hilltrek

Want a challenging and satisfying sales job admidst the Scottish hills where you can hillwalk, mountaineer, ski, fish, stalk, mountain-bike or bushcraft?

If yes we may be able to help.

We are looking to add a sales person to our team based in Aboyne  in Royal Deeside. You would be involved in retail, trade, internet and mail order sales, assist in buying retail stock and have an influence in our product design.

Working in Hilltrek is not like working in another outdoor retailer because we manufacture our own clothing in our workshop on site. You would work closely with our design and production staff to convert customer requirements to customer satisfaction -and we already have satisfied customers in over 20 countries from Greenland to Australia.

Working with us is not like working in boring web sales because you will meet real customers in our shop who will give you direct feedback which you can use to help to improve our products using your excellent communication skills.

You will need to be strong on product knowledge which is our edge.

Outside our own Ventile and Nikwax clothing ranges we carry a only few product lines from other manufacturers but in far more depth than other retailers. We have had a long association with Páramo being one of the first retailers in 1994 to be convinced of Páramo’s Directional Waterproof concept.  Since then we have become the only Páramo Premier Retailer in Scotland north of Perth and the only one authorised to carry out repairs to Páramo clothing. We also have a licence from Nikwax Fabrics, Páramo’s sister company, to use their Nikwax Analogy fabric to manufacture our own Made To Measure Clothing, Childrens Nikwax Clothing and incorporate within our Cotton Analogy range.

Ideally you will already have retail experience, a strong interest in outdoor clothing and equipment and love of the outdoors.

If you want more information we can send you a job description and if you are interested please send your CV to sales@hilltrek.co.uk

Congratulations to Sylvia Tasker of Arbroath, who won a Paramo Camino Shirt donated by Hilltrek, for her photograph (above) taken during the Ballater Walking Week in May.

Ballater’s annual walking festival has been running since 1998, and we’re told that this year has been their most successful Walking Week yet.  Its programme is devised by a team of professional mountain guides, rangers, and local residents, and accommodates walkers of all ilks, from the occasional ambler to the seasoned munro-bagger.  For details of past and forthcoming events, visit the Royal Deeside website: http://www.royal-deeside.org.uk/RDnews/walkweek.htm

I am starting the planning for my walk up Ben Avon this week.  The weather forecast is where I usually start my preparations and things are looking promising for Tuesday onwards.  About this time last year I walked to the summit of Ben MacDhui and it was a hot day in the hills, so thoughts on what jacket to bring were more along the lines, will I need an outdoor jacket at all?  Of course the answer is always yes.  This year the weather is a lot cooler, the freezing level reported at 1200m at the weekend past, that is cold enough for snow on the summits in the Cairngorms.  It is going to be 20 mile walk so that is going to be a bit of an energy spend and the hike up the steeper slopes will no doubt keep me warm.  So what jacket to wear?  Two things, one the need to keep the rain off and two, to keep the wind out but I suppose thirdly, but not at the price of overheating.  For me that means, the outer shell of my winter ski jacket with a breathable shirt below and a further t-shirt below if warmth is needed.  If some warmth is need and the weather is dry I’d go for just the inner lining of my ski-jacket with the outer shell packed in the rucksack.  Given those choices I was looking around the hilltrek online store and selected the following items:

Gairn Windproof Smock for those cooler summer days when the rain and wind is likely.

Naturally Páramo Reversible shirts Explorer Light Pull on with the new lighter weight materials this versatile jacket provides maximum flexibility for cooler to warmer day use.

Made to Measure Braemar Single Ventile Windshirt for those that want want exact fit comfort and performance.

In many ways choosing a summer outdoor jacket is a harder job than a winter one but for sure one should be packed in a rucksack.

Heriott Watt fashion technology student Alison has recently completed a year’s work placement at Hilltrek.  Here’s what she has to say about her experience:

“To gain necessary hands-on experience within the technical clothing industry, I was placed by my university in Hilltrek’s Clachan Yell workshops.  Aboyne might not be the most obvious hub of technical clothing innovation, but it was there I cut my teeth gaining practical knowledge of new fabrics and cutting patterns, developed my sewing skills, and – as well as manufacturing garments - worked on a diverse spectrum of repairs which came into the workshop. I doubt any big brand companies would have been able to provide as varied an experience; one day I’d be repairing tents and flysheets, the next adjusting school bags and motor biking gear!  The team at Clachan Yell also involved me in the cutting stage of many of Hilltrek’s garments, which allowed me to become more experienced with an array of popularly stocked fabrics.  I picked up various new techniques involved at the preliminary stages of garment design, and, as well as familiarizing myself with Hilltrek’s patterns, I even helped to produce new ones:  see the Kintail Ventile shirt http://www.hillgear.com/acatalog/Kintail_Ventile.html for an example of my work!

