Andy Tomlinson – Page 18 – The Rucksack Club

British Mountain Medicine Society Science day, Bamford. 13 Nov 2019

25th September 2019 Andy Tomlinson Member Posts

Fancy something different! The programme for the British Mountain Medicine Society (BMMS) Science Day taking place on Wednesday 13th November 2019 is now available…and what an eclectic programme it is too! There are scientists, clinicians and researchers from across the UK speaking on a wide range of fascinating topics. From the latest research on the brain, heart and GI tract at high altitude, to the evidence behind recent developments in mountain rescue techniques and training. There are also got talks on the evolution of MEDEX’s highly popular “Travel at High Altitude” booklet and the science that underpins the climbing of Pik Lenin, a 7134m giant that lies on the border of Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan! If all this wasn’t enough, there are posters and short presentations on a diverse range of subjects ranging from the role of beetroot juice in acclimatisation to the management of a frozen shoulder in Antarctica and the high altitude illnesses of Sir Edmund Hillary! The final session of the day will celebrate the 1960-61 Silver Hut Expedition and it’s enormous contribution to mountain medicine. Two of the original members – Jim Milledge and Mike Gill – will be joined by Annabel Nickol and the award winning writer[…]

Mount Blanc region: Glacier in danger of collapse

25th September 2019 Andy Tomlinson Featured Meets

Experts have warned that about 250,000 cubic metres of ice are in danger of breaking away from the Planpincieux glacier on the Grandes Jorasses. See the full story on the BBC website via the following link: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-49820542

Congratulations Helen on first female V40 on the UTMR

14th September 2019 Andy Tomlinson Member Posts

Congratulations to Helen Pritchard who completed this year’s Ultra Tour Monte Rosa [UTMR] last weekend finishing as the first V40 lady and 6th female overall…in good Rucksack Club tradition in such races! Day 3 was cancelled because of heavy snow. Conditions on the first 2 days were perfect, however Day 3 was cancelled because of heavy snow…as a consequence an alternative reduced route was ran on day 4 with the organisers flag a 25km 1600m route in the early hours of that morning!!! Helen noted “It was a circular route keeping us much lower down but just stunning. I loved it!” Helen on the UTMR with the Weisshorn behind Helen running through Zermatt

Annual Dinner Meet 8-10 November 2019

1st September 2019 Andy Tomlinson Archived

After two successful dinners in North Wales we return to the Castle Inn Hotel, Bassenthwaite, Cumbria. The President writes: I have block booked rooms for our use, allocated on a first come, first served, basis. Please book directly with the hotel [negotiated a rate of £90 PN B&B for a standard double room]. When booking direct with the hotel mention the Rucksack Club rate. There are plenty of nearby camper van sites, but camper vans are not allowed on the hotel grounds. Friday evening: Alex Nail, an award winning international landscape photographer, is our Principal Guest and I am delighted he has agreed to present his photography to us on Friday evening. Bar meals will be available…no need to book these in advance. Saturday: I will lead a walk up and over Skiddaw and, I am sure, there will be lots of other activities available which we can detail nearer the time such as climbing, cycling, outdoor swimming or under water bog snorkelling. Meet for drinks at 6.30pm for dinner at 7.00pm and the usual three short, but amusing, speeches. Sunday: I will lead a walk over the hills at the back of Skiddaw, but I feel sure there will be other activities[…]

“On the hill with…” Will Harris

30th August 2019 Andy Tomlinson Featured Meets, On the hill with

After a summer break our occasional series of “On the hill with…” interviews with Club members returns. It’s the turn of Aspirant IFMGA/British Mountain Guide, Will Harris, who also heads the Club’s Expedition Grant awarding sub-group. How did you get into climbing? I started climbing on a dusty climbing wall at the back of sports hall in the Midlands. I was totally captured by it and progressed from there to bouldering and sport climbing outside, and then on to everything from big wall climbing to alpine climbing in expedition destinations. Who has had the most influence on your mountain experiences? A lot of people have influenced my climbing, but my biggest debt is to the friendly folks at my local wall who took me under their wings as a keen teenager and introduced me to climbing in the outdoors. How did you come to join the RC? In a way it was a family affair with my father-in-law, Robin Illingworth, a member. My first introduction to the Club came from meeting Dominic Oughton and Bill Deakin in Yosemite; Dom was president at the time and was working hard to welcome younger climbers into the Club. What[…]

