Sea Kayak and Traditional Boating Trip

We went on the boat headed out to the islands of Solund the 10th of september. The course contained rowing and paddling for 4 days. I learned a couple things on the course that I might want to further develop on. Like my paddling skills that I cant really brag about having yet. The way of traveling by a kayak is amazingly beautiful. Combining that with the setting of Solund islands and you just got to love it. Anyways.. I want to use this blogpost as an opportunity to learn more about nature based tourism and their products.

The three Levels of a Product

The harbour at Little Færøy. Photo: Andreas

Mehmet claims that there are three levels of a product in the nature based tourism industry. The main one is the core product which is what the tourist actually is buying. The actual product is what the tourist believe his buying. The last level is everything combined around the core product which is called the extended product. It increases the products total value (Mehmetoglu, 2007).

Some goats on the island. Photo: Andreas

To create a successful product its important to assess the needs among the tourists. They all have different reasons for choosing a product. Some might want to relax while others want to strengthen their relationships with friends and be physically active. These wants and needs represent the core product. Its important to further develop and define these components to make the customer aware (Mehmetoglu, 2007).

The actual product represents what the customer have paid for that can be seen and touched. The core product affects the decision of choosing the product while the actual product comprehends the quality of what is being sold. The company works optimal when both products interact in a good way (Mehmetoglu, 2007).

An evening in the boathouse. Photo: Andreas

The extended product is more or less the service given during the customer relationship. By doing a good job this can be used to emerge among the competitors (Mehmetoglu, 2007).

It depends on the situation if the core, actual or extended product determine whether or not the customer  chooses your company. The core should be the predominant product, but at last it is the whole package that attracts most customers.




References:

Mehmetoglu, M. (2007). Naturbasert Turisme. Fagbokforlaget, Bergen.

Climbing Course

We had a climbing course from the 27th to the 30th of August focusing on the basic skills. Knowing how to safely maneuver the crags, sport climbing methods and conveying these methods to others were key subjects this week. I want to use this blogpost to recall how to efficiently ascend a rope by prussics.

Colin showing how. Photo: Andreas 

Ascending Ropes

If the rope has to be ascended and you don't got a couple ascenders in your rack,  using two prussics would be an efficient alternative. It's also possible to use only one ascender and a ratchet. However the redundancy of two makes the system not only more secure, but also versatile. The length of slings varies from situations and size of person (Klassen, 1999).

Colin, my instructor on a climbing course a few years ago showed me his best way of ascending a rope.  

Colin ascending. Photo: Andreas

His method was using two long prussics as shown on the pictures. In this case we used two 5meter prussics. It's not hard to improvise with other equipment. Tie the first prussic ends into the harness with a figure eight. Do the same procedure with the lower prussic, but leave one of the ends for a foot loop (Moorhead, 2010).

When ascending you don't want to pull on the prussic because it can slip when loaded. A point to pull on can be made by tying a normal overhand knot beneath the prussic (Moorhead, 2010).

How efficient the rope ascending would be depends on the range you can move for every pull. The distance between the foot loop and lower prussic plus the distance between the harness and the higher prussic is crucial for speed.

The methods and whats best is pretty much individually. What matter is to practise so your ready when the situation occurs.



References:

Klassen, K. (1999). Technical Handbook for Professional Mountain Guides - Alpine, Rock, and Ski Guiding Techniques. ACMG, Canmore.

Moorhead, C. Personal announcement. 09. 13. 2010. Squamish.