Well another year is well under way and the days are rapidly
lengthening and thoughts are turning to warm spring days and
glorious summer days, Cornish cream teas, long lazy days on the
crag …………. Yeah, OK, I know that the days don’t actually get any
longer and that this is Britain and by definition has British
weather but you get my drift.
I am sure that many of you did not actually hibernate. Certainly
there were a few well-attended IMC meets and I shall list them in
no particular order except perhaps chronological. The New Year was
seen in by a bunch of hardy IMCers staying in the Snowdon Bunkhouse
and also some camping nearby. We weren’t blessed with the finest of
weather …. well, actually it pissed down (rained jolly hard-Ed.)
most of the time except on the last official day of the meet when
most of us packed up and headed back downhill to Suffolk and work.
Nevertheless big thanks to Ian Thurgood for organising the meet.
In January there was the almost traditional outing to Sykeside in
the Lake District, this time organised by Steve Culverhouse. I
couldn’t actually attend so am unable to comment on what deeds were
done but I trust someone has sharpened their digits and produced an
article. If memory serves me, the following week we had the
traditional January Thorpe Farm visit organised by Martin Stevens
which saw quite a lot of mountain-biking action, some walking and I
believe some climbing action by an unofficial group of splitters
(John Buchan, Nick Willis et al).
Similarly, Martin followed this brave feat of organisation with
arranging the official February Meet and found, what I am told a
great little bunkhouse (I use that word advisedly as the Chamois
Mountaineering Club bunkhouse at Llanrug is by no means little).
Once again I was unable to attend so cannot comment on what deeds
were done although I understand Mike Hams and Steve Culverhouse did
remove most of the ice on the Idwal Stream whilst they were
climbing it!
Most recently, yours truly organised what he regards to be a highly
successful jaunt to Scotland in mid-March and as he was there can
comment, and indeed has commented, on what sterling deeds were done
within an article which may be found in this edition of the
newsletter, or may not, depending on how great a plethora of
material has been provided by you guys. At one stage there were no
fewer than eleven IMCers braving it out in the wild wastes of
Scotland and whilst conditions were varied they were always
“interesting” and I would like to think we all had a rewarding
weekend.
Finally, on the retrospective front I would like to thank all the
slideshow presenters (Kearton Rees, Adrian Fagg, Martin Hore, Keith
Bowes, Andrew Hansler and Simon Chandler) for their efforts this
winter. I might as well take this opportunity to ask for some
volunteers for the next season starting in September so if you have
a slide show available for presentation please let me know!
Looking ahead as I am wont to do, you should find within this tome
the Summer Meets schedule and I look forward to seeing you out and
about. To mention a few highlights we are officially heading to
Cornwall so if anyone has a hankering for Cornish pasties and cream
teas not to mention some climbing please contact Caroline
Goldsworthy as soon as possible. Also the Beginners Meet (13/14
May) is rapidly sneaking up on the inside rail so if anyone is
interested in attending either as a Beginner or an Intermediary or
Experienced climbers please let Dave Tonks know.
There are plenty of scheduled meets for which organisers are still
required so if you have a yearning to volunteer please do so.
Please remember that the venues are suggestions so if no one has
volunteered to organise a trip to that venue and you fancy going
somewhere else then by all means organise the meet for your
preferred destination. Similarly, if you are looking for a few
friends to accompany you on a “free” weekend please use the
‘members@’ facility to find some accomplices (but remember that
this makes it an official meet and, therefore, you will need to
ensure that all attendees need to be members).
Furthermore both Mervyn and I will, along about 30,000 fellow
masochists (so at least for once I won’t need to pop into that
little parlour in Soho), be pounding the streets of London on 23
April and I am sure that Mervyn would welcome any financial support
that you can give to his chosen charity (the Ipswich Children’s
Hospice). I am looking forward to it ………. Yes really.
I think that’s all for now. I look forward to seeing you out there
in the next few months! Stay safe on the hill though.
Cheers
El Presidente
Another cracking set of articles show that IMC members have an
unerring nose for adventure, and a great ability to bring those
adventures to life on paper. For the most part there is a wet and
chilly theme running through this edition, but hopefully (well for
wimps like me anyway) the fun will be ‘in the sun’ by the time the
next edition lands on your doormat. It is very pleasing to notice a
trend toward the established contributors being joined by new
voices in each edition. Tales of high adventure and epics are
always welcome, but so too are short reports of what us mere
mortals have been up to; they each inspire and help us to plan our
outings.
Following the discussion about member numbers at last year’s AGM I
have asked Mervyn to produce a breakdown of membership at the time
of each newsletter; the figures are shown in From the Secretary
The deadline for the next edition is: Sunday 25th June 2006
e-mail to: guy@falconhurst.com or post to:
Guy Reid, Falconhurst, 27, Bath Road, Felixstowe, Suffolk IP11 7JN.
This months articles can be seen on separate webpages by clicking the following links.
Two more mystery routes for you. Can you identify these?
Route1
Route 2
By Guy Reid
Send your answers by email.
The first fully correct entry will win a mystery prize. Answers will be given in the next newsletter.
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We currently have 85 members, of which 70 have renewed from last
year, 13 are new members, and 2 are ‘returners’ (i.e. previous members but
skipped last year). 41 of last years’ membership (111) have so far not renewed.
The 2006 figure will change as the year progresses and the
beginners weekends take place.
All enquiries and correspondence should be directed to the Secretary.
Mervyn Lamacraft,Tel: 01394 277050 or send email to mervynlamacraft@hotmail.com.
The IMC has group membership of the Youth Hostel Association. The relevant information on the membership card, held by the IMC club secretary, is as follows:
Name: Ipswich Mountaineering ClubThis enables us to use the 230 Youth Hostels in England and Wales, and the network of 4,500 Youth Hostels in 60 countries worldwide that display the Hostelling International sign. You can also
enjoy exclusive offers and discounts on key attractions, receive discounts on Youth Hostel visits at selected times of the year and receive free mailings of Groups Away and YHA newsletters.
For a list of committee members, see the contacts page
See our Club Meets page for up-to-date details.
This scheduled list is suggested as a framework for meets in the coming
months and to help get dates into your diaries; however, we are looking
for volunteers to co-ordinate some of the events and for ideas of where
people would like to go. Please contact the meets
coordinator if you are interested in helping to organise any of the
above or to make suggestions for future meets.
A quick reminder regarding attendance: Please note that anyone
attending an official Ipswich Mountaineering Club meet must be a
member of the Ipswich Mountaineering Club or some other BMC
affiliated club. A “meet” being defined as any trip advertised on
the website or newsletter or announced/advertised via the e-mail
facility (i.e. members@ipswich-m-c.co.uk).
Now where the heck should I start … I know I have got to start the Christmas shopping … but oh bugger I have got to do another Prattle which means … oh yes I am El Pres again! It’s as you were on the Club Officers and Committee front which I suppose saves changing the headers but does mean you have to put up with me again. May I take the opportunity to thank the club officers – Mervyn Lamacraft, Guy Reid, Dave Scott and Simon Chandler – for their support over the past year and look forward to their continued support in the next year. The same feelings are extended to the committee members (you know who you are). I would like to have said that we held off stiff competition but there wasn’t any and owing to the pressing need for beer we were elected ‘en bloc!’
As usual I will take the opportunity to review what has happened over the past few months since my previous missive. In truth the hasn’t been too much activity, at least in terms of formal meets as the club enters its normal state of hibernation before usual flurry of activity over and after the New Year but I do need to thank Ian Thurgood especially for his efforts in organizing the Beginners Follow-through Meet in September. Sadly, the weather lived down to expectations on the Saturday and I blame this lack of activity rather than the spectacular fire in our tent (thanks IMC fire brigade) for the state of inebriation I found myself in on Saturday night! I vaguely recall some climbing occurring on the Sunday though!
Other than that Martin Hore did organize a Yorkshire-somewhere-near-Swanage Meet at the end of September and found us a very good campsite to base ourselves at for future trips. There have also been a few trips to the Peak District.
We did support some local events and in particular we had a very strong presence at the Felixstowe Half Marathon with Steve Gray and Clare Lambert taking the IMC honours although not winning. The hardcore of the Half Marathon runners were in pre-race training at the Ipswich Beer Festival demonstrating the breadth of interests within the club (some members are even doing Ballroom Dancing!).
One of the things discussed at length at the AGM was the issue of meets being only for Club members. I had noticed at a few events that some of the attendees weren’t actually club members and just wanted to raise the issue but I didn’t expect the “Spanish Inquisition!” The most likely scenario that could cause this was if a club member invited a mate along.
Maybe I am paranoid but as you know one of the main benefits of club membership is the third party insurance cover provided as the result of our affiliation to the BMC. If something involving a non-member went “tits-up” and he was sued by an injured party but could not pay up it is possible that the club might get implicated hence the need for membership. Notwithstanding this it was also felt that there was a moral obligation to be a member because the planning and logistics are made by club members giving up their own free time to do so.
Anyway, it was agreed to reaffirm this condition at all meets and organizers are asked to look into this which I don’t think will be that onerous as generally we know who is a member and people wishing to invite a non-member along should now know their responsibilities. Please remember this has been the case for number of years – it is not new. Then there was a discussion on “when is a meet a meet?” It was agreed that a Meet is official if it has been advertised on the Club Meets or via the members@ipswich-m-c.co.uk facility (i.e. you use the club mailing facility) although members are encouraged to bear the possible consequences of something going wrong no matter whenever you are out and about with a mate!
We are about to kick into action with our winter program which should be in this newsletter somewhere. As usual we are looking for organizers and if you want to organize a meet the destination is your prerogative. If you fancy going away on any other weekend you can always advertise for collaborators using the mailing facility (which off course makes it an official meet!). I think there are spaces available for the New Year weekend in North Wales so I would get your skates on sharpish if you are interested!
By the time you read this Christmas Curry will have been and gone so I am taking this moment to thank Louise Farr for organizing it and I believe that the Lob of the Year Oration will be included within this tome.
In the meantime may I take this opportunity to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Make sure you take care when out on the hill or crag so that you can come back and write about it as the Newsletter Editor is always gagging for it (articles that is!).
Cheers
El Presidente
With a fanfare The December Issue lands on your electronic doormat and it’s gone International. We leave the shores of this scepter’d isle and venture abroad in the company of three virgin (well, their first time with me anyway) contributors. And didn’t they have fun!
My thanks to all the contributors of the last twelve months and my pleas to everyone to put pen to paper during the next twelve; to break that duck, if you haven’t already, and let us know what’s going out there in the far reaches IMCland.
And whilst you are enjoying a moment of quiet postprandial contemplation think on this; at The AGM it was noted that though the total membership of the IMC remains fairly constant over the years a significant number of people do not renew their membership at the end of a year but that there is an almost equal number of new joinees (see “From the Secretary”). Thoughts on a postcard to the usual address.
Enjoy your festivities.
e-mail to: guy@falconhurst.com or post to:
Guy Reid, Falconhurst, 27, Bath Road, Felixstowe, Suffolk IP11 7JN.
Well folks it’s that time of year once again. You’ve wined and dined and some poor bastard has to sing for his supper and this year the dubious honour as ‘raconteur’ has fallen on me.
