This is a rest day. The point to remember is that every time we are on the hill we won’t eat enough, drink enough or sleep enough. So rest days such as this at Base Camp are vitally important to catch up—so the nibbles are out again and we take in another DVD movie for those with the energy.

Did You Know?

The Himalayas are the third largest deposit of snow and ice in the world after the Arctic and the Antarctic.

Find Your Fit Fact

Exercises that strengthen your abs can help you walk better. Think sit-ups, crunches, and the plank.

Find Your Fit Activity Suggestion: Crevasse Rescue

Objective: This activity will be about co-operation and leadership. It will be focused on teamwork as well as helping out other students to reach a common goal. The purpose of this activity will get students to help each other and think of strategy for getting to the goal. This game will focus on thinking and strategy as well as incorporate throwing, catching, jumping and balance.

Materials Needed: You will need bean bags, four cones, and a large quantity of hoola-hoops.

Activity Description:

When the students are in a circle explain how when climbing mountains, climbers work in teams in case one of them gets stranded and needs rescuing. As the weather warms some parts of the mountain become more dangerous because the snow and ice begins to melt and crevasses form making the pathway more dangerous for the climbers.

Have the students split off into pairs. One partner will be the climber and one will be the rescue expert. Set up a rectangular grid in the gym using cones and inside the cones place hoola-hoops. The first round will have the hoola-hoops fairly fair apart but you will add on more as the game progresses.

On the teachers signal, the mountain climber will have to make her or his way through the ice field on the glacier. When they come to a hoop (or “crevasse”) they must jump over it. if the climber lands in or on the crevasse they fall in and must be rescued by the rescue expert. The rescue expert is watching from outside the cone grid and when the climber falls into a crevasse he or she must underhand toss a bean bag (or rescue rope) to the stranded climber. Only once the climber has been rescued may they continue on their journey. Once the climber has successfully crossed the ice field, they switch roles. As the game progresses you may move the hoops closer together making it harder for the climber to get across because it will reduce her or his landing area.