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May/June 2020 Newsletter
Coronavirus restrictions put a stop to all club meets
Hi again everyone. I signed off last time with the words, “Let’s hope for a brighter spring to usher in the new
2020/21 meets programme”; little did we know what was coming. I hope you are all well and managing to cope
with the lockdown curtailing most of our usual outdoor activities. The enforced confinement has at least enabled
a number of you to catch up on write ups of past adventures! my thanks to all contributors. So we’ve got an
unusually full newsletter with loads of photos (think before you press the PRINT button!) and a good variety of
tales. First up, Jim’s epic account of last year’s Cassin Ridge expedition with Col in Alaska. I was going to serialise it
across two or more newsletters, but found it so compelling that I decided not to split it. Enjoy the newsletter and
keep safe. Looking forward to seeing you in the hills again when this is all over. Best wishes
ALASKA
…and that’s not all! Also inside: top left:
Georgi sends, on-sights, red-points and
hangs; bottom left: Tom Miller goes
where angels fear to tread; left: Al on
Wuthering E2, just one entry in his
Accident Book; below: Lucy and Deb try
but fail to find The Cobbler.
May/June 2020 Newsletter
Forthcoming club meets
At the time of writing the entire meets programme is on hold and we have already lost the first two
meets on the 2020/21 programme. Your committee has decided that once restrictions are lifted and
we are given the green light – both by the Government and the BMC – we will reassess the locations
of remaining meets to ensure that they are accessible to as many members as possible. For instance,
the Northumberland meet weekend may be used for a Yorkshire meet.
Date Venue Leader Date Venue Leader
Apr 10 - 13 BH North Devon Al Jul 18/19 Peak North BBQ Al/TT
Apr 25/26 Yorkshire Dan Aug 8/9 Llangollen Ryan
May 8 - 10 BH Peak South Martin Aug 29 - 31 BH Pembroke Lucy
May 23 - 25 BH Scotland Bob Sept 12/13 Lancashire Col
June 6/7 Lakes North Phil S Sept 26/27 Lakes South Georgi
Jun 20/21 Northumberland TT Oct 10/11 Anglesey Col
Jul 4/5 North Wales Heather Oct 24/25 Swanage John
So what were we up to before the lockdown? Blimey……!
The Cassin Ridge, Denali, Alaska, May 2019
Jim recounts this absolutely epic expedition
Cassin Ridge -AK overall grade V, AI 4, 5.8 rock
Start: Japanese Couloir 11,000ft Finish: Denali 20,230ft
1
9,000ft height gain
“Are you up for it?” Col asks
Immediate impulse, “YES!!”
“Errrrr...maybe, oh shit, really??”
Col wanted an adventure to seal his retirement from the
Army, but did I want to punish myself again? If only he knew
the enormity of the task. Alaska to me is like the Alps in
winter on steroids. Big, bold and cold...but is it better...?? It’s
certainly different. Two previous expeditions to Alaska brought a mix of emotions; arduous, debilitating, soul-
destroying, eventful, exhilarating and testing. Previously I had attempted the Moonflower Buttress on Mount
Hunter twice and failed, which is still the hardest route on a mountain I have ever tried to climb. A
combination of hard grade 6 climbing on consecutive days, topped with cold changeable weather and brutal
bivvies. We did climb the Moose’s Tooth in the warm up, rescued 2 Japanese off a route in the Root Canal and
met some really great people along the way. Did I want to do this all again?
Fast forward 10 months, the logistics were in place, the gear all
purchased and most importantly I had the green light from home. Such
a selfish pastime is climbing, especially expeditions. But for me they
give the most rewards and bring every discipline together, extreme
camping, mixed climbing, ice climbing and big wall logistics. However,
with this the stakes are high and one wrong move could spiral into
dangerous territory. That is the drug, the longing to battle the climb,
the mountain, the elements. We had a 3 weeks allowance, which
seemed long on paper but only left a short weather window,
considering the ski in, acclimatising or being held up for 10 days in a
1
NE Buttress of Ben Nevis is roughly 1000ft
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May/June 2020 Newsletter
tent like on my previous Alaskan expedition. The stars had to fall into line for us to be successful.
th
7 May. Once in Anchorage, supplies amounted to £400 of mainly food. We transferred to Talkeetna by
transfer bus & checked in with Talkeetna Air Taxi-TAT and made use of the free, albeit cesspit of a bunkhouse.
We then checked in at the National Park Rangers office - to collect our CMCs (Clean Mountain Can… or PB, Poo
Boxes).
Received an informative presentation of our route by the rangers with details on the only crevasse we could
throw our CMC contents into (yes you’ve guessed it, The Poo).
th
8 May. Poor weather the following day gave us time to stroll down the Wild West main street of Talkeetna to
enjoy one last meal in the Brewery & Co Restaurant and also buy more supplies.
th
9 May. Clearing skies gave the green light for our expedition to start! The amazing flight over Denali National
Park only takes 45mins to the landing strip next to base camp on the Kahiltna glacier. We landed at 1430hrs
and briefly stopped to say hello to Lisa Roderick, an old friend, to check in with her and to get fuel and wand
supplies. Our newly acquired rental sleds were now stacked with gear 150lbs each… skis at the ready we set
off immediately for camp 1, arriving 2000hrs in a storm.
Loading the Talkeetna Air Taxi; Denali from the plane; complex glaciers; on the landing strip; the rigs; leaving Base Camp for Camp 1.
th
10-15 May. We slowly ascended to 14000ft over the next 6 days - our camp 4 - using the West Buttress route
& camps. Since flying out we had stormy weather on most days with large amounts of snow and high winds. A
solo French climber had been helicoptered out of the 14000ft camp with severe frostbite while an American
snowboarder had fallen 20ft into a crevasse at Windy Corner, breaking most of his ribs. Given the early nature
of the season the rangers had only just secured their office/medical tent at camp 14000 due to heavy snow
and wind. We had a few problems along with our radio not working, my fault for not checking the
compatibility… so our weather updates would be either listening with other teams or sat phone. Also both our
Thermarests developed problems, either deflating or deforming, very annoying after only a little use.