Firstly you may have noticed but largely ignored my appeal asking for notable achievements by IMC members and the response was deafening silence. No reports of young Bluebottle having climbing E12 although there are reports of Steve Gray aiding and nearly leading an E2 in the Lakes (more about that later). Furthermore, Steve Gray and Clare Lambert took the honours at this year’s Felixstowe Half Marathon and there was mention somewhere about Simon Chandler and a brush with the law (now what’s all that about?).
Your raconteur was scratching his head – but wait – at the end of November two IMCers have received their acceptances for the 2006 London Marathon ! Now you might say what’s the achievement in that? But after five attempts for Mervyn and four for myself to get in via the ballot I consider that an achievement! And I see that you are in training Mervyn … “Slainte mhath!”
Now getting back to more pressing matters it is good to see that there were some aeronautical experiences from new and unexpected sources this year. This certainly shows the depth of talent and ability at the disposal of this fine club of ours. However, not to be outdone by the ‘new kids on the block’ (err cough) there was aerial activity from some rather more familiar and indeed more experienced sources who should know better! Naturally, Mervyn – and what would be a LOTY without some mention of this much-honoured member of the Pilot License Club? – saw some activity at the beginners meet and later on at Wintours Leap in the Wye Valley.
Nearer to home the raconteur himself probably started proceedings off with an unscheduled loss of contact with terra firma, albeit of the white variety, in the Cairngorms when climbing a Grade1 or is it Grade 2 ice-climb called “The Slant”. If you haven’t already read about this please refer to Johnboy Buchan’s rather fine article entitled “Pulled off by El Pres” on the website. I could also refer to another more serious departure from the rock which occurred in Northumberland when Team Wuckfit were reunited for the first since climbing in the snow at Stanage last November which resulted in the raconteur hitting the ground, getting a limp, and rather more seriously nearly destroying his indestructible “terra pants!” The things I do to avoid getting another Lob of the Year
In June a ‘splitter’s’ group of Norman Smith, Adrian Fagg, John Sellars and Martin Stevens went to the Peak in search of easier limestone at Harborough Rocks. A short while after arriving Adrian decided he could tackle Overhanging Chimney Direct, S 4a and instead took a flying lesson of his own, falling from above his gear having passed the crux. He paused in his inverted descent only to hit his belayer before coming to rest scant inches above the floor, inverted. A short time was spent in recovery but no physical harm seems to have been the result although the clash of (helmeted) heads may explain away headaches on Saturday morning.
Norman Smith arrived little too late to witness the excitement of the first-ever-leader-fall by Adrian but not to be outdone Norman decided that ‘The Blaster’ at HVS 5b was very protectable and eminently ‘do-able’. The climbing was fine, but hanging about to place gear proved too much and Adrian was able to show movie-footage at the September slide show of a certain Mr. Smith proving he can’t fly. Footage was filmed in spite of the cameraman being harassed by the lobbist’s loyal pooch who was attacking him as he filmed his master’s fall from grace as it were!
A lob that may be worthy of consideration occurred in the lakes on the August BH trip. A damp Friday morning saw Adrian and Kearton heading up the valley to Raven Crag. Adrian’s usual navigational skills deserted him and they arrived directly at the base of their intended climb – Corvus. With both climbers sharing the lead on this justly celebrated climb Kearton joined Adrian at the base of the much-vaunted hand-traverse and was persuaded that this was really much easier than it looked. Kearton either knows no fear or is very gullible, for he shortly set out confidently to the right hand end of the traverse.
As he stepped out onto the face, the weather, sensing the occasion, proceeded to dump a heavy burst of rain onto the party. Nevertheless, Kearton made his way to the central platform, placing a friend and a hex in the horizontal crack, clipped in and with Adrian in position to criticize his every move, reached out and down with his foot, slipped, threw his weight back onto his arms, recovered, and got his breath back. Adrian pointed out that you need to keep your feet high as the low footholds gave very little grip when streaming with water. I think this advice would have been easier to follow if there had been any higher footholds than the big smooth tempting one down and just out of reach on the left. He set out from the mid-traverse having a second time kept his feet high for one step, then with Adrian saying “No, don’t reach for it yet.” he promptly reached out and down with his left foot and promptly fell off. The fact that the rock was wet probably saved him from any grazing as he slithered down and across, thankfully not hitting the sloping wall on the right with any force. To his credit, Kearton seemed quite prepared to have another go, but Adrian rather selfishly announced that he would lead it anyway as another club member had famously slipped at the end of the traverse. They did, as was customary, manage to delay their return to the campsite until after dark, mainly to keep the others guessing.
As I mentioned above one of our more senior members took multiple smallish lobs from the crux overlap of Spring Bank (on Glimmer), E2 5c and eventually had to be rescued by top-rope by the reporter. Carol then followed the pitch without appearing to spot the difficulty at all. Steve went back later in the summer and got the route done, but rumour has it that the tiniest of pulls on gear might have been involved. The same correspondent reported further tales on Left Hand Route, Ravens tor, Dovedale, E1 5b in July that involved a spectacular lob witnessed from across the river. Some fairly frantic scrabbling at the crux resulted in a 10 – 15 ft lob and the belayer herself parted company with the ground.
Guy Reid has been very busy lobbing during the summer. There are preposterous tales of him lobbing from Preposterous Tales at Pembroke where Guy took a small but highly exciting lob while seconding the traverse pitch in the dark section (not the first IMC member to do so). He was left hanging in space above the crashing sea contemplating a 10ft prussic to safety. Simon and Martin were safely ensconced on the next stance, out of sight round the corner, trying to communicate with Guy during lulls in the waves. Famous last words: Martin says to Simon. “Does Guy know how to prussic??” – He does.
Further rope weighting activity occurred on the Peapod at Curbar, HVS 5b, in July which Guy chose to lead in spite of an aversion to jamming and he’s never having “backed and footed” up a chimney before in his life. Peapod is not really the climb on which to learn either of these skills. Several occurrences of “weighting the gear” was the inevitable result, but eventually the “pod” succumbed.
There were several bouts of airtime for Guy at Hen Cloud in July most memorably on Hen Cloud Eliminate where Guy’s aversion to jamming was in evidence again. Even Guy’s renowned arm strength was insufficient to permit lay backing this superb but flared jamming crack. Again, after several “lobettes” Guy succeeded on the route, forcing the “nipple-eroding” final groove with great ease, it has to be said.
Did I mention Martin Hore’s allegedly “minuscule lobette” from Avalanche Wall (Curbar) that he blamed on a slippery jam? And then there was the extra-ordinary concept of young Mick Enright lobbing three feet and breaking his ankle, which off course ruled him out the running! Selfish bastard! Mind you who am I to talk?
All in all this year has proven from the quantity of falls that have been recounted within this oration that there is plenty of talent within the club although you may ask where is the young talent as all the contenders are the senior side of forty? Who says “there’s no such thing as old bold climbers?” After much soul-searching and deliberation the jury has decided that in view of the comedy value and indeed the tone lowering possibilities offered by a clash of helmets to bestow the honour of Belayer of the Year “for his willingness to sacrifice his helmet for his leader” and Lob of the Year for 2005 “for being prepared to risk everything, even his helmet, for the sake of the climb” to Martin Stevens and Adrian Fagg respectively for their antics on Overhanging Chimney at Harborough Rocks!
Signed
Judge Dread!
This months articles can be seen on separate webpages by clicking the following links. For other articles see the articles index.
Route 1
Route 2
The Twelve Days of Christmas
On the Twelfth day of Christmas my true love gave to me
Twelve dyneema slings
Eleven pairs of wiregates
Ten Rocks on wire
Nine various guide books
Eight SLCDs
Seven assorted offsets
Six bd swedges
Five locking krabs
Four jolly hexes
Three Zeroes
Two prussic loops
And a pair of Mammut half ropes
We three cams of Wild Country are
Protecting routes we travel afar
In scars and cracks and flaring breaks
We give you that feeling of “aaah”
O cam of wonder, cam of might
Cam preventing too much fright
As upward leading you’re proceeding
We protect in scary plight
All enquiries and correspondence should be directed to the Secretary.
Mervyn Lamacraft,Tel: 01394 277050 or send email to mervynlamacraft@hotmail.com.
There are currently 111 members including 35 new and 10 under-18 members. 90% of members have chosen to receive the newsletter electronically, and 95% of members have their details listed on the web contact list. 58 (out of 130) of last year’s members did not renew this year.
The BMC has written to confirm membership renewal details for 2006: £190 for the first 20 members and £8.75 per head thereafter. To improve administrative efficiency the BMC will be moving to an electronic renewal process in 2006
We were registered with the BMC for 2005. Our BMC membership provided Civil Liability insurance with a £5M indemnity limit in respect of any claim. Note that this insurance does not give Personal Accident Disability Cover. It is possible to upgrade from Group to Full membership, usually at a discount, should you so wish. Contact the BMC for details.
The IMC has group membership of the Youth Hostel Association. The relevant information on the membership card, held by the IMC club secretary, is as follows:
Name: Ipswich Mountaineering ClubThis enables us to use the 230 Youth Hostels in England and Wales, and the network of 4,500 Youth Hostels in 60 countries worldwide that display the Hostelling International sign. You can also enjoy exclusive offers and discounts on key attractions, receive discounts on Youth Hostel visits at selected times of the year and receive free mailings of Groups Away and YHA newsletters.
For a list of committee members, see the contacts page
The IMC webpage address is http://ipswich-m-c.co.uk/
The photo competition for 2005 is now over. Thirty three photos were submitted by 13 people between January – November 2005. During the two week voting period between 2nd November and 16th November votes were cast by members of the IMC for their favorite photo (2 points awarded) and second favorite photo (1 point). Forty five votes were cast, giving a total of 135 points.
In third place, with 12 points (9% of points), was Andy Hansler with his photo taken on the Summit of Mont Blanc August on 11th this year, at 7:50 in the morning.
In second place, with 16 points (12%), was “Bouldering on the Gower coast”, by Jantiwa Willis
In first place, with 20 points, was “The Aiguille Du Midi from the Summit of Mont Blanc”, again by Andy Hansler
So together with his third place photo Andy received 25% of all the votes cast, so was the clear winner of our competition. The results were announced – and shown in a slideshow – at the IMC’s AGM at the Dove Street Inn. Andy was there, so he was awarded his prize of a £25 gift token, generously donated by our friend Dave Tonks of Action Outdoors.
Special mention should made for Adrian Fagg, whose three submitted photos came 4th, joint 5th and joint 6th, so making up 17% of all the votes cast; his was the second highest total of any one person.
All the photos that were submitted for the competition can be seen in their full-size glory on the competition webpage. It’s interesting (well, it is for geeks like me!) that 26 of the 33 submitted photos were voted for by somebody as their favorite (or 2nd favorite) picture, and that the winning photo – with 15% of the votes – was only 3% ahead of the second place. These numbers show just what broad a range tastes people have when it comes to photography.
The photos will now be used on our webpages, and will be added to the photo album. I’ll put the contributor’s names with their photos as soon as I get a chance. For now though I’m busy preparing for a trip to the ICE 2006 ice climbing festival with Nick Willis. You never know, there may be an article about that adventure one day!
Simon
See our Club Meets page for up-to-date details.
This scheduled list is suggested as a framework for meets in the coming months and to help get dates into your diaries; however, we are looking for volunteers to co-ordinate some of the events and for ideas of where people would like to go. Please contact the meets coordinator if you are interested in helping to organise any of the above or to make suggestions for future meets.
