ARRC JOURNAL
DEVELOPING LEADERSHIP
THROUGH ADVENTURE
TRAINING – EXERCISE SELVA
BACKSTOP 2017
Maj Dave Latimer (GBR-A)
The British Army is one of the few Armed Forces within NATO to consider
Adventurous Training as an essential element of Force Development. Through it
individuals are challenged and pushed beyond their comfort levels, learning more about
themselves, their limits and their abilities. HQ ARRC places considerable emphasis on
ensuring all its personnel have the opportunity to participate an Adventurous Training
expedition each year.
Ex SELVA BACKSTOP is the premier
Adventure Training event in the ARRC
calendar. The 2017 exercise (SB17) took
place between 2-16 June 2017 in the
Lofoten Islands, Norway; a stunningly
beautiful archipelago where sheer, rocky
mountains rise dramatically from clear
blue seas. SB17 was a mountaineering
expedition focused on mountain walking
and traditional multipitch rock climbing
that provided a superb opportunity to
develop leadership skills outside the
a spectacular view across the sea to
mainland Norway. Here the novice
students were taught the basics of
climbing, such as knot tying and belaying
High on Sea Eagle
LCpl Gray reflecting after a day at Paradiset
typical military environment. Sixteen
officers and soldiers from the ARRC
Group,
representing
six
different
nations, participated in the exercise. The
participants were broken down into two
sub-groups, walking and climbing, for the
majority of the expedition. This article will
focus on the climbing group.
The climbing group began their training
at the sea cliffs at Paradiset, home to
a huge range of low grade climbs with
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ALLIED RAPID REACTION CORPS
through to the more advanced systems
required to climb as a team of three
on multipitch (more than a single rope
length of 60m) climbs. The short nature
of the climbs at Paradiset (less than 20m)
allowed the teams to practise climbing
techniques such as basic footwork and
hand placement to ‘jamming’ (painfully
wedging toes and hands into cracks)
in a relatively friendly environment. As
the difficulties of the climbs increased,
the ability of the climbers to assess
and solve problematic climbing moves
in an increasingly uncomfortable (and
sometimes daunting) situation developed
rapidly. The teams progressed over
the next few days to multipitch climbs
up to 150m high on cliffs overlooking
the picturesque fishing village of
Henningsvaer. These routes allowed
the teams to further hone fundamental
ropework skills and practise their
climbing techniques before moving on to
greater challenges.
By day four, a relatively short space of
time for the more novice climbers, the
teams were ready for the 400m high
route named Only Bilberries, which is
regarded as one of the best routes of
its grade in the world. The start point
of the climb is over an hours walk from
the nearest road at the end of a scenic
Fjord. The psychological pressure of
operating in an extreme, difficult to
access, vertical environment, combined
with the potential risk of falling meant
that the teams would have to show
a great deal of courage to conquer
Only Bilberries. After seven pitches of
Vagakallen
sustained, difficult climbing followed by
a number of exposed abseils (rappels),
the teams successfully completed the
route; a significant achievement and an
unforgettable experience.