The going was really hard graft, pulling a 150lb sled uphill … especially when I looked like a circus monkey on 2
planks of wood whilst skiing. At Camp 2 the tent nearly got completely covered in snow. The same day we met
2 Americans that had been stuck in Camp 2 for 10 days due to the stormy weather. We pulled, pushed and
made slow progress higher uphill, meeting others along the way.
Proper extreme camping
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May/June 2020 Newsletter
th
16-19 May. Once established in Camp
14000ft our plan was to rest and try to
acclimatise, but both really didn't happen.
The forecast was quite mixed most days,
unreliable as what materialised wasn’t
what the forecast predicted. In this time
we did make use of the days and took the
weather upon opening the tent each
morning. We ascended to 17000ft on both
sides of the camp. This wasn't ideal for
acclimatisation or exercise but we tried to
make the most of the variable conditions
for our bodies to adapt to the altitude.
Eventually we decided our weather
window had come. While not ideal it was
worth a go…possibly stable weather the
next 2 days. We planned to leave early on
Camp 14,000ft. West Buttress (our descent route) route goes up to the left, the 19th, taking 3 days’ worth of food (3
then behind the Skyline ridge
freeze dried meals, 3 packs of noodles,12
energy bars, some salamis) plus roughly a weeks’ worth of fuel in 2 MSR bottles, each with a pump. Our packs
were as light as possible but still 35lbs. We still
had a couple of issues though.
1. Maps of the area. No maps are available
anywhere due to a copyright dispute with
Bradford Washington map owners. At a gear
shop in Anchorage they recommended Gaia
mapping - a website for phone mapping. But this
was very basic and only Col downloaded this
onto his phone to use as a device to view.
2. Stoves. We had both canister and Coleman's
fuel type stoves , opting to use the MSR XGK on
route. However, it kept developing a fault with
the pump which was very frustrating. On Cassin Ridge route in yellow
reflection the stove kept developing a big build-
up of ice within the pump, blocking the fuel supply, so this had to be cleared before use.
th
19 May. My alarm was set for 0430hrs but after waking up early I changed it to 0400hrs … noises from
surrounding tents and people keeping us awake. I slept ok but Col only managed an hour. It took ages to
prepare breakfast and get ready but we were away for 0630hrs. It was a long slog up the couloir but only
marginally slower than the previous day on skis. Topped out on the ridge line/notch approx 1030hrs. Long
descent down the west rib, tirelessly back-climbing 2000+ft. Finally deciding, after a long debate before the
climb, to descend via the Seattle Ramp (which is subject to serac danger). Arrived at the bottom at 1400hrs, it
was good going although we both fell into crevasses and I
pulled my knee. The last section was a bit complex to
read which led us to a dead end… so we abseiled 3 rope
lengths to reach the bowl which led to the start of the
Japanese Couloir 11000ft, an approximate drop of 6000ft
from the notch. We were both very tired. The weather
became cloudy. With an air of uncertainty circulating we
discussed a bivvy in the Bergschrund but, wanting to
make the most of the half decent weather, we decided to
keep pressing on and started out on the Couloir at
1800hrs.
I lead while Col simul climbed behind once the rope was
run out, slow progress, then the 3rd rope length reared
Japanese Couloir (furthest right gully) from Seattle Ramp
up so I slowed straining and took a belay. Col then led
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May/June 2020 Newsletter
through to take the crux pitch which was quite strenuous, I had to start climbing shortly after the crux as the
ropes weren’t long enough to allow him to get to a belay. This took two hours alone. Time was getting on after
the crux, it was 2200hrs, we still had 4 pitches to complete of grade 4 ice & mixed rock, a very hard day but
finally we reached the Cassin ledge at 0100hrs Just big enough for a small bivvy or one small tent. After
cooking, tent erecting, settling … the clock showed 0330hrs, nearly 24 hours since awakening.
Col leads crux
pitch of
Japanese
Coulioir;
First night’s
very cramped
bivvy;
Jim leads 5.8
mixed section
crux;
on the Cowboy
Arete.
th
20 May. We awoke at 0730hrs with cold feet, so massaged them and
got up at 0820hrs to get a hot drink. By 0930hrs it had started
snowing, then the wind increased so we retreated back to the tent. By
lunchtime the wind had increased further and it was pelting with
snow but finally by 1430hrs it started to dissipate, so we got ready and packed up….on our way at 1530hrs. Col
found the first pitch hard to read and took a while finding the belay crux Chimney. I took over the lead which
wasn’t too difficult, like a Scottish V mixed climb to belay below the Cowboy Arête. It was steady enough going
on the arête apart from the crux section, the snow ice on the right was shockingly cruddy, no placements for
feet or hands post-holing and although we moved together progress was slow (cover page pic: nearing
Hanging Glacier bivvy). Finally, after an age, we arrived at the hanging glacier bivouac at 2130hrs as the sun
set, making it very cold.
st
21 May. Woke up at 0600hrs to find cold gusty wind battering the tent, decided to wait it out until 0830hrs.
The weather got worse, more constant wind although the sun was breaking through. Waited until 1030hrs …..
all hell braking loose, 40-50mph wind with 20mph constant meant more waiting... …when finally the wind died
down by 1400hrs we carried on up the first ice field with Col leading, worrying about the snow softness. We
crossed the Bergschrund which led to a 50 degree traverse, then a straight up 70 degree Crack corner, another
50 degree pitch which Col led to a chute corner. I led through and traversed into the vertical slotted corner,
slightly overhanging. Pulling through this crux my axe ripped in soft snow, I thought I was falling off!
