bring your own bike or use one of our Giant Boulder Disk bikes The cost for this is only 1,100 pounds excluding flight and bike hire or 1,200 pounds with bike hire. Email simon@fieldskills.com for more details
Spring Courses already bearing fruit
Spring is a busy training period in the UK with teams preparing for expeditions all across the globe. Already our earliest expeditioners are returning from the field and its nice to hear their training has come to good use: "I have just come back to the UK after six weeks in Thailand. It was a wonderful experience and I am indeed glad that the tropical safety course was very helpful in the course of my work. I used the pacing skill I had learned to note the distance between my sample points and also had the right clothing and was better prepared for worse case scenarios...(like the snake encounter in the photo!). The list is endless, the mosquitoes, dehydration, getting wet because it rained most of the time, and so on, so it was honestly worth it that I did the course with fieldskills."
Training for round the world cyclist Ken Roberts
Ken Roberts is planning an epic round the world cycle expedition which he expects to take him four years. Its been a pleasure to work with him for two days to help prepare him for living in the jungle, savannah and desert environments. Ken's trip promises to be a massive adventure and its all in a good cause - to raise money for The Outward Bound Trust. You can read more about it on his website http://www.acrosscontinents.org
Summer Expedition Season a Huge Success
We have had a hectic few months in Borneo and all our school teams are now home with amazing tales to tell of the Borneo jungle. We were delighted to support teams in partnership with Adventureworks and Wilderness Expertise, looking after a range of schools based from Ilkley to Paris. Despite some challenging weather conditions, which kept a few teams from the Summit of Kinabalu, beautiful jungle treks were completed, miles of boardwalk laid and invaluable community projects completed at a number of schools and children's homes across Sabah and Sarawak. We were delighted to be able to support all these expeditions and acheive the combination of educational programs, adventure and support of local projects which Fieldskills are all about. Congratulations to all the students who came to Borneo this year.
Fieldskills support OP3 research program in Borneo
Fieldskills is running a number of training courses to prepare members of the OP3 tropical rainforest research project. The project will run for three years and aims to look at how tropical forests in Malaysia impact upon atmospheric composition, chemistry and climate. Fieldskills has run a series of UK training courses to arm the team with first aid and tropical forest safety skills for their time in the field. The project will involve many UK universities and make use of methodology including Danum valley's 100 metre high tower and the Natural Environment Research Council's research aircraft.
Fieldskills feature in local enterprise agency film promotion
Fieldskills have been delighted to be selected by Furness Enterprise to be featured in a series of short films about enterprise in the Furness region. You can check out the film here... FIELD SKILLS Live>Work>Go Furness from Dreamtime Film on Vimeo or http://vimeo.com/2154020
Fancy West Papua?
This October Fieldskills will be providing logistical advice and expertise to a very exciting exploratory expedition to West Papua. West Papua (formerly known as Irian Jaya) is the Indonesian half of the island of New Guinea, the second largest island on the planet. Barely known to the western world until the start of the 20th Century and even now it boasts some of the few truly unexplored regions on Earth. The October expedition will spend approximately 10 days in the company of the Korawai and Kombai and will begin and end in the Dani highland town of Wamena, itself a 45 minute flight from Jayapura, the administrative capital of Papua. In total, a minimum of 16 days is recommended to allow for logistical uncertainties. Travel to and from the trek will be by a chartered missionary plane and with the exception of one day crossing the river that separates the two tribes by dug out canoe the team will be trekking and carrying all supplies supported by porters and an experienced guide. This special introductory expedition is being offered by the organisers at a price that will not be repeated. There are two remaining spaces available for this once in a lifetime opportunity. For those interested do not hesitate to contact us now as final logistical arrangements are being made. Do not underestimate the undertaking of this expedition. New Guinea is on the equator and we will be mostly in the lowlands where it will be sweaty to the extreme, in all likelihood very wet and with many creatures of the forests, big and small out to irritate us. Malaria is endemic to the region and must be a consideration. To view pictures from previous Papua expeditions have a look at the Fieldskills facebook group page and if you are interested in joining the expedition drop us an email. There is also more about Papua in our latest fieldnews newsletter.
