Outside Now! April
2008
We’re
only 13 weeks into 2008, and the club has already been to Wales, the Lakes,
Scotland and the Alps, and in addition we’ve seen members in the Pyrenees,
Canada, Fontainebleau and Sweden!!
Aside
from the club ski trip to Meribel, Harry and Stef had a great time in Canada
and can’t wait to go back, Neil, Em and Holly went to France with James, Helen
and kids to give the little ones a taster of après ski, and Kev and Ruth also
went to France for a spot of ice climbing and skiing. Lee L headed for the
white stuff in Sweden, testing out the cross-country skiing.
Andy
T had his first climbing day of the year on Feb 9th at Stanage and Burbage
North - it was 15 degrees and people were climbing in T-shirts! After doing a
few routes, including soloing 2 Moderates and a Diff, he went in search of the
ice cream van at Burbage North, but came away disappointed!
Elsewhere,
Rich, Maureen, Andy T, along with newcomers Richard and Mike went to Birchens
Edge in the Peak, completing Stokers Wall VD, Trafalgar Wall Severe 4b, and
Promenade D, amongst others.
Climbers
meet regularly on Tuesdays at Warwick climbing wall, and Thursdays at The Tower
- many new members have been joining them, so if you fancy going along just let
one of them know (Rich, Tracy, Chris, Andy T etc), and they’ll be happy to
help.
The
Glencoe week away was a huge success. The weather was brilliant, with loads of
Munros being bagged, loads of drunken antics, and everyone having a good time.
I believe Dave T, Ken and Mark H all have tales to tell - that’s if they can
remember them…
Andy
and Annette gave Hannah her first taste of mountaineering when they took her
away in their new van to Dolgellau over the Easter weekend to brave the
elements! They did a 15 mile walk one day, via a pub for her first pint, and
completed the Precipice Walk on Sunday.
In
France over Easter, Maureen D had ‘a fantastic week of bouldering in
Fontainebleau’, climbing almost everyday on deserted rocks, as the weather
forecast had frightened most people away! After figuring out the grading
system, she visited Canche Aux Merciers, Rochers du Duc and others.
More
recently, Dave T has been to the Pyrenees for a spot of snowshoeing. Heavy snow
was followed by clear blue skies and great conditions. Dave said ‘Snow shoeing
is good fun -hard work going up in fresh snow but an absolute riot on the way
down’!
In
other news, Pete H is improving by the week - he is now able to cross his legs
and move around in his wheelchair, and he has slight movement in his arms. He
is still very upbeat, and has been home a couple of times. Pete has been
overwhelmed with the amount of visitors from HMC, and sends his thanks and
appreciation to all. He now has his own room, on the same ward. Keep up the
visits!
Thanks to all those who
wrote articles for this edition, if anyone has any write ups, news etc, please
email me
edwardsandi@hotmail.com
or
take it to the Holywell on a Thursday evening. Andrea
Glencoe
Dave P says: Although it had rained
hard on Saturday night, Sunday dawned grey and claggy but at least dry. So,
along with Ian E, Richard E and Nigel M, Brian and Dave drove to Blackrock
cottages near the White Corries Ski Centre. From there the happy band walked
out and back to Ba Bridge on the West Highland Way, just under 7 miles.
Monday
dawned with blue skies and sun, so Brian and Dave drove up Glencoe and parked
near the waterfall bridge. From there they walked up Lairig Elide, 800ft, and
then contoured round the southern foot of Buachaille Etive Beig to pick up the
return path through Lairig Gartain over 1575ft pas, and thence back to the
Glencoe road. To return to the car, they walked along the Old Coach road, which
turned out to be the Old Coach bog. Nevertheless, a satisfying walk of around 8
1/2 miles.
On
Tuesday, Brian and Dave drove to the Nevis Range and took the gondola up
towards Aonach Mor. Following a further
short trip up a chair lift, they ascended the rest of the hill on foot and
walked across the plateau to the summit of Aonach Mor at 4014ft, the 8th
highest peak in Britain. The return journey was done walking over snow fields,
so crampons and ice axes were the order of the day, the descent back to the
gondola being particularly hard on the legs as Dave hadn’t used crampons for 27
years.