My full bodyweight swung down onto one axe & one arm, swinging in space…. I instinctively kicked my
crampons to find purchase and aim my free axe higher to hopefully better ice. It stuck & like a baboon in the
forest canopy I pulled over the top, taking the pressure off my arms & regaining my breath, I looked up &
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May/June 2020 Newsletter
down in a daze then carried on business as usual by running out the rope once more. Shortly after this crux
section the terrain steepness eased, leading to pitch after pitch of 50/60 degree ice/snow. We finally made it
Left: the first
rock band
Right: the
second rock
band and the
most
enjoyable
climbing!
to the 2nd band of rock at midnight…. Finding no flat bivvy site we had to chop out a very shallow base for the
tent, exposed and open to the slopes. After securing the tent and gear it was already 0300hrs..
nd
22 May. Got going for 1000hrs, packed up and I led the first traverse pitch, moving together until a gully
appeared. I belayed in this for Col to tackle the 70 degree mixed pitch, really good climbing, the best so far. 2
pitches later we eventually came to the triangle bivvy roofed buttress we had identified on our topo, we
discussed our next move and decided to push on. This led us on a 50 degrees slope, moving together until a
slab step & corner climb. The sun was out which felt nice with little wind. We climbed a chute to gain access to
better/easier angle terrain. Suddenly the wind started to pick up again near a buttress block/corner to
dangerous levels, very distressing, we were pinned down guessing where to camp. We made an emergency
shelter/bivvy in a slot of the buttress quite exposed ……. worst night ever!! Howling wind, constant heavy
Left: packing
after a crazy
night in a
storm
Right:
slogging
uphill before
the
emergency
snow hole
bivvy
snow, digging out every hour, constant 30mph wind with gusts of 50-60mph.
rd
23 May. Horrible night …. slowly packed up, still howling wind but decided we had to carry on after no food
or water overnight as the wind/snow was too much to chance the stove being blown over. The line entered
the side of a glacier and we found the gully access to pass the 3rd rock band, fairly easy angle grade 3, very
long, slow going but at least the wind abated and temperature increased. Now free from the 3rd band we
were pretty tired but still moving we continued up an icefield to find a resting place where we cooked the
remaining freeze dried meals and filled bottles for a much needed rehydration. One look at Col said it all… we
were struggling and I hoped this rest and fuel intake would give us the energy to carry on.
Moving on up the snow arete we discovered we were at 19000ft . Totally debilitating ankle deep snow, step
after step the light was fading, I started to hallucinate. Pressing on as if time was against us, the rock started
forming strange shapes, making my mind create images whilst weird noises rung out in my ears …. was there a
third person or team nearby? Once again the wind picked up to dangerous levels, the bowl should have led the
way to the Kahiltna Queen but we couldn’t find it as light was now gone, the wind really battering us now. This
was now very serious and we both knew the consequences, we quickly found a kind of lee slope to dig a snow
hole at 0200hrs. After digging like our life depended on it, at 0400hrs we rolled inside hoping for a reprieve
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May/June 2020 Newsletter
from the wind. Now hallucinating with exhaustion and struggling with gear…was that Col talking or my mind?
Did I dream that crampon was sliding away ? We probably only spent 1 hour in that horrible thing.
th
24 May - Summit Day. Up at 0530hrs to be away for 0630hrs. Snapping out of that tired daze, we were
exhausted and hoping for the route to be over. After 1hr we almost immediately found the snow arête which
led to the Kahiltna Queen (the point at which our route joined the west buttress route), finally making the
connection with the summit of Denali !! On reaching the shoulder of the Kahiltna queen we relaxed & spied
Kahiltna Queen, where the Cassin ridge links the West Buttress route to the summit, and summit pics.
the summit along the ridge crest, leaving our bags on the flat shoulder we followed the exposed ridge topping
out 45mins later at 0830hrs with little wind, sunny and clear!!! After spending 45mins on the summit we then
turned to descent the West Buttress. It was a straight forward descent but… *WOW* …what a long drawn out
process!! Talking to people on the way down who were only halfway to the summit…they were all giving us
kudos, encouragement and praise. On the final descent ridge
we met the rangers, Nell and some others, at the top of the
fixed lines, they gave us chocolate bars, questioning if we had
summited - a routine thing they asked every party. They had
been worried for us during the stormy days & informed us we
were only the second team to reach the summit that season
(behind a team of 2 lads from Alaska via the west buttress) +
first team to climb the Cassin that season. Enjoying the view
of camp 14000 we slowly descend the lines and onto Camp
14000 for about 1500hrs, very tired and in need of fluids but
satisfied we were now down into the safety of camp!
Following a few chats with other teams it became news that a
bigger storm was on the way, going to hit in 36hrs approx so
we made preparations to descend to BC to try and fly out Descending dangerous hard ice on Squirrel Hill
before an expected storm was to hit.