A quick reminder regarding attendance: Please note that anyone attending an official Ipswich Mountaineering Club meet must be a member of the Ipswich Mountaineering Club or some other BMC affiliated club. A “meet” being defined as any trip advertised on the website or newsletter or announced/advertised via the e-mail facility (i.e. members@ipswich-m-c.co.uk).
Well where does time go? Summer’s gone in the blink of an eye and whilst I sit here in early September at the keyboard “sweating like Gary Glitter’s paperboy” the nights are most definitely drawing in and the shops are filling up with Christmas goodies!
Anyway I digress somewhat. As I mentioned in my last Prattle I thought the weather had been okay and I maintain that point of view and steadfastly ignore my work colleagues’ whingeing. Yeah okay I know it hailed in Ipswich in early July but I still managed to stay dry cycling home that day! You folks were all over the place during the summer and I heard reports suggesting that you were not confined to barracks by foul weather and were rather fouling the crags (no offence meant) and stomping the hills around the country.
Unfortunately, with one thing or another (mainly injury) I have not been at enough of the scheduled meets. I am not sure what happened at Whitsun but there was a semi-official IMC party (not a splitter group) exploring new climbing territory in the borders on the Northumberland Meet organized by Louise Farr. We found a pleasant campsite in Clennell Hall and some of the best sandbags (with the exception of Haytor in Devon) in the country hence my unscheduled collision with the ground at Kyloe Crag which resulted in personal injury, damage to my supposedly indestructible Terra pants and more dosh in my physio’s pockets!
As a result I am unable to make personal comments and hope that some of those that were there have taken the time to write about them in this here journal) about the club’s scheduled meets except to say that they did occur although there were some hitches on the organizational front. My thanks go to Steve Culverhouse for organizing the Swanage Meet; Martin Hore (I think) for organizing the Western Grit Meet; Caroline Goldsworthy for stepping into the breach (or was that suckered into) and organizing the All-comers multi-pitch weekend in North Wales; Simon Chandler for organizing the Wye Valley Meet; and, Caroline Goldsworthy (again) for organizing the August Bank Holiday Meet in the Lake District.
Also thanks go to all of you (and there were quite a few of you) who took time out and helped at this year’s Hospital Abseil in July.
It certainly seems that the Lake District was the summer holiday destination for various parties in the club and I believe we, as a club, were there for at least three whole weeks during August. Certainly, Louise and I were there for a week and the weather was so fine that we only had one rest day (Louise insists that that did not count as a rest day because we did not get into Keswick until about five p.m!). I know that Ian and Christina too were able to get out most days whilst Mike Bayley’s entourage did have the joys of being trapped by the River Derwent flooding the “main” road into Borrowdale but nonetheless were able to obtain a few more “ticks” in his quest to climb all the English and Welsh classic rock routes before he reaches a notable age!
As I write Ian Thurgood is having fun (and I can already picture him rushing to look up the word fun in his dictionary) organizing the third and final All-comers meet for this year.
There is not actually much in the way of formal meets in the pipeline during Autumn which is quite normal in my experience but I am sure that if you have a hankering to get out you will be able to find collaborators if you e-mailed the club members!
Once again some us will no doubt be representing the club at this year’s Ipswich Beer Festival at the end of September whilst I know a very strong team is, in “attitude” if not altitude, training for the Felixstowe Half Marathon at the beginning of October. If you are bored and want the pleasure of seeing a few of us suffering as we pant and pound the streets please feel free to support us on the day (support being defined as buying us a pint in the Cork Public House as we will no doubt need rehydration and this would save us the pain of climbing up the stairs).
Also the slideshow season will shortly be under way and I would appreciate any offers as there is a bit of a dearth at the moment (they don’t have to be long as we might be able to combine a couple of short shows to provide an evening’s entertainment). Don’t forget that this year’s AGM is due to take place on 17 November so if you have any points you would like discussed or wish to stand for any of the posts please let either me or the secretary know.
Apart from that thoughts are turning towards the Christmas Curry and this year’s raconteur would appreciate any information and reports from correspondents on any aerial combat that took place in the past year!
I think that’s enough for now. Stay safe!
Cheers
El Presidente
My decision in June has come back to haunt me in September as this issue is a pretty slim volume. The quality is up to the usual high standard but the quantity leaves a little to be desired; well, a lot actually. I am taking comfort in the knowledge that you have all been very busy; and that the planning for, taking part in and re-organising after great outings has left little time for writing tales thereof. However as the weather changes and the nights draw in I feel sure that pens will be put to paper, and that December’s issue will challenge The NYT Sunday edition in size.
Breaking news: Just as we were about to go to press I had an e-mail from The Webmaster. He has been very busy on our behalf and has set up a great new feature, so follow the link and enjoy.
From Simon: We now have a photo album (http://www.ipswich-m-c.co.uk/album/) that shows all the photos from our website. Please send any photos that you’d like to add to webmaster@ipswich-m-c.co.uk
e-mail to: guy@falconhurst.com or post to:
Guy Reid, Falconhurst, 27, Bath Road, Felixstowe, Suffolk IP11 7JN.During our successful Winter 2002 competition forty photographs were submitted, all of which have subsequently been used to give our club’s webpage a unique colour and style.
We are running the competition again during 2005 and currently have 23 entries, which can be seen at www.ipswich-m-c.co.uk/photos.htm
To enter your photographs in the competition send them to Simon Chandler by any means. Email attachments can be sent to simon.chandler@physics.org, or you can use post for prints, slides, CDs, floppy disks, etc. The postal address is:
S Chandler, Martlet House, Sandy Lane, Barham, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP6 0PB.Prints will be scanned by Simon immediately then returned to the contributor ASAP. Slides will take a bit longer to return because I have to borrow the equipment.
Full details can be seen at http://www.ipswich-m-c.co.uk/photos.htm, but in summary it works like this. Every IMC member can submit three photos (with captions and explanations). These can be from any date and can be of anything that is relevant to IMC activities – climbing walking, skiing, drinking, landscapes, action shots, etc. As soon as I receive them the photos will be displayed anonymously on our website for everyone to view. Once there are enough entries – or at the end of 2005 – members of the IMC will be invited to vote for their favourite photo using an online form, and the winner will be the most popular entry. As in 2002, the winner will receive a prize generously donated by Action Outdoors.
The competition is open to all IMC members, committee included, since voting will be by all members and the photographer’s name will be kept anonymous at the time of voting.
So please, dig out your favourite photos and send them to me.
Regards, Simon
This months articles can be seen on separate webpages by clicking the following links. For other articles see the articles index.
Route 1
Route 2
I must down to the crag again, to dry rock and a bright blue sky,
And all I ask is a do-able route and a rack to climb it by,
And the pros good and the jugs there and my leg’s not shaking,
And there’s no mist on the rock face and a bright dawn breaking.
I must down to the crag again, for the call to granite or grit
Is a wild call and a clear call to which I have to submit;
And all I ask is a clear day with friction right at its best,
And the holds sharp and the smears good, and even a hands-off rest.
I must down to the crag again, to the outdoor climber’s life,
To single pitch days and multi-pitch days free from everyday strife;
And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing IMCer,
And quiet sleep and a sweet dream after a pint or two of beer.
With apologies to John Masefield
Unpack your climbing gear from your rucksack,
And smile, smile, smile.
While you’ve a rack of cams and Rocks on wire,
Smile, boys, that’s the style.
There’s the route in front of you,
You’ll climb it in a while, so
Unpack your climbing gear from your rucksack,
And smile, smile, smile.
With apologies to George Asaf
All enquiries and correspondence should be directed to the Secretary.
Mervyn Lamacraft,Tel: 01394 277050 or send email to mervynlamacraft@hotmail.com.
As of 12 March membership stands at 82 (13 new members) for 2005.
The club has been registered with the BMC for 2005. Our BMC membership provides Civil Liability insurance with a £5M indemnity limit in respect of any claim. Note that this insurance does not give Personal Accident Disability Cover. Any IMC member who wishes to upgrade their BMC membership from ‘Group’ to ‘Full’ can do so at a discount rate of £13.50 (instead of £27.50).
Members who joined/renewed by 21 February should receive a personal copy of Summit 37, AGM papers and Annual Report direct from the BMC.
The IMC email and membership contact list was modified at the beginning of April to include 2005 members only. These lists will be updated about monthly thereafter.
The IMC has group membership of the Youth Hostel Association. The relevant information on the membership card, held by the IMC club secretary, is as follows:
Name: Ipswich Mountaineering ClubThis enables us to use the 230 Youth Hostels in England and Wales, and the network of 4,500 Youth Hostels in 60 countries worldwide that display the Hostelling International sign. You can also enjoy exclusive offers and discounts on key attractions, receive discounts on Youth Hostel visits at selected times of the year and receive free mailings of Groups Away and YHA newsletters.
For a list of committee members, see the contacts page
The IMC webpage address is http://ipswich-m-c.co.uk/
We now have a photo album (http://www.ipswich-m-c.co.uk/album/) that shows the 250+ photos from our website. If you’d like to contribute to our album please send me your photos, either by email, or post them to Simon Chandler (details on contacts page).
See our Club Meets page for up-to-date details.
This scheduled list is suggested as a framework for meets in the coming months and to help get dates into your diaries; however, we are looking for volunteers to co-ordinate some of the events and for ideas of where people would like to go. Please contact the meets coordinator if you are interested in helping to organise any of the above or to make suggestions for future meets.
Once again our illustrious editor has prompted me to start banging away at my keyboard and produce another President’s Prattle.
Obviously I should start where I left off last time to report on a rather splendid long weekend in Scotland when we had a great time and got out onto the hill on all four days. I suppose yours truly got the first lob of the year in when the snow caved away under his feet as we started up “The Slant” which resulted in Johnboy Buchan being “pulled off” (his words not mine). We spent the rest of the time walking and indeed wading in snow on the last day as we went for a walk near our bunkhouse (?) in Newtonmore! So enjoyable was that day that we barely made it to the Airport in time! Lesson learnt on this weekend, apart from not moving together on an icy traverse, was to ignore the weather forecasts and to actually go onto the hill – you can always turn back if it is really is bad!
Shortly after that was Easter and the IMC was spread far and wide with the official party in North Wales (thanks Ian Thurgood for organizing that) and a bunch of splitters in the Peak! Some folk had some good days climbing whilst I concentrated on walking having had me jaw well and truly massacred by some surgeons at the hospital a couple of days beforehand. Boy did I whimper when Guy looked at the drugs I was taking and suggested I shouldn’t drink!
In fact, we seem to be doing the “splitters” thing quite well this year as on the Mayday Bank Holiday weekend the official IMC Party was doing great things in Pembroke (thanks Martin Hore) whilst the splitters were in North Wales as Louise and I gate-crashed Mike Bayley’s little soiree in the “Pass”. Similarly, for Whitsun the official IMC party diverted from the Lake District to Northumberland enjoying the pleasures of the local sandstone which I thoroughly recommend (especially Simonside which has an impressive aspect and some good climbs to boot) whilst the splitters were in the Lake District and indeed in North Wales.
Fortunately, there were no splitters on the Beginners Meet weekend (if there were I would stay low if I was you!) organized once again by Dave Tonks when the weather was unexpectedly good (though not warm). From what I could tell the beginners seemed to have enjoyed themselves, especially for some with the added “attraction” of the “Rave on Millstone.” My thanks go out not only to Dave but also to all of you who offered your services to teach the newcomers! On the learning front a party of eight also went to Plas y Brenin to take advantage of their “Advanced Ropework for Climbers Course” which I would heartily recommend to any climber wishing to expand their climbing knowledge and experience.
