July 2009.qxd

The
Alpine
Club
July 2009
PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS
AlpineClub
NEWSLETTER
2/2009
55/56 Charlotte Road,
London EC2A 3QF
Tel: 020-7613-0755
AC Climbing Fund is supported by
July 2009
www.alpine-club.org.uk
[email protected]
Dear All,
Without any doubt, one of the highlights of the AC's busy social
calendar of events this year was the recent revamped Piolet D'Or
Ceremony held in Chamonix - the perfect location for such an event.
The club was well represented throughout the busy schedule leading
up to the final evening of the presentations with Doug Scott in the chair
presiding over the proceedings.
A grand affair and our thanks to the host the Maire of Chamonix and
the event organisers especially Claude Marin from the Chamonix
townhall, Claude Gardien from Vertical and Christian Trommsdorff, the
new President of the Groupe de Haute Montagne, for letting the AC
use the occasion to launch our own "Spirit of Mountaineering"
commendation which this year was awarded to six mountaineers for
their attempt to rescue Spanish alpinist Inaki Ochoa de Olza from
24,300 feet (7,400 mts) altitude on Himalayan mountain Annapurna in
May 2008.
Those honoured are: Simon Anthamatten (Swiss), Alexey Bolotov
(Russian), Don Bowie (Canadian), Horia Colibasanu (Romanian),
Ueli Steck (Swiss) and Denis Urubko (Kazakh).
Guido Cassin accepting his father Riccardo Cassin’s
Norman Croucher and Frank Cannings, supported by the
AC Honorary Membership from Tut in Chamonix.
President, did the presentations in front of a large audience in the
splendour of the Majestic Hotel's main function room.
Personally, the most important part of the weekend for me was presenting the club's Hon Membership Certificate to
Riccardo Cassin, represented on this occasion by his son Guido and family.
Prior to the presentation, we spent the afternoon sat on the terrace of Francoise's chalet listening to Guido talking about his father,
how he built up the Cassin manufacturing business from very small beginnings to a large producer of high quality mountaineering
equipment and how Riccardo was an Italian champion boxer before he discovered mountaineering. More stories followed about this
amazing man who, incidentally, was 100 years old in January this year and is apparently still in good shape for a man of his age.
I am convinced that one of the best journeys home after any climb must be that of Riccardo and his team mates - after making the
first ascent of the The Walker Spur on the Grande Jorasses in 1938. Imagine arriving in Chamonix from Lecco then asking a local
farmer ‘did he know how to get to the Grande Jorasses’ and showing him a picture of the face on a postcard! The rest is history….
Can you imagine the joy of having climbed one of the greatest alpine classics of all time, possibly the hardest and certainly the
finest and most elegant route of its type - they must have had one hell of a good time on the journey back to Lecco!
Hamish MacInnes needs no introduction to the AC members. A mere child compared to Riccardo's centenary innings, Hamish has
accepted our offer to become an Honorary Member of the club. Long overdue, his contribution to mountaineering and the mountain
rescue world is truly incredible to say the least.
I must admit that it is a great pleasure during my term as President to be able to offer Hamish a well deserved Hon Membership of
the club. I recall writing to Hamish and the reply came back in the form of a compliment slip with the words "Aye that'll be fine
thanks!" A master of understatement!! Hopefully he will be at our annual dinner at Shap Wells 28th Nov 09 to receive his
Certificate.Two of the all time greats of mountaineering and it is good to have them onboard.
John Porter has recently been co-opted onto the committee. John's vast depth of knowledge and experience of mountaineering
along with his involvement in the Kendal Film Festival will add greatly to the committee's strength.
Have a good summer,
Paul Braithwaite, President.
Steve Razetti’s extra-ordinary stitched photo series taken at the 5th lake above
Gokyo on the Ngozumpa Glacier. This original is 200Mb and 20,000 pixels wide! For
more stunning images go to www.razzetti.com
Page 2
LONDON MEETINGS - SW MEETINGS - NORTHERN LECTURES
London Venue
55/56 Charlotte Road
General and Informal meetings
Lectures start at 7.30pm
Tuesday 8th September. Dave
Cowell: Ski-touring in the Outer
Reaches of Europe
Dave is an active member of the Eagle
Ski Club who has visited many less
frequented ski-touring areas over a
number of years. In this talk he will be
describing recent tours that he has
made to the eastern mountains of
Turkey and to the Prokletiji Mountains of
Albania.
Tuesday 27th October.
Reine-Marie Faure: The Life &
Travels of James David Forbes
Reine-Marie is a geographer who has
extensively researched the life and
travels of the Scottish mountaineer
James David Forbes. In this lecture she
will focus on one of Forbes' most
productive summers. In 1842 he not only
crossed the Col du Geant from
Courmayeur to Montenvert in a
remarkable 15 hours, but by zig-zagging
between Chamonix and Zermatt he also
mapped the Mer de Glace and the
Alpine massif between these two major
resorts.
Tuesday 10th November. James
Thacker and Andy Turner: Mixed
Emotions on Phari Lapcha
In November 2008 James and Andy
visited the popular Gokyo Valley in
Nepal with the aim of making an alpine
style ascent of the North Face of Phari
Lapcha, 6017m. Unfortunately,
unconsolidated snow resulted in retreat
and uncertainty as quite what to do next.
The result was the third ascent of the
fantastic Snotty's Gully on the adjacent
Dawa Peak, or Phari Lapcha West.
We now have a new Administrator
at Charlotte Road,
Amber Mooney. She has taken
over from Judi Curry whom we thank
for her valuable contribution to the
smooth running of the Club.
SW Venue
Northern Venue
Upper room of the Nova Scotia,
Hotwells, Bristol, BS1 6XJ
Lectures start at 7.30pm
The Outside Cafe
Hathersage
Lectures start at 7.30pm
SOUTH WEST VENUE:
NORTHERN LECTURE VENUE:
Upper Room of the Nova Scotia,
Cumberland Basin, Hotwells, Bristol,
BS1 6XJ
The Nova Scotia Hotel is a
well-known Bristol landmark, situated
at the western end of the Floating
Harbour, with ample local parking and
good beer. Lectures start at 7.30pm.
The AC SW Regional
organisers are Colin Knowles,
Tony Westcott and Craig Cook
'Outside Cafe', Hathersage,
Derbyshire on Wednesdays at
7.30pm
Anyone who has an interesting trip
that they are prepared to lecture
on is invited to contact
Edward Douglas
A small contribution is
requested to cover costs.
The first date will be :
14 October 2009
The next series of lectures starts
in the Autumn.
Riccardo Cassin’s kind letter of
acceptance and thanks on being
offered Honorary Membership of
the Alpine Club.
To The Alpine Club
To the Honorable and Distinguished
President Paul Braithwaite
Dear Paul,
I want to thank you and all the
members of the Alpine Club who have
given me the privilege of becoming an
Honorary Member.
I'm very happy that Guido, Daniela
and Marta had the possibility of meeting
you, but I'm also sad the Piolet D'Or
organizers did not show my personal
salute to all climbers and friends who
were there.
I will do whatever is possible to send
you this recording as a token and
reminder of my consideration and
friendship.
A grateful salute and good climbing to
everybody.
Riccardo Cassin
Presidente Onorario Fondazione
Riccardo Cassin
AC member elected as
Honorary Member of the
Alpine Club of Canada
It has been a long time since Roger Wallis
was on the AC Committee and he hasn't
done much in the AC since, so maybe it's
good to know that
someone feels he has done something
useful abroad. Roger was awarded the
ACC's "Silver Rope" in 1991 and
Distinguished Service Medal in 2004 and
in May he was elected an Honorary
Membership of the ACC. Roger's main
contribution to Canadian mountaineering
has been to persuade people to climb
with him, not necessarily an easy task!
With nine expeditions to Yukon's St.
Elias Mountains and innumerable trips
to remote and obscure mountains of
British Columbia Roger and friends have
made 66 mountain first ascents and more
than 20 new routes.
It's a long time since Roger made the 3rd
ascent of Zero Gully, in 1963, but he has
been fortunate to find endless faces of
untouched snow and ice since then
scattered across South and East
Greenland, Spitsbergen and the
mountains of western and northern
Canada.
Roger Wallis (- the man himself!)
Don’t forget to check the Club Website
to receive up-to-date information on AC lectures. London Lectures (General Meetings of the Alpine Club!) are
normally held on the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month at Charlotte Road.
Cover photo: Duncan Tunstall leading on a new route in the Lofotens on the the Norwegian International Meet this winter.
Page 3
GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS
AC CLIMBING FUND
Sponsored by First Ascent
The Climbing Fund supports private expeditions, provided that all participants are AC Members . .
Your future private expedition could be on this list! Details and an application form can be found on the AC web site at
www.alpine-club.org.uk. The awarding committee plans to review applications twice yearly, in March and September,
although there is no specific deadline for their receipt. At least three months in advance is advisable. It should be
noted that successful recipients will be ineligible for consideration for additional awards for a period of three years.
Bunkroom in the Clubhouse re-opens!
The Club has a small bunkroom in the club house basement containing four bunks for the use of members, aspirants and associates. There are no
cooking facilities however there are several restaurants and cafes nearby. The Bunkroom is normally open except when the office is closed for the long
Christmas and summer breaks. We cannot accept bookings from members for Friday and Saturday nights if they would be occupying the bunkhouse
alone as the Club cannot provide any emergency response over weekends. There is currently no heating in the bunkhouse at night but there are a few
blankets. Users must bring a sheet sleeping bag and are advised to bring a warm sleeping bag in winter.
Bookings must be made with the Club Administrator, 0207 613 0755( Administrator).
As the Office is only manned on Tuesdays and Thursdays, bookings need to be made well in advance so that arrangements can be made for users to
obtain a set of keys and instructions. There is no charge for the bunkroom. However, an advance deposit of twenty pounds is required for the keys.
Keys must be returned within five working days of use. Regular users may apply for a set of keys to retain for their own use.
While in occupation, members are responsible for the security of the building and have an obligation to familiarize themselves with evacuation
instructions and Health and Safety requirements. Users, particularly sleeping alone, must not suffer any hearing, visual, or mobility impairments that
might affect their ability to recognize an alarm signal and delay their exit from the building in an emergency.
Help!