Page 7
May/June 2020 Newsletter th 25 May. Up at 0600hrs and away for 0800hrs. The sleds were terrible, too heavy and I kept falling over trying to ski! Squirrel Hill was the crux, very dangerous hard ice and big exposure with a lot of team ascending past. I found a phone in the snow which I gave to Lisa once in BC. After camp 3 Col went ahead to get to BC to check for a flight, he was there for 1600hrs and could have caught a flight out straight away. I arrived 1800hrs exhausted having fallen over about 100 times skiing down, utterly destroyed when they announced no more flights… gutted, probably the hardest day for me!!. The weather had turned really bad so we put tents up and collapsed into a coma th 26 May. I woke at 0600hrs….Lips stuck together, feeling rough, needed water. Went to see Lisa for 0800hrs but wasn’t looking good with the weather. Decided to build a cook tent to keep busy whilst it was snowing heavy, sorting the food n gear out I hadn’t seen Col all day and it was now 1900hrs ….!! I saw Lisa again to hear it might be promising for tomorrow, calling out to Col on the way back to the tent. He slept 16hrs plus another 5hrs in succession. We met in the cooking tent for dinner to have bagels fried in butter and peanut butter. th 27 May. Up at 0600hrs as I could hear people talking. Dragged myself out of bed to speak to Lisa, told to pack up. After a few hours the weather closed in again, but finally at 1200hrs a TAT plane got in with Paul the owner flying in, total relief!! Dangerous hard ice on the descent West Rib bar/restaurant The Seward Folly Burger- made famous by the TV series “Man v Food” ….we only managed the half portion!! All on a Bank Holiday Monday Memorial day - talking with the friendly families on tables nearby, they loved our stories of the mountain & unbelievably they paid for our meals & drinks without a word… Jim Broomhead Home on the Range Tom Miller confesses to past sins Yes, it’s true. Whilst a perfectly peace loving guy, I have to confess that I have had my dalliances with the military. The truth is that if you try to complete the Munros you have to keep going in the face of wind and rain and blizzard. And as you get on a bit, the summits of the Cuillins get harder. Limbs get stiffer, and route finding is always a challenge in the mist. But cracking on with the Nuttalls is completely different. These are the ones in England and Wales that are over 2000 ft. There are over 440 of them, with some very long days to get the summits in. I started in 1955 and ended in 2011. They’re not like Munros. They’re quite different. With these, there are other more tricky issues to deal with, mostly in my case concerning the Firing Ranges. Access to them was far more vigilant and controlled in the 70’sand 80’s than it seems to be now. It was a case of out-foxing the military, out yomping them on terrain that I knew, usually by that well tried method – escape by peat bog... ...Most of the time it was best to be brazen about it. Just take the risk; trespass and be damned. Space allows but a few examples. It all started in 1971. I had a brand new job away up north in Newcastle. I was free at last and set off from Carter Bar to walk the Border Rig eastwards as far as I could go. How naïve. Many hours later in the gloaming, I got to Coquet Head. I discovered that I had forgotten a torch and most importantly the way off. There were funny signs on the Dere Street track, but it was the only way south to the main road. I recall there was some firing, but it was at a considerable distance. What else was I to do? And then, of course there was the Warcop firing range. I remember doing a dynamic trespass with my friend Ray once when firing wasn’t taking place because there was such dense mist. We wandered up a track in the rain whilst all around dim images of spent shell cases scattered on the fell side emerged and disappeared into the mirk. “Look well to each step” said Ed Whymper. Never more true than on Warcop Range. Later on the Page 8
May/June 2020 Newsletter
authorities bowed to the inevitable. They could not keep the public off the range all the time and instituted a
few days a year when you could trespass legally. I needed no second chance to do Murton Fell and Little Fell.
But while the Military are rightly concerned about people breaking into their Firing Ranges, they can’t be
expected to cope with idiots so mad that they need to break out of the Ranges they have unwittingly
stumbled into. I did a solo crossing of Dartmoor in the early 80’s, starting in the far south at 6.00am. Late in
the evening, having crossed High Willhays and Yes Tor, I arrived hot and weary at the Range fence next to
Meldon Reservoir. Nowadays it’s easy. There is a phone number to ring to establish whether firing is taking
place. Back then the10 foot high gates were locked and the fence was cranked inwards. I searched up and
down and eventually found a particularly rusty bit. I clambered over getting thoroughly scratched and
dishevelled in the process.
That was by no means the only time I got dishevelled. Great Dun Fell is one of the nation’s most important
listening posts. It has a huge white metal sphere on top, which it was rumoured locally was where the
authorities listened in to IRA messages in the 1970’s. It is all surrounded by huge fences with the OS
triangulation point within. But the road gate used to be only of the five barred type. So, one misty afternoon I
clambered over the gate and went to ask permission to visit the white summit obelisk. It seemed to be quite
near to the path. I just went there and was on my way out when a loud hail from the control room wafted on
the air. I took to my heels, made it over the gate just as
the watchman came roaring up in his landrover. I went
straight off-road bound for the heather, and the juicier
bits of bog. Never had peat hags and mist seemed so
friendly.
I found it all too easy as a lone tramper to trespass on
some of these Ranges. Nowadays you have to get a
signed permit to go on Mickle Fell. In the 1970’s, I
assumed that the red flag would always be flying and just
took care to stay below the radar. I took to the narrow
valleys - Force Beck and Kirkham Beck - that land you
almost at the summit undetected.
Recently I went on a meet at Baldersdale. On the Sunday
a party of five Polaris members went up the track from Grains o the Beck. There was no flag flying but after a
mile or two all the rest chickened out and went home. Where’s the enjoyment of risk gone with fell
wanderers nowadays? Was it George Smiley who said that a single wary person can go where a company of
the best trained cannot?
So do I hand myself in to the police? Do I confess to one clear crime, and ask for other offences – 6?, 8?, 10? –
to be taken into account when I ‘m up in front of the Beak? Trespass if you must. I have only one word of
advice. Don’t get caught. Tom Miller
Winter Meet 2020
Col summarises the highs and lows, from ice to er, lice
Well winter conditions this season looked like being a total
washout this year. My friends working on both the west and
east all reported poor or no snow with strong/storm force
winds and rain a daily drain on morale. However as the winter
meet week arrived it all started coming good. We enjoyed a
great week in one of PMC’s favourite locations - Kinchelle
Croft, Roybridge. This a great location because of the ease of
access to east, west and even more northerly locations as well
as providing excellent and comfortable accommodation at a
Steve Wright and friends on his final Munro
very good price.