October Expedition Leadership Courses
Info on the expedition industry and practical scenario exercises in expedition planning skills
Come and meet us at Explore at the RGS
It's nearly Explore time... the annual expedition and fieldwork conference at the RGS is a must... Be inspired by over 100 leading field scientists and explorers who will provide contacts and advice through key lectures, workshops and one-to-one consultations on a wide-range of topics: • Operating in remote environments: desert, polar, forest, marine, mountain • Field research skills: biological, earth and human sciences, GIS and field mapping, education projects • Vehicle or bicycle dependent expeditions • Communicating discoveries: film, newmedia and journalism • Exhibits displaying innovative field equipment and other expedition services • Planning overseas field research, conservation or adventure projects We'll be there on a stall so its a great chance to catch up for a cuppa and a chat about your plans - we'll be happy to help in any way we can. See RGS website for full details: http://www.rgs.org/explore
LAST FEW PLACES - Sept course
We have a few last minute places on our tropical forest and outdoor first aid courses in September. See full details and book online or give us to ring to chat about what the courses entail...
Recruitment at Fieldskills
Over the past 6 weeks we have been recruiting for freelance trainers and expeditioners... We are expanding our UK operations and are keen to put together a small team of people interested in getting involved. In late November we had the first get together of freelance staff for an enjoyable day of training and planning. We discussed what Fieldskills do, developed new course ideas and also taught each other valuable new skills including origami and how to make the perfect omelette! Though this get together brings to an end our current round of recruitment we are always keen to hear from keen trainers and expeditioners who are interested in working on our courses, running overseas events and expeditions or developing new courses to complement our range. Please feel free to drop Dom a line or send a CV to dominic@fieldskills.com
LAST FEW PLACES - June courses
We are booking up the last few places for our June Tropical Forest and First Aid courses - book now
Time to book for the spring
Spring is upon us so its time to book up for our training courses before the summer season. Have a look and book now...
New First Aid course dates for after Christmas
Sign up now!
Fieldskills on Facebook
We have started up a fieldskills group on facebook. It provides a place for clients and other interested people to meet to discuss expeditions, share photos, help each other out with logistical problems etc. We've got it going with a few discussion questions and photos so now it is up to you to get on there and get chatting... Just go to www.facebook.com, if you're not already a member sign up - its free and takes two minutes. Then on the groups page search for fieldskills - easy...
Borneo International Marathon
Ever thought about running a marathon? What about a half marathon or even a 10 km run? Ever thought about doing it in exotic Borneo and for good local causes? Well now is your chance, sign up for the marathon and support our efforts to improve life for many disadvantaged local people as well as the Semporna Islands conservation efforts. Fieldskills are directly involved in the setting up and organising of this event which is going to be huge. We can help you to organise your training, get flights and accommodation and even bring your family along and enjoy the amazing attractions that Sabah and Sarawak have to offer. www.borneomarathon.com
Filming with Monty Halls
Fieldskills once again rig up for the stars! Monty Halls came to Borneo for a feature programme recording session and Fieldskills got him where he loves to be; somewhere dangerous and remote. With extra long ropes and a very intrepid camera man Monty sailed down one of the most terrifying free-fall absiels into a huge cave system in Borneo to look at...well you'll have to watch the programme to find out just what this was all about....
Come to Explore at the RGS
The Explore conference at the RGS is again set to be one of the major events in the expedition calender. Always inspirational with the Society packed full of experienced and first time expeditioners, great speakers and a wealth of information and inspiration. Fieldskills will once again be there with a stall and talking on some of the panels so come and find us for a chat. Explore starts on Friday 21st Nov and runs till Sunday 23rd. Tickets and more information are available from the www.rgs.org/explore
FINAL BOOKINGS NOW FOR OUTDOOR FIRST AID COURSE
For full details and to book click here
Sign up now for Spring training courses
We are now booking places for our series of environment specific expedition training courses in the UK this spring. Our first tropical forest course of 2008 will be at the beginning of March. This established and popular course has provided many expeditioners, travellers and researchers with a grounding in safety in the jungle. This year we are also pleased to launch new courses in desert, savannah and mountain safety. Each of these courses is scheduled for one date only so sign up now to secure your place. Full details of all the courses are on our training pages.
