NewsArchive

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.
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.