Volunteers
Needed
The AC needs volunteers to assist with the
running of 55 Charlotte Road. Volunteers
need to live within reach of the office and
be willing to get their hands dirty with odd
jobs such as decoration, moves of
furniture and minor repairs, oversee small
refurbishment projects as well as deal with
the occasional emergency and ensure that
everything is functionning properly.
We would also welcome anyone who
has electrical, plumbing and
carpentry skills who is prepared to
help with the occasional small job.
Charlotte Road is an old building is
quite expensive to run and maintain.
This is a way to help the club in a
very direct way to keep running costs
down.
Please contact Judi in the club office.
What’s Going On?
Have you been new routeing or
exploring recently? If you have then it
should be in the AJ!
If you have useful info on your recent
activities then you can contact the AC
area correspondents:
AREA NOTES Editor ~ Paul Knott
The Alps - Lindsay Griffin
Russia & Central Asia - Paul Knott
Greenland - Derek Fordham
Scottish Winter - Simon Richardson
Ethiopia - Pat Littlejohn
India - Harish Kapadia
Nepal - Dick Isherwood
China & Tibet - John Town
North America - Ade Miller
Cordilleras Blanca and Huayhuash
The
Newsletter
needs
YOU!
If you have done
anything exciting
(in the mountains!)
that you think other
members would be
interested in:-
‘let me know’
The newsletter is the Club’s
premier communication
channel and is about the
members and reflects the
entire spectrum of their
activities.
If it’s worth doing let us all know!
Contact the Editor:
- Antonio Gomez Bohorquez
This is important so
New Zealand - Mark Watson
please respond if you
newsletter@
Antarctica - Nick Lewis
can.
alpine-club.org.uk
t
rtan
o
p
E-Mail ADDRESSES
Im
If you have an e-mail address, please send it to Amber at
[email protected]
We already have them for most members, but the’re quite a few missing. And remember that you can also register for Alpinet at
the Club website and can then look up the latest addresses of members and change your own details, sign on to
circulation lists etc.
Page 4
AC MEETS 2009-2010
2009
1 - 25 July: Bolivia
La Paz is one of the highest cities in the world with some of the most beautiful 5000 - 6000 metre peaks in the Andes just a day or
two of travelling away. The plan is to head out of the city on two or three multi-day camping trips to tackle classic peaks like Condoriri,
Pequeno Alpamayo, Huayni Potosi, & Illimani in the Cordillera Real. There should also be the chance for a team to go to a remoter
range such as the Apolobamba or Quimsa Cruz to explore the potential for new routes. Dave Wynne-Jones 0117 377 1992.
25 July - 8 August: Switzerland (Valais) Saas Grund / Saas Fee. Joint AC, ABMSAC, CC,
FRCC Alpine meet.The annual alpine meet will be based at the Kapellenweg campsite at Saas Grund
www.kapellenweg.ch from Saturday 24th July to Saturday 8th August. The prices/night are: Person 6SF; Tent 4.5SF; Tax 2SF; Car
4.5SF; Campervan 8. Email application forms to
Mike Pinney via alpinet or ring 01935 428131 to discuss.
15 - 23 August: Norway Lyngen Alps Arctic Alpine Adventure
Climbing in the Arctic Circle as an alternative to the Alps, following in Slingsby’s footsteps. Predominantly alpine routes on mountains
rising out of the sea. A remote and beautiful location without the problems of altitude, with the option to arrive earlier and stay on
longer than the dates indicated. Paul Cook 01946 67837
29 Aug - 12 Sept: Italy Canazei Dolomites - just below the Sella Pass.
An ideal location for exploring the rock towers and steep faces of the Sella & Rosengarten areas of the Dolomites A friendly campsite
within walking distance of shops and amenities. Jeff Harris 020 8508 2888
4 - 11 September: Cornwall Joint CC/AC meet at the Count House, Bosigran.
Rock climbing and coast walking. (35 Places, some are reserved for CC members) .
Ron & Ruth Chambers 01768 88488 or 07890 782636
16 - 18 October: Lake District Alpine Reunion
AC Alpine Meet reunion and meet co-ordinators get together at the George Starkey hut in
Patterdale. All AC and joint meet people welcome. (25 places) Mike Pinney 01935 428131
27- 28 November: Shap Wells Hotel, Cumbria AGM & Dinner
2010
1 -19 February: Chile. Alpine Club Chile meet details: AC Chile Mike Soldner 07798 903582
24July - 8th August: 2010 Joint Alpine Meet: AC/CC/FRCC/ABMSAC Bregaglia Mike Pinney.
Bernina, Vicosoprano.
No
AC Scottish Dinner
Saturday 19 September, Onich Hotel (between Glencoe and Fort William). Cost £25 - cheques to
‘Alpine Club’ please. Accomodation - book yourself -Onich hotel,
or MacIntyre hut(1 mile east of hotel), or Inchree bunkhouse (1+
mile west of hotel) or lots of b&b. All welcome, great climbing!
Kate Ross 01369 706578 (after Alps!)
2009 Scottish Winter Meet Report
ta
B
en
e!
"Canoeing around the Farne
Islands?
Birdwatching on the Fairisle?
Ice Climbing in the Tatras?
Rock Climbing in China?
Alpinism in Chile? New Routeing
in Nepal?
The 2009 Scottish meet was once again combined with the Eagle Ski
Club which ensured full occupancy of the Potteries Bunkhouse and
plenty of social interaction.
At long last the snow conditions favoured the meet and forays were
made into the Northern Corries of Cairngorm, West Face of Aonach
Mor, Ben Nevis, Beinn a' Chaorainn and Creag Meagaidh. For once,
even the skiers were smiling.
What meets would you like the Club
The regular attendees of the winter meet are in favour of a similar
to be running?
meet in 2010 which has provisionally been booked for the weekend If you have any ideas about where and when you would
of 13/14 Feb at the same location.
like meets or what kind of meet you would like to see,
Unfortunately, Andy Gallagher is unable to run the meet next
please get in touch with
year - any willing volunteers?
Dave Wynne-Jones, Meets Secretary
Andy Gallagher
(Contact details in the handbook & email on alpinet).
Start thinking about 2010 now.
Useful links:
The AC website has a Links page devoted to members' own
websites. Any member who would like details added
should e-mail
[email protected].
Sites can include such things as mountain training, lecturers'
details, writing, painting, etc. in fact anything to do with
mountaineering on an ongoing basis.
AND... perhaps you'd like to run one?
Club meets depend on members stepping forward as
meet co-ordinators. This need not be onerous & can be
a lot of fun, and the club recognises the efforts of meet
co-ordinators by making a contribution towards their
expenses. Details can be found about the current rates
on the AC website, as well as information about the
whole process ofco-ordinating meets.
Don’t forget the more exploratory open expeditions
also attract grants from the AC Climbing Fund
Page 5
LETTERS
The tower is called Psycho Tower. First climbed by the
late Charlie Fowler and friends in 1996. It has 3 short
pitches of 5.9 and the direct start of 5.11. That is the slab
to the left of the summit fall line and I thought the first 20
feet hard. It is on the cover of the guide book called The
Wild Wild West by Charlie Fowler & Damon Johnston.
It's to be found in a remote valley to the east of Moab.
Probably had less than 50 ascents but if it was in Moab
it would get at least 2 per day. It does traverse right out
on the lip of that huge roof!
Tut - you have an admirer!
Hi Dick, (Ed!)
Hey man, I was sooo pleased to see the interview with Tut in the newsletter.
Maybe I should say - about time. In the mid sixties he was the best alpinist in Britain. I
remember 1968 and the summer bad weather in the Alps. My brother and I scored 2
routes. Tut did over 10 and one was the Walker Spur where he led everything. Because
of his modesty he was never in the front pages much but he was the climbing greyhound
of his generation. I know that Dougal was also a great climber but if you were to
compare the alpine and rock-climbing achievements Tut would come out ahead. On the
SW face of Everest he was quite prepared to climb from a lower camp to the summit
(and knew he could do it) but Chris shut the trip down when Mick was killed. So, all I
wish to say is that he truly represents British Mountaineering and I'm extatic that he's our
President.
I'm living in SW Colorado and thought I'd send you 2 pics of a secret tower (see above)
which would become a classic if it was not out in the boonies. I'm to be found
somewhere in the folds of rock. Cheers, Aid Burgess.
Putting the past right
Dear Ed, The piece on Shackleton in the last Alpine Club Newsletter prompted me to pen this: "He never lost a man"?
In recalling the centenary of Shackleton reaching 88.23 degrees South in 1909 (Newsletter, 1/2009, page 7), we are asked to recall
and admire his exploits today. I would be the first so to do; Shackleton, largely because of his leadership of the 1914-16 Endurance
(Imperial Trans-Antarctic) Expedition, is my, and I am sure countless others, number one polar hero.
When he finally rescued his crew from Elephant Island, he telegraphed his wife, "I have done it. Not a life lost and we have been
through Hell". In this way the often repeated myth used in the Newsletter piece, "He never lost a man" was born. A month later he
was saying, "I cannot settle down to anything whilst my mind is on those ten men of mine in the Ross Sea." When, in January 1917,
he finally rescued them, he found that three men had perished laying down the depots of food and fuel that were planned to sustain
Shackleton's party on the march from the South Pole to the Ross Sea base as they completed their planned crossing of the Antarctic
continent. Their sacrifice had been in vain because Shackleton's Endurance team had not even set foot on the Antarctic continent.
The purpose of this note is certainly not to diminish the memory of Shackleton, but merely to correct the record. The harrowing
story of the sufferings of the Ross Sea Party in the field, following less than satisfactory expedition planning, can be followed in a
recent account, "The Lost Men", by Kelly Tyler-Lewis, Bloomsbury, 2006. It might also be noted that Shackleton himself had no
intention of hiding their story, in 1919 he devoted about a quarter of his epic book "South" to them.
Professor Roderick A Smith, FREng, ScD
Media and mountaineering - more grumps!
Dear Ed, just to support you in your BBC bashing. First re High Altitude with its contrived situations. What was the point of the
Tyrolean traverse for instance, and even more so the totally contrived attempt at an ascent of a 200ft snout of a glacier. Completely
pointless except perhaps for ice climbing practice (the Canadians do use icebergs in Pond Inlet for this for instance), but this was not
made clear and it was well beyond their capabilities anyhow. OK I can see some point in Graham, as an ex racer, pushing himself to
his limits in the world speed skiing thing. But again it would have been better approached from that point of view.