As you can see there has been a lot of activity already this year and there is plenty to come. Special mention must go to the Hospital Abseil and the All-comers Meet both of which take place in July. As usual Dave Tonks is looking for volunteers to help out in whatever capacity be it at the top instructing (or as I prefer to call it dropping the abseilers) or helping put harnesses on the abseilers. Even if you can only spare a couple of hours please come along and help out. I say it every year; I find it a thoroughly rewarding day persuading and cajoling (in the nicest possible way) people to do thoroughly unnatural things (remember I hate abseiling) in the interests of charity! And it is good for the reputation of the club to support such events.
This might be a suitable occasion to remind you that Martin Hore is organizing an “All-comers Meet” in North Wales. The intention of this event is to give less experienced IMC members a chance to try some of the classic multi-pitch rock climbing in the company of more experienced members. I would ask that all the experienced multi-pitch climbers put this date in their diary and volunteer their services to Martin.
I think that is all for now. Remember that if you want to get away on the “free” weekend please send an email out around the club to see if anyone else wants to join in the fun and also sharpen those pens or oil the keyboard and write about it. Most importantly enjoy it and stay safe!
Cheers
El Presidente
The newsletter is in constant flux: starting with this issue we see the end of the Word format in all its chunkiness, also I think we will begin to see a fluctuating size. I have been in the enviable position thus far of receiving a fair number of submissions after each call: I kept one back from the first for use in the next edition, just in case; then you people were so good to me that I was able to do the same again the following time, and now you have exceeded yourselves in both quality and quantity. Out of respect for the authors and all their hard work, and with topicality in mind (most articles are about trips, happenings or just plain epics from the preceding three months), I have made the decision to include all submissions each time. Hopefully the possibility of a thin issue is only something I see in my darkest moments, but for this time we have a bumper edition. And talk about variety: we have fire (well bloomin’ hot) and we have ice; we have ‘getting out of trouble’ and we have ‘getting into trouble’. This all just shows what a varied and talented bunch you are.
As with all editorial decisions please let me know if you have any feelings one way or the other.
Please note that we have a published author amongst us; some of you may already have seen Fraser’s by-line in such publications as Trail, TGO, Canoe and Kayak UK, but here he is for all of us to enjoy.
The deadline for the next edition is Friday 9th September.
e-mail to: guy@falconhurst.com or post to:
Guy Reid, Falconhurst, 27, Bath Road, Felixstowe, Suffolk IP11 7JN.
This months articles can be seen on separate webpages by clicking the following links. For other articles see the articles index.
Route 1
Route 2
Not poetry this time but some nice songs brought to my attention by Mike Bayley. (Thinks-If I could have a pound for every time an IMC member hums one of these tunes over the next few weeks, this time next year I’d be a millionaire.)
(sung to tune of Monty Python’s ‘The Lumberjack Song’)
I’m a toproper, and I’m okay.
I cheat up climbs that I’ll lead one day.
(He’s a toproper, and he’s okay.
He cheats up climbs that he’ll lead one day)
I set up my rope. I chalk my hands.
I romp up some E3.
On Sundays I’m at Stanage
Where there’s thousands just like me.
(He sets up his rope. He chalks his hands.
He romps up some E3.
On Sundays he’s at Stanage
Where there’s thousands just like he)
(He’s a toproper, and he’s okay.
He cheats up climbs that he’ll lead one day)
I climbed with ease some bold blank wall
That took some tw*t 5 hours.
No time for all that faffin’
With nuts and Rocks and wires
(He climbed with ease some bold blank wall
That took some tw*t five hours
No time for all that faffin’
With nuts and Rocks and wires)
(He’s a toproper, and he’s okay.
He cheats up climbs that he’ll lead one day)
I shout ‘Take in!’. I like it tight
Suspended in mid air
Oh I wish I had some bollocks
Just like those chaps who dare
(He’s a toproper and he’s okay.
He cheats up climbs that he’ll lead one day)
(He’s a toproper, and he’s okaaaaay.
He cheats up climbs that he’ll lead one day)
And representing the ‘Toproper and Proud of It Party’ …
(sung to the tune of The Hollies’ ‘He ain’t Heavy, He’s my Brother’)
The route is long
His muscles begin to burn
The mind that chose to dare led him there
To his end
Tho’ they’re strong
His ethics cannot carry him
He’s ain’t clever, he’s just smugger
So down he falls
His welfare’s not my concern
Why spurn the bolt that’s there
I don’t care
For I know
He thought he was better than me
He ain’t clever, he’s a tosser
If I’m saddened at all
I’m saddened at the madness
That filled his heart with risk
Rather than with the gladness
Of his toproping brother.
It’s a long, long fall
No tight rope to shorten it
While he’s on the way to care
I’ll get a rope up there
And the route
Doesn’t freak me out at all
I ain’t better, but I’m safer
All enquiries and correspondence should be directed to the Secretary.
Mervyn Lamacraft,Tel: 01394 277050 or send email to mervynlamacraft@hotmail.com.
As of 12 March membership stands at 82 (13 new members) for 2005.
The club has been registered with the BMC for 2005. Our BMC membership provides Civil Liability insurance with a £5M indemnity limit in respect of any claim. Note that this insurance does not give Personal Accident Disability Cover. Any IMC member who wishes to upgrade their BMC membership from ‘Group’ to ‘Full’ can do so at a discount rate of £13.50 (instead of £27.50).
Members who joined/renewed by 21 February should receive a personal copy of Summit 37, AGM papers and Annual Report direct from the BMC.
The IMC email and membership contact list was modified at the beginning of April to include 2005 members only. These lists will be updated about monthly thereafter.
The IMC has group membership of the Youth Hostel Association. The relevant information on the membership card, held by the IMC club secretary, is as follows:
Name: Ipswich Mountaineering ClubThis enables us to use the 230 Youth Hostels in England and Wales, and the network of 4,500 Youth Hostels in 60 countries worldwide that display the Hostelling International sign. You can also enjoy exclusive offers and discounts on key attractions, receive discounts on Youth Hostel visits at selected times of the year and receive free mailings of Groups Away and YHA newsletters.
For a list of committee members, see the contacts page
During our successful Winter 2002 competition forty photographs were submitted, all of which have subsequently been used to give our club’s webpage a unique colour and style.
We are running the competition again during 2005 and currently have 20 entries, which can be seen at www.ipswich-m-c.co.uk/photos.htm
To enter your photographs in the competition send them to Simon Chandler by any means. Email attachments can be sent to simon.chandler@physics.org, or you can use post for prints, slides, CDs, floppy disks, etc. The postal address is:
S Chandler, Martlet House, Sandy Lane, Barham, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP6 0PB.Prints will be scanned by Simon immediately then returned to the contributor ASAP. Slides will take a bit longer to return because I have to borrow the equipment.
Full details can be seen at http://www.ipswich-m-c.co.uk/photos.htm, but in summary it works like this. Every IMC member can submit three photos (with captions and explanations). These can be from any date and can be of anything that is relevant to IMC activities – climbing walking, skiing, drinking, landscapes, action shots, etc. As soon as I receive them the photos will be displayed anonymously on our website for everyone to view. Once there are enough entries – or at the end of 2005 – members of the IMC will be invited to vote for their favourite photo using an online form, and the winner will be the most popular entry. As in 2002, the winner will receive a prize generously donated by Action Outdoors.
The competition is open to all IMC members, committee included, since voting will be by all members and the photographer’s name will be kept anonymous at the time of voting.
So please, dig out your favourite photos and send them to me.
Regards, Simon
Hopefully I have now fixed the problems that some of our members have had with accessing the IMC website and mailing list via NTL or AOL web providers. This was solved by switching to a new web hosting company, wiserhosting.com. The new hosts are much more responsive to requests for technical help, and make efforts to stop their sites being blacklisted by AOL (spit!). I certainly recommend them. As an added bonus we now have twice as much space on the new web server for your photos, so newsletter articles can be even more photo-filled. One downside of the change, however, is that I’ve not had time to get the message board or chatrooms working on the new site. In fact, these services were not used a great deal – our members preferring to use the mailing list for all types of communication – so I won’t be ‘turning on’ these little-used services unless any of you ask me to do so.
When I get time I plan to add an enhanced photo gallery (and slideshow) that pulls together the photos from all the different articles we’ve published over the last few years. If you’ve got any other ideas for improvements to the IMC website, please send me an email and I’ll see what I can do.
See our Club Meets page for up-to-date details.
This scheduled list is suggested as a framework for meets in the coming months and to help get dates into your diaries; however, we are looking for volunteers to co-ordinate some of the events and for ideas of where people would like to go. Please contact the meets coordinator if you are interested in helping to organise any of the above or to make suggestions for future meets.
Please note that we have deliberately reduced the number of scheduled meets because in the light of recent experience some Meets did not take place possibly because the venue did not appear attractive. The Committee suggests that if anybody fancies going away on a weekend which does not feature a “Formal Meet” then that person should e-mail around the club (using members@ipswich-m-c.co.uk) asking if anyone is interested in going away on a particular weekend. It is probable that there would be interest because there are fewer scheduled Meets. Naturally choosing the venue is the prerogative of the individual initiating the process. Cheers, Peter K.
Where does time go? It only seems a short time since I began my last Prattle and there was our illustrious Newsletter Editor, only last night, “tipping me the wink” to say another one is already due.
Spring is apparently around the corner although the only indication of it at the moment is the longer daylight hours. It is almost daylight when I leave the office now. I have yet to see a daffodil in the wild, which is a pity seeing as how well my glorious Welsh rugby team is doing! Mind you I am still waiting for the severe weather that has been promised for two weeks now. What will we do if we ever do get seriously bad weather?
As usual all has not been quiet in past few months with various IMC members braving the elements in various parts of the country. The year began with a bang for our Scottish Mark I team who with perfect timing landed in Scotland at the same time as one of the most vicious gales ever to strike these shores of ours. Rumour has it that they spent all of their time in the “Ice Factor” at Kinlochleven. Good try Mike Hams who organized this but the ‘goss’ is that January is not generally a good time to venture over the border (to Scotland not Norfolk). They heartily recommend the Cafe there! The Scottish Mark II team is, as I write, sharpening their crampons and ice axes in anticipation of some good snow and ice next week!
Apart from that there were a couple of trips to the Peak District in January (thanks to Martin Stevens for organizing the “Anything Goes” weekend at Thorpe Farm) and another trip to the Lake District organized by Christina Ennis which went well by all accounts. I think that the weather got the better of the scheduled Meets in February (Tremadog and Surrey), which is a shame, but thanks still go to the organizers for at least making the effort. That being said a hardcore team successfully completed the Rhinog Ridge in fourteen hours although there is a vicious rumour going around that one of the team had “a sense of humour failure” en route!
I believe that Easter in North Wales and the Advanced Ropework for Climbers course (weekend 9/10 April for which one place is remaining) are the forthcoming scheduled meets.
This brings me neatly onto our summer itinerary, which you will find at the end of the Newsletter. The committee met recently and the feeling was that in the past there might have been too many scheduled meets and because we “named and shamed” particular destinations people might not have been interested in going because they believed that that was where we would be going for certain. Therefore, what we have done is to reduce the number of scheduled meets which will leave more weekends available for ad hoc or impromptu events. With the ‘Members’ facility and the Notice Board we think it is relatively easy for people to send an e-mail out asking if anyone is available on a “meet-free” weekend. There are certainly a couple of weekends when I would be doing this.
