Adventure AwaitsTiso Staff Adventures 2022

January is the month of resolutions which often fall by the wayside by March. For 2022, consider not focussing on how to 'better yourself' because truly, you're great just the way you are and no one needs to self-criticise after the last couple of years. Instead, we're looking ahead to our adventure potential, big or small, near or far. We asked our staff what their wellbeing and adventure goals are for the coming year and their motivation behind it all.

Jack Hinton

I work on the Alpine Bikes side of the Tiso Group business as the Assistant Buyer for Bikes and EAP.

My goals for 2022 are firstly to work myself back up to full fitness and recover properly from having Covid. Going on from this, I am planning to race most of the Scottish Enduro Series, as well as some Tweedlove events and other Scottish based Enduro races. I managed to do some races in 2021, but the results left a lot to be built on. Goal for this race season is to make it through the races without hitting the deck, while also building my fitness and speed through the year!

I am also wanting to get out on my road and gravel bikes a lot more in 2022. Looking to build my fitness back up to riding 100 mile plus loops and looking to experiment with some overnight bikepacking trips. Hoping to explore the roads around Edinburgh a lot more after moving back here last summer.

Outside of cycling I am hoping to explore some new parts of Scotland that I have never seen before. I have eyes on the Outer Hebrides for a road trip when the days start to get longer!

@jhinton95

Darcy Smith

I'm Darcy and I work in our Head Office for our online team.

My partner and I are in the process of converting our new van into a mini campervan, and I'm excited to get it completed this year so that we can begin our #vanlife adventures. We road-tripped around Scotland quite a bit last year and we're planning to do a lot more of it this year, so we finally took the plunge with a VW Caddy Maxi. We already have a couple of trips planned for the summer - a trip to Snowdonia and another around the West Highlands. Mostly, I'm looking forward to spontaneous weekend trips away to switch off and explore more of our beautiful country.

Aaron Hodgson

Whenever I am not working indoors in the Leith Office, I am spending time outdoors running, climbing, and training to be a Mountain Guide.

My goals for 2022 are very seasonal! This winter I am aiming to lead tech 7 in Scottish winter climbing. In spring I am heading to the Alps and will hopefully tick off another of the 6 North Faces of the Alps (a long-term project).

Come summer the focus will be back on Guiding, with multi-pitch climbing training taking place in North Wales. Another aim is to complete the Montane Lakeland 50 mile race in the Lakes in July.

As autumn rolls round it will be back to dry tooling, with a few unfinished projects in Wales, the Lakes, and Scotland. I will be looking to get super strong this year in order to make some progress and hopefully make it to the top of some routes in autumn!

As always though, the main season for me is winter. Early season more often than not means mixed climbing, in the Cairngorms or high up on the Ben. Hopefully the cracks won't be as icy as they have been this winter and I can really start to push my grade!

@aarontregellis

Rebecca Murray

Last year I was unlucky - with three trips to A&E and multiple other 'minor' injuries, my year of living life in the fast lane came with it's tumbles - no pun intended.

I have always liked to do lots of things, all at once and all at a fast speed. Running, gravel riding, mountain biking, skiing - everything to get that rush feeling of “omg I might die but seeeeeend it”. 2022 is the year of taking things at a slower pace. Living life in the fast lane is fun but always being broken is not! I will still ski, I will still cycle and I will still run, but will aim to do so sustainably… once my broken arm has healed.

@itsbechere

Gavin Robbins

My names, Gavin, I work at the Rose Street store.

Next year I plan to hopefully carry on with my little mission of climbing the highest mountain in every country in Europe (covid/transport willing). I'm looking at ticking off Norway next year: Galdhøpiggen, and, only an hour away is the very cool looking Smorstabstind ridge - seven 2000m peaks all connected on a thin horseshoe ridge! If that falls flat, I also have Poland & Slovakia lined up (as you can do both countries in one week, walking from one peak to the next), and if that falls short, then Spain's highest mountain, as that's an easy three-day trip from Edinburgh.

And I'd really like to go up fuselage gully up the back of Bein Eighe in Torridon, as years ago an old Lancaster bomber crashed into the mountain and bits of plane are strewn into the gully. So, about half way up you can tie in to an old propeller - sounds ace!