But frankly, in my mind as a Mountaineering Instructor, leading and training schoolboys over many years, and leader of several
Tilman type expeditions to Greenland sailing and making first ascents from the boat in latter years, High Altitude pales into
insignificance compared with the Ben Fogle programmes. To me it seemed totally irresponsible to take people who ostensibly had no
experience and no training (but of course we don't know what went on beforehand) and who didn't even know what they were going
to do until they got there if the programme be believed. Of course there was huge out of shot back-up - dug out canoes with
outboards could suddenly appear in the nick of time, helicopters drop from the skies to the rescue, ambulances even drive up the
mountain to fetch someone with Altitude sickness! But this sudden appearance of back-up only spoilt the contrived effect of the
programmes. And what about a little acclimatisation, why such pressure of time that they couldn't have a rest day if conditions or
their condition called for it, and of course was everything really 'the hardest thing I've ever done'?
At least Ben Fogle has slightly redeemed himself personally by doing well in the recent Race to the South Pole - if you want an
organised race to the South Pole that is. But unfortunately the BBC of course made a film of it, so we will no doubt have to listen to
how tremendously difficult it all was, how dangerous was the terrain and I have never known such awful weather conditions etc!
The CBBC series where they took young people up a mountain in Ecuador(!) and then to sea and climbing off South America and
are now off to Mongolia had some point to it and was and is quite well done. But then Polly Murray (Everest (properly) and my
expeditions to Greenland (my privilege)) was a trainer/guide on them.
Yes, I am old. But on these occasions legitimately grumpy, or so I think. But then if people who have never climbed before can pay
vast sums of money and attempt Everest, who are we to complain? Good luck in your crusade, Bob Shepton
I could not agree more with the editor re his rant about High Altitude on the BBC. I am suprised at Graham Bell. I would have
thought he would do a better job. I have long given up on tv portraying our sport in anything like a realistic manner. For instance a
recent episode of Highland Emergency described climbers as "clinging to a vertical wall of ice" when they were clearly standing
comfortably on a 45 degree snow slope.
The big screen is no better. Any climber who has seen Cliffhanger, K2 or The Eiger sanction must have cringed as much as I.
Producers who say they have to make things exciting should watch Touching the Void to see now it can be done. Does anyone know
of any other films or programmes that show mountaineering positively?
I have no doubt that other sports are equaly badly portrayed. Is it not possible for tv companies to require programme makers to
take expert advice when dealing with subjects they know nothing of? I am not confident of seeing any improvement.
Chris (grumpy) Gilley.
Page 6
LOFOTEN INTERNATIONAL MEET
L o fo te n
- a Paradise
of Lights Although the daylight North of the Arctic circle
is certainly dim, my abiding memory of Lofoten
will be lights; the reflections from the water, the
particular glare of snow and ice, the stars, the
moon, the wood stove in the hut, candles reflected
in the windows at dinner, our single headtorch
while abseiling in the dark, the search light of the
boat picking us up after a climb, the red headtorch
while waiting on the beach for the boat.
Duncan Tunstall and I were guests of the
Norwegian Alpine Club who had organised an
international meet in Lofoten. 26 participants went
hard
at work to develop new routes.
Duncan looking for a way through.
Our first route was a winter ascent of the
mountain behind our old fashioned fishermen huts. Upon investigation it turned out to be a
combination of summer A3 rock climbs. With the snow banking the sides and the ice and
frozen turf providing some grip there was no need to aid, and thankfully Duncan led the
difficult bits. There were a couple of passages were the psychological reinforcement of a rope
above was key. The abseils were tense, - one rope was nearly sheared by the abrasion
against a sharp edge - so much so that the young chap who was with us decided not to
climb anymore after that experience! I loved it. What a sense of freedom not to have to
consult a topo every 5 minutes and to choose your very own line!
The second day, having been let down by transport arrangements, we found ourselves in
front of the huts with no objective. A kind Norwegian showed us a little local crag and
quipped that if we felt like pioneers we could try this thin ice wall. Off we went, Duncan, of
course, leading the delicate bits.
Me: (looking at the slabby ice too thin to take ice screws and crumbly in places) "You don't
Francoise on one of the
have to do it you know"
technical pitches above Kalle.
Duncan: " It's perfect. It's Scottish"
I had almost forgotten, I was with a British climber. Scottish is Nirvana.
Our best outing started with a boat crossing early in the morning to a peninsula, still unclimbed in the winter. Three teams were in
the boat ready for the discovery of this range: Slovenian Marko Prezelj and a Norwegian, two delightful Czech climbers, Duncan and
myself. We left supplies of dry clothes, food and sleeping gear on the beach in case all or some of us came back late. Getting off the
boat was an unusual start to an ice climb: jumping from the slippery bow of the inflatable boat it was hard not to get your legs soaked
landing in the sea. There followed a memorable climb up a classic route which I am sure will be repeated many times, as it has a
good balance of easy slopes and technical passages. All 980meters rising from the sea. Amazingly, all 3 teams summitted
simultaneously our respective summits! Down climbing and finding abseil points was the usual delicate part, but we found the right
belay points. Duncan did a great demonstration of bum sliding on the lower snow slopes whereas my softshell trousers just would not
slide!
Waiting for me on the beach, were all the guys. Apparently the boatman had refused to come out until "the lady" was down! A real
gentleman!
Five guys, a lady and an inflatable:
"Why do you have a red light on?"
"So that I do not blind you"
"It reminds me of a red light district"
"What is a red light district" asked one of the young climbers
"Let me tell you some facts of life…"
When the boatman finally arrived, he had a crate of beers for us, presenting us with a new challenge: drinking beer on a Zodiac
jumping on the waves.
Leaving the beach was difficult: the air was warm and the stars beckoning. I wish we had slept there. It had been a stupendous day
of joy and freedom.
I called this climb "Picnic for Charlotte" because I would like to go back there with my daughter and stay on the beach cracking
stupid jokes under the starry night.
We made some new friends and that is what mountaineering is about for me.
Francoise Call
Page 7
MT KENYA
"NO PICNIC
ON MT.
KENYA!"
It was in anticipation of alpine-style rock
climbing in January, that 8 of us set off for
Mount Kenya on Boxing Day 2008. It was the
following evening before we arrived in Nairobi,
and after a night in a 'hotel' we set off for the
mountain in minibuses. At Chogoria we
transferred from minibus to jeeps for the last 20
or so miles on rough road to the Park Gates
(3000m) and our first camp in the Bandas. It
was here that we got our first glimpse of the
mountain through the late afternoon cloud. On
an evening stroll to a nearby watering hole, we
saw a white crested eagle, hyena, water buffalo, West Face of Batian
dik-dik and water buck. Apparently, nearby,
© Tim Whiteley
elephant were hiding in the undergrowth (how
do they manage that?). We soon became aware of how much more Kenya
had to offer than just climbing.
In succeeding days we camped at 3300m and then trekked through giant
heather, lobelia and groundsel up the dramatic Nithi Gorge to Lake Michaelson
(3950m). A spectacular setting surrounded by high cliffs, the campsite was
home to malachite sunbirds, red-winged starlings and mountain chats - curious
enough to come into the tent looking for food. Most of us were feeling the
altitude by now and Diamox was coming in useful. The next day we trekked
up to Austrian Hut for lunch, and 6 of us climbed Pt Lenana (4985m) to bag our
first peak of the trip. After a steep descent into MacKinders valley, we set up
base at American camp (~4300m) on the south side of the mountain. This
afforded us spectacular views of Pt. Piggott, Batian, Nelion, Pt. Slade, Midget
Peak and Pt. John in crisp dawn light as well as under awesome night skies.
Although it was New Year's Eve, no-one felt up to celebrating and we retired to
The team on the summit of Lenana
bed at 8.00p.m., promising ourselves a rest the following day.
We woke to sunshine, the sound of starlings and Derek chuntering, 'I've come here to climb not sit around all day'. Despite our
resolve to rest, we all decided to make an attempt on Midget Peak (4700m). Dave and I opted for the South West Gully (III+). Within
30 minutes we were at the foot of the climb. The first two pitches went without a hitch, but then the guidebook and obvious route did
not tally. Foolishly, as it turned out, we decided to follow the guidebook description, and ended up climbing several pitches that were
more like V into an impasse. Realising that we were off route we then spent another hour abseiling down and exploring alternatives.
We made good time subsequently, despite the hail and snow, but were later at the summit than planned. Derek and Nigel had
chosen the South Gully (IV) - as had Tim and Cherrie - and we could hear them, first above us, and then, as we reached the summit,
below us. Two tricky abseils and some assistance from Derek and Nigel with route finding in the cloud and we were down. We got
back to camp somewhat later than planned
after scrambling over boulders in the pitch
black with only a new moon, a myriad of
stars and one head torch to light the way. Su
and Maggie had the presence of mind to
flash a torch every so often to help us locate
camp. Eleven hours after setting off we
arrived back at American Camp. So much
for a rest day!
There was no last minute change of plan
the following day and Su, Maggie and I had
our promised rest day. Dave went to try the
gully scramble on Pt Piggott, Derek and
Nigel set off early for Pt John, and Tim and
Cherrie, keen to do some 'hard stuff' went to
look at the Chouinard Crack on the North
Face of Midget Peak (VI). All returned
earlier than expected, cursing the guidebook
and the weather. This unfortunately became
Nithi Gorge © Tim Whiteley
a set pattern. The guidebook repeatedly
Page 8
MT KENYA
gave inaccurate descriptions
and the weather consistently
worsened around lunchtime
to give afternoons of hail and
snow. At least Tim and
Cherrie had had a chance to
enjoy the crux pitch low on
their route before abseiling
off.
After the heavy hail and
snow, climbing the next day
seemed unlikely. So we went
for a walk to Two Tarns and
beyond. Five of us ventured
up to the col and climbed
Arthur's Seat (4666m) a fun
ridge scramble. Tim and
Cherrie, meanwhile, played
at bouldering on an 'inviting
pinnacle', while Nigel tried to The peaks of Mt Kenya in the cloud©
Adele LongFrom left to right: Bation,
improve his acclimatisation
Nelion, Midget Minor, Midget, John.
