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Winter 2007/8

London Joint Lectures at Hoop & Toy AAC UK Section, ABMSAC, F&RCC, RC

Lectures are held at the Hoop & Toy (function room on 1st floor), 34 Thurloe Place, South Kensington (close to Underground station) commencing at 7.30pm. Refreshments can be purchased from bar.

Wednesday, January 16 - “Travels in Retirement” by Bill Rowntree, RC

Wednesday, February 13 - “Skiing near the Back of Beyond” by John Hardwick, AAC

Wednesday, March 12 - “Trekking in the Alps” by Ed Bramley, ABMSAC.

Winter 2006/7

Everest Event 2006 - On 30th April I was privileged to be a guest of the Swiss Alpine Club at the Everest Event 2006 celebrations held in the Kultur-Casino at Bern. This was to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Swiss ascents of Everest and Lhotse in May 1956, the first European ascent of Everest and the first ever ascent of Lhotse. The three surviving members of this expedition were present, Ernst Reiss, Hans Rudolf von Gunten and Jürg Marmet, as well as Jean-Jacques Asper, sole surviving member of the 1952 Swiss expedition to Everest which was so instrumental in the British success of 1953.

The hall was packed with 700 SAC members as Etienne Gross, event organiser, made his opening speech in which he even welcomed me personally in English. After this the day commenced with original slides from the 1956 expedition with the three survivors, now aged between 78 and 86, recounting their memories. This was followed by a film of the 1952 expedition after which Jean-Jacques Asper, now aged 80, leaped onto the podium to regale us in vivid detail with his exploit of the first ever crossing of the immense crevasse which blocked the way into the Western Cwm. For me this was one of the highlights of the day.

Another presentation concerned the role played by Sherpas in expeditions, with the interview of the young Sherpani mother Pemba Doma, who has climbed Everest from both the Nepalese and Tibetan sides, lending a touch of glamour. Educated at Edmund Hillary’s school at Khumjung, she spoke 8 languages, which put me to shame. Oswald Oelz, who himself climbed Everest in 1978, presented his new book, Everest Lhotse: Schweizer am Everest 1952 und 1956, then duly signed copies, and in addition there were displays of books, maps and videos of Nepal in the adjoining rooms.

With the help of the accompanying slides my German improved rapidly as the day proceeded and I missed only one presentation – that without slides. Interestingly enough the Genevan Jean-Jacques Asper and his wife had also had enough of German and missed this, and it was then that I discovered that his wife spoke perfect English, having worked as an au-pair girl in Scotland.

As well as having the opportunity to meet and talk to the surviving climbers, all of whom spoke impeccable English, I met many other interesting people at the official lunch and dinner, including a member of the SAC Central Committee who had spent several years in Nepal building bridges, Franz Stämpfli, past president of the SAC who had been our guest at the Annual Dinner at Glenridding in January 2004, and Frank-Urs Müller, present SAC president.

I spent the following day reading books on Everest as I thought about this event, and decided then and there that I had to go and see it for myself.

Alasdair Andrews

February 2006

New President, John Dempster,CB, was elected at AGM in the Lake District.


John Dempster’s liking for the outdoors began when he was a Scout, walking and camping on Dartmoor and youth hostelling in the Lake District. At college he joined the Oxford University Mountaineering Club and climbed with them in Wales, the Lakes and Scotland. He joined the SAC in 1967 and visited the Alps regularly thereafter. He climbed many of the classic 4,000 meter peaks including Mont Blanc and the Matterhorn (twice). Many of these climbs were done on, or following, ABMSAC meets, often with Roger James.

Although brought up in Devon his parents were Scottish and family holidays were regularly spent in Dundee. His father introduced him to the joys and miseries of Munro collecting. His first was Schiehallion which he climbed at the age of 14, direct from Kinloch Rannoch, which is one of the most tedious and unrelenting grass slopes in Scotland, and which nearly put him off Munros for ever. But the seeds were sown and he completed the Munros 35 years later.

Much of his working life was spent with the Ministry of Transport and he was made a CB in 1994. He left the UK Civil Service in 1996 when he was appointed Director of the Bahamas Maritime Authority. He is currently Director of the UK Major Ports Group.

Two hip replacements mean that he is not now as agile as he was but he is still a regular attender at ABMSAC meets north of the Border and can still be observed, in good weather on top of a Munro.