Furthermore, those of you that were present at last year’s AGM will recall that there was a lot of discussion about how the club looks after its new and less experienced climbers. There is a fine balance that needs to be maintained in trying to support and teach the inexperienced climber and also to allow the more experienced to push themselves and their grades. To this end what we have decided was to add another “All-comers meet” where the experienced climbers will be available to show folk “the ropes” (dodgy pun intended) on multi-pitch routes in North Wales on the weekend 16/7 July in addition to the Beginners Meet and Follow-up Meets in May and September respectively.
These means that whilst we will do all we can to support less experienced climbers at any other meet we are not able to guarantee this and some of the venues will be unsuitable for Beginners unless they can persuade someone to look after them. That doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t ask if you could come along because you never know your luck. Off course if you choose to organize a meet for a particular weekend you would be perfectly entitled to choose where to go! As usual we are looking for volunteers to step forward for some weekends so please let me know.
I think that’s all for now. Roll on summer and look after yourselves and stay safe!
Cheers
El Presidente
Once again my thanks to all the contributors, it is their hard work that makes the newsletter. As you can see even in the depths of winter rugged souls are out there enjoying The Great Outdoors in all its forms. In the same vein the updated Summer Meets list has now been circulated and is attached here; there should be something to whet all appetites. You will note a slight reduction in the number of organised meets and an encouragement to be, at times, the masters of our own destiny: here’s to some interesting trips. Get planning.
Our Newsletter is a fine thing, of which as a club we should be justifiably proud. I hope that it inspires people to take on challenges whilst entertaining them; and that, to me, seems like a good combination. To that end please keep your contributions flowing in. As ever, photographs are particularly welcome. The deadline for the next edition is Friday June 10th.
The format of the newsletter is not set in stone so if anyone has any thoughts, feelings or ideas then please let me know.
e-mail to: guy@falconhurst.com or post to:
Guy Reid, Falconhurst, 27, Bath Road, Felixstowe, Suffolk IP11 7JN.During our successful Winter 2002 competition forty photographs were submitted, all of which have subsequently been used to give our club’s webpage a unique colour and style.
We are running the competition again during 2005. The winner will receive a prize generously donated by Action Outdoors.
To enter your photographs in the competition send them to Simon Chandler by any means. Email attachments can be sent to simon.chandler@physics.org, or you can use post for prints, slides, CDs, floppy disks, etc. The postal address is:
S Chandler, Martlet House, Sandy Lane, Barham, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP6 0PB.Prints will be scanned by Simon immediately then returned to the contributor ASAP. Slides will take a bit longer to return because I have to borrow the equipment.
Full details can be seen at http://www.ipswich-m-c.co.uk/photos.htm, but in summary it works like this. Every IMC member can submit three photos (with captions and explanations). These can be from any date and can be of anything that is relevant to IMC activities – climbing walking, skiing, drinking, landscapes, action shots, etc. As soon as I receive them the photos will be displayed anonymously on our website for everyone to view. Once there are enough entries – or at the end of 2005 – members of the IMC will be invited to vote for their favourite photo using an online form, and the winner will be the most popular entry.
The competition is open to all IMC members, committee included, since voting will be by all members and the photographer’s name will be kept anonymous at the time of voting.
So please, dig out your favourite photos and send them to me so that I can start putting them on the web-page.
Regards, Simon
This months articles can be seen on separate webpages. Just click the title to go there … For other articles see the articles index.
Route 1
Route 2
‘Air-time’: sounds so innocuous, doesn’t it? And it is provided there’s no damage. Makes you think though. Well it did me after I had spent a few milliseconds staring into my leader’s eyes as he fell toward me.
For the leader the resolution was to be mindful of the length of run-outs when possible, though this wasn’t an issue in this incident.
For me it was to be mindful of all the points where extra inches are added to the length of fall.
Paying out rope to a leader is like being a page-turner for a pianist; as the belayer it is imperative to give the leader what they want when they want it. Most leaders like a bit of slack so they can move freely, and slightly more when they are about to make a big move: and then there’s the slack as they pull the rope through to clip in. All those inches.
In this instance I couldn’t get comfortable at the foot of the climb so I took a stance a few paces back. The fall jerked me forward adding more inches to the system. Another time I would consider protecting the stance.
I have witnessed (not from IMC members I hasten to add) some dreadful examples of accidents waiting to happen: inattentive belayers with yards of slack standing way back from the rock. Within minutes of our incident both of us grimaced as we saw a slight thing belaying her heavier leader whilst sitting on the ground yards back from the route.
I had considered myself a safe and conscientious belayer, but this incident brought it home to me that there is never room to be complacent.
The Tate gallery announced yesterday that it had paid £1 million for a masterpiece by an anonymous IMC member; The Uncertainty of the Climber. It depicts a torso and a set of DMM Wallnuts.
Grauniad March 1st 2005
I am a climber.
I am very fond of nuts.
I am nuts.
I am very fond of a climber.
I am a climber of nuts.
I am very fond.
A fond climber of ‘I am, I am’-
Very nuts.
Fond of ‘Am I nuts,
Am I?’- a very climber.
Nuts of a climber!
Am I fond? Am I very?
Climber nuts! I am.
I am fond of a ‘very’.
I am of very fond nuts.
Am I a climber?
With apologies to Wendy Cope
And did these feet last summertime
Walk upon England’s mountains green
And were these sticky climbing shoes
On England’s pleasant peak rock seen
And did the small bright Petzl torch
Shine forth upon our darkened track
Because at Burbage North we’d bouldered late
Enjoying the thrills of 20ft crack
Bring me my ropes, one green one gold
Bring me the ‘Friends’ that I desire
Bring me my shoes and harness too,
Bring me my set of Rocks on wire
I shall not cease from thrutch and udge
Nor shall my chalk b’wiped from my hand
Till I have lead this route to the top
In England’s green and pleasant land
With apologies to William Blake
There are no book reviews this time but why no film reviews instead as both ‘Vertical Limit’ and ‘Cliffhanger’ have been on the TV just recently.
All enquiries and correspondence should be directed to the Secretary.
Mervyn Lamacraft,Tel: 01394 277050 or send email to mervynlamacraft@hotmail.com.
As of 12 March membership stands at 82 (13 new members) for 2005.
The club has been registered with the BMC for 2005. Our BMC membership provides Civil Liability insurance with a £5M indemnity limit in respect of any claim. Note that this insurance does not give Personal Accident Disability Cover. Any IMC member who wishes to upgrade their BMC membership from ‘Group’ to ‘Full’ can do so at a discount rate of £13.50 (instead of £27.50).
Members who joined/renewed by 21 February should receive a personal copy of Summit 37, AGM papers and Annual Report direct from the BMC.
The IMC email and membership contact list will be modified at the beginning of April to include 2005 members only. Both lists will be updated about monthly thereafter.
From the BMC- our club Membership Card, climbing wall directory, a very interesting booklet ‘Climbing Outdoors’, a list of Bird Nesting Restrictions for 2005.
From the YHA: IMC Group membership card (membership no 018-7653317, expires 30/9/05), booklet of Hostels/Prices for 2005-more details below. Spring/summer issue of Triangle.
From the Scottish Executive: Angus Glens Walking Festival 2005, 2-6 June.
Discount offer to IMC members for hire of Spanish holiday home at La Pina in the Andalucian Mountains. Call 01250 872890 if interested.
Leaflet advertising ‘Walking wild’ in Leitrim & North Roscommon, Ireland. Various types of accommodation available. Call +353 71 9663033 for details.
The IMC has group membership of the Youth Hostel Association. The relevant information on the membership card, held by the IMC club secretary, is as follows:
Name: Ipswich Mountaineering ClubThis enables us to use the 230 Youth Hostels in England and Wales, and the network of 4,500 Youth Hostels in 60 countries worldwide that display the Hostelling International sign. You can also enjoy exclusive offers and discounts on key attractions, receive discounts on Youth Hostel visits at selected times of the year and receive free mailings of Groups Away and YHA newsletters.
For a list of committee members, see the contacts page
A much-used facility of the IMC website (http://ipswich-m-c.co.uk) is our emailing list. IMC members who have registered their email address with us (usually via the membership subscription form) can send an email to members@ipswich-m-c.co.uk. This will automatically be forwarded to all other members. Well that’s the intention. However, AOL – in their corporate wisdom – consider any email originating from our web server to be spam, so automatically bin it. Fee paying subscribers of AOL don’t get a chance to decide, since it never reaches their in-tray. An analogy is that your postman decides which letters to put through your letterbox based on the postmark on the envelope. Would you stand for that? Unfortunately you can’t change AOL’s mind about this – it’s their policy and they’re sticking to it. Our advice to those of you who currently pay AOL for this outrageous service is to switch to a service provider who will listen to you, and let you decide what to read and what to bin. By the way, many other service providers are a lot cheaper too.
See our Club Meets page for up-to-date details.
The above is to help get dates in your diaries, however, we are looking for volunteers to coordinate some of the events and for ideas of where people would like to go. Please contact the meets coordinator if you are interested in helping to organise any of the above or to make suggestions for future meets.
Firstly I would like, on behalf of all the members of the IMC, to say a big thank you to Mike Bayley for all his hard work as Newsletter editor over the last two years.
I hope to be able to continue the high standard but I will need your help.
Many thanks for all the contributions to this issue. The response to my first call has been fantastic: long may that continue.
All contributions are welcome, of whatever length and subject but preferably related to any of the many activities that the club members undertake: it has been said that if every member submitted just one article a year every issue would be a bumper bundle of fun.
Please email to: guy@falconhurst.com or post to
Guy Reid, Falconhurst, 27, Bath Road, Felixstowe, Suffolk IP11 7JNJ
As ever, photographs are particularly welcome. The next newsletter will come out at the end of March, so please send your submissions by March 10th 2005
Guy
It’s been an interesting and enjoyable, although at times stressful, couple of years at the helm of the newsletter. However, it’s now time for a change and Guy has stepped forwards to take over the position of editor. So, I’d like to take this opportunity to thank the many contributors to the newsletter over the last two years. The success the newsletter has enjoyed in that time is due to your contributions and I hope you will give the same support to Guy.
“Without you there would be no Newsletter.”
A new year but the same old regime as I begin my first prattle of another year in orifice. I suppose it is most appropriate to start with the AGM that was recently held at The Dove Street Inn. I haven’t read the Minutes yet but I believe that I was re-erected as El Pres in the face of massive opposition (slightly less than one person). Similarly, Dave Scott, Mervyn Lamacraft and Simon Chandler saw off equally stiff competition to maintain their lofty positions as Treasurer, Secretary and Webmaster respectively.
There was, however, one change which was the position of Newsletter Editor that became vacant as Mike Bayley decided to step down. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mike for two years of sterling effort in the post. It is not an easy job to produce an entertaining Newsletter four times a year and Mike has done a great job in this regard. Cheers Mate!
Our new Editor is Guy Reid, who bit the bullet and, in the face of ferocious competition of a similar scale to the other posts got lumbered with the job. I might add that unlike our compatriots in the Ukraine, we in the IMC can run a proper election procedure where there is little doubt as to the outcome as there generally is only one candidate (much like to old Soviet Union). I hope you will send him articles, items of interest etc, as the Newsletter doesn’t write itself.