Su on Mt Piggott © Derek Buckle
with some rest and
relaxation around Two Tarns. Later that day we discovered the hide-out of
the rock hyrax and many collective hours were spent watching and
photographing these marmot-like creatures. Their nearest relative, we were
reliably told, is the elephant.
Next day, with ropes and gear now dry, we set out for Pt. John, most of us
intent upon tackling the South Ridge (IV-). The guidebook once again proved
misleading. Two pairs ended up starting 2 pitches lower than the traverse
walk in taken by the others. Tim and Cherrie even managed a pitch of
around VI to end up where they had started - don't ask! Derek and Nigel
traversed further round to the east, deciding to go for the South East Gully
(III) and finding it more of an East Face than a gully & around IV by their
reckoning. The rest of us did the South Ridge, and an excellent climb it was
too. However, we were once again beset by afternoon hail and snow, but
with no easy escape routes and determined to summit, we pressed on.
Fortunately the granite affords superb friction making climbing in the wet
possible if not altogether desirable. The South Ridge parties reached the
summit mid afternoon, but just below the summit Derek and Nigel heard the
mountain 'humming' with static and decided to beat a hasty retreat. Less
haste more speed might have been advisable as their rope jammed and
Derek had to prussik all the way back up to free it. The precipitation made
abseiling a rather damp and difficult exercise and the activity was
accompanied by frequent cursing. We all got back just before dark, tired and
very wet, but pretty happy!
The need to dry ropes and gear resulted in a forced lie-in. Unfortunately the cloud rolled in and more hail fell before we could even
decide on a route for that day. The prospect of summiting Nelion and Batian was starting to look more remote. It would have involved
at least one bivouac and probably a wet, cold one to boot. After 2 hours of discussion and debate we reached the unanimous
decision that we would go down earlier than planned and have an extra day on safari. With mobile phone reception, even at 4,300m,
our guide, Dickson, was able to make the necessary changes to the itinery. This left us one more day on the mountain. It had to be Pt
Piggott (4957m), the fourth highest peak.
With an early start in the sunshine, we set off for the South Ridge (III+). The route was long but without difficulty until the
penultimate pinnacle. Not mentioned in the guidebook, we were faced with a very steep face and loose rock. Going on to the summit
was not an option. Dave and I did some exploration and found a way up around the west face, but deep soft snow would have cost
time so we skipped the summit. The return was pretty much down-climbing what we had come up. We all got back pleased to have
done the route, but disappointed that the guidebook had failed to give critical information that robbed us of the summit proper.
We walked out via the Naro Moro route. Described as 'vertical bog' we were slightly apprehensive as to what we would find. It turned
out to be delightful, with varied scenery, flora and fauna, and in 4 hours we were at the Rangers station where we had lunch and
were picked up in the jeeps. After a bumpy ride back to the main road and to a small town, we had our belated New Year
celebrations Kenyan style, roasted goat and Tusker beer, named after the elephant that killed the brewery owner - a fact that gave
Maggie much amusement. After lunch we drove to a lodge where we were to camp for two nights. This afforded a beautiful, if noisy,
setting with various birds, baboons and tree hyrax providing a cacophony of sound into the late evening. The water for our much
needed showers was heated by open wood burning stoves under large, unlagged water tanks. Our cook, Andy, and his assistant
Alfred, now had somewhere other than a tent to cook and our roast chicken and potatoes that evening was deemed the best meal to
date.
The safari at Sweetwater Game park was fabulous; it's not every day you find yourself within yards of a rhino that is so valuable he
has his own personal bodyguard. But this is not a mountaineering tale and is for another occasion. All in all Kenya is a country of
contrasts, and we had a great time.
Team: AC members Dave Wynne-Jones (meet leader), Derek Buckle, Adele Long, Nigel Kitney, and guests Maggie Bass
(CC), Tim Whiteley (CC), Cherrie Whiteley (CC) and Su Paton.Guide book: Guide to Mount Kenya and Kilimanjaro, Ed. Iain
Allan, 1990
Page 9
AC
MEET
RCTIVITIES
EPORTS
M
EMBER
’S A
Tour
du Ciel
Ascending S ridge Blanc de Moming
Virtually everyone has heard of the Haute
Route, the high level winter traverse from
Chamonix to Zermatt (or Saas Fee if you are
a purist), and there are many variants on the
line that can be taken. Possibly a less well known haute route, however,
is the Tour du Ciel, a ski route devised by Freddy Tscherrig, the guardian
of the Turtmann Hut. It is a route that appears to be popular with the
Swiss but not, judging by hut logbooks, with the British.
In contrast to its more famous namesake, this route crosses some
remarkably wild and sometimes difficult terrain, despite being
geographically close to Zermatt. More importantly, it passes some
breathtaking scenery; including less familiar views of the Matterhorn, Dent
d'Herens, Ober Gabelhorn, Dent Blanche and the Zinalrothorn.
Conveniently, it is regularly serviced by huts, and those without a guardian
are well equipped so it is not necessary to carry anything other than
normal touring gear.
Two of our team of five were supposed to be in Tibet, or at least in
China, but the prospect of permits for the area that we were interested in
were looking slim. When the leader, and primary organiser, had to
withdraw through injury the probability of going dropped dramatically to
zero. So what else might be available in the little time that was left?
Enter the cavalry in the form of Steve Gould, who was running the Tour du
Ciel for the Eagle Ski Club during the period that we now had free and,
more importantly, had spare places. We signed up immediately.
Remi approaching Bishorn summit
After acclimatising with a tour of the Schwarztor between Pollux and the
Breithorn we skied to the Schönbiel Hut for the tour proper, but a poor weather forecast subsequently drove us back to Zermatt. With
hindsight this was fortuitous since Will Tapsfield had left his ski boots on the train at Visp and they were now languishing in a siding
somewhere near Brig. With typical Swiss efficiency they were duly returned to Zermatt three days later when we resumed the tour.
This time we planned to skin to the unmanned Arben Bivouac, since this would avoid an early col, with known route-finding
difficulties, and get us back on schedule. Even in poor visibility we managed to locate the hut, but the problem was how to reach it.
Perched on an 80m vertical rock outcrop it looked rather impregnable. An approach from the left was decided, but after ascending
200m up a rather dodgy snow slope we eventually conceded that the hut was receding and that this was not the way to go.
Retreating to the base of the outcrop the right hand approach was subsequently found to be more appealing that it had at first
seemed - at least until the final 100m horizontal traverse. In summer there is probably a nice path somewhere, but after heavy
snowfall this exposed traverse certainly focused the mind. Next we had to excavate the hut. In the confined space available only two
people could dig at any time, but then we had a stroke of luck. A split stable door meant that it was necessary to clear only the top
half before we could clamber in and make ourselves comfortable. Venturing outside needed care, but the views were a stupendous
consolation.
As predicted, good weather began the next day as we traversed just north of the Ärbihorn to join a Swiss party on route to the Col
Durand from the Schönbiel Hut. Fortunately, by the time that we arrived at the difficult col their guides had already established an
awkward abseil which we were invited to use. Probably the less said about our (or at least my) prowess on this steep, icy ski abseil
the better, but once down the route to the Mountet Hut, with its fine views of the Ober Gabelhorn, Dent Blanche and Grand Cornier,
was relatively straightforward. Easy skinning the next day led to the superb South Ridge of the Blanc de Moming, which was climbed
on foot to the cairn at 3657m. A devious traverse then led to the pleasant, unmanned Ar Pitetta Hut which we shared with two other
groups.
Leaving the Ar Pitetta we crossed the Crête de Milon to the Tracuit Hut where we joined several groups intent, like us, on climbing
the Bishorn (4153m) the following day. Making an early start, we mingled with other parties up the well-trodden track before
completing the final 20m to the summit on foot. From here, the Weisshorn's crenulated North Ridge dominates the magnificent view.
Returning to the Tracuit Hut we then continued to the Turtmann Hut for our last night on tour. Access to this hut is by way of a steep,
narrow couloir that only the two youngest members, Remi Gauvain and Niall Kydd, were brave enough to ski; we lesser mortal
climbed down on foot. From here it was all downhill to Oberems before starting the return journey home.
Derek Buckle
Page 10
MEMBER’S ACTIVITIES
Ice climbing around
Sixt and Samoens
A group of seven of us visited this
area in January 2009, arriving just
after the end of a very cold and settled period of weather. Despite the
fronts blowing in during our week we
had some very good days and
enjoyed being in this lovely, quiet
area. We only saw other climbers on
Le Fer a Cheval - Sixt.
Enough to keep most busy.
Corner to
R of
Cascade
de Rouget
Nick - on the 1st Cigar
Double Cigar 1115+
- Val Sales
the first Sunday. There is a good range of ice
climbs there and after cold conditions some
are very easy of access, being within 30 minutes of the road. The Fer a Cheval is a major
ice-climbing venue and amongst others includes the great historic classic route
Pissevache [V/6]. After that there a just so many routes - particularly for the higher grades.
For those who like the ski option then that is easily accessible and some was tried, but
only as a last resort on appalling days and on the last morning of perfect weather and
conditions.
We stayed at the Chalet Henriette in Salvagny owned by an English couple, Nick and
Kath who run Alpine Elephant. This was an excellent base because it was convenient for
many climbs, some of which can be walked to from the chalet, and others are reached by
Pete ‘Father Christmas’ Holden
a short drive to start with. The food and accommodation were very good indeed and there
on his way up.
is an excellent drying room. Nick is a keen ice-climber and was able to give us very good
local information and also joined us for climbing on most days. The routes walked to from the
chalet include the classic Cascade du Rouget [11/4] just 30 minutes walk and the very impressive Double Cigar [111/5+] about 11/2 hours in the deep
fresh snow prevailing. Both of these were ascended. Other good routes were done with a short drive to start with.
Some AC members will know that it was in this area that Alfred Wills built his chalet The Eagles Nest and about which he wrote
his superb book of the area in which he describes his early mountaineering explorations in the area. One of the lovely sketches in
that book is of the Cascade Nant d'Ant [11/4+] which is now a classic ice climb, which we also did.