Staff wanted at Fieldskills
Freelance trainers and expeditioners wanted... We are expanding our UK operations and are keen to put together a small team of people interested in getting involved. In particular we are looking for freelance trainers to run our UK courses. Ideal candidates would have a combination of UK outdoor education experience, training skills and plenty of experience of overseas expeditions, travel and fieldwork. The ability to teach first aid would be an advantage but training could be provided for the right candidates. We are also looking for someone to work with us on a more regular basis in a role combining sales, marketing, course design and administration as well as running courses. We are keen to hear from anyone else who likes the sound of what we do and thinks they have something to offer. If you are interested email Dom on dominic@fieldskills.com
Zoogirl Filming project in Sabah
Fieldskills have just completed the filming project with TV personality Claire Madden from Australia. We were asked to get her up close and personal with the native animals and their habitat, which is what we did. Wild Orangutans, Elephants, Proboscis monkeys, Crocodiles and leeches to name a few, as well as ascending into the canopy to see where most of the Borneo inhabitants actually live were on the menu. A lot of great footage was taken and we hope to have some clips of the finished product on the website in the coming months. Conservation starts with knowledge sharing, and whether it is through popular TV or formal education doesn't really matter - that the message gets through is what counts. See What Claire is up to on www.zoogirlclaire.com
Sabah Adventure Challenge - Race
Fieldskills will be running the logistics for this prestigious race in 2008, having been involved for the last two years in the organisation and safety. Asia's longest running adventure race, the Sabah Adventure Challenge has grown from humble beginnings as an enthusiasts indulgence to one of the regions most important events attracting competitors from all over the world. Cycling, running, kayaking, orienteering, tubing on rapids are the main disciplines, all in the shadow of the mighty Mount Kinabalu. The next race will be in March 2008 and if you are interested, get in touch with us!
Summer expedition season
Summer expedition season is now over, Fieldskills hosted a lot of schools with companies such as Adventureworks, Wilderness Expertise and Adventure Lifesigns, all three are leaders in this field delivering extremely high standard schools expeditions specifically tailored to the needs of the schools. Fieldskills prepared risk assessments, provided backup and support as well as organising their amazing project work which included working on a remote Orangutan research camp that has never had a group of outsiders there before and installing a water supply at a remote tribal village in Sarawak, here you can see the kids at an orphanage in the interior where two teams went and made a lot of friends...
Great feedback from Tropical Forest Course
The spring period has been hectic - but our overflowing inbox was brightened today by this: "Hope you're well. I just wanted to say thanks, I really enjoyed the course. I learnt loads. I can't believe how much information was crammed into those few days - I hope it sticks! I'm really glad you provided the booklet because I can now refer to stuff that I can't remember really well. I feel much more confident about being an assistant leader on the expedition now." Since we started the Tropical Forest Course the feedback on the end of course questionnaires has been overwhelming positive and these comments are very typical. However it was still great to get this email and realise that all the rushing about is worth it!
Come to Explore at the RGS
Explore is a major event in the expedition calender. It takes place at the RGS in London and Fieldskills will be attending. We highly recommend it and hope to see you there. See details from the RGS on the event... Explore takes place over the weekend of 24-25th November. It is THE place to find inspiration, contacts and practical advice for successful expeditions or research projects. Lectures, workshops and exhibits cover planning projects in variety of environments and research disciplines. Over 100 of Europe’s leading field scientists and explorers cover topics including: - project management - field research techniques - fundraising health & safety - insurance - logistics of living and working in rainforest, polar, marine, desert and mountain environments. Explore will open on the Friday night (23rd November) with a lecture by Jason Lewis and Steve Smith of Expedition 360.com who will talk about their experiences of circumnavigating the world by human power alone. Student rate: £65pp Groups students 3+: £50pp Groups students10+: £40pp Standard rate: £100pp Standard groups 3+: £70pp Standard groups 10+: £60pp Please go to www.rgs.org/explore for more details
Extra Tropical Forest Date added
BOOK NOW - LAST PLACES AVAILABLE... For the second year running Fieldskills is collaborating with the renowned training company, Wilderness Medical Training. Fieldskills are pleased to add a further Tropical Forest course date to run alongside WMT's winter program of medical expedition training. The Tropical Forest Safety course will be held on 4th and 5th December, immediately preceding WMT's Far from Help Course. WMT's hugely popular and respected courses cover a range of skills for operating in remote regions - so why not take advantage of the opportunity to attend two market leading expedition training courses on one trip to Oxford! For more details on the medical training visit www.wildernessmedicaltraining.co.uk. To book the Tropical Forest Training course please contact dominic@fieldskills.com or see our training pages.
Support for SOS Rhino survey
SOS Rhino are carrying out a wide reaching survey to establish population size of the rare Sumatran Rhino in Tabin in Sabah. The current survey brings together staff from SOS Rhino, WWF and various protected areas and forestry areas across Sabah and even includes members from Sarawak and Kalimantan. Fieldskills has been very happy to be involved in supporting the survey by providing first aid kits, first aid training and also sourcing other equipment for the group. Find out more about SOS rhino at www.sosrhino.org
PADI open water diving course in Sabah for only 150 pounds.