On
Wednesday, they drove to Glen Etive and walked along the shore of Loch Etive.
On Thursday, whilst Brian walked along the road to circumnavigate the Glencoe
Hospital Lochan, Dave went further afield. He drove to Kinlochleven and from the
car park ascended up to the shores of Loch Eilde Mor. From the dam at the head
of the loch he followed a pipeline some 3 1/2 miles to Blackwater Dam reservoir
in the next valley. He descended the valley down on a 4 1/2 mile walk to
Kinlochleven passing through picturesque woodland further down before getting
back to the car park.
Dave T
says:
After
a pleasant evening in Edinburgh, I sauntered up through Stirling and Callander
to Tyndrum and decided to take the scenic route to the coast and then north to
Ballachulish. The weather was warm and slightly cloudy with little sign of the
recent heavy snowfall. Brian G and Dave P were already happily ensconced in the
bungalow which I have to say looked a bit cramped for 12! "Where does
everybody sleep", I enquired. " Room for seven in here and five up
top" replied Brian. It transpired that there was indeed a second property
a short way up the hill. This short easy stroll through trees was to take its
toll later in the week! Well it did not take long for me to decide where to
stay! The top house was almost new with ensuite facilities adjoining each
bedroom. Harry and Steph settled in to the double room and looked forward to
sharing their private facilities with Ted who was earmarked for the spare bed!
Ken arrived shortly after and couldn't believe his luck (or so he thought then)
and bagged the remaining bed in the twin room. His troubles had yet to begin! A
famous light sleeper, Ken had to endure not only my uncharacteristic snoring
(allegedly) but also the late night fag chat of the Polish girls from upstairs
(Steph reckoned there were some elephants up there too!)
Sunday was cloudy and Ken and I set off on a recce of the Buchaille and
indulged in a bit of well thought out glissading on the way down! Ken seemed to
be taking it a bit too steady for my liking so I shot past him just to speed up
the descent! Monday was a good romp up on to Ben Dorain from Bridge of Orchy
with Ed and Rich, Ian and Sinc-fabulous views from the top. Tuesday became
something of day to remember for several reasons one of which was the
unexpected difficulty of finding the path between the two houses in the dark
after a drink or three. It was only a short trip and the scars have now almost
healed. What with Ken's heroics on the same day the two of us cut a fine figure
in Fort William the next day-nobody came near-I reckon we looked too scary!
Thursday, the last day remained bright and clear and we (Ed, Rich, Ted and
myself) tackled the little Buchaille and Rich kindly put me through my paces
with axe and crampons. Brian was pleased that I had managed to stay on my feet
on the snow and ice-"now you just need to learn to walk through trees
without falling a**e over t*t" was his helpful response.
Ken says: At last a real club meet...no van, no wife, no
daughter to spend on but....snorers.
Sunday: snow searching and glissading on a grey Buchaille with tumbling Dave
T...his gear and face made Stob Dearg look bright.
Monday: munro bagging Ed style with Rich, Bally, Sinc and Dave T...straight in,
drop sacks, grab 2...take in the superb views...this is God's own country after
all...Ben Dorain and Beinn An Dothaidh
Tuesday: Another cracker dawns... Harry and Nigel are breaking me in on two
snow gullies on Stob Coire Nan Lochan...wow, all good things do come to he who
waits....I join the tumbling club but I was wearing a helmet ..."I told
you so" unquote
Wednesday: an easy day for tiring limbs..Glen Nevis, Falls of Steall and
beyond...great views of the Ben's face and CMD arête...with tumbling Teece.
Thursday: what no rain? Cannot avoid the beckoning Aonach Eagach....another
cracker despite Sinc, Bally and Nige playing "who is the top helicopter
recognition expert"...days without geeks must be so mundane!
Friday:...Haste ye back to England..oh joy! reunite with family and lament
their absence.
THANKS TO YOU ALL...A SPECIAL WEEK. Ken
Helvellyn by Andy T
Saturday
16 February began cold after a hard overnight frost. The clear blue skies and
the promising weather forecast suggested a fine day in the hills and a large
group from HMC left the Hostel at 9.30 en route to Helvellyn via Swirral Edge.