Information and photos can be seen on:
http://alpineelephant.blogspot.com/ and
http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/peterangholden/
Page 11
AC MEETS REPORTS
Report to the Alpine Club - LSCC Centenary
2008 was the centenary of the Ladies Scottish Climbing Club and various events were arranged to celebrate
this. We had a dinner at the Athol Palace Hotel in Pitlochry, where Rupert Hoare represented the Alpine Club. Members supported
two 'conservation' weekends, working with the National Trust of Scotland in Glen Coe. Also in Glen Coe in the Summer, thirty
members climbed Buachaille Etive Mor by various routes climbing or scrambling, some wearing gear from past decades. But the big
event of the year was a trip to Bolivia.
The plan was to have a core week at a base where we would all be together. In order to acclimatise, the nineteen members and
friends visited various other areas. There was a group in the Galapagos Islands, a group walking to Matcho Pitcho, others wildlife
spotting in the tropical forest, everybody visited Lake Titikaka and Kate Ross and I planned a nice easy trek from Illimani to Huayna
Potosi.
This trek developed into something of an adventure and was certainly not easy, despite promising ourselves in Georgia last year,
never to do any tough backpacking trips again. Our guide was not familiar with the route, did not have a map, and only spoke
Spanish. Starting at first light and finishing at dark, we backpacked over 5000m cols, and even tried a 'shortcut' through mine tunnels,
finding only dead ends. We later discovered there is a 'shortcut' through the tunnels and the route we took outside across an
almost vertical hillside, of loose boulders with some grass between, with several hundred meters of similar terrain below is not
recommended as it is so dangerous.
The campsite for the core week was at the Lagoona Chiar Kota under Condoriri at about 4700m, where we all gathered during the
third week in July. From there most of us climbed two scrambling peaks, Peak Austria 5328m and Mirador 5250 We also climbed
three very fine Alpine style peaks Pyramid Blanca 5200m, Tarija 5300m and Pequeno Alpamayo 5410m. The later has one of the
finest ridges I have ever climbed, not difficult, but very exposed, so we used ice screws for protection.
After the main meet several of us moved camp and climbed the rather fine Huayna Potosi 6088m, the final summit of the trip. To fill
in a few days before going home we trekked in the Sorata area visiting two beautiful high glacier fed lakes.
Illimani 6439m and Condoriri 5648m were also climbed two of our husbands. Overall, the meet in South America was most
successful, with everybody having an active time and visiting new areas. A worthwhile expedition to celebrate our centenary -this will
be a hard meet to follow . Margaret Graham
Western
Grit
by Chris Craggs
Ne
w
Gu
ide
Another classic UK selected guide from
‘you know who’.
You all know the score - lots of photos and well
illustrated routes covering all the most popular
gritstone crags of the western side of the Peak
District. This guide is a must for all those who
want a wide ranging guide featuring all the
best routes in the area.
Afficianados of the area who want ALL the routes will
have to buy the BMC definitive guides but this guide
gives most of us great value and clear
descriptions along with loads of other info on
where, when etc.
Be warned - don’t carry this book on the crag! It
weighs in at a chunky 728gms - or just over 1 1/2 lbs
in old money.
Price : £22.00
Members - don’t forget your own
‘Member’s Area’ in the website!
If you still have not done so, do register for Alpinet at
http://www.alpine-club .or g .uk/alpinet/index.php
you can look up the latest addresses of members and change your own
details, sign on to circulation lists etc.
ALSO -
send in y our email ad dr ess to ensur e y ou g et ke pt
up to da te with our r e gular A C Email Bulletins .
Send it to [email protected] and Amber will include you on the list.
Francoise Call, AC Hon Sec.
Page 12
MEMBER’S ACTIVITIES
Early Days----In 1956 I was age 17 at King George V Grammar School, Southport, and part of a school climbing group led by the
Headmaster, Geoffrey Dixon. As such I had been up rock climbs in North Wales and the Lake District with him and various other
pupils. He then sought to extend our experiences to the Alps. I believe he was a member of the AC and CC. Two of us pupils went
on this trip, along with a friend of his, a doctor, Alastair by name, who injured an ankle and returned home. We were thus three
people, the Headmaster, John Gatiss aged 18 and myself. I can remember much of my first alpine expedition because I had
become hooked on climbing and mountaineering in 1953, when John Hunt's team climbed Everest, and took a big interest in things
related. I also sent letters home with details of this 1956 expedition and can now offer support of my memory of 53 years ago.
We travelled out by rail, steam hauled, that deposited us at Sion in the Rhone valley, followed by Swiss post bus to Les Hauderes.
The Boss (Headmaster) then hired a jeep to get us onwards to Arolla ("no metal road as far as here, only tracks, but the drivers and
jeeps make easy work of the switchback": my letter home). My memory has it that John and I camped in a tent with a simple
groundsheet and no mattress. From here we did the Petit Dent de Veisivi and Aiguille de la Tsa (via the Bertol Hut). In unsettled
weather we trekked to the Moiry hut, ascended the Grand Cornier, traversed to the Mountet hut over the Pigne de la Le, then via the
Trifthorn to the Rothorn hut and did the Zinal Rothorn and down to Zermatt ("We heard Tom Bourdillon had been killed.": my letter
home).
We then went to the Tasch hut "with the prime object of making the first guideless ascent of the Westgrat on the Alphubel (4206m)":
my letter home. The Boss knew about these things and John and I merely went along with his plan. "On reaching the ridge we found
it dry and non-iced, but the rocks were very unsound and often we sent boulders hurtling down. Thunder rolled in the valley and
clouds soon swirled round us, lashing blinding snow in our faces. There were two very difficult parts before we were to attempt the
last hard part, and these John Gatiss lead (sic) up very well, after the Head had failed. By now the rocks were covered with snow
and ice but we were only 600ft off the top and nobody thought of retreat. We attained the summit of the 3000ft rock climb in 8 hours
and though the snow was preventing views of more than 10ft, we were highly delighted." "We spent one and a half hours on the top
with compass and map, trying to find the descent ridge. We found steps cut in the ice and soon could see out of the cloud and into
the valley. From there the descent was simple but we were so tired that two days rest were decided upon.": my letter home). I broke
my borrowed wooden shafted ice axe during the ascent and returned it in two halves to England for repair. The route description in
Collomb's AC guide Pennine Alps East 1975 records our ascent as First British (third) ascent, AD+, pitches of III/III+ and crux IV+.
Grading in AC Valais Alps East (Swindin) 1999 is similar.
We next went up to the Schonbuhl and tried the Ober Gabelhorn but soft snow turned us back, so the Boss decided we should go
to the Dent Blanche hut the same day in order to try the Dent Blanche next day. On arrival (7.10pm, after the 3.00am start for the
aborted Ober Gabelhorn), I was "worn out", and gave the Dent Blanche a miss, but the other two did it. We then returned to Les
Hauderes, Sion, Paris, Dieppe, Newhaven, Southport. The holiday from Les Hauderes back to Les Hauderes lasted 20 days, and at
the time seemed to me like continuous non-stop motion. My mother was amazed how heavily I ate for days back at home. I wonder
how many grammar school headmasters would in today's climate in outdoor education take teenage pupils up serious mountains in
the Alps.
John Allen
Anniversary Celebrations
The 50th Anniversary of the inauguration of the Coruisk
Memorial Hut was held on Saturday 23rd May at Elgol, Isle
ofSkye. The event was organised by Alex Haddow, J.M.C.S.
Glasgow Section, and some seventy members and guests were
present. A lively Ceilidh took place in the Village Hall on the
Saturday night, but the boat trip planned to the Hut itself next day
had to be cancelled due to the high winds and low cloud, in
contrast to the perfect conditions in 1959. The intended barbeque
lunch at the hut was held instead in the Hall at Elgol.
Older members of the AC , the CUMC and the Climbers Club
Coruisk Hut opening celebrations. 23rd May 1959
will recall that the hut was founded and financed by the parents of
photo: Brian Drummond-Smith
Peter Drummond Smith and David Munro, who died on Ben Nevis
in April 1953. The two young climbers were already making a
name for themselves in Scottish winter climbing and in the resurgence of British
Alpinism of the early fifties; their disappearance in an avalanche in South Castle Gully
was a great loss.
The founders were represented by Brian Drummond Smith, younger brother of
Peter, with his wife and family; also by David Whitham, a Cambridge friend and
architect of the hut. The descendants of Lachlan McKinnon, the Elgol builder,
responsible for the construction in the harshest of conditions, were also valued guests.
For the small group of the original Trustees and members of JMCS intimately
connected with the building of the hut it was a weekend of sadness, but also of
pleasure at the contribution the hut hamade to the adventurous exploration of this still The Coruisk Hut in 2008 with its new roof.
wild and inaccessible part of the Cuillin. Denis Greenald
Page 13
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Alpine Club Ann ual Dinner
Saturday 28 November 2009
Shap Wells Hotel
Shap, Cumbria
Imp
*pl orta
eas
nt
er
ead
!
*
The Club's annual dinner will be held on Saturday 28 November 2009 at the Shap Wells Hotel (CA10 3QU).
The dinner will follow on from the AGM, also being held at the Shap Wells The Dinner will be 7 for 7.30 pm.
Dress: Casual Smart
Dinner tickets cost £27.00 per person for a three course dinner, excluding drink.
Tickets can be purchased either via the Club's website or by sending a cheque plus SAE to the Assistant Secretary, 55
Charlotte Road, London EC2A 3QF marking the envelope - ANNUAL DINNER.
No Refunds!
The Shap Wells have a special rate for AC members for overnight accommodation
(£78 per night for a double or twin room and £54.00 for a single room, bed and breakfast).
Rooms are to be booked direct with the hotel on 01931 716628.
Please do come along and support the Club. The Shap Wells is in a great location for walking in the hills and
the evening is a great social occasion.
Look forward to seeing you there.
w
Ne
B
k
oo
MOUNTAIN WORDS
British hill and crag literature: into the 21st century
by Chris Harle & Graham Wilson from Millrace books.
Mountain Words
British hill & crag literature: into the 21st century
Chris Harle & Graham Wilson
w
Ne
Pr
ide
u
G
e
£1
4.
9
5
Mountaineering literature, with its cast of brilliant eccentrics and everything
from high drama to understated wit, is collected almost as eagerly as the routes
and summits themselves. For such enthusiasts and collectors, Graham Wilson and
Chris Harle have teamed up to produce Mountain Words, a book that is
entertaining, informative and a useful reference.
