From Everest's Shadow to Wilderness Expertise

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‘Maddog Adventures (MDA), a guiding company specialising in wilderness adventures, wasn't born in a boardroom, but near Everest Base Camp, from a conversation between two friends who wanted to keep the adventure alive. This interview delves into the origins of MDA, its unique team dynamic, the thrilling adventures they offer (from woodland courses to jungle expeditions), unexpected encounters in the wild, essential survival skills, and their vision for the future. Discover how MDA helps clients not just survive, but thrive, in diverse terrains, fostering a mindset of adventure for everyone.’

Background

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We were founded in 2016 but really the idea that became MDA was formed in a tent just short of Everest Basecamp… 2 of the founders sat discussing the fact we may have to grow up a bit upon our return but didn’t want to stop the adventures, so how could we continue? Justify the adventures by calling it “work” haha

Can you tell us about the MDA team? Who's involved, what are their roles, and how did you all connect?

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Marc – Founder, Mountain Leader, Exped Guide, also shared responsibility over the team’s social media.

Chris – Founder, Mountain goat, climber, looks after the finances, website, socials and our soon to launch podcast.

Mike – Founder, Exped Guide and Bushcraft instructor.

Phil – Chief Bushcraft/Survival instructor. Phil helps us create content, plan for and deliver new events and is a great teacher… Oh and makes the best coffee 😉

Marc and Chris met at school, Mike we met years later through some mutual hobbies and Phil? Phil is our strange man we met on the internet……

Can you paint a picture of the adventures MDA offers? What would a typical day look like for one of your clients participating in a guided experience?

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What is “normal” we’re generally trying our hardest to avoid normal and hopefully instil that in our clients also!

Let’s take one of our woodland courses -the day will start with coffee and a safety brief, move from lesson to lesson with our team, lots of practical work and an endless supply of tea or coffee… in the evening the client will get to sit around the fire whilst the team prepare their meal, freshly cooked in front of them over the fire.

Oh, and once the work is done and the sharps all locked away, they may even enjoy a cheeky adult beverage….. Ultimately, it’s all about learning new skills, meeting new people and expanding your skillset and capability for adventure in a chilled out friendly atmosphere.

Things don't always go according to plan in the wilderness, right? What are some unexpected situations you and your team have encountered while leading courses?

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Mmmm unexpected…we had one client who slept on every single break on a mountain day – being ex forces we admired this and thought she was very switched on – getting the rest in while she could! However, one of the team got chatting to her and she confessed to having not disclosed her narcolepsy on our med forms!

Or the moment that nature didn’t call she shouted for one of our team who had to suddenly go on the side of a mountain… then the wind picked up, then the rain, and then the hail…. A toilet paper tornado whilst watched by clients was not a good day at the office!

Your courses focus on not just surviving, but thriving, in the wilderness. What are the top three skills that contribute to this?

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Easy! Navigation skills – it’s like life, you need to know where you are, where you are going and how to get there. If you can’t navigate then your beholden to paths and that’s not much of an adventure, is it?

Medical – we see it time and time again, people will rush out and buy the glamorous kit, knives and axes spring to mind, but their med kit is some plasters and a triangular bandage – with no training! Accidents WILL happen, you will get sick at some point. Invest in some decent medical training then the kit to go with the skills. Be able to look after yourself and others.

Fire – with fire we can ward off predators, repel biting insects, warm ourselves up, dry off clothes, cook food, purify water and signal for help. This is a key skill!

You take clients to a variety of locations. Could you rate the difficulty of each environment on a scale of 1 to 5 (5 being the most challenging), explaining the factors that contribute to the difficulty level? For example, mountains, hills, woodland, and jungle.

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Mountains – depending where in the world anything from 3-5. You may just be contending with difficult terrain and unpredictable weather but also could be exposed ground, loose ground/rockfall, avalanche, altitude or simply clients who suddenly realise they are not keen on heights etc

Hills 3, easier than mountains but rolling hills can be harder from a nav point of view (less obvious features).

Woodland – 2, the woods are fairly benign, tricky to navigate at times but offer shelter from weather and plenty of resources.

Jungle -5! The hardest environment we operate in, the weather, wildlife and plant life all are capable of killing you. Navigation is VERY tricky requiring micro nav tactics and lots of concentration. River crossings, flash floods, widow makers… you name it the jungle has it. The jungle is definitely “type 2” fun but it will also give an amazing sense of achievement.

What's your essential packing list for someone embarking on a solo wilderness trip lasting a few days?

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Compass, Med Kit, Fire steel, a knife/saw, a container for water (preferably metal so you can boil in it) and some cordage.

Cordage, knives and containers are very hard to replicate in the wild from natural resources and a good knife will allow you to make other tools, shelter etc. Med kit and compass - see our comments on top 3 essential skills 😉

Where do you see MDA in the next few years? What are your plans for the company's future development?

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We want to build on our passion for jungle travel and expeditions – introducing more people to this amazing environment. Long term this will mean different jungle areas, expanding to include central or south America and even Africa…

Words of Wisdom

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“Adventure is a Mindset” – think about children, to them a walk in the woods or the local country park is a great adventure. As adults we tend to get stuck in the notion that adventure costs lots of money and must include international travel. This is just not the case, by changing our mindset we can all add more adventure to our lives!

Thank you, MDA, for taking the time out of your day to inspire others. At this stage, you are welcome to add any additional information you feel the audience should know about yourselves or share additional stories.

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I think we would like your audience to know that we are an approachable bunch, we genuinely love adventure in all its forms and always happy to chat, reach out!