Beaver Creek Hosts Backcountry Skills Workshop

Beaver Creek, Colo. July 23, 2004 – A half-day workshop hosted by the Beaver Creek Hiking Center provides hikers, campers and outdoor enthusiasts with basic map reading skills, compass skills and GPS navigating on Saturday, July 31, 2004.

“Outdoor lovers can learn the very basics of navigation or fine-tune their skills before heading into the wilderness for hiking, backpacking, fishing and much more. With adventure racing on the rise, this workshop is also perfect for those new to the sport.”

The group will be led by former Colonel Nick Fickling who has extensive theoretical and practical experience in navigation and mapping. His 26-year military career saw him commanding the British defense mapping school at Hermitage and heading the US/UK mapping and navigation cell in the allied headquarters in Riyadh during the Gulf War. Nick has won both the individual and team UK Army Orienteering Championships and competed in numerous orienteering and ski-orienteering events across Europe. He currently works at Beaver Creek in the winter as a ski instructor and in the summer as a hiking guide.

The workshop takes place Saturday, July 31 from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. and is open to beginner and intermediate level map and compass users. Participants should meet at the Beaver Creek Hiking Center at 9 a.m. Participants can either bring their own compasses or use one of Suunto’s models for the day. It is also recommended that participants come with hiking boots, day packs, sunscreen and proper rain gear. The price is$30 per person.

Participants can park for free in the parking garages in Beaver Creek Village. For more information on the workshop or to make reservations, please call the Beaver Creek Hiking Center at (970) 845-5373. For information on lodging and summer activities and events at Beaver Creek, visit www.beavercreek.com or call the Information Center at (970) 845-9090.