Part I is a series of essays by Boardman Tasker-shortlisted author Wilson on
British mountaineering literature:
‘Vids ’n’ Verbs’ discusses the relative merits of photography and words when it
comes to capturing the true nature of a climb.
‘The Future is in Blogs’ assesses the contribution of climbing club journals to
mountaineering literature and the effect of the internet on such publications.
‘A Stroll in the Park’ examines the nature of hill-walking literature, with particular
emphasis on the continuous long distance epic.
‘His Story’ looks at the biographies and autobiographies of renowned mountain
men, including Whillans and Wainwright.
‘Smoke and Mirrors’ evaluates some aspects of mountain fiction
over the last 25 years.
Part II is a detailed bibliography by climber and bookseller Harle of over 250 British
mountain and hill books published between 1983 and 2008. Each entry contains
the usual bibliographic details and a short description of the content. For a title to
be included, Harle and Wilson decided it had to be the sort of book you would
settle down to read — including fiction, biography, history, humour — rather than a
straightforward guide to The Fifty Best Climbs in Wherevershire. But, they say:
“As with all lists, there will be disagreement over books omitted
through either accident or design, or books included that do not
meet the specifications set. No matter, debate passes the idle hour.”
Also included is a list of all Boardman Tasker prize winners and short-listed books
since the award began in 1983, and a list of the authors’ Top Fifty recommended
books published before 1983.
Scottish Rock Volume 2 (North)
written by Gary Latter
Scottish Rock Volume 1 (North) by Gary Latter presents the
climbs to be found north of the Great Glen including Skye, the
Outer Hebrides and the Orkney Isles. The volume includes 250
high quality, full colour, photographic topo-diagrams detailing 2400
of the Northern regions' best routes at all grades. Something for
everyone. The guide mentions the approaches to the areas and
the climbs, reinforced by the numerous scaled area maps.
Scottish Rock Volume 2 (North) written by Gary Latter
ISBN: 978-1906095079
Published by Pesda Press
Full colour paperback.
Price £23.00
Page 14
ic
Cordee
has
moved.
Cordee Ltd, the
mountaineering book
distributor, has moved.
Their new address is:
11 Jacknell Road
Dodswell Bridge
Industrial Esrate
Hinckley
Leics LE10 3BS
www.cordee.co.uk
LIBRARY
Library News
We are delighted to that we have recently seen an increase in the number of books lent out
from the Club library. However, this has resulted in many people now asking after books which
are still checked out. Due to this we would greatly appreciate all books being returned within the
loan duration deadline of 4 weeks (by Club Regulations) so that all members can enjoy their
Library's stock.
Please also note that the Library will be, as tradition, shut for the month of August and open
again on the 1st of September.
Tadeusz Hudowski, Librarian
Membership News will be held over until the November issue as the Membership Sec Steve Hunt is away on a
protracted climbing holiday. (Who’s got it right, then!)
Second Hand Books Sales:
From time to time the Library offers a list of surplus books that are for sale to members. To save costs and delay, we will now do this
by e-mail. If you cannot receive e-mail, then please give Mike Hewson at the AC Library a note of your name and current address
and we will post any new lists to you.
Index to Alpine Journal 1988-2007
A new index for the years 1988 to 2007, produced by combining the indices for each volume, is available in pdf form to
download from the website. Use the link under Notices on the Home Page. The index is also available as an Excel database for those who want to play - contact John Town at [email protected].
JIM CURRAN
' WHAT GOES ROUND COMES
ROUND'
Paintings, prints, drawings and water colours to
celebrate 50 years of mountaineering. A wide ranging
exhibition of Jim Curran's work will be on display at the
Alpine Club from October until December 2009.
Members and their friends are invited to the opening on
TUESDAY 13th OCTOBER 2009.
The exhibition traces Curran's roots on Southern
Sandstone to recent paintings in the Peak District with a
fascination for abandoned millstones. The exhibition
will include signed and numbered prints of some of
Curran's well known paintings.
Page 15
SKI
.
TOURING AT
QUEYRAS
This meet was
organised by Phil Ingle
and based at Le
Chateau, the B&B he
and his partner run in
Guillestre. Guillestre is
quiet town south of
Briancon, handily placed
at the entrance to the
Queyras National Park
and within easy reach of the E side of the Ecrins. The
whole area is very well covered for touring by French
guidebooks and websites and an ideal place for a week or
two of day-tours, especially in such a good year for snow.
Phil had done a great deal of research and helped us with
daily suggestions of routes suitable to the weather and our
comfort levels. He also joined us when he could.
The advance party, Dave and Alex, drove out, arriving
first in Chamonix to fulfil, Alex's ambition to ski the Vallee
Blanche courtesy of Francoise Call's hospitality. The
Alex Hood, John Kentish &
Envers du Plan variation gave some fine steep powder
Peter Moody on the ascent of
with latterly some tricky route finding in mist around the
Pointe de Marcellettes.
Requin hut in the company of a rather nervous guide. He
had just fallen into a crevasse and had been unable to climb out. His clients were neither
competent nor equipped to assist him so it was lucky he was able to call in the rescue
services. As he said, "It can happen to anyone," and unusually suggested joining forces for
the remainder of the descent. A quick meal in Chamonix and we arrived in Guillestre later that
night.
A slightly late start next day meant we used the uplift at Ceillac to speed our approach to
the Col Girardin then traversed the ridge to climb steeply up icy snow to the Col de Petit Part.
It was bitterly cold but the views from the Col were fantastic and the run back down to Ceillac
challengingly icy and very fast. A short day climbing up to the Sommet Boucher from La Rua
was followed by an even shorter one at Ceillac when we found Alex's Fritschi Freeride binding
was broken at the front mounting. It may have been the difficult skinning on the Col de Petit
Part. All good business though for the ski-touring shop in Guillestre that replaced the bindings
with the latest model.
With all the snow Phil had been scoping possibilities for first descents of some of the unskied
couloirs of the area. On 27th we skinned up from Coin to attempt one on the east face of the
Pic du Jaillon. Reaching the foot of the face we could see the line of the couloir rising above
the cliffs where it ended in an impressive drop. We stashed excess kit then booted up the
steepening slopes heading for a broad break through the cliffs over to the left. This led to a
bowl with a steep awkward exit over a rocky rib. From there we booted up further narrow
gullies and rocky ribs to gain the summit ridge, breaking through the cornice about 30m right of
the summit.
Unfortunately we had somehow entirely missed the line of the couloir. Fortunately that meant
Phil Ingle traversing a steep rib on the
we did not have to ski the line of the ascent as there was a disascent of the E face of Pic du Jaillon.
tinct lack of conviction that we could do so. Phil traversed a little
further right to stare down into the intended couloir but the entry
was blocked by a very steep loose-looking rock step that we
simply could not down climb with skis on our packs. We had
lunch, discussed options then climbed along the ridge to the
summit at 2720m. A little further and we could step into our skis
to ski steeply down to the Col de la Combe l'Above.
From the Col we could ski back down in either direction or
traverse high and climb back up to the summit ridge beyond the
rock step to make the descent of the couloir. After all that effort it
had to be the couloir, although peering down the 50 degree entry
chute we were not quite so sure. Phil led the way as we skied
cautiously, one by one, section by section, down the steep snow.
Lower down it opened out more and eased to 40 degrees but in
the bowl above the cliffs Alex lost a ski and Phil had to ski rapidly
across on intercept before they both stepped up carefully to gain
the bounding rib on the right. Crossing that rib, and the narrow
gully beyond where our boot-tracks stretched away above us, we Phil Ingle making first tracks entering the previously unskied
couloir on Pic du Jaillon.
managed to ski the further rib with a minimum of scratchiness,
despite its awkwardness in ascent. Then we were out in the initial
snow bowl and could ski easily back round to our cache below the cliffs.
By then though it was late enough for the snow to have refrozen and, tired by the long day, our skiing was less than elegant back to
Coin. A stunning day and first descent, although that night Dave slipped on ice fetching pizza back to Le Chateau and damaged his
shoulder: c'est la vie.
Next day Alex & Dave used the uplift at Abries to gain the Collette de Gilly, then skinned up the valley beyond to reach the curiously
named Col d'Urine with Dave popping painkillers like sweets. From the Col we climbed the South-east slopes of the Mait d'Amunt on
the Italian side of the border to its summit at 2804m. After lunch a short narrow chute took us out onto the open slopes of the
north-west face. Interesting skiing led to a long straight down to Valpreveyre, a snowbound hamlet unoccupied in winter. Its chapel
had been smashed by an avalanche only 2 months previously. We then skied down the snowed up road to Le Roux where Alex
hitched a ride back to collect the car from Abries.
Peter and John arrived on that evening (Saturday), and thereafter the party set off and climbed the same objective each day, though
sometimes splitting for the descent - the Queyras does provide plenty of challenging descents! The weather was mixed - on days
when the cloud was low or later in the week when the avalanche risk was higher we stuck to the trees with targets like the 900m
ascent of l'Eypiol 2550m via the ruined summer hamlet of Valpreveyre near Abries on our first day, and an interesting circuit in new
powder over the Pt. 2376 from Villargaudin on the last day. We had one really short day when the low came in, but the other three
were fine and sunny. One was spent happily using 2 draglifts to access the fresh powder at the tiny resort of Crevoux, another using
a couple of lifts from Ceillac to access the start of a skin up the 1000m ascent of the west flank of Tête du Rissace 2965m from
Vallon d'Albert, with a good descent on mixed snow to the east to Val Cristallan and a long fairly flat ski round and back to Ceillac.
The highlight was probably the tour starting near St Veran, skinning up initially through woods to a col on the ridge between Pic
Cascavelier and Pointe des Marcelettes, then on up the ridge to the Pointe at 2909m. Here the party split, with 2 members skiing a
steep gully to the NE just below the summit, the rest took a longer descent to the W, then N, also finding a steep, but much shorter
gully to enjoy.
At the end of the meet we all felt we'd only scratched the surface of a very promising touring area, with a huge choice of day tours
as well as potential for hut-to-hut circuits. Dave Wynne-Jones & Peter Moody (guest).
