Dear Fellow Trekkers

The months are speeding by and we are looking forward to starting some of our bigger Asian and International treks of 2017. To date this year we have had 2 successful trips to Gunung Lambak (17 ladies in January and 25 ladies in February), 1 award winning trip to Gunung Ledang (9 ladies) and another memorable Ledang trek (22 trekkers) on the 25th of March. Look out for some different local treks coming up in the next few months, keep an eye on our website and Facebook page.

We learn and discover so much about ourselves when trekking. It is about developing and practising basic virtues like persistence, patience, purposeful, perseverance and empathy. Slowing down to appreciate nature and enjoying the journey of discovery, to meditate and to assist our trekking buddies. We are not the first nor the last to walk the trail, climb the mountain, or witness the beautiful views. Everything we do should be to support and protect for today and tomorrow.

What we love most about trekking is the peace, calm and stillness of an empty trail. It is amazing to find that we don't have to travel far to accomplish much. In these more remote areas you can survive with less and are capable of adapting and learn to appreciate what we get to enjoy daily. We do not need a lot to survive. We can achieve important things in our lives if we dream big and put in the work. Ladies, let us all: Dream Mountains. Set Goals. Take action!

The ATC team loved preparing and celebrating with 50 of our amazing trekkers for our 1-year anniversary / International Women's Day and Golden Globes event. We are very thankful to the incredible generosity of our sponsors, who enabled the event to be the success that it was. Especially Walton International for helping ATC to launch ATC Care and to sponsor the whole event at NTU Alumni House.

It has been an active couple months, with endurance, strength, cardio and high intensity workouts and sweat sessions. Our latest trial was at Virgin Active at their Altitude Studio. Our members met on a regular basis to get ready for their treks with 12 members completed their Mount Kinabalu climb as you are reading this; a group of 12 ladies are heading to Mt Rinjani in April; May sees 10 ladies heading to Bali to conquer 2-peaks Agung and Batur; 18 trekkers are set to do the 2 Peaks challenge in Hong Kong - Lantau & Dragon's Back; as well as 7 ladies heading to Jade Mountain in Taiwan. Our group of 6 ladies inspired to reach the roof of Africa will head to Kilimanjaro to trek the Lemosho route in September. Borobudur and Merapi in Central Java trip will be in October and we are taking bookings for this Mind|Body|Soul outdoor adventure with 12 ladies already signed up and confirmed. Lastly, we have a full group of 12 ladies heading to Mt. Everest Base Camp in November with our Mountaineering Expert Chloe Chick. Our comprehensive workshop with our mountaineering expert, a medical expert and our Nepalese Chief Guide will be taking place in June. 

If these aren't enough action from our hardworking group, a few evening walks took place where our trekkers had 5+kg on our backs, head torches on and walking poles in hand. Such fun and great practice for many of us partaking in early morning summit treks this year.

Find out what our community have been up to this month and what is coming up, read about these in our last section - Members, Partners and Experts.

Congratulations to our January Star Trekker, Juliet Ward. Originally from the UK, Juliet has been in Singapore for 21/2 years and is loving every moment of it!  She is a wife and mother of four children under 10 so life is pretty busy.  She is an avid tennis player who had to stop playing for six months last summer due to an operation and started walking instead.  
Thanks to the insistence of Hazleen she joined ATC in August last year and started her trekking career with a trip to the Blue Mountains in September 2016.  
As predicted by Hazleen she is now hooked and enjoys walks around Macritchie, Bukit Timah, Southern ridges and the famous stairs at Toa Payoh.  Thanks to two very enjoyable treks to Gunung Lambak, she feels it is now time to tackle some peaks and has signed up to clim Kinabalu in March and Batur and Agung in May.  
Trekking has now become a way of life and Juliet always tried to arrange a walk wherever she is with the most recent being to climb Table Mountain in Cape Town.  
She says ATC is a fantastic club full of interesting and talented women and it has been an absolute pleasure getting to know everybody.

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Congratulations to our February Star Trekker - Zahidah Grinderud (known affectionately to us as Idah).
Our amazing 52 year old trekker quite often leads the way on our walks. She is a Singaporean, who has lived in Norway and Saudi Arabia for many years before moving to Singapore 9 years ago.  
A wife to a Norwegian, mother to 3 girls (29, 27 and 23) and grandmother to little Norah (2), Idah still makes time for all her hobbies. She loves to  cross stitch, bake and be outdoors. As a family they love walking cycling, skating, fishing & skiing.
"I have always loved walking. I can walk for many hours. I have climbed a few mountains in Norway.  My first trek was to Mt. Sinai (2285m) 12 yrs ago. In 2014 I climbed Mount Kinabalu, then for my 50th birthday I spent 2 weeks on a TransSiberia train adventure from Russia- Mongolia-Beijing. That same year we did an 11 days Bhutan trip.
Last year I climbed, Mt Bromo, Mt Batur & just recently Mt. Ijen. I would love to do Batur and Agung again after Rinjani. That is the challenge I set for myself"