Scott Stables

I'm Scott and I work in the Human Resources department and the Leith Office.

My big goal for this year is to get back to marathon running. Due to the pandemic, it has been a couple of year since I have had the chance to toe the line at a marathon race so I am really excited to be running the Manchester Marathon in April. My training is already well under way, and it has been great to get back into the routines of training for a big goal.

@scottwstables

Erin Loney

As Head of Digital Marketing I spend a lot of my time glued to a screen, so my goal this year is to find more offline adventures on my doorstep. I have a terrible habit of jumping into the car with my husband and nearly two year old and escaping on an adventure. When we moved to East Lothian, our plan was to be able to walk out of our house and enjoy the countryside vs. previously having to commute out of London to find more green space and fresh air.

I have invested in some Muddy Puddles gear for Freddie who loves wandering in the woods but feels the chill easily and I will be getting myself some (professionally fitted) walking boots and most importantly socks to encourage me to stride out even when the weather's not too great.

Helen Langridge

2021 was a tricky year to find the motivation to keep training after events were cancelled or postponed and I became my own worst enemy in my head.

However, 2022 sees a couple of big adventures on the horizon and I'm working on becoming my own cheerleader. I've starting riding more off road and via a slightly mad panic when tickets went on sale, I signed my husband and I up to the Dirty Reiver in April. Back on road, I hope to do a few 300+km bikepacking routes, then in May I'll be riding the Wild West Country ultra-endurance event which builds me up towards the Transcontinental Race at the end of July.

Last year, I also co-founded the Edinburgh branch of the School of Rocks which I hope will go from strength to strength in 2022. Being part of a new gravel riding initiative brings a sense of community that a lot of us have missed during the pandemic.

Beyond ultra racing, I really want to get back into exploring new countries by bike, and perhaps a bit more off road. That's a bit more COVID dependent and TBC. So for 2022, my focus is pretty heavy on bikes, but I'm starting to broaden my horizons and mix in yoga and mental well-being practices to keep me balanced and moving forward.

@helen.langridge

Graeme Beveridge

I'm Graeme Beveridge and I'm the Deputy Manager of Tiso Inverness Outdoor Experience.

My goal this year is to finish off the Munros. Originally I had planned to finish them in 2020, which would have been them complete in a nice round 10 years, however when Lockdown and restrictions put an end to that, some of my motivation for the final push had been lost. I only have 30 left to do now, and I hope to refocus and get out as much as possible in 2022!

@whiskyontheridge / @hipflaskhikingclub

Scott Becker

One lesson I've learned over the years is that sometimes the best plan for adventure, is not to have too specific of a plan at all. Just keep an open mind, follow the weather and be prepared to make the most of the opportunities that arise.

That said it does help to have a bit of a strategy in place, so in 2022 mine will be to follow the seasons. For the rest of the winter I'll hopefully be ice and mixed climbing or ski touring here in Scotland. As the spring season arrives (my favourite!), I'll change gear and focus more on paragliding, specifically hike & fly and multi-day bivy flying adventures in the highlands.

If conditions are good I'll sneak away to the Alps for some late season ski mountaineering around early May. When summer arrives and midges conquer the highlands, I'll retreat south to Patagonia as winter takes hold in the southern hemisphere. Plans in Patagonia change faster than the weather, but another winter attempt on the west face of Cerro Torre remains top of the list. As autumn sets in I'll return home to Scotland to rock climb, skydive and fly as much as the weather allows. When the days start to get shorter I'll be waiting eagerly for winter to arrive and doing what I do best, tuning skis and dreaming up new adventures for the next year. Until then, I sincerely hope everyone has a fantastic year of adventure in 2022. Have fun, make good decisions and stay safe…

@scottbeckeruk

Rose Weis

I'm Rose and I work at the head office in Leith.

My goal for 2022 is to hit the trails and slopes to explore more of Scotland's stunning scenery. As a newbie here in Scotland I haven't had much chance to explore yet and so, before the year is over, I would love to have ticked at least 5 Munros off my list. As a keen skier and snowboarder, I also can't wait to head up to Aviemore and experience the best of Scottish snow-sports for the first time. Fingers crossed for a snowy winter!