Getting down to the nitty gritty of IMC life there hasn’t been that much in the way of formal IMC activity since the last Newsletter but that doesn’t mean that nothing has been happening. Mike Hams organized the Swanage Meet and then found he couldn’t make it! There were quite a large number of club members involved in the Felixstowe Half Marathon and James Calvert showed us all up by finishing third (at least he finished unlike me). Good effort.
I am sure that there us been much other activity – certainly I have been traipsing the country with whoever is willing to put up with me. Team Wuckfit (Mike and I) has made several trips to the Peak District, when amongst gear fondling we did manage a couple of climbs, whilst Louise and I have had enjoyable weekends in the Lake District (where we almost got sunburn) and North Wales (where we almost drowned) in October and November. In addition, Steve Culverhouse has recently returned from his trip to Ecuador where he was attempting Antisana and the other day I spotted Patrick Meehan in our staff canteen looking lean and mean which is the natural consequence of a trip to Nepal.
As the days get increasingly shorter (does that make sense?) thoughts are turning towards our Winter Meets, which should if, everything goes to plan, be attached to this Newsletter. If it doesn’t (go to plan) please check the website. As usual we are looking for people to volunteer to organize them and the proposed destinations are merely suggestions so if you have a hankering to go somewhere please feel free to step across the line and put yourself forward as the organizer. At least that way you can guarantee going to where you want to go! One thing that is currently in the planning stage is an Advanced Rope Work for Climbers course at Plas Y Brenin so if anyone is interested please let me know ASAP. (See below for further information, and under Diary Dates for suggested date. Ed.)
Finally, it is that time of the year when the Winter Solstice is nigh upon us and Christmas follows hot on its tail and naturally one’s thoughts also turn towards Christmas Curry mmmm curry and beer. Two of God’s greatest gifts to mankind. We are fully booked for this event, which represents the climax of the IMC Year, and in any case it will, in all likelihood, have been and gone by the time you read this but nevertheless I thought I would mention it. The chief thought is who will win this year’s Lob of the Year – you’ll have to turn up or wait until the next edition to find out! (Oh no you won’t! See below. Ed.)
All that remains for me to say is have a Joyful Christmas and a Happy New Year. Stay safe on the hills and come back to write about it!
Cheers
El Presidente
This months articles can be seen on separate webpages. Just click the title to go there … For other articles see the articles index.
Mid-November and IMC’s two rufty-tufty mountaineer types decided to head off up North for a bit of action in spite of dire predictions of extreme cold. Metcheck alleged “feels like temperatures” of minus 12C during Saturday dropping to below minus 20c at night but nonetheless we were undeterred. It was, however, very cold Friday night as we hurriedly erected the tents and dashed of through the snow to the pub.
Saturday morning was cold so off we went into Hathersage to fondle a bit whilst the rock was coming into condition and our feet were thawing out. I bought a book and a pasta-strainer and Mike showing unusual restraint bought a book. We then bought, sensing good photo opportunities, a disposable camera because Team Wuckfit having mentioned bringing cameras both forgot them but just to emphasise the team-spirit that existed within the team one of the Team found his camera when unpacking his rucksack at home!
Then it was up to Stanage and the cunning plan was to head for the Black Hawk areaand slip in a few quick easy grade routes before getting down before it got dark. There were a fair few folk out there braving the cold. We geared up in the snow and then main decision as yours truly was taking the honour was what footwear to wear on the climb. We knew that that descent would require walking boots as the comment heard from descending climbers was the “descents were lethal!” I opted for a natty pair on “Meindl Perus.”
Anyway the chosen route was Black Hawk Traverse Left (3* VDiff). In the meantime Mike was rapidly changing his mind about leading Black Hawk Hell Crack (3* Severe) owing to a suspicious looking cornice that he would have to break through in order to top out.
I set off confidently in boots reaching a ledge in swift time and then was delayed by the “Bishop’s Stride” which involves a huge step around a block onto a ledge on the other side. I swear it was longer than me legs would go (a good six feet). Nonetheless after a great deal of nerve-summoning the move was made (me groin is still complaining) and then it was onto easier ground although my nerve was frayed by the move so there was much fannying around placing gear to soothe the nerves! Mike followed but had to seek an alternative move as he couldn’t get his leg over the block on the “stride” but nonetheless made it up in reasonable time.
We trudged back to our sacks ignoring the comments being made by various walkers questioning our mental state (I had already got this enquiry at work so it wasn’t new news). We had some lunch and then sought a route for Mike. Much fannying about ensued yet again as we weren’t sure what to do given the conditions, the cold and the other worry which was the state of the top outs and finding belays which were not buried by snow. So we hunted around for a while discounting Hollybush Crack amongst others before settling on Sociology. Mike got his climbing shoes on and eventually decided he was not up to the tricky unprotected moves at the bottom so we headed left and did Physiology and it wasn’t until he was one-third of the way up he remembered the route was a shocker!!! After much flowing of the brown stuff he topped out and then it was my turn and up I trundled (innocently) and confirmed his opinion – it was a shocker! Nonetheless I thrutched my way up and by the time we got back to our sacks it was 3.00 pm and we decided to go back into Hathersage. We were aware that the temperature was dropping and I wanted to avoid the pleasures of driving down freezing water so down we went into Hathersage for a cuppa and then off to High Peak for some more gear fondling-cum-staying-warm.
Back to the campsite and immediately started cooking dinner – there was no time for idle banter as it was chucking filly. Meals were cooked, served and consumed in next to no time before it was off to the pub for warmth and libation.
The natural consequences of the libation affected me twice that night as I had to extract myself from the warmth of my down sleeping bag but each time it seemed warmer and at 6.00 am there was the hint of drizzle. This affected our plans as the original intention had been to take a peek at Dovestone Tor (more of a walk although we did think of taking some gear). Now it was murky and wet. So instead after breakfast and decamping we headed to Ladybower and went out for a two and a bit hour walk including going up Crook Hill where Mike showed some exceedingly worrying knowledge of rare sheep species when he pointed out the existence of “Jacob’s” Sheep! The back to Hathersage for a brew and grub and finally Mike wilted in the face of some gear fondling and bought some gaiters in spite of my attempts to dissuade him by saying that he looked like a rambler!
Then homewards it was! Cracking weekend – two routes!
 route 1 |
 route 2 |
One of my favourites and one I plagiarised cf. The owl and the cragrat
There it was, word for word,
The poem that took the place of a mountain.
He breathed its oxygen,
Even when the book lay turned in the dust of his table.
It reminded him how he had needed
A place to go to in his own direction,
How he had recomposed the pines,
Shifted the rocks and picked his way among clouds,
For the outlook that would be right,
Where he could be complete in an unexplained completion:
The exact rock where his inexactnesses
Would discover, at last, the view toward which they had edged,
Where he could lie and, gazing down at the sea,
Recognise his unique and solitary home.
Wallace Stevens
Through my hair an air that chills
From Stanage moor it blows:
What are those effs and bees and jeezes,
What curses, what shouts are those?
They are the words of lost content
As you plummet expecting pain.
Those bloody hard moves as you climbed up
And will soon have to try again
With apologies to A.E. Housman
This is the story of the unusual life and early death of a young chap named Chris McCandless whose emaciated body was found in an abandoned bus, which was used as a shelter, in the wilds of Alaska. He had for many years been fascinated by the wilderness, and had made a number of solo journeys into such areas and into himself. He would take the minimum of gear and food, supplementing the rice he had taken with him with food gathered from the wild. Interspersed within McCandless’ tale are stories of others who have lived, and sometimes died, trying to find out what wilderness means for them. This book sparked some controversy with some feeling he was a deeply spiritual chap trying to find his place in the world whilst others thought he was simply a foolish boy who died needlessly through his own stupidity.
Also by Jon Krakauer – Into Thin Air: A personal account of the Everest disaster
Any submissions for this section gratefully received. What books have you read recently? Send in a review.
The IMC has group membership of the Youth Hostel Association. The relevant information on the membership card, held by the IMC club secretary, is as follows:
Name: Ipswich Mountaineering ClubThis enables us to use the 230 Youth Hostels in England and Wales, and the network of 4,500 Youth Hostels in 60 countries worldwide that display the Hostelling International sign. You can also enjoy exclusive offers and discounts on key attractions, receive discounts on Youth Hostel visits at selected times of the year and receive free mailings of Groups Away and YHA newsletters.
All enquiries and correspondence should be directed to the Secretary.
Mervyn Lamacraft,Tel: 01394 277050 or send email to mervynlamacraft@hotmail.com.
For a list of committee members, see the contacts page
The IMC webpage address is http://ipswich-m-c.co.uk
Contact details for all members are now available on the IMC website
These details are password protected. If you don’t know or have forgotten the password, email webmaster@ipswich-m-c.co.uk for a reminder.
All the photos from our adventures on Bosigran Ridge can be viewed at www.ipswich-m-c.co.uk/photos.htm. More members photos would be appreciated for the website; either send them electronically to webmaster@ipswich-m-c.co.uk or post to Simon Chandler, details can be found via the contacts page.
New to the site is a weather page at www.ipswich-m-c.co.uk/weather.html, which provides a convenient place to look up weather forecasts for places where we often go climbing..
See our Club Meets page for up-to-date details.
The above is to help get dates in your diaries, however, we are looking for volunteers to coordinate some of the events and for ideas of where people would like to go. Please contact the meets coordinator if you are interested in helping to organise any of the above or to make suggestions for future meets.
Welcome to another issue of the IMC newsletter. Once again, thanks go to all the contributors.
Articles or items of interest are always welcome, whether they be related to mountaineering or not. Please email your contributions to michael.bayley2@btinternet.com or post to
10 Princeton Mews, Colchester, CO4 9SJ.
The deadline for the next newsletter is 10th December 2004.
The post of newsletter editor will be up for grabs at the AGM. If there’s anyone thinking of taking it on, I’m more than happy to answer questions or gradually introduce a replacement to the role. Go on, you know you want to ….
Mike
Well it looks like summer is over although there could be a case for (mass) debate as to whether it ever really started!
To be fair, whilst there was an impression that it never seemed to stop raining nonetheless there was a lot of activity during the summer months albeit there might have been an element of shower dodging at the meets in the Peaks and Roaches that I attended at the end of June and beginning of July. I remember Louise and I getting up extra early on a Saturday morning to get to Burbage at the unprecedented hour of 8.30 a.m. and we got a couple of climbs in before it rained. Thanks to Ian Thurgood for organising the Western Grit Weekend at The Roaches and apologies to whoever it was who organised the earlier meet in the Peaks (I am allowed senior moments).
Whilst I was away in Peru on expedition apparently the girls managed two consecutive weekends away in the Peaks in perfect weather conditions (perhaps even too hot) so it wasn’t all bad! Mind you reports that reached my ear suggested that the Lakes crew had mixed weather in the Lakes over the August Bank Holiday weekend. In fact, I understand that Martin Stevens did not go to the pub some evenings owing to inclement weather which is unusual (!) and thanks go to Martin for organising this particular meet.
In amongst all of this we celebrated Steve Culverhouse’s 40th Birthday with a surprise party at Thai One.