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1. Sassy & Savvy won by Hamidah Bureau and sponsored by Dunn & Partners 
2. Sexy & Strong won by Angela Mullany, sponsored by inZone 5
3. Adventurous & Courageous won by Anja Poehlmann sponsored by Big Country
4. Determined & Disciplined won by Renata Janini Dohmen sponsored by Eat Train Love
5. Star Trekker of the Year won by Juliet Ward, sponsored by Josephine Home
6. Golden Girl of the Night won by Tuti Clift, runner up Kirsty Smith, sponsored by Outdoor Life
7. Special Team award for Bravery and Camaraderie, Shah Ahern Ani Ahmad, Rozi Laino and Linda Baharudin, sponsored by Outdoor Life and Zahara Cosmetics.
8. Accepting and Accommodating won by Mary Trinh, sponsored by Canting by Siti Hirt

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Together ATC and Walton International launched ATC Care at our Golden Globes Evening. That evening alone we raised over $1400 from just 50 ladies.  What a wonderful night. We thank you all for your generous donations to support local schools in the areas we trek. The schools we are raising for at the moment are:

1. Engilanget School of the Disabled in Arusha, Tanzania
2. Prescious Orphanage in Arusha, Tanzania
3. Purano Guyesori Secondary School in Kathmandu, Nepal
4. Yayasan Sayap Ibu (School of the disabled) in Yogyakarta, Indonesia

 We look forward to your continued support. If you have broken and unwanted ipads and laptops you'd like to donate, please email ani@amazingtrekkersclub.com

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Our two treks to Gunung Ledang (Mount Ophir) have proven to be very memorable treks.

23km uphill climb up to 1276m, 30,800 steps, 366 floors, 3750 calories burnt. A truly challenging and empowering trek involving numerous ropes to climb several gigantic boulders, never ending ladders between huge rocks, steep inclines, varied terrains, hot, dry and humid climate all in one day.

Our Amazing Trekkers demonstrated intrepid qualities we admire and stand for. We are disciplined, determined, adventurous, courageous, sassy, savvy, brave, accommodating, accepting and most importantly we are a team player.

It is not to be underrated - its a challenging trek. So much so, for 3 of our members, we awarded them with a team award of bravery and camaraderie. We have so much admiration for these ladies who trekked for the first time.

All the pictures are on flickr for: 
                  15th Feb             and         25th Mar
           
             

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To help our members prepare for those very early, dark, summit starts, we did our first twilight and moonlight walk in Singapore. With 5+ kg rucksacks and our head torches on we did the Southern Ridges park connector from Mount Faber - Telok Blangah Hill Park - Hort Park - Kent Ridge Park. 12,572 steps, 8.5km, 2252 calories, 75 floors.
Most of the 24 ladies who walked are training for treks and not only did they have lots of fun, they found it invaluable for testing out their gear before the critical summit night. We have since done another with our Kinabalu Trekkers and soon again will do for our ladies going to Rinjani. 

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Whatever your reasons for hitting the great outdoors, it is important to have the essential gear when you pack for your next trip. Members of our club get a comprehensive checklist for every single trek they do with us; from clothing, first aid kit, footwear, underwear backpacks and essential equipments. We gathered the ladies on the 12th February for an informative morning at Outdoor Life, Wheelock Place. They opened their doors early just for our wilderness weekend wanderers and even extended an extra special discounts on all store items.
The next one will be at Adventure 21. Watch this space for dates in March.

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Our weekend walks are as popular as ever, so much so we have created a new Movement - The Wilderness Weekend Wanderers! We walk at 7am on Saturday and Sunday and with every step (literally, 75 floors of them) we keep getting better, closer and stronger. We support, motivate and encourage one another. There are words of encouragements, exchange of knowledge and experiences, feedback and contacts. What an amazing support. If you want to be part of this email info@amazingtrekkersclub.com
                                 

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We are developing a CAN DO ALTITUDE at Virgin Active Singapore. Our members are offered a first time trial which includes a tour of the gym and altitude (2624m) studio circuit training. It's great fun and hard work! Training in an altitude chamber (where the air is simulated to feel like you're on a mountain) before a big summit climb will challenge your heart and lungs, help build endurance and make you burn more calories! 

According to Virgin Active, Altitude training first hit the headlines in the 1968 Mexico Olympics when the thinner air of Mexico City gave many athletes an advantage: being 2,200m above sea level produced more medals. But how? Air gets thinner the higher you go and lower oxygen levels mean you make more red blood cells. Your heart and lungs work harder to adapt so you end up moving and using oxygen more efficiently, making you stronger. It’s the reason Mexico was such a training turning point and why today’s elite athletes like Mo Farah and Bradley Wiggins head for the heights - to gain that competitive edge.

                                   

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ATC TREK TRAINING will help you achieve your goals of reaching 1, 2, 3 or more Peak(s), improve your performance and release more power.

Our Training programme is available to view on line. You can incorporate these activities into your current training programme and prepare your body to be hiking fit. To further assist you, we have partnered up with Eat Train Love, to provide you with extra endurance and fun bootcamps.
Alternatively, you can access our 6-week guide to train for your hike at home. Watch this space...In collaboration with Sonia Osborne and Eat Train Love, we are developing a quarterly motivation guide exclusively for our Expedition and Summit members. 
There is no excuse for you not to challenge yourself to set a new goal and to dream a new dream.