Alpine Club meet February 24 - March 7 Present: Phil Ingle (Organiser), Alex Hood, John Kentish, Peter Moody, Dave Wynne Jones
Page 16
Q UEYRAS
PIOLET D’OR
The AC great and the good on duty in
Chamonix!
Andy ‘punk’ Parkin going for it.
S Venables, S Goodwin,
M Scott & Luca Signorelli
hanging out in Cham.
Doug showing
how he does it!
Alison
actually
doing
"Ah yes, and then there were those golden axes; what was that all about?" some
For most of the time at this year's Piolets d'Or, the vexed business of prizes and, climblet's be blunt, picking 'winners', seemed almost forgotten. That perhaps wasn't the ing.
case for the six teams on the shortlist, but for the polyglot crowd of mountaineers,
famous and not so, friends and journalists, gathered in Chamonix over four days
in May, the reconstituted Piolets had taken a big step away from sponsor-driven
competition and towards a festival of alpinism.
Mountaineers young and not-so young, from across the globe, debated, partied,
gossiped endlessly, and even managed to fit in a bit of climbing - champions of the free-climbing ethic
Doug and Donnini
happily clipping bolts on the Chamonix and Aosta valley crags. 'When in Rome…'
swapping secrets.
How could it fail with a line-up including Walter Bonatti, Peter Habeler, Doug Scott, Jim Donini, Japan's
Giri Giri Boys and Simon Anthamatten; reliving their adventures before audiences in the Hotel Majestic, and then reliving their youth
boogying to a blues band at the Bistrot des Sports until 4am? The Strictly come Dancing award would probably go to Donini, outgoing
president of the American Alpine Club, for his table-top twist. For most of the time then, the so-called 'coveted axes' seemed little
more than a pretext to be there.
Doug, makeshift bandana round his head, pushed back the tables and kicked off the dancing with his wife Trish - rather confounding
the suspicion he had a broken foot (aggravated a couple of days earlier rock climbing with Andy Parkin in the Aiguilles Rouges). Doug
was in Cham' as president of the Piolets jury, a ticklish task for someone reputedly so anti-competition, and his misgivings persisted.
Opening the final 'prize' ceremony, he observed: 'This should be the most important part [of the festival]. But is it? The greatest thing
is that these six climbs have created the spirit that has surrounded us in this great week.'
Guided by the new president of the Groupe de Haute Montagne, Christian Trommsdorff, the 17th Piolets rose from the ruins of an
event that had collapsed under the weight of sponsors' demands - gear makers, unsurprisingly, wanted to see their own climbers on
the podium - and anguish among mountaineers over the ridiculous business of choosing 'best' climbs. This time, however, the
involvement of the municipalities of Chamonix and Courmayeur provided the GHM with the resources necessary to lay on a major
festival with little reliance on commercial sponsorship.
A total of 57 first ascents from 2008 were considered of which six were put before a jury, presided over by Doug and comprising
Donini, Habeler, Dodo Kopold of Slovakia, Im Duck Young, a Korean mountain journalist, and Dario Rodriguez, editor of Desnivel.
Early on, Doug had suggested giving golden axes to all six teams, but the organisers wouldn't wear it. In the end Piolets went to
Kazuya Hiraide and Kei Taniguchi for their first ascent of the south-east face of Kamet, to Kazuki Amano, Fumitaka Ichimura and
Yusuke Sato for their alpine-style ascent of the north face of Kalanka, and to Simon Anthamatten and Ueli Steck for their first ascent
of the much-tried north face of Teng Kangpoche. As if this were climbing's Oscars, there was also a 'lifetime achievement' award for
Walter Bonatti. The 69-year alpinist par exellence was given an affectionate reception in both Chamonix and Courmayeur.
In various guises, there was a strong AC presence at the event. Prior to award of the Piolets, the first Spirit of Mountaineering
Commendations of the Alpine Club were presented Simon Anthamatten (Swiss), Alexy Bolotov (Russian), Don Bowie (Canadian),
Horia Colibasanu (Romanian), Ueli Steck (Swiss) and Denis Urubko (Kazakh) for their attempt to rescue Spanish alpinist Iñaki Ochoa
de Olza from 7400m on Annapurna in May 2008. Anthamatten, Bowie and Colibasanu were present to receive the commendations in
person from AC president Paul Braithwaite and Norman Croucher, founder of the initiative. They were supported by Frank Cannings,
a Spirit of Mountaineering committee member, AC vice-president Martin Scott, and AC hon secretary Francoise Call, to whom several
of us are indebted for her generous hospitality during the event.
A swish Piolets dinner in the Majestic also made a fine setting for the announcement of honorary AC membership to Riccardo
Cassin, five months after the Walker Spur maestro's 100th birthday. Riccardo's son Guido was present to receive the award from Paul
Braithwaite.
The Piolets was undoubtedly a success as a festival but there were certainly some present who will feel happier - particularly if there
is to be more AC involvement - if Christian Trommsdorff and his team can take the final step and drop the invidious business of
picking winners altogether. Then it really will be a celebration of the true spirit of alpinism.
Stephen Goodwin
* Full accounts of all six of the Piolets climbs, plus comment on the event and an account of the Annapurna rescue will appear in the
2009 Alpine Journal.
The Golden Axeman Cometh
The International
Mountain Summit®
The International Mountain Summit® is the
central event for anyone interested in
mountaineering, hiking and outdoor sports. The
first event, to be held from 3 to 8 November 2009
in Bressone/Brixen inaugurates a series of yearly
international summits offering the visitor an
exciting convention together with a matching
outdoor fair and plenty of extra activities and a
chance to experiance the beautiful Sud Tyrol. At
the IMS®, the schedule revolves entirely around
one topic: the mountain. The International
Mountain Summit® will unite a number of
renowned mountaineering legends: World-class
athletes like Reinhold Messner, Alexander
Huber and Ines Papert will meet at a unique
event which has successfully invited the crème de
la crème.
Page 17
MOUNTAIN MEDICINE INFORMATION
o
inf r
t
n
u
rta r yo
o
p
o
Im od f lth!
Go hea
MOUNTAIN MEDICINE & FIRST AID ADVICE,
TRAINING AND INFORMATION
By Dr David Hillebrandt (Hon Medical Advisor to BMC.)
INTRODUCTION
All one has to do is to read articles in the Alpine Journal, climbing magazines or some of the classic mountaineering texts
to realise that medical matters, such as long term climbing injuries, altitude and travel related illness or trauma lead to epics,
anxiety and much confusion. Pub chat and web based forums reveal just how much medical myth and misinformation permeates the
climbing world. It is not until you are crouching next to an injured companion or throwing up at altitude that you fully appreciate the
value of some basic but sound advice prior to the potential drama.
I hope this article will steer members towards reputable sources of information. Many climbers contact the BMC for general or
personal medical advice and in a genuine emergency the BMC medical advisors will try to help but prior knowledge and training could
prevent a lot of anxiety.
WEBSITES
The Web is a fantastic resource for information and discussion but equally is also a potential source of unreliable misinformed
opinions with no peer review filter system. It is a public haven for the neurotic. Personal medical advice has no place on an open
forum.
So what websites do I respect and recommend?
THE BRITISH MOUNTAINEERING COUNCIL ( http://www.thebmc.org.uk )
This website is currently being updated and at last gives more prominence to medical matters. A team of British mountain medicine
experts have committed themselves to keeping this site regularly updated with articles and updates on new research. It can act as a
gateway to other sources of information.
THE UIAA. The International Mountaineering and Climbing Federation. (http://www.theuiaa.org/act_medical.html )
News and preventative advice sheets on many subjects including Children at Altitude, Mountaineering with Pre existing Medical
Conditions, High Altitude Illness, Treatment of High Altitude Cerebral Edema (HACE) and High Altitude Pulmonary Edema (HAPE),
Travellers Diarrhoea, Water Purification, How to assess the quality of a commercial trek or expedition, Nutrition for Mountaineering,
Contraception at altitude etc.
IKAR. The Commission for Alpine Rescue ( http://www.ikar-cisa.org )
The rescue equivalent of the UIAA's preventative advice. For practical treatment advice at an international level use this site. Click for
an English translation and then on the section for Alpine Medicine. Good sections of Hypothermia and frostbite. Also useful section on
different country's rescue services. Under publications one can find details of their excellent avalanche rescue DVD.
TRAVEL ADVICE ON IMMUNISATIONS, MALARIA PROTECTION AND FOREIGN MEDICAL RISKS
( http://www.fitfortravel.scot.nhs.uk )
A free government sponsored site open to the layman but used by many doctors and travel clinic nurses. Based on good quality up to
date international data.
CIWEC CLINIC, KATHMANDU ( http://www.ciwec-clinic.com )
Where in the world would you expect a clinic to have a massive data base on Travellers Diarrhoea and High Altitude Illness? Get your
information direct from the international experts based in Nepal. Well worth a read to update yourself prior to any high altitude trek to
a country where you are likely to spend several hours suspended above a remote latrine.
CENTRE FOR DISEASE CONTROL( http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/default.aspx )
An American government site from Atlanta, Georgia. Ideal for those who really want to enjoy ill health abroad.
NATIONAL TRAVEL HEALTH NETWORK AND CENTRE (NaTHNaC) ( http://www.nathnac.org/travel/index.htm )
The British government equivalent to the Centre for Disease Control. With a stiff upper lip you will not be as anxious as if used the
American equivalent.
MEDEX AND MEDICAL EXPEDITIONS ( http://www.medex.org.uk )
A British based mountain medicine education charity that produces a free downloadable altitude travel booklet and runs a variety of
course for doctors and the interested layman. This site also lists all the holders of the UK/UIAA/IKAR/ISMM Diploma of Mountain
Medicine with details of their specific areas of expertise.
COURSES
If dealing with an injured climber on a mat at an indoor wall the basic Red Cross, St John or St Andrew first aid course will be ideal
but for the mountains a more specific outdoor course is more relevant.
Whilst there are some excellent courses on remote area first aid available that are run by genuinely experienced expedition doctors
and paramedics there are also some "Rambo" style courses which would have the lay mountaineer performing advanced surgery in a
remote setting. Be careful. The courses that I am aware of and that have a good reputation are listed below. This list does not
pretend to be comprehensive.