For some new members this was their first time out in winter conditions. The
going underfoot was straightforward to the base of the ridge. Striding Edge
away to the left looked black and imposing with a steady stream of people in
sharp silhouette against a clear deeply blue sky. Our party which had strung
out whilst going uphill, regrouped at the start of the steep, rocky section
leading up to the final pull on the ice covered slope before the summit
plateau. Tracy and Meg W led the way and were first up, stopping to help others
who were finding the ice hard work.
I persuaded Andy S to lend me his ice axe so that I could enlarge the steps cut
days before by a previous party, others used ski poles or borrowed ice axes to
balance their way up in the cold air and warm sun. Tracy K, Shani S, and the
two Janes doing really well despite bendy boots.
Once at the summit we drank in the views. Scafell and Great Gable looked
sublime and the whole of the Dodds range of hills rolled away north to
Blencathra and Skiddaw. We picked out the white golf ball of the radar station
on Little Dun Fell and the summit whaleback of Cross Fell in the Pennines.
After lunch at the summit shelter we set off north over Stybarrow Dodd and
Raise with the sky getting ever bluer and a partial cloud inversion enveloping
some hills.
Richard, Jane, Shani and Tracy left us at Sticks Pass to walk back to the
Hostel. What a great day to pick for your first walk with the club!
The rest of us carried on and soon after Ken W (following a spot of modelling
for the new Go Outdoors catalogue) set off back to the Hostel to do some
marking of his students course work. We arranged that he would pick us up from
the Salutation Inn at Threlkeld at 5pm after we had walked over the Dodds.
Funny how so many walks seem to involve a Pub...
It seemed to be a roller-coaster ride to the end of the Dodds and a steep
descent saw us pick a careful path through the disused mine-workings and along
the road into Threlkeld for a well earned pint. Our timing was impeccable as we
arrived at the Pub just as Ken pulled up in the van. Back to the Hostel but not
before a fantastic sunset turned the hills crimson. What a day! Seven and a
half hours of bliss.
Sunday,
and again excellent weather and some shorter routes prior to our return. No
time for gearshop traverses this weekend!
Dates for the Diary
WaterAid
As mentioned in the previous newsletter, the
club have got 3 teams together; all are climbing Cnicht in North Wales
on June 7th 2008. They will be raising money as part of the Trail
magazine’s Challenge, for WaterAid, a charity involved in helping some of the
world’s poorest people gain access to clean water.
This is a fantastic, worthwhile cause, so
please give generously. The sponsorship forms can be found at www.justgiving.com/hmc or see Dave T.
Walking
Festival
On Saturday 5th July 2008,
Leicestershire County Council are holding a Walking Festival at Snibston
Discovery Centre. This is a great opportunity to promote the club to people
who are interested in the outdoors, so we will be having a stand set up there.
Anyone who would be interested in helping out, please let me know - whether it
be for a couple of hours or the whole day. As soon as I have more information,
I will let you know.
Skittles
Our annual skittles match against Rugby MC
will be held on Thurs 1st May 2008, at the Red Lion, Huncote.
Kick-off will be at 7.30pm, and the cost will be around £6.50 per person, which includes food. It is always a good night,
and it will give us the chance to win back the trophy!
If you’re interested in joining in, get in
touch with Ackie (see back page for contact info).
Capel Curig
Despite the
“interesting” weather this weekend, members still managed to get out and about
on the hill. Brian K ticked off The Berwyns “en route on the Friday” and
Saturday saw Andy T head up the Pen Yr Helgi Du ridge - it seems there were no
other volunteers to join him braving the strong winds and driving rain! After
being forced to read the map on his hands and knees in order to avoid being
blown away, he made the wise decision to turn back, 100ft from the top. It’s a
good job he did, as he came to the rescue of 3 guys on the verge of hypothermia
with no gloves, food and inadequate gear. On his return, Andy joined Neil and
Rich in the pub to watch Scotland kick England’s ass in the 6 Nations.
Meanwhile,
Dave G, Gian Luca and Jane M embarked on the Twin Lakes walk….