This year we were broken down into 3 cottages, with 13 attendees. We kept a daily diary of activities and this
is how I’ve written up this meet. We were also initially keeping a tally of alcohol consumption, but after a day I
realised that this would probably not be a good thing for anyone to see!! Haha.
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May/June 2020 Newsletter
DAY 1 - Sunday
All avalanche forecasts were stating doom and gloom running up to the meet, maybe because of previous
years when there have been quite a few deaths! With this in mind all teams decided on a safer day to gain
their own understanding of current conditions.
Hut 1 - Jonathan, Bob, Steve and Elt opted for walk to Beinn Shuass they headed up the South Ridge, but deep
snow with patches of windslab forced them to turn back at approx 615m. Plenty of spindrift blowing about on
the descent left them content with their decision making.
Hut 2 - Myself, Phil, Tony, Sip & Hugh went to Geal Charn in the
Mondaliath for a relatively short day so that we could assess the snow
conditions for ourselves to allow us to better plan for the rest of the week.
We found deep snow that wasn’t frozen and had suspect areas and more
stable areas. So we altered our original route and used safer aspects to
navigate to the summit in full Scottish whiteout conditions. We re-traced
our route back from the summit and (as is often the case) the weather
cleared once we midway down. We were treated to some great views and
really interesting light conditions. A nice day out and good to be on snow
for this first time of the season.
Hut 3 - Tom and Ian headed to Meall Bonavie near Corpach. Tom (not
feeling his fittest) allowed Ian the (dubious) privilege of breaking trail for
the whole day, something usually reserved for the younger (me & Jim)
members of the club ;-). A finish before nightfall is always classed as
success, so a good day was had by both. The descent from Geal Charn in the
Monadlaith; ascending SW ridge of
DAY 2 - Monday Sgurr an Utha; TT on Patey’s Route
Hut 1 - See notes on Plan C and Hut 3.
Hut 2 - Weather forecasting was proving a challenge for the weather folks, as
mostly it was wrong! Me and Steve S decided to take advantage of the key for the
top carpark at Ben Nevis and a reasonable forecast and attempt North East
Buttress. We met at 0545hrs and promptly got lost trying to find the carpark from
ski centre entrance. Once we were on the correct road my Skoda hire car did not
appreciate the frozen rain/ice under type and struggled to gain upwards
momentum! We did get to the car park, but the weather looked honking and we
were worried that we wouldn’t get back down again. Plan A binned! Back to the
cottages to meet up with everyone else and attempt Plan B.
Plan B was myself, Tony, Sip, Phil, Elt, Bob and Steve W heading to Chno Dearg,
again we got as far as the carpark before binning it off and heading back to
the cottage to work out a Plan C!
Plan C, me and Sip went skiing on a 100m long run at the Nevis Range for
£1.50 for the day in very windy weather. Tony, Phil, Steve, Bob and Elt
headed to Sgurr na Utha and walked off over Druim na Brein-Choille, I
think I’m right in saying that this was one of TT’s new focus - Corbetts.
Hut 3 - Tom, Ian and Jonathan, no longer chasing any summit tick lists,
went for a walk to Ben Eilde. However once they started climbing, deep
snow conditions forced a rethink. A 17km walk along Glen Pattock looking
at waterfalls still meant a fulfilling day out.
DAY 3 - Tuesday
Hut 1 - Phil, Bob and Elt went to the Nevis Range to climb Aonach Mor and
Aonach Beag. Poor snow conditions and bad visibility meant that they only
had time to tick off Aonach Mor before heading back. Jonathan and Steve
drove out to Arisaig and walked out to Peanmenach Bothy for dinner, experiencing lovey weather and being
lucky enough to see a pair of sea eagles swooping about.
Hut 2 - Enough of this walking nonsense, let’s get climbing. Me, Tony and Sip went to Coire an t’Sneachda with
an open mind but a view to climb Patey’s Route. After the usual evening argument with Tony about his
reasons not to go followed by his waking hours demand, we were at the carpark behind most other teams. We
overtook a few on the walk in, with me trying to force the pace to make up for a slower than usual start
Page 10May/June 2020 Newsletter
(haha). The Mess of Potage was covered in climbing teams, with another dodgy forecast making folks think (or
not) about route choice. Aladdin’s Buttress was clear, so Plan A it was. Approach slopes were okay and we
belayed at the base of the route. 3 ice cruxes negotiated, ropes off, then a simple grade I top out a good day
out in stunning weather. The route was probably tougher than the guidebook grade on the day. We even
made it down in time to get to the Mountain Cafe for cake.
Hut 3 - Tom awoke with a burning desire to learn to play bagpipes! He persuaded Ian to drive him to Inverness
and visit the Highland Bagpipe Museum. When they arrived they were disappointed to discover that the
museum had closed (can’t understand why! Col) and the collection had been dispersed. Instead they visited
the Inverness Music Festival and got their rave on with some local youngsters.
DAY 4 - Wednesday
Hut 1 - **STOP PRESS** Steve Wright joined the PMC Munro Compleatist
Club. Well done Steve. His final Munro was Sgurr na Ulaidh in Glencoe,
accompanied by a good party from the club: Elt, Bob, Jonathan, Tom, Ian and
Sip. Top work team.
Hut 2 - Another climbing day. Col and Jim left early planning to climb Scorpion
on Carn Etchacan. However, once we got to the descent from Coire Domhain
it looked plastered in snow. Having climbed in the area yesterday, I thought
that the snow would be unhelpful at best and dangerous at worst. We
discussed options and headed to Deep Cut Chimney on Hells Lum instead. This
route is south facing, so we thought the snow would be better consolidated. A
soft approach led us to the first pitch into the chimney itself, from a belay
best not checked too closely! Snow seemed soft most of the way and the top
pitch had 2-3” of crud over both walls. I laboured my way up it and Jim led to
the top and a walk off in sunshine. A good alternative. Martin and Ian had a
slightly more leisurely start and headed into Coire an t’ Sneacda and climbed
Yukon Jack, thinking that the technical difficulties were slightly higher than
the guidebook grade, due to snow conditions.