We are offering this fantastic price (and do look at what others are offering) at fully certified PADI dive centres where you learn to dive in pristine water at a marine park amongst coral reefs. This cost includes accommodation at a hostel in Kota Kinabalu and an insiders guide to getting out and about in Sabah for budget travellers. Add this on to your holiday plans and go home with a new and exciting hobby or better still, do it on arrival then go and visit the world famous dive sites around Sabah like Sipadan Island and let us get you the very best prices. Hammerhead sharks, Manta rays, Turtles, Humphead Wrasse, Reef Sharks, Seahorses, the list goes on and on.... Not to mention the amazing tropical island paradise and sunsets that make you weep.
Autumn training courses - BOOK NOW
We are now taking bookings for our autumn season of UK courses. We have a few courses remaining this year in September and October before we head for winter hibernation so have a look through our training section and book now...
Spring Training Courses
With Spring upon us many teams are putting in place their final expedition preparations, which has meant a hectic month on the training front in the UK and Borneo. Seventy-five expeditioners have been through courses this month including bespoke courses for Aberdeen and Plymouth Universities and Herefordshire Expedition Society. Open courses in Oxford have also seen another successful forest safety course and the launch of the new first aid and expedition training courses. From their feedback the groups have universally benefitted from and enjoyed the courses. We wish them all luck and look forward to hearing their tales from the field. The next UK open courses are fast approaching in May so sign up now on our training pages.
First Aid Launch
New one day course alongside our Tropical Forest Safety Course. For further details go to our training section and click on Emergency First Aid.
Course bookings - early booking discount
Book open courses more than a month in advance and claim a 10% discount. Book now...
New water safety course launched NOW
See here for more details
First ever attempt for Fieldskills director
Simon Amos, with reknowned adventure racer Claus Pederson will attempt the first ever non-stop mountain bike ride around Mount Kinabalu. This ride has only ever been successfully achieved twice before and one of those was by a Fieldskills team! However, both times the ride has been completed it was with a support crew and over several days, this will be the first attempt at a non-stop ride. The ride involves a great deal of hills, muddy jungle, technical single track and baking heat.
Fieldwork Safety Training at Leeds Uni
In early January Fieldskills ran a bespoke course with lecturers from Leeds University. All of the staff were involved in University fieldwork in locations across the UK, Europe and all over the world. The first day of the two day course covered first aid training. The second extended these skills by looking at the bigger picture of fieldwork planning. We looked at risk assessment, crisis management planning and how to apply this paperwork dynamically in the field. We also extended the first aid directly with discussions of what medical and other equipment teams would want available to help deal with a medical emergency. The course aimed to show how good planning could reduce the chances of having to deal with a major emergency and ensure that the team are well placed to deal with it should one occur. The course ended with an extended scenario where the group put into the practice the planning skills they had learnt and pitted them against a series of simulated emergencies. The feedback was very positive with all attendees suggesting they would recommend the course to others and comments including, "very useful, highly relevent, very well taught", "pertinent, concise, informal, practical".
Focus on Safety
Sabah has recently experienced a surge in awareness of the safety needs of tour operators. Providers of tours and adventurous activities are becoming ever more aware that a comprehensive risk assessment and some minor investment in improving safety features can pay dividends to prospective clients looking to find a safe operator to book with. Western tourists are very safety savvy when booking holidays and now the Asian market is getting more discerning about avoiding becoming victims of cheap companies cutting corners with safety. Risk assessment consultancy is cheap, quick and provides operators with the skills to keep up the system themselves within thier company.
Tropical Forest Safety at Edinburgh University
Fieldskills have completed a forest safety course for a group of students from Edinburgh University. Many of the team are heading to Borneo in the summer to carry out a scientific expedition to the Danum Valley. The team covered a wide variety of topics to prepare them for some of the issues they may face in Borneo. Students said they found the course, 'confidence building' and that the content was, 'relevant and extremely helpful'. Teaching tropical forest skills in the centre of Edinburgh involved some improvisation (with students acting as trees at one point!). However we mainly focused on the theoretical skills with the team planning to get out into the woods in the UK or when they get out to Borneo to practice the skills they learnt. We wish them luck and will continue to support them through their preparation.