The Outdoors Station - Audio

John Manning talk to Martyn Hurn the pack guru at Lowe Alpine who believes we are missing the bigger picture in our headlong rush to go lightweight. According to Martyn one of the Holy Grails of pack manufacture is a lightweight fabric that balances weight and longevity.

John Manning talks to Pete Collins and Craig Palmer who climb Helvellyn daily to access weather conditions for climbers and hill walkers. It's a tough job but someone has to do it. Hear their thoughts on the lightweight revolution.

Judy Armstrong is almost ready to head out on the first 3300 mile continuous hike around the European Alps in aid of Cancer Research. Andy Howell and I catch up with her as she makes her final preparations before the off, and we see just how lightweight she is intending to make the trip. We also check out her celebrity status in Europe as news of her trailblazing endeavors starts to filter through the Alpine climbing community.

Simon Willis seeks the answer to the question all outdoors people at sometimes wonder, could I get sponsorship for doing this? He speaks with Bob Campbell of Prana and P&H Kayaks and finds out specifically, what your presentation needs to include and hears some of the mistakes people make when chasing that illusive pot of gold!

Simon Willis speaks with Tom Smith who runs Sea Kayak Shetland as he seeks to find the answer to the ultimate question. Just where are the best paddling routes are on the Shetlands and the Orkneys. In Shetland you can never be more than 3 miles from the sea, so you have to enjoy the taste of the best Shetland fresh air all year round.

Simon Willis gets even deeper into sea kayaking when he speaks with Doug Cooper, the head of paddle sport at Glenmore Lodge, about paddling in Greenland. The home of the Inuits the original kayakers, he shares his passion for the scenery, the exploration, the mixture of the ocean seas and fiord seas, and tells of his journeys past icebergs the size of multistory buildings. Sound interesting? Na .. didn't think so!

The Last time Andy spoke to Paddy Dillon he talked about hiking and backpacking in Ireland. But as the colder weather comes to the UK Paddy heads south, to hike the mountains, islands and coastlines of the Mediterranean, an area about which he has written a number of best selling guide books. Perhaps, the most popular of these is Paddy's guide to the legendary GR20 route that crosses the rugged, mountainous, island of Corsica.

Comic Relief Exclusive! Steve Perry and his three team mates have just returned from their epic attempt to climb the 3 highest peaks in Africa in aid of Comic Relief 2007. Hear the full story of how Steve, Andy, Lorraine and Dan worked together for the first time in incredible surroundings as a team to achieve their goal.

The first in the new series of podcasts sponsored by backpackinglight.co.uk and coming under The Outdoors Station website. Bob takes Andy for a walk on the wild side and makes him wait for his lunch, whilst playing with fire!

We speak with Hugo Youngman the UK distributor of Gregory Mountain Products who explains the 2007 improvements and changes to the popular Z-pack range, including the introduction of the womens Jade pack.

The consumer Ordnance Survey Outdoor Show is once again upon us at the NEC near Birmingham, March 16th, 17th and 18th. This podcast is a preview for the show and you can hear about some of the great attractions you will find there. Win a pair of tickets!!!

Interview with Paddy Dillon on Natural Trails.

Cameron chats to Richard Wells, producer of the famous series in which Alfred Wainwright reluctatantly featured. Hear all about the man and his character.

This time Andy Howell talks to author Colin Saunders about his Cicerone Guide to the High Tatras Mountains of Slovakia and Poland an alpine environment. An area that is now becoming better known to UK walkers and which is well worth exploring next summer.

Andy Howell talks to Martin Wainwright, the Northern Editor of the Guardian about his recent compilations of the best of the Guardian Country Diary. Part 2 moves on to talk about ‘A Gleaming Landscape’, a new collection drawn from over 100 years of the Country Diary.