Steve on his final Munro; Jim leads
Hut 3 - See Hut 1. No.3 Gully on the Ben; TT, Jim & Phil
on summit of Stob coire nan Sgroidain
DAY 5 - Thursday
Hut 1 - Steve, Elt, Bob and Phil went to bag another couple of Munros (Steve
starting round 2!), Creag Pitridh and Geal Charn. Steve and Elt headed down
after Creag Pitridh, due to tough snow conditions, Bob and Phil completed
both in a long but wonderful day in the hills. Jonathan headed to Glenmore to
see if the Nordic ski trails were in condition (they weren’t), so he went for a
walk to Lochain Uaine and followed a trail giving superb views of the Northern
Corries.
Hut 2 - Tony, Martin and Ian went to the Cairngorms to climb Deep Cut
Chimney, but after walking all the way into it, decided that they were too late
in the day as the sun was already softening it and there were 2 teams in front
of them on a route exposed to fall debris. They headed back to Coire a
t’Sneacda to discuss a plan B. As they were approaching from the top of the
Goat Track, it made sense for them to do something on that part of the crag.
Fingers Ridge was the obvious choice, it’s a mixed ridge so should be
climbable in any condition…..however that doesn't mean that it’s over-
endowed with gear! Soft deep snow meant tough climbing conditions. Martin
led most of the route to the summit with sparse protection and long runouts.
A late finish meant a fulfilling day was had by all.
Jim and Col went to the Ben to climb Minus 3 into North East Buttress
(because I was being weak about Minus 1!! sorry Jim). We left early to try and
get on the route first, but we out manoeuvred by another party then I lost
Paper, Scissors, Stone to get on the route first (sorry again Jim). They turned out to be frustratingly slow,
holding up our progress (and the other 5 teams after us) for the whole route. Once at NEB, we were informed
about potentially dodgy conditions on the ridge, causing us to decide down was best. A few rappels got us to
the base of the route ready for another, unfortunately the Minus Face was mobbed by other teams so we
walked out for an early finish.
Page 11May/June 2020 Newsletter
Hut 3 - “What the lower summits in the highlands lack in height, they make up for in roughness” (Tom Miller
WM20). Tom persuaded Ian to climb Beinn a’ Bhacaidh, a splendid peak above Loch Ness, with expansive
views. They struggled to the top through thick heather and snow before arriving at a lovely sharp summit to
cap a great day out. As Steve had completed his Munros this week, we had the traditional PMC WM party this
evening. I know that large quantities of champagne, whiskey, beer and wine were drunk, however I don’t know
much more about the nights events…………these parties are always ace.
DAY 6 - Friday
Hut 1& 3 - Bob, Jonathan, Tom & Ian drove out to Gortenachullish, near to Morar, had a short walk along the
beach then had dinner in the car. They then drove to Mallaig and leaned how lice are removed from salmon in
fish farms……..Tom will be doing a full presentation about this at the next AGM!
Hut 2 - Phil, Tony, Jim and Sip walked up Stob Coire Sgriodain. Martin and Ian headed home. A very hungover
Col met a mate (Bri) at Glencoe Ski Area and we had the best day skiing we’ve ever had there. All runs open
(albeit in whiteout conditions), including the resort run. When it’s good, it’s very good. They could do with
some faster lifts though! I drove home from there.
DAY 7 - Saturday
All those still left at the meet took a leisurely drive home today.
Summary
Snow conditions stayed challenging throughout the week, but as you can see folk were out every day covering
all the main winter mountaineering activities. This (for me) firmly remains the best meet in the PMC calendar.
We have a good group of people attending with a variety of activities being completed. It was good to see new
faces. A great meet. Next year we are heading to the best part of Scotland (Torridon), so why not come and
join us? There really is something for everyone, no matter what your ability level is. See you on a crag/hill/in a
pub at some point real soon. Col
An ascent of the Cobbler
Lucy tells of her brief visit to the winter meet
Having joined the PMC winter meet for the weekend, only the
three of us – Lucy, Deb, Steve headed back on Monday to work
and the dog show that prevented full meet attendance! (Little
did I know that it was all about to go pear-shaped and the
running of Crufts in Covid times changed my charity’s very
attendance).
So our adventures began on Friday when we tried to ascend Geal
Charn in thigh deep snow. We flogged and flogged our way up
Deb, Lucy and Steve, not on the Cobbler.
but then a thick snow shower and the threat of darkness forced a Below left: view from Peanmeanach bothy
retreat. In hindsight this would have been better on skis and was
later successfully summited on them.
Next up was Scron a Choire Ghairbh. Again thick snow making progress so
slow despite the nice new gravel road in. The weather was beautiful, blue
skies, far ranging views but high winds. Indeed we only just made the
summit of Ghairbh having binned the normal route up to the col because
the snow was so deep. On top we were constantly buffeted and it was
great experience for Deb to get used to full on winter conditions. A hasty
and very cold lunch back down at the col and with the weather worsening
we decided to not go back over Meall na Teanga but instead descend to
the valley and retrace our steps on the other side of the river. We had
clearly forgotten the reason we had come up the shoulder as very soon we
were knee deep falling into troughs and dips and totally unable to find any
track at all. It was slow demanding work and when we finally reached the
edge of the forest we had been out for 12 hours and were all out of food
and more importantly energy. Goodness knows how many times we fell
into bogs and cloughs the leader being named the “dipstick” for obvious
Page 12May/June 2020 Newsletter
reasons. Still it was a magical day out. We saw footprints of what we told Deb was a wolf and later turned out
to be mink.