I was pleased to see that quite a few members – too many to mention – helped out at the Hospital Abseil and I am sure that the organizers were grateful for your help. I thoroughly enjoyed my day of throwing ’em off the top and felt entirely justified in doing so as I personally tested two of the ropes first thing in the morning! What was I thinking of? Talk about “walking the talk!”
I thought the Beginners Follow-Through Weekend went pretty well with virtually everybody who put their names forward making it there despite the utterly dire weather forecast. It was not perfect but most of the rain happened whilst we were in the pub which was a result! Thanks go to Dave Tonks and the Bluebottle clan for sorting this one out.
Looking ahead as the nights start to draw in there are some meets still in the pipe-line but there does not seem to be much in the way of meets in the calendar for the period up to Christmas which is not too unusual. I would suggest that if anyone wants to go away that they use the e-mail list to gauge interest.
Nonetheless there are things happening. In particular, I am hoping that we can put a lean mean IMC athletic team into the Felixstowe Half Marathon on the 3rd October and am working on a Bonfire Night get-together providing there is enough interest. The slideshow season will have started by the time you read this, and indeed the IMC invasion of the Ipswich Beer Festival will have taken place without hopefully too severe after-effects! Mmm, beer.
Don’t forget that the AGM is due to take place on Thursday 18th November at The Dove Street Inn, so if you have any issues that you would like to be discussed, or you would like to stand for a post (I believe that there are some posts up for grabs), please let me or Mervyn Lamacraft know.
Last and definitely not least Christmas Curry has been booked for Friday 10th December at The Masha and places are going fast. Please contact Louise Farr or me if you want to go. Furthermore, I the jury, need details of any lobbing activity (yes Steve I know I had some airtime on or rather off Right Unconquerable!) for the Lob of the Year. I am aware of several lobs but not much in the way of detail has come my way so I would appreciate it if the reports are sent to me, the jury, as soon as possible!
That’s all folks! Stay safe!
Cheers
El Presidente
This months articles can be seen on separate webpages. Just click the title to go there … For other articles see the articles index.
Current membership is 128 including 67 new members this year.
A ‘flyer’ was received from a spanish outdoor company for winter mountaineering and alpine courses. See www.spanishhigh.co.uk or telephone 0778 651 6388 for more details.
Meryvn
All enquiries and correspondence should be directed to the Secretary.
Mervyn Lamacraft,Tel: 01394 277050 or send email to mervynlamacraft@hotmail.com.
The club’s group membership of the YHA has been renewed to 30/9/05. The relevant information on the membership card, held by the IMC club secretary, is as follows:
Name: Ipswich Mountaineering ClubAnyone wishing to take advantage of this should quote our membership number when contacting the YHA. This enables us to use the 230 Youth Hostels in England and Wales, and the network of 4,500 Youth Hostels in 60 countries worldwide that display the Hostelling International sign. You can also enjoy exclusive offers and discounts on key attractions, receive discounts on Youth Hostel visits at selected times of the year and receive free mailings of Groups Away and YHA newsletters.
Hi folks. It is with great pleasure that I can announce the proud addition to the family of a longstanding IMC couple. Darren and Clare (Dazza and Clazza as I know them) Lambert recently produced a bouncing girlie sprog Milly (or is it Millie) May weighing in at around 7lbs 12 oz on either Friday 17 or Saturday 18 September. Apologies to the happy family for the vague details. Mother and baby both doing well and no doubt Milly will happily be climbing E10 by the time she is 10!
Congratulations to Martin Hore and Peter Krug, who were the first to identify the route in the last newsletter as Left Unconquerable, Stanage. Continuing in the same vein, can you name the routes below?
 route 1 |
 route 2 |
No prizes, but the first person to email the correct answers to competition@ipswich-m-c.co.uk is the winner.
This is something we can continue, so please submit your photos to webmaster@ipswich-m-c.co.uk
The IMC webpage address is:
New to the site is a weather page at www.ipswich-m-c.co.uk/weather.html which provides a convenient place to look up weather forecasts for places where we often go climbing. The page currently shows 5-day forecasts from BBC, Met Office and 10-day forecasts from weather.co.uk.
Once again, many thanks for all the contributions to this issue. Articles remain a bit
thin on the ground; if I could paraphrase a recent presidential missive by saying that if
every member contributed one article a year, every issue would be a bumper one.
All contributions are welcome, of whatever length and subject but preferably related to
mountaineering. Please email to michael.bayley2@btinternet.com or post to 10
Princeton Mews, Colchester, CO4 9SJ. As ever, photos are particularly welcome. The next
newsletter will be mid-September. On a more personal note, I’d like to thank everyone who wished me happy birthday during the n0ughties meet. It was appreciated. Happy scribbling,
Mike
“Summer’s here and the time is right for climbing on our peaks” a gentle wordplay on an
old Springsteen song! In case you ain’t noticed we appear to be enjoying some fine weather as
the summer season hits us and once again it is great to see and hear of IMC folk travelling far
and wide in our great land exploring its crags and fells.
First things first I would like to thank Dave Tonks for yet again organising the Beginner’s
Meet. I could not believe how good the weather was. In fact, I forgot to pack the sunscreen
preferring to leave some space for a wetsuit, flippers and a snorkel and naturally the end
result was sunburn. Outrageous! I think numbers were down on previous years but
nonetheless we had fun and I hope that the “Beginners” enjoyed the experience of climbing
on real rock and were not put off. Don’t forget there is the follow-up (or follow-through as
some of us know it) weekend in September. Failing that you can always try and join in on
one of the club meets although these do require a bit more self-sufficiency in terms of providing your own equipment such as shoes, harnesses and helmets.
However, lots more than that has been going on since I last wrote. I don’t think I will ever
forget that weekend at the end of March freezing me nuts off on Bamford Edge and
some classic routes (Quien Sabe is simply stunning!). Easter saw another IMC raiding
party hit Cornwall for cream teas and, yes, some climbing. And amazingly we did actually
get to Pembroke for the May Day Bank Holiday Weekend this year where I had the
pleasant experience of having someone deck out 10 metres from me when I was beginning my
gibber up a route! Thanks to Louise Farr and Martin Hore for organizing these meets.
Ah yes what else happened in May? Oh, Chris Bluebottle hit 18, and I made it to 40 years
young – which leads nicely to the n0ughty weekend, when a large body of us made our
way up to the Lake District thanks to Mike Bayley’s organisation. A weekend made
notable not only for some excellent climbing and a large number of birthdays that particular
weekend but also the fact that I found out just how tough fell-running is when I went out for a
training run up “The Band!” Ok I am a Silly Billy but hey I’m not getting any younger (or
wiser) and these things have to be tried! Them fell-runners are as hard as nails and barking
mad!
Not much else to write about although it was a bit disappointing that no-one was prepared to
organize anything for what was nominally the “Yorkshire Grit” Meet which meant it didn’t
happen. They don’t organize themselves! Rant over and I have just remembered something of
great import. Please let me know of any lobbing action as soon as you are aware. I would prefer
that you keep hold of the rope if you are belaying at the time rather than phoning me
immediately but a little snitch note when you get back would be appreciated so that I can
collate information for the annual stitch up.
Finally, it is not long before the hospital abseil when a few of us like to help out. Dave Tonks
is looking for volunteers to help out so if you have a spare day or even a spare few hours on
the weekend of the 17/8 July please step forward and let Dave know. It is good for the
profile of the club and a way to say thanks to Mega for lending us gear for the Beginners
Meet and personally speaking it is a great experience helping to get people to overcome
their terror and step over the edge and start their abseil. If you don’t want to drop ‘em over
the edge there are plenty of other jobs which need doing and the more bodies we have the
easier it is for everybody.
You’ll be relieved to read “that’s all folks” from me now before I totally bore your tits off!
Make sure you get out on the hills (I know there is a lot more activity going on in addition
to those featured above) and enjoy them and of course stay safe.
Cheers
El Presidente
(and the happy camper)
I am writing in defence of that much underrated culinary item, the humble tin of
cornbeef which, in certain circles of the club, has been somewhat lambasted. This is
completely out of order. Indeed when I was camping it up in Northumberland late last
year I fell into conversation with the chef at the pub I was in and he was in raptures about this
wonderful product. It is so versatile in that with only slight modifications to the ingredients you can make spaghetti bolognese, cornbeef hash and chili con carne. It’s brilliant and don’t forget if you get a big tin you’ve got next day’s lunch sorted as well!
Spaghetti Bolognese. Ingredients – Tin of CB, Spaghetti (or any sort of pasta that comes to
hand), Tomato Puree, Dried Mixed Herbs, Seasoning.
Boil spaghetti until ready and put aside. Then put a little amount of water into another pan
and heat and add that marvelous tin of CB, bung in some herbs and seasoning and then add
the tomato puree and mix up until the meat and puree has broken down into the sauce and hey presto once you add the spaghetti (it is a good idea to drain the spaghetti first!) you’ve got
spag bol. You can get a bit posh by adding onions and, say, fresh basil (thanks Louise!)
Chili con Carne. Ingredients – Rice (boil in bag Basmati particularly recommended for the
camper), Tin of CB, Tomato Puree, Tin of Kidney Beans, Chili powder, Herbs, seasoning.
Boil rice until ready and put aside. Boil a little water in pan and add CB, Kidney Beans,
Tomato Puree, Chili, herbs and seasoning until all is mixed together and broken down into the
sauce and add the rice. Fantastic. Again depending on time and degree of poshness you
can add onion and substitute in some proper chilies instead of the powder.
Kruggie’s Cornbeef Hash. Ingredients: – Smash, Tin of CB, Stock Cube (preferably beef), dried
mixed herbs, seasoning. Boil water and make up Smash and leave aside. Then again put a bit of water into another pan, boil and add the stock cube. Once that’s broken down add in the CB with the mixed herbs and seasoning until it has all broken down and then bung onto the Smash
and mix in and “Bob’s your uncle” cornbeef hash! I don’t recommend any posh additions but I have on occasions bunged in some curry powder which adds certain piquancy (and is really quite nice). Haven’t tried chili yet!
As you can see the humble cornbeef tin has much to be proud of and the timings of the
preparation of these marvelous meals is to a large degree determined by what you have with
it i.e. rice, spaghetti or mash because the mixing of the sauce takes less than 5 minutes
particularly if you use a flamethrower such as my MSR Whisperlight!
Peter Krug
After the long trip up from a scorching Suffolk we arrived very late on Wednesday night, and
eventually found a campsite that had the gates open so we could get in. We parked the car and
then wandered around for about 10 minutes trying to find where to put the tent. The problem was that the cars are well separated from the camp fields and we couldn’t see them in the dark. Finally, I spotted a glow-in-the dark guy rope through the trees! What a relief!
Anyway Thursday dawns damp and windy. By late morning we are ready for a short stroll
and head off up Lingmell which was behind the campsite. At one point the wind got rather
strong and I had some trouble moving forward, but luckily most of the walk was sufficiently
sheltered! We get to what we thought was the top in the cloud, shelter behind a wall for a
while planning a descent route (because we did not fancy wandering around the tops in the
cloud and wind!).
Anyway, off we potter when Pete made a surprising revelation – we had in fact missed the
top and been sitting on a subsidiary! Indeed the wall we were hiding behind whilst examining
the map was a bit of a clue had we taken it! Needless to say we took a little more care after
that. A nice wander down the “corridor route” and back to Wasdale ensued without further
mishap. Now Pete had some scheme to go backpacking wilderness, travel routes rarely travelled, really get away from it all. And of course it turns out that backpacking is also on his training schedule for his trip (whatever that turns out to be!)
