Ipswich Mountaineering Club

This section of the website features articles written by members of the club. If you'd like to post an article that you've written to our website then please send them to me by email. If you have any photos then I can add them to the article. Either send me an electronic copy as an attachment, or post the original, which I'll scan and then send straight back to you.

Bluff your way in climbing - Steve Culverhouse Feb 2012
Part zero of the IMC essential skills series
IMC in Snowdonia in December - Jeremy Hall Feb 2012
Jeremy is now doing the lecture cicuit in preparation for the next expedition
Hot Rock 2011 - Ian Thurgood Feb 2012
Comedy, horsemanship and some climbing in Sicilia
Old Men on Stoer - Mike Turner Feb 2012
An account of a climb on the Original Route, Old Man of Stoer

Winter Leading in Scotland - Ian Ackerley April 2011
Ian learns to climb for the second time
Banff Film Festival - Kearton Rees April 2011
An expedition forty miles to the North
Rodings Rally - Kearton Rees April 2011
More adventures in the Great East Anglian Wilderness
On Organising Trips - Adrian Fagg April 2011
The definitive reference (may one day be written).

Bob's Alpine Guide - Bob Butcher October 2010
Suggestions for the discerning IMC visitor to the French Alps
IMC Spring Bank Holiday - Ian Ackerley October 2010
A Lakes trip recalled
Jeremy's Whimsey - Jeremy Hall October 2010
The Meaning of Life ...
The Lakes in Winter - Phil Williams May 2010
Not one but two successful IMC winter trips!
Adventures in the Cold - Jeremy Hall May 2010
Jeremy finds himself at the sharp end
Tower Ridge - Andy Hansler May 2010
A tale of ambition, failure, and ultimate triumph
Harlow Climbing Wall - Steve Culverhouse May 2010
More tales winter conditions, frostbite, etc..
A Grit Weekend - Martin Stevens May 2010
At last, the winter's over

Whillans and Brown routes - Andy Hansler December 2009
Your very own tick list of grit stone classics.
Redpointing - Andy Hansler December 2009
An Introduction to the Dark Arts.
Andy's Woodie - Andy Hansler December 2009
The OCD world of Andy's climbing training.
Winter Training Schedule - Pete Krug November 2009
At last, discover the secrets of Pete's amazing level of fitness at the start of each season.
In Celebration of Harrison's Rocks - Jeremy Hall October 2009
Soft Southern Sandstone - does it think it's hard enough?
Lundy 2009 - Ian Thurgood August 2009
Ian questions whether it was worth revisiting.
A Pembroke adventure - Ian Thurgood July 2009
A sea cliff, route finding, commitment, adventure...
Swanage isn't just for climbing - Louise Krug July 2009
Pete and Louise find other challenges above the cliffs
In the Beginning - Jeremy Hall August 2009
Jeremy's first taste of climbing at the beginners' weekend
On French Guides - Norman Smith August 2009
Norman goes back to the Alps
Beginners' Multipitch Weekend - Andy Hansler August 2009
North Wales: Friday 03/07/2009 to Sunday 05/07/2009
In search of Dragons - Jeremy Hall August 2009
Jeremy finds hazards not usually mentioned in the guidebook
Snowdonia in the Snow - Adrian Fagg February 2009
The IMC go to North Wales again
A Snowdonia New Year - Christina Ellis January 2009
Christina's account of the IMC New Year trip
New Year in Snowdonia - Martin Stevens January 2009
Martin's account of the IMC New Year Trip

Early Snow in Mid Wales - Steve Culverhouse December 2008
A December IMC trip finds winter conditions against all expectation
The Krugs head for Wales - Louise Krug December 2008
Aiming for Mid Wales, Louise and Pete somehow end up in South Wales
~~Notes~~ Novel from Norway - Carol Fowles November 2008
Inspired by the new RockFax guidebook to the Lofotens Carol and the Steves head for Norway.
South Africa - Ian Thurgood November 2008
Steve, Christina and Ian at the international climbing meet organised by the Mountain Club of South Africa (MCSA).
Classic Tick Day - Caroline Goldsworthy and Andy Hansler November 2008
Later, on reflection and in hindsight, it's often difficult to remember what exactly made you think something was a good idea in the first place. For me, the idea was to string together all four of Ken Wilson's Classic Rock ticks on the Idwal slabs and walls above and complete them in one day's outing.
"Trust Your Feet" - Sally Southall November 2008
An aspiring leader gains confidence.
Ah, good old Swanage! - Ian Thurgood November 2008
Having fun in Dorset
Eating a piece of The Cake of Mortality - Guy Reid November 2008
A small epic in Swanage
The Adventures of Paramo Brown and the Girdle of Chee - Steve Culverhouse and Guy Reid August 2008
Finding Patum Peperium in Chee Dale.
La Pass Portes Du Soleil - Mark Gilbert June 2008
Wheel fun in the mountains.
Rain Doesn't Stop Play in North Wales - Adrian Fagg April 2008
The Scottish for Fun - Steve Culverhouse March 2008
How Gunni grew wings ... - Gunni Page January 2008