January 2006

Swiss Alpine Club The SAC has recently become more aware of changes in the mountain world and in mountain sports, and is concerned with its own role in dealing with these. Climate change has resulted in the retreat of glaciers, and the construction of dams has resulted in the flooding of valleys. More importantly, the advent of mass tourism in the past 50 years has resulted in an increasing number of people visiting the Alps, with a subsequent increase in the construction of roads and installations, often to the detriment of the Alpine environment.

In June 2005, the club established new Guidelines which reflect these changes whilst at the same time maintaining the club’s commitment to the mountains and to its traditions. The new Guidelines were briefly introduced in the editorial of Les Alpes in August and later published in full in an attachment.

The Guidelines refer repeatedly to “sustainable development and protection of the environment” and to “wide access to the Alpine world”. The editorial of the October issue spoke again of how these are the central elements of the new Guidelines, stating that these two polarities reflect the dichotomy between protection on one hand and progress on the other: the fact that we want the mountains to be beautiful and unspoiled, but we want to reach them rapidly, easily and comfortably. The SAC feels that what is at stake is the future of the Alps and of the mountain sports we wish to practice there, so has also created a Commission of the Environment and has become more involved in environmental politics.

A translation of the introduction to the new Guidelines appears below: (a full translation of the Guidelines will be printed in the next year’s Journal.)

OUR NEW GUIDELINES - Mountains and change. On 11th June at Spiez the delegates adopted the new Guidelines of the SAC, which thus replace those of 1995. This document, together with the statutes, constitutes the underlying principles of the club’s activity for both the Central Committee and the sections.

The statutes refer briefly to the objectives of the club, but they serve mainly to define the function and the responsibility of the different administrative bodies. As for the Guidelines, these begin with a section entitled Self-image and values, relating to the club and its members, and reflecting their commitment to the mountains. All action is determined by these statements. So, in the 2005 Guidelines the term “mountain sports” is used rather than “alpinism”, evidence of how the SAC is open to change. The section Club Policy contains statements and concrete objectives concerning activities, services, structures and finances. What is particularly noticeable here is that the SAC is keen to enlarge its circle of members. It is not specified how it plans to achieve this, but the wish to expand is clearly expressed.

These Guidelines should serve as the basis of the club’s activities for the Central Committee and the sections. We urge members to take the time to read and reflect on them, and to be inspired by their spirit which is open to change and yet at the same time respects the traditions of the club and its commitment to the mountains.

These notes are provided by Pamela Harris and others who have translated them from Les Alpes. Our thanks go to them for their contribution.

Autumn 2005

Lake District footpaths

It has been reported that in the Patterdale area there are footpaths at risk of closure. More details are available on www.patterdalepaths.org. If members have any concerns they should contact the National Park Rights of Way Officer, Nick Thorne.

January 2005

Hut Bookings

Mike Pinney has been very busy with the Hut Bookings and now has everything on a spreadsheet for easy reference. If you wish to make a booking there is now a dedicated e-mail address for sending your details. This address is:
hutbookings@abmsac.org.uk

This now becomes the preferred method of contact for making bookings. If you do not have access to e-mail then you will still need to contact Mike by phone or letter. I remind members again not to just turn up at the hut anticipating that there will be places available; always contact the Hut Bookings Secretary first.



Hut Fees

At the last meeting of the directors of ABMSAC Ltd in September 2004, it was decided that hut fees should be increased from January 1st 2005 when it was anticipated that the improvement work on the hut would be completed. The new fees from that date were set at £5 per night for members, £7 for members of affiliated clubs and £8 for others.

After representations were made to the company secretary that the increases were too high and that the directors should be asked to reconsider their decision, their views were canvassed about doing so. The majority view of the directors was to abide by the decision of last September in view of the financial position of the company, the estimated increase in costs of running the hut and the fact that the new rate would be an all-in fee following the removal of the electricity slot metres.

Terry Shaw Company Secretary

Journal 2005

It seems to have become a tradition for the editor of the Journal to look at his contributions a this time of year, and PANIC. The first reaction is to think “Oh well, no Journal next year so I’ll just concentrate on the Newsletters.” But I know our members better than that; at least I hope I do. A very big “thank you” to those who have already contributed an article for next year and to those who have already done meet reports for the Newsletter and who have or will be sending a full report for the Journal.