When he showed me his suggested route I had rolled around the floor in fits of laughter – he
actually suggested that we do a high level round of Wastwater. In 2 days we were to climb
(with full backpacking gear) something like 10 peaks (including Scafell Pike), with about 3,500
metres (not feet) of ascent and covering about 40 km. Total madness.
Friday dawns. By 11am (after a standard IMC faff) we are leaving Greendale, starting Pete’s
suggested route, having planned the previous evening to definitely be away by 9am. We had
adjusted the weights of the rucksack so we are both carrying 1/4 body weight (it is perfectly
correct that Pete has to carry more than me!)
We have an extra day’s supply of food in the load, because we are both not too sure that we
won’t need an extra day to complete the route, although we had identified multiple places
where we could retreat to the valley to hitch back to the car! Anyway, the first 500m of
ascent was nice and easy as we made our way up a pretty little hill called Middle Fell and we
made good time. The next hill, Seatallen, was a touch steeper and did we struggle under the
weight of the packs! Gruesome. By the time we reached the col next to Haycock, we were
looking much more closely at the map to find out where we could retreat from! We skipped
Haycock (which would have meant a short detour without packs but in the cloud and rain)
and plodded along Scoat Fell towards Steeple and Pillar. Reasonable progress was made and
we actually had a few decent views when the cloud chose to lift a bit. We both got a tad
annoyed at the number of times we had to put on and take off waterproofs (well with the
weight you get very hot very easily).
However as we approached Kirk Fell the weather became was very dark and threatening.
I was concerned about the navigation over the flat top in mist as you have to find a narrow
gap in the crags to get down. Pete was wondering if perhaps an earlier start would
have been advisable as it was already past dinner time. And it did look hard to get up.
After a classic IMC dither we decided to take the low route behind Kirk Fell (a tad
disappointing but the right call all things considered). I had long intended to skirt Great
Gable and we did so by ascending the gully up to Windy Gap (Pete did a rucksack free detour
to bag Green Gable) and at around 8pm we made it to Styhead Tarn to set up camp. We
were both well chuffed to have actually made it. And more chuffed that we got the tent set
up and dinner cooked before the rain hit. We ate the spag bol as pasta is heavier than Smash.
Pete was a darling to do the washing up. The night was sleepless. The wind tore at the
tent and the rain lashed down. A handy backpacking tip – take the earplugs- the tent
was fine but we both found the noises very unnerving!
Saturday, and Pete is much more motivated for an early start. We packed up, and got going
along the “corridor route”. Getting up Scafell Pike was not as bad as we feared and totally
amazingly, the weather had cleared – the top was clear! We mooched down to Mickledore
and then a ******long way down as “Lords Rake” is still not recommended due to rock falls
and a precarious boulder – although we did see (and hear!) a fell runner heading up there. By
now its 1pm, and Pete can see his chance of a pub trip disappearing fast which makes him
very grumpy indeed. So we storm up the somewhat wet ghyll toward Foxes Tarn and I
asked Pete whether he thought that Steve had been ghyll-scrambling with a tent? “He’s not
hard enough” was the reply! We continued up the loose path to the summit of Scafell (passing
backpackers who are so chilled they can take time out to brew up a pot of tea!) and then a
grim hour followed as we made our way down 300m of hideous, loose, ankle turning, goingon-forever scree. Pete terrifies himself by dislodging a large boulder onto my leg (which luckily just scrapes me).
And it’s still not over. We need to drop to about 200m, and take in a few more km of distance, before the climb up and over Illgill Head and Whin Rhig at the top of the infamous Wastwater screes. By this time I am seriously trashed. We are still racing to make the pub (there was a nice squelchy section over which I made rapid progress after all my years of practice at Scottish bog hopping!) My legs are slowing by the minute. At the top I take on food in a last desperate effort to reduce the weight in the sack and find some energy. Pete kindly volunteers to carry the camera! The descent down the flank of Greathall Gill should be easy – a lovely, non-eroded sensible gradient grassy path. I could barely move. At one point, my eyes said “down in 5” in fact it took another 20 minutes! By now, just to add to the misery, it was also very hot in the sunshine.
And it was still not over. Pete clearly in charge of the map as we trudged the last 3 km back to
the car. Fantastic!
And, we did make the pub.
Louise (and Peter)
P.S. Total ascent turned out to be less than 3,500 metres (more like 2,750) as we did not
trudge back to Wasdale Head at the end of day 1 (why trudge all the way down to Wasdale
when there is a perfectly good campsite at Styhead Tarn?) and we omitted to climb Kirk
Fell and Great Gable. OK we’re wusses!
To get 12 people and 1 dog to Cornwall for Easter the answer is about 50, possibly a few more. By about 8pm on the Thursday evening, we were all gathered on the campsite, but with
a cold wind blowing and the temperature rapidly dropping most of us soon sought shelter in the campsite bar.
Friday dawned somewhat warmer and less windy. The venue for most of us was Bosigran; I teamed up with Sheila for the diff and v. diff classics of Alison Rib, Fasolt, Fafnir & In Between. How can it be that a diff seems harder than a v. diff? Perhaps its just the Cornish grades. As a believer in putting money into the local economy, we diverted into a tea shop on the way back to the campsite. I’d been in there before and, remarkably, was recognised by the owner. Fame!
Saturday saw rather grotty weather so seeking something relatively easy and escapable, there
was a mass ascent of Bosigran Ridge (AKA Commando Ridge), a 200 metre V. Diff described in the guidebook as ‘Atlantic Alpinism’. Most of the descent to the start is fairly straightforward with one short abseil and then a rope to protect the last few feet to the starting ledge. Whilst waiting to move onto the starting ledge, Lou and El Pres were doused by a wave necessitating a quick change of clothes. El Pres was later only too happy to tell us how he did Commando Ridge ‘commando style’. I for one am happy to take his word for it.
Commando Style!
Only the first pitch of the ridge really needs to be pitched; Chris led the way but had to stop
at a half way ledge to avoid interfering with a party already on the route. Simon led the rest
of the pitch and soon we were all gathered on an expansive grassy ledge at the bottom of the
second pitch. For speed, we decide to rope up in groups of four and move together. With no
previous experience of moving together it was with some apprehension that I tied on to take
the lead. Fortunately all went smoothly. The section where the ridge narrows to a knife edge
and holds are found in a crack just below the edge was particularly exhilarating, although I’m
not sure Lou would entirely agree.
Towards the top of the route a section of down climbing proves a touch too much for Lou.
Fortunately a quick retreat to terra firma is possible and after a few minutes her sense of
humour returns. We regain the ridge and complete the route, El Pres taking the lead on
the final HS 4b moves. A good effort with a rucksack on his back. Overall, a good day out
even if the final moves are out of keeping with the rest of the route.
I awoke on Sunday morning to the pitter patter of raindrops on the tent. The weather doesn’t
show much sign of improving and there’s much debate as to what to do. Sheila and I go for a
walk along the coastal path, Simon and Guy walk into the local crag of Kenidjack Cliffs
whilst a crack team led by El Pres head for the tropical Lizard for some new routing activity.
By contrast, ‘Biggles’ Harbottle has a flying lesson and comes back enthusing about the
delights of powered flight. Remarkably, everybody seems to have remained largely dry,
apart from those who stayed on the campsite where it hammered down. Perhaps more
importantly, everybody seems to have enjoyed whatever they got up to.
An early start on Monday morning sees Simon, Guy and myself as virtually the first group at a
sea damp and greasy Sennen. We climb Corner Climb (V. diff) and Demo Route (HS) as a
three, finding the rock cold, damp and quite slippery. Having had a battle with the chimney
on Demo Route, I call it a day whilst Simon and Guy climb a variation of Letterbox. I feel it
is a good decision as the final moves are the wrong side of vertical. As we leave the crag to
start the long journey home, the sun comes round onto the face to dry the crag out. Mental
note made that Sennen is best as an afternoon and evening crag ……
Mike Bayley
First off, from www.rockfax.com
Hi Rock
I’m only here to play
I don’t mean you any harm
So please don’t harm me
I won’t gouge
Chip or break you
So please don’t throw me
Or crush my dreams
Your curves and cracks
Call out for a gentle caress
Whether summer sun warms you
Or winter’s chill cuts through
Your fragility is hidden
To the speed of our lives
As you have lived
Millions of ours
Your compatriots
Have seen you age
To reveal
Your present day beauty
It’s now my turn
To climb you
And then, it’s over
You were great!
I pass you on
Unsullied
For the next customer
I cry out…..enjoy ‘her’ as I have done, and leave
her the same
Secondly, borrowed from OTE
Our Gritstone
Which art near Sheffield
Hallowed be thy Stanage
No bolts shall come
And trad shall be done
On Earth as it is in Heaven
Give us each day
Our daily crag
And forgive indoor routers
As we forgive those
Who compare indoor routes
with tradders
And leaders not into seconding
But deliver us our seconders
For ours is the rack, the power and the first
ascent
For Froggatt and Curbar
Amen
A robotic mountaineer that could one day climb cliffs on Mars and even help rescue earthquake
victims has taken its first steps. The spider-like robot, called Lemur, was developed by engineers at Stanford University and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in California, as a prototype for a fully autonomous rock climber. It can already follow a human climber up an irregular surface without any guidance from a controller. And it has a spookily human gait.
Tim Bretl, the lead engineer on the project at Stanford’s robotics laboratory, says Lemur’s
technology could take planetary exploration to another level. “Scientists would really like
robots on Mars to be able to access the sides of cliffs to look at the geology,” he says. “This
could be a way to get there.”
Bretl also reckons that climbing robots could have search and rescue applications on Earth.
“A lot of people are becoming interested in using robots for disaster scenarios, like
earthquakes,” says Gurvinder Virk, a robotics expert at the University of Leeds in the UK.
While other climbing robots are designed to scale the sides of flat structures using suction
cups or magnets for grip, tackling uneven geological surfaces is a far more difficult task.
With a central body and four triple-jointed limbs, Lemur’s gait resembles that of a human
rock climber as it manoeuvres up an indoor climbing wall at Stanford.
At the moment, the robot cannot stick to a sheer wall. But on uneven surfaces it can use
the claw at the end of each limb to hook into a foothold. “It’s like a human climber using a
single finger,” Bretl says. For the moment Lemur cannot “see” its footholds, so a computer model of the wall, containing coordinates of the footholds, has to be fed into its onboard computer before it starts climbing. From this it figures out an ideal route up and works out how to manoeuvre itself for each step of the ascent.
The ultimate goal is for Lemur to read a scene and calculate its own best path up a cliff. The
route would be modified as it climbed, using information from its own video cameras and
touch sensors. At the moment, the sensors are used only to make sure that each foothold is
secure.
After Lemur moves one of its limbs to a new foothold, it must simultaneously shift its
weight by repositioning the other three limbs to maintain balance. This requires complex on-thefly calculations from its onboard computer. Route-planning software specially developed
for the task rapidly analyses different limb configurations before settling on the most
efficient one for the next step. It can take the robot a few minutes to work this out, although a forthcoming redesign of the control system should speed it up, allowing the robot to “scamper”.
Future incarnations of Lemur are likely to have grippers for a more secure foothold, and more
joints in the articulated limbs, giving them a greater range of movement. It will also be taught how to react if it unexpectedly loses its grip.