Knoydart - Peter and Louise head into the wilderness - Peter Krug December 2007
Cairngorm Snow holing - Alex Purser December 2007
Four go Mad in the Dolomites (& Ortler Alps) - Steve Culverhouse December 2007
Kilimanjaro - Trekking for charity - Heather Bentley December 2007
Trip To Gower - Tim Dalby December 2007
Apuan Alps Trip - Adrian and Kearton take on Italian via ferrata - Kearton Rees December 2007
How hard can it be? Well, according to the guidebook... - Andy Hansler December 2007
My Climbing Year: E2 to E7 - part 1 of 4 - Aaron Willis December 2007
Climbing 'Snapshots' of 2007 - various IMC members December 2007
Martin's Peak District Trip - Martin Stevens November 2007
Classic Rock (2007) - a review - Mike Bayley November 2007
Fondling - Nov 2007
Rules of Gear Fondling
Gypsy - Steve Culverhouse August 2007
A tale of grade-pushing at the IMC Pembroke weekend (at Swanage)
The Madness of King May - Ian Thurgood August 2007
Laughter and Curses - just two ingredients of a great weekend - Guy Reid August 2007
Cheedale and Cratcliffe. From an inauspicious start and an unpromising weather report we conjured up a tremendous weekend.
Backpacking in Greenland - John Penny May 2007
Mud - Louise Burness May 2007
Andy's Plans - Andy Hansler May 2007
The Magic of Lundy - Ian Thurgood January 2007
"You may be only 11 miles off the coast of mainland Britain, but you don't have to be on the island for long to make it feel like 1,100 ..." Another visitor falls in love with Lundy.
Voyage of the Gift Shop Dingy: A Lundy Rest Day - Simon Chandler January 2007
Climbing on Lundy is not all about ticking off hard routes. For an adventurous mid-week rest day we decided to visit the esoteric St Mark's Stone. We then rounded the day off by climbing The Devil's Slide by the light of the full moon. Here's an account of this memorable episode.
Lundy 2006 - Alex Purser January 2007
The adventures of a Lundy virgin.
Climbing back into the cockpit - Guy Reid January 2007