RESCUE EMERGENCY CARE COURSES
These modular courses vary from a two day basic course to a three day remote area module and a daylong high altitude module. All
are run by approved trainers and the emphasis is on a very practical approach to problems with scenario based training normally held
in the outdoor environment. Courses are run at Plas y Brenin or via other providers.
Details from: Westfield House, Kings Crescent, Elderslie, Johnstone, PA5 9AD. Tel: 0870 532 9242
WILDERNESS MEDICAL TRAINING
These well established "Far from Care" courses are run by Dr Jon Dallimore and his team and vary in length from a two day basic to
a week long intensive course. They cater for two groups of clients. The Explorer courses are for the layman and the Medic courses
are designed for doctors and other healthcare professionals. Some of their courses are run in conjunction with the Royal
Geographical Society. Details from: http://www.wildernessmedicaltraining.co.uk
EXEPEDITION MEDICINE COURSES
Expedition Medicine is run by Dr Sean Hudson and his wife Dr Caroline Knox. It too runs respected courses for medical professionals
Page 18
MOUNTAIN MEDICINE INFORMATION
and the layperson with previous first aid skills. Courses are designed for specific challenging environments.
Details from: http://www.expeditionmedicine.co.uk
HIGH ALTTIUDE MEDICINE AND PHYSIOLOGY COURSE
This three day course is run on alternate years in November or early December by Medical Expedition at Plas y Brenin. It is primarily
geared for doctors but others with an interest in the subject and basic understanding of human physiology seem to also enjoy this
event. There is an international panel of high altitude medical experts in attendance to give formal lectures and run workshops.
Details from: http://www.medex.org.uk
UK DIPLOMA OF MOUNTAIN MEDICINE
This is the UK version of the internationally recognised UIAA/IKAR/ISMM Diploma of Mountain Medicine. In the UK it is administered
by Medical Expeditions and the University of Leicester. It is made up of four one week residential modules with additional course work
and is open to doctors, final year medical students and those with paramedic registration or equivalent. It normally takes two year to
complete the course but the modules can be spread over four years. All candidates start with the theory module at Plas y Brenin in
the Autumn and finish with an Alpine module. Fifty percent of the syllabus involves practical mountain skills and this is overseen by
UIAGM guides.Details: http://www.medex.org.uk
http://www.le.ac.uk/msce/ProfessionalDevelopment/other/coursesmedprac.html and click on mountain medicine line.
BOOKS
Travel at High Altitude complied by a Medex team (yes them again!). A free internet download from :
http://www.medex.org.uk/medex_book.htm . Well if it's free you cannot go wrong but in fact if you do read this you will also not go
far wrong. Available in English, Greek, Serbian, German and Nepalese and more editions in preparation. Designed for the layman
with simple pre trip advice. Now in it second 2008 edition.Pocket First Aid and Wilderness Medicine by Dr Jim Duff. 10th edition 2007.
ISBN: 13: 978 1 85284 500 1 .Published by Cicerone Press.UK . A simple layman's guide to remote area first aid including altitude
problems. Guidebook size.
The High Altitude Medicine Handbook by Pollard & Murdoch. 3rd Edition. ISBN 1857758498 Pub 2003 Radcliffe Medical Press.
Written for the layman but used by many travel medicine doctors and nurses as a simple reference.
Oxford Handbook of Expedition and Wilderness Medicine.Johnson, Anderson, Dallimore, Winser and Warrell.
ISBN-13: 978-0-19-929661-3. Pub 2008 by Oxford University Press. A new book, written with RGS involvement, that is rapidly
becoming the standard UK expedition planning text for all doctors and medics.
Casualty Care in Mountain Rescue edited by John Ellerton 2nd Edition. ISBN: 9750 950176574. Available from
[email protected] at £15 +p&p.Cheques payable to the "Mountain Rescue Council". (The best mountain rescue medical
book to date.)
PERSONAL ADVICE
For personal medical advice the first point of call should be your General Practitioner. There is no substitute for a face to face
consultation with a doctor who knows your medical background but do not expect all GPs to be experts in all fields of medicine. With
warning many will be happy to do background research and if necessary contact a colleague for advice, possibly using the Medex list
of holders of the UK Diploma of Mountain Medicine for a second opinion.
DIPLOMA OF MOUNTAIN MEDCINE
There are over seventy holders of this very practical diploma which guarantees that they will not dismiss climbing patients as suicidal
idiots. There is now likely to be a holder in most areas of the UK and covering most specialities. Some holders of the UK Diploma of
Mountain Medicine are available for personal advice but do note that this would not fall within the remit of the NHS. Other members
will advise expeditions on preparation prior to departure or run lectures or training sessions on general mountain medicine and first
aid topics. Detail from: http://www.medex.org.uk/dimm_(mountain_medicine_diploma).htm .
PHYSIOTHERAPY
Many climber's personal medical problems are best dealt with by sports physiotherapists. If you live in a climbing area you will almost
certainly find a local physiotherapist who climbs Ask at your local training wall or shop.
EMERGENCY
In a genuine remote area emergency the BMC medical advisors may be available to give advice by phone, satellite phone, or E mail.
FROSTBITE
The UK has had a frostbite advice service for about five years and it has helped in excess of fifty climbers, often with remote area
advice followed up with a rapid consultation on return to the UK. It is run by four holders of the UK Diploma of Mountain medicine, all
with practical expedition experience. One advisor should be available at most times. Digital images may help advice. On return to the
UK we have access to the services of an experienced vascular surgeon and scanning if needed.
For details see this website, preferably prior to departure: http://www.christopherimray.co.uk
PREVENTION!!!
Far better than needing the services of a mountaineering or climbing doctor is prevention of accidents and illness. Some of the
resources above may help with your preparation. Mountain skills can always be extended and improved.
DVD
A great series of DVD's to increase your appreciation of potential risks and potential skills to keep you away from the services of
mountain medicine experts. The list includes
Winter Skills, Alpine Essentials, Hillwalking Essentials, Off Piste Essentials, Self Rescue for Climbers, etc. All available from
http://www.bmcshop.co.uk
"Time is life" produced by ICAR Medcom. 75 minutes of excellent instruction on avalanche rescue. Available from
www.ikar-cisa.org. or www.trickhouse.com/time-is-life.
The following contacts may be useful:
British Mountain Guides: http://www.bmg.org.uk
Association of Mountaineering Instructors: http://www.ami.org.uk
International Mountain Leaders: http://www.baiml.org
Plas Y Brenin, National Mountaineering Centre: http://www.pyb.co.uk
Glenmore Lodge, National Mountaineering Centre: http://www.glenmorelodge.org.uk
Page 19
Alpine Club Member Retail Concessions
Field & Trek Group Sales account established & catalogue with Allison Spyer. A/C No 2011986. Discounts 25%
possible on orders exceeding £200 (ex VAT)
Expedition Supplies Discounts in the order of 20% are available to AC members. Excludes books & maps.
Stanfords
Link to Stanfords added to AC web site that gives access to books and maps. An 8% refund is
provid ed direct to the AC when maps and books are ordered via this link.
Cotswold Outdoor A/C No. A2062. A 20% discount is available on mail order, through web site or in stores quoting
the above a/c No.
Needle Sports at Keswick
A 10% discount off most items with larger discounts available on bulk orders. Not
applicable to maps, books, videos, sale or special offers.
Outdoor Shop - Milton Keynes AMA members - 20% off
Copa - Caernarfon, Gwynedd 15% off non-sale, discounted items & books,maps.Please show AC Membership card
Issue dates
for the
AC Newsletter
There are now only
3 issues of the AC
newsletter per year
Publication Dates:
March 15th
July 15th
November 10th
November
Newsletter
Deadline
October 10th 2009
Please continue to send me
your climbs, experiences,
opinions, letters - anything!
Please!!
Send to:
Dick Turnbull,
Cabrachan, Sir William Hill Rd,
Grindleford,
Hope Valley,
S32 2HS
Tel: 01433 630970
Email:
Discounted Guide Books
The following is the full list of the AC guidebooks in print and available
ACPrice
RRP
Dolomites (2 Vols)
£21.00
£28.00
Mont Blanc Vol. 1
£11.25
£15.00
Mont Blanc Vol. 2
£11.25
£15.00
Bernese Oberland
£14.65
£19.50
Bernina and Bregalia
£13.88
£18.50
Valais West
£14.65
£19.50
Valais East
£13.85
£18.50
Ecrins
£13.13
£17.50
The 4000m Peaks of the Alps £17.25
£23.00
AC,CC and FRCC and guidebooks are available at discounted prices
to AC members from Cordee,11 Jacknell Road, Dodswell Bridge
Industrial Estate Hinckley LeicsLE10 3BS
(Please add 1.00p P&P for single copies. Two or more are post free.)
Also from: www.cordee.co.uk
PLEASE DO NOT CONTACT THE AC OFFICE FOR GUIDBOOKS ANY MORE!
CC Guides
Southern Sandstone
£14.63
N Devon and Cornwall
£13.13
Ogwen and Carneddau
N/A
Clogwyn Du’r Arrdu
£11.63
Lliwedd
£8.25
Tremadog
£12.38
N Wales Limestone
£3.75
Lundy
£14.63
Pembroke
£18.00
Into the Blue
£6.75
£12.38
Pembroke Supplement
£3.00
Lower Wye Valley
Symonds Yat
£7.50
West Cornwall
£17.25
Gogarth (rep)
£8.25
Meirionnydd
£14.25
Lleyn
£8.25
Llanberis(new 2009)
£14.63
Swanage (rep)
£8.25
Cwm Silyn
£10.13
Forest of Dean (April ‘06) £7.50
Avon & Cheddar
£17.25
£7.50
Portland
£14.63
Symonds Yat
Sandstone Outcrops of the Forest of Dean £7.50
FRCC Guides
Borrowdale 2000
£12.00
Gable and Pillar
£12.00
Buttermere and St Bees £11.25
Dow, Duddon and Slate(Dec 2010)
Scafell, Wasdale, Eskdale £11.25
Langdale 1999
£12.00
Lakeland Fells
£13.50
Selected Lakes Routes
£14.60
Eastern Crags & Outcrops (New Edition Dec 2009)
newsletter@
alpineclub.org.uk
Don’t forget to visit the AC website:
www.alpine-club.org.uk
Page 20