MOUNTAIN TRAINING - ULTIMATE NAVIGATION PART 1: ARMCHAIR NAVIGATION

NEED TO IMPROVE YOUR SKILLS BUT CAN’T GET TO THE HILLS? LEARN NAVIGATION BECOME A JEDI IN PART 1 OF THE NEW STEEMIT Hill SKILLS GUIDE...

"Even the most adventurous of us are inevitably sometimes confined to the office. When you can escape, safe and competent navigation sets you free to explore the trails, hills and mountains – You can practise much of it while stuck inside! Here are three simple skills you can try indoors that really will improve your outdoor navigation."

ORIENTATING THE MAP

On fine days this can be the only technique you need to use to navigate. In bad weather it can make the difference between getting off the hill and needing to call for help. There are two different ways to perform this technique: one using your environment around you, and the other using your compass.

Using your environment

Draw a simple plan of your home. Mark items of furniture on it, such as the settee and TV in the lounge, your cooker and fridge in the kitchen, and all windows and doors throughout the house. You could even do this at work, marking desks, photocopiers and the ubiquitous coat stand, plus again all windows and doors its a brilliant excuse to head for the water cooler.

Start to walk around your home or office (in your lunch break, of course!) with your map held in front of you. As you move, orientate the map in relation to the items that you have marked on your plan. In other words, if your settee is on your left, then it should be on the left of your map. Be prepared for quizzical looks from your family, friends and colleagues – it’s all part of being an outdoors person.

To transfer this skill to the outdoors, you simply use the features that are in your surrounding landscape and are marked on your map – such as cliffs, paths, walls and streams. Really proficient navigators can orientate the map using just the shape of the land alone, and once you have the basics you can advance to doing this too.

Using your compass
All maps – no matter where you are in the world – have been drafted with north at the top. Simply place your compass on the map, look at where the compass needle (red end) is pointing, and rotate the map until the needle is parallel to the vertical grid lines on your map (usually blue). It doesn’t matter which way the body of the compass is pointing; only the needle counts!

Be aware that in your home there may be items that can deviate a compass needle, so try the technique in a few different rooms and you will soon have knowledge of where north is. While walking around your crib, keep looking at the map and always keep the red needle pointing to the north of the map. You are now orientating the map!

Rule No 1 PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE

TRY IT NOW PLEASE SO YOUR READY FOR PART 2....

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