Alpkit Big Shakeout, 14-16 October

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The Big Shakeout combines inspiration and perspiration over a diverse range of courses and experiences in our School of Adventure. Alpkit have teamed up with Thornbridge Outdoors based in a great location in the heart of the Peak District and they have put together an amazing line up of activities, instructors, guides and even one or two personalities. There is something for everyone but there’s a common goal to bring a bunch of like minded people together and have a great time doing what they love, and learning to love something new.

Amongst the activities there will be a number of mountain bike specific courses on offer at the Big Shakeout.

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If you want to get more from a ride in the Peak then why not have talented skills trainer and guide Ed Oxley lead you round and keep a close, experienced eye on your style. Or if you’d rather have a more controlled skills specific session, then Campbell Coaching will get you pumping in no time.

How often have you got back from a ride only to find your mate’s back wheel disappearing out of shot, or those gnarly decents look more like a pootle to the shops? Singletrack’s Benji Haworth will be running sessions to help you get the best from your mountain bike photography.

For those interested in mammoth multi-day rides but can’t work out how they pack their suitcase, we will be running an involved session with Alpkit Nick and friends to go through the ins and outs of bikepacking from frame bags to cooking setups.

If all this sounds like great fun, but your bike is in pieces or making some strange creaking noises, then the guys from 18 Bikes will be there running a number of bike maintenance sessions to fine tune your steed.

The Alpkit gang write…

The School of Adventure is about trying something new without having to commit to a whole weekend course, whether that is playing as a family, or tinkering with your bike. With everything from first aid to high ropes to caving, there are plenty of options available for the whole family to do as much, or as little, as they like. At the Big Shakeout there is something for everyone but with a common goal to bring a bunch of like-minded people together and have a great time doing what we love, and learning to love something new.

The School of Adventure brings together some of the best instructors, guides and inspirationalists in one place with one aim.. to inspire and educate in an amazing environment. There is an amazing program of activities and we really do have something for everyone. Want to learn some new bouldering techniques? why not learn from the British Champion. Want to take better photos? we will teach you underground, overground or even half way down a cliff. Want to get the whole family involved? try our Adrenaline package. Even if you think you know everything we are pretty sure we can still teach you something.

The Big Shakeout Hub has been designed to be the ideal basecamp for you to head off into the Peak. With everything laid on you can head off and either learn something with our School of Adventure or to make up your own adventures. Everything below is included in the basic ticket price, and we’ll even throw in a limited edition Alpkit t-shirt.

Campsite
You’ll be spoilt for choice of where to pitch your tent for the weekend. Whether you want to be stumbling distance from the bar, first to the showers or hidden in the woods the choice is yours. We’d love to see some of you hang a hammock in the trees and sleep under a tarp. We’ll be setting up a bivi site around a fire pit. As the songs die down and the embers glow slowly diminish, we’ll be slinging up some tarps between the trees. We’ll have plenty of demo bivi bags if you would like to try a bivi with the security of shelter close by. There are hot showers on site but these will get very busy at peak times.

The Lodge
The Lodge is situated centrally on the Thornbridge site, sleeps 36 and is a great option for families not quite ready to spend the night under canvas. The building has 9 bedrooms with a mixture of bunk-beds and single beds sleeping up to 6 in a room. There are showers and also a separate shower/toilet for disabled. All bedding is provided and the building is centrally heated. In addition the Lodge has a separate classroom/meeting room and a drying room/outdoor kit store.

Whether you are going to be cooking on your own stove by your tent, skinning a rabbit by the fire or grabbing a snack from the cafe you going to make sure you fuel yourself properly. Good food is an essential requirement for any camping trip where you are going to be out exploring the Peak District during the day and partying by night.

Chow Down
On Saturday night Scott’s Catering will be serving up the event meal which is included with all weekend passes. A great chance to sit down and catch up with the day’s adventures. With an emphasis on simple wholesome foods, you are not going to go hungry. From simple soups to hearty stews our resident foodie Nick, is working together with Scott’s Catering to make sure we have something for every one… especially, if like us, you like pies and cheese. If you have any special requests then email Nick and he will make sure Scott and his crew do their best to make it available (within reason). In addition Scotts team will also be open through most of the weekend selling breakfast, dinner, tea and coffee, as well as late night Scooby snacks.

Alpine Bar
This year we have teamed up with the River Legacy Team, well known for their legendary canoe events and parties, to run our Alpine Bar. I doubt there is going to be much yodelling and no, definitely, no Lederhosen but we will have a great selection of award winning Thornbridge Brewery beers. But don’t worry if your pallet isn’t that refined there will be refreshing lager as well cider close to hand too. The River Legacy Team will also be offering a good selection of soft drinks and bar snacks.

Entertainment
If you want a night of hard partying then head into the City. The Shakeout will be offering a diverse mix of live music, films, and lectures based around the Thornbridge Hub, all of which is included in the Weekend Pass.

Films & Lectures
Names and titles still to be confirmed but it will be a mix of classic older titles interspersed with the latest must see flicks. You can be certain we will offer a line up that any self respecting film festival will be proud of.

As well as the projections on the big screen, we want you to get up close and personal with some of the countries outdoor personalities in our small intimate lecture theatre. For all you budding explorers who want to tell the world about your exploits we will be opening the floor for an Alastair Humphreys 10 Slides, 20 seconds, show.. Details of registering for this will be sent out later this month.

Alpkids on the Blocs!
A parent and child version of the fun competition we have run at events across England. Running alongside the other evening events, parents and children will have to complete a series of routes set on the Thornbridge indoor wall. Spot prizes will be awarded through the night.

http://www.alpkit.com/bigshakeout

Orange Switch 6er. Stif Squatcher. Schwalbe Magic Mary Purple Addix front. Maxxis DHR II 3C MaxxTerra rear. Coil fan. Ebikes are not evil. I have been a writer for nigh on 20 years, a photographer for 25 years and a mountain biker for 30 years. I have written countless magazine and website features and route guides for the UK mountain bike press, most notably for the esteemed and highly regarded Singletrackworld. Although I am a Lancastrian, I freely admit that West Yorkshire is my favourite place to ride. Rarely a week goes by without me riding and exploring the South Pennines.

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Comments (2)

    p.s. “We are delighted to announce Aidan Harding will be one our friends helping us out on the Bike Packing lecture at the Big Shakeout. A veteran off-road adventure cyclist with the Tour Divide and 1100 mile Iditarod Trail International under his belt he is at the forefront UK bike exploration. As the cyclist’s alpinism, adventure biking is all about problem solving. Minimising your gear by eliminating redundancy and using multifunctional equipment helps keep the bike as light and maneuverable as possible, allowing you to travel further. Aidan has become a master of these skills and during the session he will share with you, through stories and anecdotes, the systems he has used to successfully complete some of the worlds toughest and longest bike races.

    You can read more about Aidan’s exploits on his own website.

    If you would like to attend the session you can book your place here.

    After the session we expect some riders to load up and take a short ride into the Peak to experience riding a loaded bike before heading back to the Shakeout campground for an overnight bivi.

    We will also have some Alpkit demo sleeping bags, bivi bags, dry bags and titanium cookware available for you to borrow if you don’t yet have your own equipment. This is strictly on a first come first serve basis.”

    http://www.alpkit.com/news/aidan-harding-joins-the-shakeout-team

    “activities, instructors, guides and

    …………even one or two personalities”

    By ‘personalities’, do they mean Hora? 😉

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