The not so Great Escape - Adrian Fagg October 2006
The June newsletter contained an article entitled It's a gully, but is it great? about an attempt on Great Gully, Craig yr Ysfa, Carneddau. It concluded with the lines "At the time of writing, team BS had still to return to Great Gully for another attempt. Mid-summer after a period of hot, dry weather currently looks favourite." . This follow-up describes the second attempt, and the even bigger adventure that resulted ...
It's a gully but is it great? : Part 2 - reflections on being rescued - Mike Bayley October 2006
An alternative account of the rescue
Shingled out - Fraser Hale October 2006
Suffolk holds charms of its own if you search them out. Here Fraser tells us about Orford Ness.
New upper body fitness routine - IMC exersise guru October 2006
This is supposed to be very good for climbers and sailors. It should suit those who have an interest in gardening too.
It's not the grade: Beginners weekend and my best day out ever - Mike Hams October 2006
Classified U (may contain scenes of mild emotion)
The Perspiration Innovation - Alex Purser June 2006
The annual Sudbury fun-run - in full mountaineering kit
And Now For Something Completely Different - Peter Krug June 2006
Another fun run story - this time something called "The London Marathon"
Coaching - Caroline Goldsworthy June 2006
A day with the climbing coach Adrian Berry culminates in Caroline's first E1 lead
It's a gully, but is it great? - Anonymous June 2006
An account of an attempt at Great Gully, Craig yr Ysfa, Carneddau.
Lurching off The Hill (The full Scottish) - Mike Hams June 2006
Thanks to the Presidents' organising abilities we had found ourselves in Scotland with too much snow and some interesting conditions to deal with ...
Chalking it up to experience - Caroline Goldsworthy June 2006
Arrghh!! I tried to bite back a scream as yet another lump of chalk responded to my weight by hurling itself into the abyss... Chalk climbing on Saltdean slab. Dedicated to the memory of Craig Hiemstra
Hello trees, hello birds, hello sky.... - Fraser Hale June 2006
The Mountain Environment Workshop at Plas Y Brenin aims to improve awareness and appreciation of all aspects of the mountain environment, its geology and geography, its flora and fauna, its evolution and history.
"Below" at The Vent - An IMC adventure in the Cairngorms - Nick Green April 2006
"BEELOWWW!!!!!" I dared to glance up, this sounded serious!! All I could see was a white mass engulfing Keith. Ooooh SHIT! I held the rope and ducked. Fully expecting to have to hold Keith's fall I braced myself ...
Cracking 'The Whip' - Jester April 2006
Lakeland Adventures - Mike Bayley April 2006
On Fat Ice - Simon Chandler & Nick Willis March 2006
Taking advantage of an annual ice climbing festival to learn how to climb water ice in the Ecrins region of the French Alps. You can also read our Letter to the Organizers as a warning of what to expect and be aware of should you decide to go to future ICE festivals.
January Sales in Wales - Louise Burness April 2006
Haggis, neeps and tatties - Peter Krug April 2006
The IMC trip to Scotland in March 2006

New Routing in Croatia - Adam Fletcher December 2005
WARNING, This Article Has Been Written by a Person That Contains Nuts - John Sellars December 2005
An ideosyncratic account of John's walking tour of Iceland.
Excitement On Sella - Mark Gilbert December 2005
Tales from 'The Land of Smiles' - Mervyn Lamacraft December 2005
Mervyn's recent trip to Thailand, including climbing and caving exploits.
The rules! - anonymous September 2005
5 basic rules of navigation and 5 basic rules of route planning - devised for members of the climbing community who take it into their heads to try walking for a change.
Hebridean Tourist Board - Peter Krug September 2005
Wild camping and cycling in the Outer Hebrides
August aviator or My month as a frequent flyer - Guy Reid September 2005
I am not glorifying falling nor, necessarily, encouraging practising doing it; but if some thought and discussion about gear placement and falling ensues then the blood and skin I shed will not have been in vain.
New Year at Black Sail - Mike Bayley June 2005
Seeing in the New Year at the remote Black Sail youth hostel in the Lake District
The Slant - or 'Pulled Off By El Pres' - Johnboy Buchan June 2005
And he's off! With axes uselessly dangling from my wrists I'm off down a 50°-snow slope with a hundred feet drop off the end. Oh dear. Two voices in my head: one screaming "Keep your bloody crampons up!", one calm: "I wonder what's gonna happen here then..."
Zebedee Comes Unstuck - Mick Enwright June 2005
Before any of the scurrilous rumours or downright untruths assail your collective delicate ears, what follows is the plain unvarnished truth......Pay no heed to any other reports of the incident!!!!
Five Have Fun in the Rhinogs - Ian Thurgood June 2005
"Fancy a walk" said Jeff "I know of this 'interesting' little route in southern Snowdonia" ...
Trussed Up - Fraser Hale June 2005
The Advanced Ropework for Climbers course at Plas Y Brenin or "101 Things to do with 18 inches of String"
In Search of an Azure Shimmer - Mike Bayley June 2005
Mike, Caroline, Steve, Karen & Simon find hot r ock at the Costa Blanca
A (Preposterous) Tale In Three Parts - Martin Hore, Simon Chandler, and Guy Reid June 2005
I was presented with a route that had a vaguely anatomical feel to it. Now I have never climbed up someone's colon but dark, wet, slimy and very slippery is what I would expect, and that is exactly what I was confronted with ...
A Wet Wales Weekender (Working Title "I'm the Only Gay in the Village") - Pete Krug June 2005
Mountaineering in Peru, Summer 2004 - John Penny March 2005
A trip to Peru for three weeks of mountaineering in the Cordillera Blanca, followed by a week on the Inca Trail and a visit to Machu Picchu. The targets were five 5,000+ metre peaks
Lakes Weekend - Fraser Hale March 2005
Scotland - Mike Hams March 2005
Walking in Lakeland - Martin Stevens March 2005

