I REALLY need a new …*insert name of expensive kit*…

Outdoor Instructors kit

Written by Will an Outdoor Instructor.

I really do think I’ve got the BEST job in the world…

I get to go climbing/kayaking/gorge walking/abseiling for work! With lovely holiday makers who really want to have fun… It can be tough stuff!

As a coincidence I get accidentally fit, never have to go to the gym and I can eat all the sweeties I want washed down by some calorie rich beer. Sounding good?! Yeah!

The other ‘thing’ that accidentally happens is that you start to collect lots of kit. Each sport requires quite a lot of specialist equipment and whilst River Deep Mountain High provides instructors (and customers) with kit, it can be nicer to own your own when you use it every day. I also take part in a few sports that RDMH doesn’t offer, adding to the pile of jackets, thermals, socks, harnesses, helmets, ropes…. well you get the idea! As a rough guide I…

Sailing in the Lake District
Sailing in the Lake District

Indoor Climb, Outdoor Climb, Winter/Ice Climb, Mountaineer, Flat Water Kayak and Canoe, White Water Kayak and Canoe, Sail (dinghies and yachts), Mountain Bike, Road Bike, Cave, Hike/Hill Walk, Fell Run and GORGE WALK!

Lake District Gorge Walking
Shower time…Lake District Gorge Walking

 

Now all of this kit costs money and some, because it is so specialist, costs a lot of money so I often have to ask myself ‘do I really need a new….’
River Deep Mountain High has always been really good at Gorge Walking, it’s something that’s really fun and that we can do several times a week during the summer. I have an amazing wetsuit that I use 3 or 4 times a week and after 4 years of abuse I’ve decided that I NEED a new one!
  • I have multiple holes in the legs from battering the rocks (lots of falling over!) One tear is a good 2 inches diameter!
  •  If you look closely then you can actually now see through the fabric on the shoulders so I now always wear a t-shirt underneath.
  • And it no longer fits… after years of pulling and stretching it to get in, I think it has given up, snapped and gone ‘I give up!’

Well I’m sad to say goodbye to what’s become a friend, after running 193 Gorge Walks for RDMH since Autumn 2010 it feels strange to just throw away this second skin.

'Testing' my wetsuit
‘Testing’ my wetsuit

But don’t worry, it turns out that you CAN buy new friends on the web….