How was the BUKE 2011 team chosen?
After a round of paper applications, 19 were chosen by members from the previous teams to attend a selection weekend in North Wales. This year was the first to suffer low water levels, but there was enough for a few runs on the Aberglaslyn gorge and a quick blast down the Fairy Glen.
Walking back up for another run down the Aberglaslyn gerge.
On the Friday evening every applicant presents a destination to the rest of the group, after which (with the help of Dave Manby) the list is whittled down to a short list for the final team to choose from.
Low but still fun levels on the Fairy Glen
On Saturday morning, faced with no rivers to paddle and a group applicants who needed to get to know each other and show they had something to offer the team, everyone was bundled into cars blindfolded and dropped somewhere up to 10Km away with a map to help them work out how to get back. With the exception of one group who stopped off in the pub, everyone made it back quickly for the afternoons task - an unusual orienteering event on the steep hillside behind the bunkhouse.
Chilling in the cosey bunkhouse on voting night
Tasked with finding 18 clues dotted about the hillside marked (mostly correctly...) on a Google Earth print out, the afternoon was a remarkable success, and once the last few groups had fallen off the hill in the dark we retired to the bunkhouse for the dreaded task of picking the team...
Final group pic. before we head our separate ways after an awesome weekend.
A round of voting saw the team finally chosen, allowing the planning and preparation to commence.
Watch out for more news from the team over the coming weeks and months, as the team plan their expedition!
(Photos courtesy of Tim Burne)
Watch out for more news from the team over the coming weeks and months, as the team plan their expedition!
(Photos courtesy of Tim Burne)
BUKE 2013
If you want to take part in the next expedition in 2011 full details of the selection process and applicant elegibilty can be found on the main british Universities kayak expedition website.
http://www.uniyaker.co.uk
Application for the 2013 expedition will open around October 2012.
Good luck!
http://www.uniyaker.co.uk
Application for the 2013 expedition will open around October 2012.
Good luck!
Previous BUKE trips
Four boarders expedition, 2007
Kayak Nam, 2009