Good food
& drink sustained the club at the Tan y Coed, with great banter on the
Saturday night.
On Sunday,
Harry, Stef, Ash and Alexe worked their way to the summit of Galt Y Orgoff with
tremendous views of the East face of Tryfan, Bristly Ridge & the Glyders
and the light dusting of snow on the Carnedds. Brian
K did a 12 miler to World’s End, and a wet
and windy ascent of Moel Siabod was completed by the rest of the team.
Note
from new member Stacey on the forum ”thankyou to all that I met at the weekend,
even though the weather wasn't great I still had a good weekend, so thanks to
everyone for making me feel welcome
Skiing in Méribel Andrea
After
a very early start (3am) we drove to the shed that is Coventry Airport, to
begin our journey to the slopes of Méribel. When we arrived, it was +17
degrees, and people were walking around in shorts and t-shirts - not quite what
we hoped for! The apartment was huge, not like the usual boxes that you get,
with 2 showers and 2 toilets -very handy. We headed out to hire skis, boots and
get the lift passes- unfortunately they don’t do student discount - gutted!
Sunday
was pretty bad weather, with poor visibility, so after a quick trip back to
change skis and boots, we headed off for a play around the Méribel and Les
Menuires area. After an ok day, we made our way back, via the red Lac de la
Chambre - it was a bit bumpy, but it was going ok, until Ewan and I realised
that Sue had fallen. We thought she’d be OK...until the orange body bag arrived
to cart her off to the medical centre! Earlier we’d seen one of these things
flip over, so it didn’t fill us with confidence! We discovered she had torn her
cruciate ligament, and fractured her knee bone - no more skiing.
So,
the following day, Ed stayed to nurse Sue, having had open wallet surgery,
whilst Brian, Carolyn and I ditched Ewan to go in search of powder - wonderful!
Brian was “blowing a bit” in his words, but the old boy skied on, making the
most of his falsely acquired OAP lift pass (I’ll say no more…)
Tuesday
saw clear blue skies, so we headed for the wide open pistes of Courchevel. It
was great skiing over there, with the best run of the whole week, Roc Merlet,
which was a beautiful red run, that we had practically all to ourselves, along
with sparkling magic dust (ice crystals) falling from the sky. It was so good,
we did it twice!
On
Wednesday, we braved the crowds of Val Thorens...everyone had headed for the
higher slopes for good conditions, but in reality, the whole of the Three
Valleys was covered in loads of the white stuff. It was very cold (minus 8) and
busy, but despite this, the skiing was very good.
Thursday
was bitterly cold, and the forecast for Friday was ‘very bad weather’ and lots
of snow. So, as Carolyn was desperate for a jump (!), we all trundled back over
to the parks and trees of Courchevel, followed by a spot of sunbathing and hot
chocolate!
The
weather forecasters were proved right, as Friday was awful! It snowed all day,
but Ewan and Carolyn decided to go and check out the conditions...2 hours later
they returned—’Yep...its snowing!’
At
the start of the week, Ewan assured us that the best technique for skiing is to
‘activate your core’ - however, this seemed somewhat lost on him when he
began showing us his ‘freestyle moves’ on the slopes— “It’s a helicopter...just
with a bad landing!” Brian also informed us that he’d been activating his
core...most mornings…
So,
after a week of later nights, clubbing and veggie food, we went for the tamer
option on the last night of a meal in Le Refuge, with Sue testing out her
built-in crampons on the end of her crutches. Ed kindly dropped her off, before
going to park the car - ”Will Papa be returning?” the waitress asked
Ewan…
After
having to purchase snow chains, we embarked on an eventful trip down the
mountain at 2am, taking us twice the usual amount of time to get to the
airport. On arrival, Sue was given an antique wheelchair, and carried onto the
plane by two sumo wrestlers.
So,
a great time was had by 5 out of 6, and a ‘memorable’ trip for all!
Thanks
for all the well wishers, and here’s hoping for a speedy recovery for Sue!
Brecon Beacons
The first meet of the
year and Ed had forecast bright sunshine with a slight south westerly breeze on
top.