I would like to say a big thank you to everyone at Hilltrek who helped me throughout the year; from my experience at the Clachan Yell workshops I gained indispensable knowledge and vastly improved my skills and confidence in garment manufacture.”

Interested in what the fishers have been catching on the River Dee?  The latest catch news, including river levels can be found on the FishPal – Scotland website.

Pictured above are some of the walkers about to set off on the Sponsored walk

Huntly held a walking festival this weekend and as part of the festival there was a sponsored walk on the Sunday which also included a photography competition. http://www.huntly.net/events/page.php?event_id=92

Hilltrek provided the prizes of gift vouchers £30 for first, £20 for second and £10 for third.

The walk will raise funds for two local charities The Huntly Area Cancer Support Group and an animal rescue centre www.thenewarc.org

I decided to head up there for the start of the walk, leaving Donside it was not looking promising a dusting of snow had covered the tops overnight and it was sleeting. However by the time I got to Huntly the wind had dropped and the sun was out.  I was greeted by Nathalie who had put a lot of work into organising the event, she was concerned that the weather forcast of snow would put people off. We didn’t have to wait long though before people started to turn up to enjoy the lovely spring sunshine and I was pleased to see some where wearing their paramo cascada trousers!

The Route

The map above shows the choice of two routes  a short or long version.

The winners of the  photography competition will be announced once all the entries have been received.

I was out freeskiing at the weekend, Carnferg to Aboyne, full story on my blog.  As it was a relatively warm day, I didn’t want to wear my ski pants so I opted for my ventile Cabrach made to measure trousers.  I had never skied in them before and thought they might be a bit stiff but I was proved wrong, totally flexible and they fitted round my ski boots perfectly.  This was also my first test of the ventile waterproofing technology.  While not raining, the snow was real wet from the mornings rain and it was up to my knees and beyond at times, so plenty of moisture to test out the trousers.  They certainly got wet but the water was kept out.   Near my boots the fabric got frozen and this made the material real stiff but just the last couple of inches, the snow temperature was still below freezing.  I was impressed on how well the material also dried out, the classic example being sitting down in the snow for a rest or to have some lunch.  You could feel the cold on your bumb and the material was clearly soaking in the water (ventile works by the fibres expanding and thus making a barrier to prevent the water leaking through) but within a few minutes of walking again, they were dry.  I expect I’ll choose my Cabrachs a few times in what is shaping up to be a long Spring season of free skiing on Deeside.

The Scottish Game and Angling Show is a new event run by The Scottish Gamekeepers Association at the Royal Highland Centre in Edinburgh from March 6th to 7th.

We will have a stand at the event showing our Ventile and Cotton Analogy Clothing Ranges  and also the Naturally Paramo range from Paramo Directional Clothing

For many years we have been supplying off the shelf and made to measure garments for gamekeepers, stalkers, ghillies, wildlife managers and rangers from Hilltrek and Paramo clothing ranges.  

We also work closely with local gamekeepers and rangers to trial our designs to ensure that they stand up to the toughest conditions across a wide range of activity and exertion.

Susan, who does our clothing designs, has been working hard over the winter months on our first venture into specific field sports clothing which we will exhibit at the show. – the Dee Wading Jacket.

The Dee Wading Jacket is a chest wading jacket named after the River Dee, one of the most famous salmon rivers in Scotland, which flows through our village.

It uses Cotton Analogy which consists of a Ventile outer and Paramo Pump Liner inner – a combination which is tough, waterproof and highly breathable.

We look forward to your feedback and see you at the show. 

The sky has awoken bright and clear in Aboyne this morning.  With great visibility the opportunity to get out in the hills to stretch the legs and to take in some majestic views arises.  Here are some tips on powder walking:

1. Wait for the weather to give you a clear blue sky day or at least favourable conditions

2. Choose a walk that you have done many times before i.e. you know it well.  It is amazing how such familiar surrounds look so different when under 50-100cm of snow.

3.  Equipment, map, compass and in terms of clothing, Gators are the top tip.  The powder snow can get everywhere, especially when its up to your knees.  A band around the sole of the boots is also invaluable to save the gators riding up.  Carry plenty of liquids.

4.  The walk will take up to 2 or 3 times as long and it will be tough going so keep an eye on the clock.  NB. day light is still short.  Leave information on your plans and arrival time back.

5.  If at all possible walk with a partner, helps with sharing the burden of breaking new ground.  Life is better to share any how!

Lastly remember a camera.  The views will be stunning.

The new year brought a lot of new snow with it.  A local Hilltrek customer got on his made to measure ski jacket and gators and hiked up the Fungle, through the trees and on to Carnferg, 1700ft (often referred to as the highest point in Aboyne but over 4 miles away!).  The video shows how powdery the conditions were.. .