An Unclimbed Mountain in Tibet - Nick Willis December 2004
Sea Cliff Climbing - Caroline Goldsworthy December 2004
Caroline teaches Simon how to climb sea cliffs ;-)
Huascaran And All That - Peter Krug September 2004
Pete goes mountaineering in Peru, negotiates "The Garganta", and bumps into an old friend.
I Am Not A Rock Climber - Adrian Fagg September 2004
Adrian is inexorably drawn into the Twilight Zone that is rock climbing
Geordies Falling Down - Mark Gilbert September 2004
Learning navigation skills in sub-zero conditions on the Cairngorm plateau
Gear Shop Traverse (***, first ascent unknown) - On The Edge March 2004
Shamelessly borrowed from OTE
IMC do Scotland - Lou B, John B, Mike H, Adrian F, Pete K & Kearton, aided by Phil C, Steve C & John H March 2004
Gripping tales of winter climbing and walking
Alpine Ice 2004 - Mervyn Lamacraft March 2004

Great Western (**** HVS 5a, Almscliff) - Steve Culverhouse. September 2003
"It has to be said that there were some rather brave words spoken the night before in the pub".
A Munroist's Odyssey - John Penny. September 2003
The end of John's eleven year journey to climb all 284 of the Scottish Munros.
Falling off less often - Martin Hore. September 2003
Martin's essay on why it's a good idea to try not to fall off. Given his recent experiences at Millstone phrases such as "Humble pie" and "Hostage to fortune" spring to mind.
Profiles - part 1 - Anonymous. June 2003
This first part of an occasional series is aimed at those IMC members who, for whatever reason, don't get away or down to the wall that often and is intended to tell you something about the committee and high profile members. It's best not taken too seriously, though!
A Preposterous Tale - Mervyn Lamacraft. June 2003
It seemed such a good idea on that Saturday night in the Stackpole pub. Talk inevitably came round to plans for the next day and someone mentioned "Having a look at Preposterous Tales". Well, by then Dutch courage was running high and HVS 4c, 5a, 4c (according to my book) didn't seem that hard, so the deal was struck ...
Cuillin Ridge Traverse - Darren Lambert. June 2003
An exciting tale of Clare and Darren's attempt to bag this route in one day. Phew!
A Long Weekend in the Cairngorms - Mark Gilbert. June 2003
Winter walking in the Cairngorms via EasyJet and a Daewoo Matiz
Three Go Mad At Coed-Y-Brenin - Mike Bayley. June 2003
Mountain biking tales from the Black Mountains. Including tea, cake, cheese on toast and Red Bull.
Adam and Eve - Peter Krug. February 2003
Winter mountaineering in North Wales. Saturday saw a circuit that took in Tryfan, Bristly Ridge, Y Gribin to Llyn Bochlwyd and then around the base of Tryfan to the bunkhouse. Sunday was Pen-y-Pass and the Snowdon Horseshoe.
North Wales, February 14th to 16th - Mike Hams. February 2003
Another account of the same walks on Tryfan and the Snowdon Horseshoe. With photos!

Saturday in the Lakes - Mike Hams. February 2002
A winter mountaineering weekend in the Lake District, with a trip around the Helvellyn horseshoe.
Rolwaling Heights - Peter Krug. December 2002
An account of Pete's third trip to Nepal, in which he trekked in the Rolwaling Valley, just west of the Solu-Khumbu region. Now with photos!
The Alan Hinkes Tour 2002 - Peter Krug. December 2002
From our Himilaya correspondent, Peter Krug.
The Copleston Climbing Wall - Keith Lodge. December 2002
Info about the new local wall from its supervisor - our very own Keith Lodge, AKA Johnny Gearman.
North Wales Trip - Louise Burness. August 2002
or ... "So why exactly did Christina and Louise spend 10 hours NOT getting to the top of Snowdon?"

Glen Coe - Phil. December 2001
Winter walking in the spiritual home of Scottish Mountaineering

The Noble and Ancient Art of Lobbing - Steve J. May 1993
IMC Roll of Honour of Annual Awards (IMC Members only)
An ongoing record of the annual awards, traditionally given out at the Christmas Curry.