As you’d expect, it was
“wet & orrible”.
Anyway… it didn’t deter
the HMC hardcore, with a mass ascent and descent of the caves and waterfalls
walk of Ystradfellte. A classic walk,
with a frightening section right behind the waterfall. Shani & Jane McC were over the moon, but
Andrea was petrified.
The weather was “off
& on” all day but we got into the pub just in time, whilst Sinc &
Carolyn returned to fetch the transport.
Nice one Sinc.
Gian Luca had never
been to Wales before and must be wondering why he left all those Italian hills
behind.
Now, you’ve heard the
story about Wallace & Gromit’s “The Wrong Trousers” and more recently “The
Wrong Gaiters”, but I’m not going to tell you about my latest adventure in “The
Wrong Y Fronts” AAARGH.
The memory is too
painful. (ask Dave P).
Get your Tat in early,
I say! ED
Favourite Climbs
According to a
survey by Matt H (Planet Fear), Left Wall (E2) on Dinas Cromlech is Britain’s
Favourite Route, followed by Resurrection (E4), also on Dinas Cromlech.
If your not
into your E numbers, Flying Buttress (V Diff) comes in at fourth place, closely
followed by Dream of White Horses (HVS) at Gogarth. All open to interpretation of course, but
what sticks out in his survey is seven out of the top ten are in Snowdonia - of
which we have a fair smattering of hut meets coming up!!.
Christmas
Curry, a classic 250ft severe (takes you up to HS if you do the Micah finish)
is at Tremadog and came in at 8th place.
Richard E
recently completed this climb on one of his Climbers Club meets with the
original finish but in 2001 he led the route, seconded by Mark H. Mark also climbed most of One Step in the
Clouds in the Ogwen valley, and they went on to do Hope (Idwal Slabs) and a
VS5a above the slabs, followed by the Original Route on Milestone Buttress.
If you want to
do some of Britain’s Favourite Climbs, why not book yourself into one of the
huts and “get cranking” on some
classics.
What’s
your favourite climb? Let me know. Andrea
Saga Louts:
January:
“wet & orrible” - but not for the lads first outing of 2008, from Sence
Valley Park, Ibstock.
Eh?
Well, it’s not the peak I know, but it was a cracking 12 mile walk
nevertheless, with lots of old relics en route (mining that is) and an
excellent real ale pub - The New Inn at Swannington. Fortunately, they didn’t
have the Black Dog on, as the last time Trowie supped it, he cocked his leg up
at the first lamppost we came to.
During
another “wet & orrible” February, the lads were often out twice a week,
including destinations in Shropshire, Leicestershire and Derbyshire. The New
Inn featured on several excursions.
On
the final day of March, bloody hell - some sun and a 10 mile circuit around
Althorp was completed with some serious refreshment taken at The Fox &
Hounds, Great Brington. “Louts” out were: Dave P & Jake, Trowie, Ed,
Stuart, Richard & Teeth, and honorary “loutettes” Jane & Lottie. If you want to join us on our “weekday”
excursions, just let us know. Don’t be shy...
You Could Be Here - “Seize The Moment”
In
addition to the old favourites, I like to chuck a few new venues into the
programme.
Stony
Middleton in the Peak is one and if you would like to go...tough, it’s full!!
So,
onto May, and we have our annual trip to Pete M's hut in Nant Gwynant. It’s
available for all three nights over the Bank Holiday. An enviable
position, situated at the start of the Watkin Path for Snowdon, and a snug
little hut, capable of sleeping 16 with the possibility of some camping if
needed. No shower, but hey, this is a mountaineering club, not a knitting
circle eh Brian!.
Richard
is organising a mini-trip to Cornwall mid-May, so see him if interested.
At
the end of May, we go to Dent (Cumbria) in the Yorks Dales National Park,
again, for 3 nights. Set in the grounds of Whernside Manor, three good pubs are
a stroll away and it’s ideal for walking, climbing and mountain-biking.
In
June, we have the excellent Rhyd Ddu cottage, just outside Bedgelert. Great
facilities and in a great position.
Let
me know where you want to go. Remember, book
early to avoid disappointment
.