Now, however, I need everyone to give a thought to what they can offer for next year. I know form conversations that many of you have good tales to tell, have visited interesting places and had various intrepid (scary) experiences over the years. So please get them down on paper and let me have them. I look forward to hearing from you.

Richard Winter

The George Starkey Hut update

Hot foot from the Alps Trek I headed north the following weekend for the Lakes Meet but mainly for the committee meeting and particularly to see how the work had progressed on the hut refurbishment.

Twenty one miles of queuing traffic on the M6 turned my usual four and a half hour journey into six and a half hours and when I crept in at two o’clock on Saturday morning I didn’t see too much.

The next morning, however, revealed a very reorganised kitchen with space to move round, a great improvement. The changes in the dining room / sitting room appear to be mainly cosmetic but the real changes are in the washrooms (yes I did have a quick peek into the ladies, but only so that I could write this). Here we see redecoration and the installation of proper new showers, two in the case of the gents.

There is still important work to be done in terms of painting and decorating and installation of new heaters. However, in my opinion at least, we have gone a long way to reinstate the George Starkey Hut as one of the huts in the Lakes that our members and other clubs will want to use.

As Alasdair has already said, a BIG thank you is due to all those members who have toiled over the last few years to take this vital work from an idea to reality.

Richard Winter

October 2004

FROM THE PRESIDENT

Recently our Membership Secretary, Ed Bramley, produced some interesting statistics. Apparently the average age of members is 63 and that approximately 30% are aged 70 years and over. In addition only 40% are members of the Swiss Alpine Club and only one member has been recruited to the SAC in the last six years. Clearly action has to be taken if the Club is to survive.

With this Newsletter is a copy of the newly updated information sheet for prospective members prepared by Ed Bramley and Richard Winter. Please copy it to members of your family, your friends and other acquaintances. Your committee is considering other methods of publicity.

The Contractors have completed the schedule of work to be carried out at the hut during the summer months. The next phase includes improvements to the heating, redecoration and other minor alterations; the Hut Management Committee will manage this as the work of the Hut Improvements Committee has been completed. Many thanks for all their sterling work to the ABM & TCC members who served on the HIC.

Alasdair Andrews

Meet Leaders Wanted

John Foster urgently needs assistance with volunteers to be Meet Leaders. Things are so desperate that he has even roped me in for this.

Before I agreed I asked what is involved and I hope that by passing this on we may get some more takers.
It is mainly an administrative function and you will be working closely with John. He will book the venue but the Meet Leader is the contact for members to book places on the meet. The Meet Leader will also contact the host club if more or fewer places are needed, inform those who have booked places how to find the hut, co-ordinate dinner on the Saturday night, collect the meet fees and either write the meet reports for the Newsletter and Journal or delegate this to another attendee. Nothing too onerous as you can see but a valuable contribution to the Association and to members. Go on, give it a try.

Richard Winter

Joint London Lectures

The autumn and winter programme of London lectures organised jointly by the AAC UK Section, ABMSAC, F&RCC and the RC is as follows:
Wednesday 10 November 2004 - ‘Mountains for Peace in the Balkans by Richard Hargreaves’, F&RCC. Richard will describe a trek through Kosovo, Montenegro and Northern Albania in July 2003
Wednesday 8 December 2004 - ‘Of Mice and Men’ by John Stibbard, AAC. John and a friend from Oxford MC made plans to climb in the Andes near Santiago, Chile, over Christmas 2003, and then attempt the most southerly 6000m peak in the world. The talk wil describe what happened to those ’best laid plans’.
Wednesday 12 January 2005 - ‘The Manchester Hindu Kush Expedition 1966’ by Bill Rowntree, RC. This is the story of how six members of the Rucksack Club went climbing in Afghanistan. Bill will describe the overland travel from Manchester, the 100 mile walk in from the road head to base camp, exploration of the Koh-I-Bandaka area and the ascent of 14 previously unclimbed peaks ranging from 16,000 to 19,000 feet.
Wednesday 16 February 2005 - ‘To the Quiet Land – an Expedition to Antarctica in February 2003’ by Bill Comstive, F&RCC.
Wednesday 16 March 2005 - ‘Pyrenees’ by Kev Reynolds, guest of ABMSAC.

