Expedition Training

If I had a £5 for every person I've seen arriving at Resolute Bay, Canada, (last stopping off point for many an Arctic expedition and where I have a base) inexperienced, ill prepared and often carrying the wrong equipment or equipment they are not sure how to use, I would be rich!!
Some are rich and have spent fortunes on the very latest technical equipment such as trackers, when they have no idea how they work or more importantly what to do when they don't! Same goes for clothing. A "gucci" name and price tag does not necessarily make a functional piece of hard-wearing kit.
These "explorers" usually fail in the first week of leaving having "broken a ski", had a "mal-functioning stove" or slipped and strained some muscles somewhere. Worst case is when they come back with frostbite! Some learn from their mistakes and come back much more prepared and probably less immediately ambitious. Some unfortunately do not learn and proudly proffer their injuries as some sort of trophy "having survived".
If you are going to pit your wits against the humbling power of Mother Nature and get away with it (which is all any of us hopes to do) then in my opinion it is only sensible to be as prepared as you possibly can be. And that means getting the skills, gaining the knowledge and building up your experience.
Part of that is listening to people who have been there and done it and questioning them fully. I always impress upon people I'm training that there's no such thing as a stupid question! That's not quite true - there is! But we have a friendly laugh about those times where mouth beats brain (we all do it!). But the point I'm trying to get across is that the culture I try and encourage is one of openness and honesty; so if it doesn't make sense ask!
A word of warning here though. Make sure you're listening to the right people! Just because they've had a ton of publicity or they've published a book it doesn't mean they know what they're talking about. Be cautious and be selective and never trust someone who has a definitive answer for you in terms of what to wear.
It is only when you are fully conversant with your gear, your clothing and really know your own boundaries in terms of competence that you can push yourself beyond those limits in a controlled way. And that's incredibly rewarding and satisfying.
I'm due to train more people in the art of expeditioning in October - so if anyone is interested do get in touch. Be great to hear from you anyway.