The next day was even fouler weather – Steve and Colin attempted the Ben and arrived back, having sacked it,
before Deb and I had even set off. I thought a coastal trip might present better weather and so we headed off
past Glenfinnan (quick trip to the visitor centre and monument) to the Ardnish Peninsula where I found a
fabulous 7 mile walk to a little bothy - Peanmeanach. One that is soon to shut so we were lucky to get the
chance to explore it before it did so.
Last day and so we decided an ascent of the Cobbler for our return journey as we would be passing it any
case… or so we thought?!?! But where had the Cobbler got to? Someone had moved it… whilst playing ‘name
your favourite song’ it would seem we sailed through
Crianlarich and failed to take the road to Glasgow along Loch
Lomond. Commenting to Steve on how I had never noticed
Loch Lomond on the right of the car before, we started to get a
little suspicious and eventually pulled over. To our horror sat
nav showed us to be several valleys and mountains away from
Loch Lomond and about to run out of mountains altogether.
Hmmm ! so a quick reccie of what was around presented us
with Ben Ledi which as it happened turned out to be a fabulous
little corbett (and the highest point in the Trossachs) with a nice
path and then wide summit arete with far ranging views –
mountains one way and over to Stirling Castle the other. So we
didn’t get to summit the Cobbler, or even see the Cobbler, but
On Ben Ledi
we did have a fabulous day out and fairly quick journey home
afterwards. Lucy
Pushing the grades
Georgi recounts a couple of days out just before lockdown
Horseshoe Quarry, 1st of March. I managed to connect with two lads I met at
the wall and we formed an international German-Polish-Bulgarian team for the
day. Despite the freezing wind I managed to on-sight 3 x 6a+ (A Right Earful 1*,
Blade Runner 1* and School’s Out 2**) as well as finish with an on-sight of
Shot Yer Bolt which I thought is a superb 2* route at 6b+ which might as well
deserve a third star!
Following this good day out the German lad (Tom) and I decided to give the
cold rock another go the following weekend (8th March). I was keen to push it
a bit further and after an epic “warm up” route which was meant to be a 2*
6a+ and turned out to be a zero star 6b+... called Finishing off I jumped on Rain
Dance (a 2* 6c). After losing a coveted on sight on the lower crux moves I tried Georgi climbing at Horseshoe
to at least send it as red-point, but it wasn’t meant to be so I just attempted the Quarry; below left: view from
moves again and managed to dog it. Big shame, but what a great technical WImberry
route, and the upper section was as hard as the lower one! I was totally gone
after Rain Dance, but my keenness and greed prevailed so I jumped on Megalithic Man, another classic
Horseshoe 2* 6b+. I messed up the crux moves on the intimidating bulge and took a proper big whipper
sending my heart to my throat! I got back up and finished the
route to what felt like 6c top moves, thin as a thin thing! Another
great day!
My final tale is one that I will forever remember as it turned out
that we had just managed to steal an immaculate day of climbing
right before the full lock down happened! On March 22nd, Rob
and I decided to pack up both a crash pad and a rack and see
what our luck will bring at a venue neither of us had ever visited
before, Wimberry. The weather was bright and sunny, but the
strongish wind and the fact that the crag is high up in the shade
Page 13May/June 2020 Newsletter
made it clear that we will stick to bouldering. Fast forward to 7pm I could look back and say that as far as
bouldering is concerned this was definitely my strongest performance ever. While Rob “just wasn’t feeling it
today” I was insatiable and managed to attempt 18 problems including a solo on-sight f6B* (Angus Right), sent
f6B+** (Local Hero), sent on-sight f6B+** (Fat Slapper), sent on-sight f6B* (Bum-Slide) and insanely scary sent
on-sight f6C** (Enhancing Hero) which was a landmark achievement as my first ever outdoor f6C boulder
attempt! Totally knackered, with 3 taped fingers and 2:30hrs drive in the dark
ahead of me, I was as chuffed as I could ever be!
Now please drop the bloody lock down and get me out of here! Georgi
Editor’s glossary of terms ;)
Beta: prior advice on how to successfully climb a route
Send a route: a clean ascent (lead) which may be on-sight, flash or red-point
On-sight: a clean ascent on the first attempt with no beta
Flash: a clean ascent on the first attempt with beta
Red-point: a clean ascent after having practised beforehand
Dog/hangdog: to rest on the rope or on a piece of gear whilst leading a route
Whipper: a leader fall from above the last piece of gear
Crash mat: a large cushioned pad placed on the ground to protect when bouldering
Don’t try this at home or: routes I have fallen off !
While Georgi ‘pushes the grades’, AP shares his accident log
Lockdown, and nothing happening: no meet write-ups, no forthcoming meets – “what are we going to put in
the mag?” asks Johnny “anyone got any articles on things they’ve done, adventures they’ve had?” When I
suggested the idea of this article, he said he might have to serialise it as it would probably be too long. Ha
bloody ha! Now, obviously they aren’t all in – as I’m sure TT and many of my other fabulous belayers would
quickly point out – just some of the more memorable ones. Apologies if you’ve all heard these stories a million
times before . . .
1985/6? Long Tall Sally, Burbage North E1 5b – a quick opportunistic (optimistic?) foray from a sunny picnic
near Burbage Brook. Didn’t have much in the way of small gear or chalk or skill. New belayer Bev using waist
belay so came as a bit of a surprise! Ended up about a yard from the deck.
1986 Spider Crack, Burbage North VS 5b – I think we’d (me n DV) just
done LTS and were soloing. Came off twice at crux but landed awkwardly
nd
on roc2 time. Very long hobble/crawl/hop back to car. Kings Mill “I
don’t think it’s broken.” QMC next day “oh yes it is”!
1989 Saddy, Curbar E2 5b – with DV who’d done all the hard work but
got pumped out placing gear. OK, I’ll have a go but I’ll just try and run it
out. Didn’t know about big wobbly block at top. Ooer and ouch. Classic
rope round leg upside down dangle. No helmet but fortunately no head
bang.