The lectures are held at the Hoop and Toy pub, in the 1st floor function room at 34 Thurloe Place, South Kensington (close to South Kensington Underground station) commencing at 7.30pm. Refreshments can be purchased in the bar.

April 2004

FROM THE PRESIDENT

Well, our hopes that the purchase of the freehold of the hut would at last be accomplished were dashed when a few days before the AGM news was received that the PCC had decided that the freehold was not for sale. This, together with the appalling weather would have dampened most, but not our members. We had fifty-one members present for the AGM, probably a record, and although a variety of occasionally opposing views were aired the debates were courteous and friendly.

The hotel provided an excellent meal and the highlight for me was Franz Staempfli's excellent witty speech and the outstanding crystal reproduction of a twin peaked mountain that he presented to us on behalf of the Central Committee of the Swiss Alpine Club.

If you are thinking of joining any of the alpine meets this summer and still have to book please contact the appropriate meet organiser soon.

Have a good summer.

Alasdair Andrews

Meet Leaders Wanted

John Foster has been organising the Winter Scottish Meets for some time now. The problem with doing a good job is that you get asked to do more and as a result he has now taken on the burden of Meets Secretary. John is keen to expand the meets programme, something I am sure we all support, and is looking for help from members. He feels that Scotland and the far north of England is already fairly well covered but that we can do better in the rest of England and in Wales. Alison Henry has lead her second Dartmoor Meet this year with a much higher turnout than last year, our thanks to her for that. Now we need ideas for other meets and people who are prepared to lead them.

If you have ideas, a favourite venue and, above all, are willing to organise and lead the meet then please contact John and he will co-ordinate the programme.

Additionally our thanks go to Ed Bramley who has been organising the non-Scottish meets until now. He has passed the job on to John so that he can concentrate on his new task of Membership Secretary.

B M C Information - B M C Subscriptions

At the AGM there was some discussion about the club’s subscription to the BMC, and questions were asked about the benefits it brings to club members, and the effect of the changes which the BMC have just introduced.

The cost of BMC affiliation has been rising steadily in recent years, which has been a growing source of concern to climbing clubs. At the BMC 2003 AGM proposals for further increases in 2004 were rejected. This led to a review of their subscription structure which was debated at an Open Day, following which new proposals were prepared which were approved at an Extraordinary General Meeting. John Foster represented us at the first, and Ed Bramley at the second.

The BMC has had a number of internal problems but the main reason for the continuing rise in subscriptions is the civil liability insurance policy that covers clubs, their officers and their members against third party claims arising out of incidents in the mountains. The limit of indemnity is £5m for any one event, and cover is worldwide. It covers members of affiliated clubs whether on club meets or on private trips. The only exclusion is that it does not cover people who are acting as professional instructors, guides or in a similar professional business capacity. The increasing incidence of claims under this policy has led to successive rises in the premium.

As a BMC affiliated club the ABMSAC will pay a fee in 2004 of £6.25 per member including life members. For this all club members will be covered under the civil liability policy described above. They will also receive one copy of the magazine “Summit”. The subscription also includes a contribution towards the BMC’s overheads as an organisation that represents the interests of climbers, and promotes safety, training etc. Members who belong to more than one club can obtain a rebate on direct application to the BMC.

The benefits available to affiliated club members are now less than those available to individual members. The BMC have therefore introduced a scheme whereby club members can upgrade their membership by paying an additional subscription of £9.50 to the BMC. Details are available on www.thebmc.co.uk. Benefits include personal accident disability cover, but cover for rescue, medical and other expenses have to be purchased separately.

Report by John Dempster

January 2004

FROM THE PRESIDENT

Welcome to 2004. I wonder what it has in store for us?

A New Year is traditionally a time to take stock reviewing events that have occurred and planning the year ahead. Last year brought the unexpected request from the owners of the George Starkey Hut inviting us to make an offer to acquire the freehold of the property. This topic has been well aired already and discussions are underway. Meanwhile the Hut Improvements Committee are beavering away planning phase 1 of the improvements programme that is scheduled to take place in May 2004.

The first major event in 2004 is our Annual Dinner, held as usual at the Glenridding Hotel in the Lake District. This is always a most enjoyable occasion and I hope to see you there. If you have still to book please contact Brooke Midgley without delay.