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Strength Training with Sari takes place every Friday morning at 8:30am. The workout purpose is to build your strength by having you lift more weight other than your own body weight. 
The class will challenge your strength limit, so you get to improve your performance in your trekking sport. Carrying loads while trekking requires strength and a 'can-do' attitude! 

The class is based on body fundamental movements and we are going to use equipments such as TRX, Kettle Bell, Weighted Ball, and Prowler. It is a moderate to high intensity level and proper recovery time is part of the training!

At the end of the class you should feel like a sexy, bad-ass, strong woman who is ready to conquer your mountain!

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Taiwan, Hong Kong & China trek - Basic Language, Culture, Customs and Etiquette 

Wednesday, April 19 at 7:30 PM - 9:30 PM

Trekking with ATC to Taiwan or Hong Kong's Lantau and Dragons Back Trails or just wish to improve your knowledge of Chinese culture for hiking, business and social activities? Join us for a fun workshop at our trek leader, Julia He's home in Portsdown Road Area (near Tanglin Trust School). You will receive lesson notes, be served Chinese tea and pineapple tarts. 

Eating for Energy

Too many women are living in a state of constant ‘exhaustion’ due to vitamin and mineral deficiencies!

At this workshop you will learn:

• The vital nutrients that are depleted by the body during exercise
• How to replenish our bodies through ‘real food’ to maintain our vitality and support our training.

We will also make a Rainbow Salad with Cashew Mayonnaise

Date: 18th May, 2017
Time: 10.30am-12.00pm
Location: Hollandse Club, 22 Camden Road (off Adam Rd)
Price: $40

Sonia donated $10 from every ticket to go towards ATC's Gold Hearts Charity for under-privileged schools in Tanzania and Nepal.

BOOK NOW online https://soniaosborne.com.au/events/


Sonia's Magic Balls

These balls of magic are a perfect way to fuel the body when you are trekking! They are a perfect balance of protein, fats and carbs. They also contain the “magic” of cinnamon to stabilise blood sugars, along with the essential fats, minerals and vitamin E from the nuts and dates.
Deliciously magic!

Ingredients:
330 g raw whole almonds (or nuts/seeds of choice; I use my activated almonds)
40g Clean Protein Powder
22 fresh medjool/Turkish dates, pitted (pre-soak in hot water if hard)
2 Tablespoons chia seeds
2 tablespoons cacao powder
1 tablespoon all natural vanilla essence
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Coconut or toasted sesame seeds (for rolling)
 
Method:
Place almonds into the food processor with protein powder, chia seeds, and cacao. Process until the mix looks crumbly.
 
Add dates and vanilla extract and process again until the mix starts to come together. Add a splash of water if you need to so that mixture is soft and forms a soft ball.
 
Form into decent sized balls with wet hands. Roll in coconut and store in the fridge for up to 4 weeks (or I double the batch and keep them in the freezer).

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Tania Schnuppe is hosting FREE HORMONE BALANCING WORKSHOPS on:
Find out why our hormones are out of whack, how we can balance them plus and how to gain peak health. Walk away feeling motivated and ready to take action.  
Tania is offering ATC members a 20% discount on the Hormone Detox. Use the code ATC2016. 

Sign up now at http://taniaschnuppe.com/workshops/ Tel. 82664940.

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It is with a heavy heart we said good-bye to Nicky Elms, one of our best Amazing Trekkers. She trekked Kilimanjaro and Lambak (pictured at the Summit) with ATC and has led most of us at Bukit Timah Hill, MacRitchie or on the stairs at some point I am sure! 

She is back to the UK and in true Nicky spirit will be cycling in the 'Ride the Night London' on 27 May. It is the largest women-only cycling event in the UK. Starting from Royal Windsor Racecourse, following a 100km route into London and back to the Racecourse, in aid of three UK cancer charities: Breast Cancer Care, Ovarian Cancer Action and Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust. 
Nicky is in a team with her sister in law and her friends, and none of them have cycled long distances before! If you would like to sponsor them, please use the link below. 
We will be cheering for you Nicky!
https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/babesonbikes7

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It was great to see the ATC Members Facebook page and Trek Training Chat group so active. Thank you to everyone who is so supportive. 
WELCOME NEW MEMBERS:
We welcome Cathy, Catherine, Asmita, Laura, Nang, Ani, Marilyn, Angela, June, Linda, Annika, Pollyanna, Sunider, Annisa, Jemma, Zhibek, Kartika, Veronica, Berit, Renuka, Salma, Julia, Connie, Min, Fotini and Justine, Joanne, and Kiran. All ladies will be trekking a mountain in the next few months. SO AWESOME to have you onboard and on track, training and trekking with us!

We look forward to seeing you on the trail soon. In the meantime if you have any questions, please get in touch.



The ATC Team,
Shah, Hazleen, Becca