1992 (?) The Thorn, Beeston Tor HVS 5a– first climbing meet of the year
in April (no winter wall training in those days) and met Lucy for the first
time. Enjoyed West Wall Climb and agreed “why not?” Got past pegs and
up groove but somehow got lost at the top and ran out of steam. Ended
up dangling by the pegs at the same level as Lucy, who was yanked off
the belay and dangling from the chain. We had a fag to calm our nerves. Col on P2 of the Thorn in 1992
Mid 90s Sacre Coeur, Blackchurch E2 5c – first time with Bev. Totally intense climbing – only one really
positive hold, and that hurt! So intense that instead of moving right I kept going straight up (E3 territory)
before rapidly sliding straight down in a naked flesh and cheesegrater stylee. Daren’t push away for fear of
pulling gear out. Scrape clean huge grazes in salty seawater and cover with toilet paper and finger tape as
nobody has plasters that big. Funnily enough we returned to the same campsite a year or so later and the
owner said “ooh I remember you, you came in all bandaged up last time”
Page 14May/June 2020 Newsletter
2001 Cave Gully Wall, Stanage HVS 5a – doesn’t really count as a proper fall but…set off from top of boulder
choked gully and traversed up and right, quickly finding myself with a considerable drop above a nasty landing,
on a luminescent green, smooth, steep slab with no gear. Current consensus is E1 5b. Just then my phone rang
– Elt answers - “oh no, I’m afraid he’s halfway up a climb at the minute” Discretion overcame valour and I
jumped off back down and left but landed awkwardly and did a couple of backward rolls/cartwheels down the
gully to end up at Elt’s feet “oh no, it’s alright, he’s here now”!
2001 Crown of Thorns, Guernsey E2 5b – plenty of ouch and drama on this one. Last route of the day
(evening) on incoming tide with Lucy and Bev at Main Cliff, La Corbiere on Guernsey where all routes seemed
under-graded and hard to find from crap “homemade” (1987) guidebook. Steep, not much gear, not really
sure where to go. Inadvertently chose down. Banged foot on ledge before rope came tight. Can’t remember
foot pointing that way before?! Dramatic PMC rescue, hospital, x-ray, late night consultant surgeon visit, CAT
scan, admitted, back to front gown, woke up with a nice blue pot, some Cannulated Herbert screws and K wire
holding my smashed talus together. Took 6 months to recover, 12 months before climbing again and NEVER
actually been right since, but 90% ain’t bad, all down to splendid surgeon.
2006 Wuthering, Stanage E2 5b – about time we plucked up courage for this – been on the list for years! One
belayer on each rope (Steve well over to left, Johnny below) might be cheating but seems sensible on scary
looking route. Strange move across gully, delicate but steady traverse left, then very gingerly up to solid gear,
mid-slab. Why do I never read guidebooks properly? Went straight up (harder, E3 5c?) instead of left,
desperate slap for top and end up dangling below overhang with an outrageous rope burn on the back of my
Far left:
approaching
the crux of
Wuthering
E2
Left: a
relaxing
holiday on
Guernsey
Below: a
painful smile
after the
Bear Hunter
thigh. “una bella bruciatura della corda” in my Italian
homework.
2016 Brown’s Eliminate, Froggat E2 5b – cracking evening climbing
scary slabs with Col Mart Ian and TT. Last route of day, maybe a bit of
an afterthought, not really psyched, and so climbed (or attempted)
poorly. On the plus side, this one had gear. Bent Col’s gold Dragon out
of all proportion. Pub time.
2017 Fist Crack, Rolling Gate VS 5a – yes, VS 5a! End of a fab Yarkshire weekend with TT and Col. Wet heather
bog flog up to remote grit crag with T. Jam up crack (not really fist width) to ledge then round overhang and . .
. and . . . “this is a bit awkward T” . . . dunno what happened, but caught
glimpse of silver cam under roof as I fall backwards past it. BOOM! Why
am I on a ledge? What is TT talking about? Good old TT top rescuer, first
aider, nurse and all round top bloke. You know I owe you mate.
Eventually came round, wobbled back to van, somehow drove home.
New helmet required. Dizzy spells for months.
2018 The Bear Hunter, Curbar E1 5b – what is it about Curbar? Or more
probably, what is it about me and “run out” finishes? Cracking day with
Jim and I’m talking myself into a lovely steep slab even though I’ve only
led VS this year. And yes, lovely moves indeed up to the “difficult to
place” gear. Sadly the run out goes up and left-ish, not right. Ooer missus
“might be off here Jim” “Don’t Al FFS” Perhaps a jump might have
worked, rather than my preferred calf-caught-in-between-flake-and-slab-
turn-upside-down finale. I couldn’t actually right myself without an
Page 15May/June 2020 Newsletter
upward tug on the rope from Jim. Ouch indeed.
2019 Rough Wall Climb, Baslow VS 4c – hmmmm. November, cold but sunny day after a week of rain. TT had
just led a very shiny green Index Climb in the woods. “Maybe we should have brought a mat” Ah well, let’s
have a look. Poorly protected? No sooner got one hand on top than something slipped and I was on the deck
in a heap, gasping. Good old TT to the rescue again. Kings Mill say 3 bust ribs with slight haemothorax and
pneumothorax. QMC (eventually) say 3 bulged discs aggravating nerves. AP says “it hurts a lot” despite having
more drugs than Boots. Nearly May now and more of a tingle in leg than real pain. Q: what’s 80% of 90%? A:
probably as good as it’s gonna get.
2020 Lockdown, Everywhere. Now then, who wants to come
climbing with me when this is over?!
Your lead!
Al
An entire pharmacy in
your own home…
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