Last year several southern members indicated that they thought that the Association should arrange more activities closer to London. The Committee have noted this request and the result is that Ed Bramley has included several meets to Wales, the Southern Pennines and the South West to the meets programme. In addition, we have our winter programme of lectures at the Hoop & Toy pub at South Kensington. I commend all these meets and lectures to you.

Alasdair Andrews

New Books

Members may be interested in the following new books.

Via Ferratas of the Italian Dolomites: Vol. 2 by Fletcher & Smith, published by Cicerone.
Covers the Southern Dolomites, the Brenta Group and routes around Trento and Lake Garda.

Our Alpine Flora by Landolt & Urbanska, published by the Swiss Alpine Club.

October 2003

The Future of the George Starkey Hut

The George Starkey Hut was acquired in 1974 on a 28 year lease from the Church of England Diocese of Carlisle. This lease was superseded in 2000 by a new 16 year lease. The lease is held in the name of ABMSAC Ltd, a company that was formed for that purpose. The Tuesday Climbing Club have a minority stake in the Company, and their members enjoy rights equal to ours in the use of the hut. The lease is subject to periodic rent reviews and during the negotiations over the current review the Church's agent enquired whether we would be interested in purchasing the freehold.

It has always been the Association's ambition to acquire the freehold of the property. Although the facilities are currently in need of considerable refurbishment, it is in principle an excellent hut with good accommodation and private parking, located in a good position within the Lake District National Park.

No negotiations have yet taken place about a possible purchase price but our agent has given us his estimate of the likely cost. The price would be reduced because of the existence of the outstanding lease, but even so the cost of purchasing the freehold will be significant.

I believe that the purchase of the freehold would be a major achievement, which will do much to safeguard the future of the ABM.

Alasdair Andrews



More Hut News
- John Murray retires and new Hut Booking Secretary appointed

1. Members will be aware that John Murray has retired as Hut Bookings Secretary after over 20 years “in service” and is now enjoying The Archers un-interrupted by phone calls. At an informal ceremony during the Lakes Meet on 20 September Alasdair Andrews presented John with a book token as a token of the Committee’s thanks on behalf of the members.

2. Pam Caswell, who has taken over from John as Hut Bookings Secretary, has asked that members be reminded that it is essential that they book places in the Hut with her before taking up residence. There are always places reserved for members but if there is a guest club in residence and the places are booked you may arrive and find that you have to sleep in your car if you don’t check with Pam beforehand!

3. At the Lakes Meet in September we were able to throw out a lot of the old easy chairs and replace these with some most excellent chairs and settees that have been donated by Andy Burton and Bill Peebles. These have been road-tested by the Hon. Editor who can confirm their comfort and with no broken springs sticking into your nether regions! A great improvement and our thanks to Andy and Bill.

		John Murray recieving his gift from the President, Alasdair Andrews

October 2003

NEW GUIDE BOOKS

1. Easy Ascents in the Mont Blanc range by Burnier & Potard; published by Vamos of Servoz, France. Price £9.99

2. Valais West – 50 walks and climbs in the French speaking sector of the Valais. Written by Waeber & Steinbichler, published by Rother. Price £7.99

3. Trekking and Climbing in the Western Alps. 22 adventure treks in the alps of France, Italy & Switzerland. Written by Hilary Sharp with input from Victor Saunders. Published by New Holland. Price £13.99

The above books are available from Cordee -www.cordee.co.uk

4. Members with an interest in ski-mountaineering may be interested in the following, privately published book:
Follow the Sun – a Traverse of the Alps on Ski, by Peter Seamen

Peter Seamen has written and published a book of interest to skiers and mountaineers alike, It is a graphic description of a traverse of the Alps on skis, told in words and pictures.

An epic journey through the high mountains from Austria to the Mediterranean Sea, 800 kilometres in 52 days with over 40,000 meters of ascent. 22 maps with route descriptions and times, 180 illustrated pages in full colour. Guidance on getting started and on technique and equipment, technical contributions from Mountain Guides on avalanches, route finding, mountain safety, first aid etc..

Special price for ABMSAC members is £17.00 (includes UK p&p and free 2004 Follow the Sun calendar).
Order direct from Peter at:
3 Meriden Road, Berkswell, Coventry, CV7 7BE.
Tel: 01676-534469, e-mail: Peter@Cyou.Biz