High Camp Meet [30 August – 1 September 2019]

25th August 2019 Andy Tomlinson Member Posts

A quick reminder from Carole [Smithies] that the High Camp 29 or Camp on a Welsh not quite Three Meet is next weekend [30 August – 1 September]…as a reminder of what you will miss if you don’t attend, and to ensure there is sufficient cake, Carole has sent the following: Fifty five years ago Vin Dillon went off to Wales for his first Camp on a Welsh Three. Vin and Arthur Clarke with MRC guests Cutting & Richardson, and “member’s wife”, spent the night on Crib y Ddysgl. “Rum and cigars in leader’s tent at 7.00 followed by Talisker and biscuits and talk, then come “bottle empty” time, all along to Snowdon under a black sky peppered with stars”. And we’ve been following Vin’s lead ever since. Given the success of last year’s combined High Moss/Harter Fell High Camp I thought why not go back to our beginnings and do the same in Wales. So I’ve booked Beudy for the weekend but, since Vin used up all the Welsh Threes, I’m going to camp at Llyn y Cŵm, a mere 2,000ft, just above the Devil’s Kitchen. Like last year, the plan is for people to arrive Friday evening or Saturday morning. No[…]

Wednesday Walkers’ Alpine Tours 1999-2018: an illustrated record

9th August 2019 Andy Tomlinson Archived

The Wednesday Walker’s Alpine Tours 1999-2018: an A5, 66 page illustrated record. The original article by Frank Procter and Ian Wasson appeared in the 2018 Journal (pp 127). A further 46 pages of photographs covering every tour have now been added supporting the textual records and tables. Views of the parties, peaks, ascents, hüttes and many other aspects of the Tours now complete the publication. You are cordially invited to download your own ‘Low Res’ 8 Mb copy here or if required a 50Mb ‘Hi Res’ digital version by visiting the Wednesday Walkers’ section in the Members Area of the website. In response to requests a printed copy is now available [full colour; Meetstaff quality paper; wire stitched binding] by emailing John Payne before 18 Aug. The cost will be £6, Postage will be additional. Delivery is free, either direct from JP or to a contact at Wed Walks, Indoor Meets or Committee meetings. There will only be ONE Print Run and delivery will be in Oct. If post is required please forward an Addressed Envelope to John Payne.

On the ‘hill’ with…Paul Taylor

26th June 2019 Andy Tomlinson On the hill with

On the ‘hill’ with…this week it is the turn of active Club member Paul Taylor Or, in his own words: “A few lines from ’t’ other side ‘o’ th’ pennines…” How did you get into walking and climbing? I started walking and climbing with family, particularly my dad Allan and younger brother Oliver. Perhaps most memorable was a family scramble along Crib Goch aged 8 years old and another epic getting slightly lost on Bodmin Moor in the mist. Later these experiences merged with Oundle School adventure training trips, where dad worked as a teacher. I climbed from a young age, frequently looking up to trees, buildings, local Leicestershire disused bridges (Twyford viaduct or Slawston bridge), any possibility… to get the best practice outdoors, whether on rock, any accessible architecture or on the freely available natural environment. Slawston bridge, Leicestershire Teenage Kicks Twyford-Style; aid climbing with my brother Oliver Stanage and Froggat were a long way from home but none-the-less became the “local” crags. Holidays usually meant North Wales. Often, I climbed with my brother, and we also made regular annual Scottish trips[…]

“On the hill with…” Brian Cunningham

4th June 2019 Andy Tomlinson On the hill with

Continuing our occasional series of “On the hill with…” interviews with Club members, it is the turn of Vice President Brian Cunningham…a life time of adventure and still ‘getting out there’. How did you get into walking and climbing? I was born and brought up in Portrush, on the North Coast of Ireland. When I was seventeen I bought an early nylon climbing rope and, along with a mate, prowled around the coastal cliffs looking for lines. Some of the places where we did early routes now have full climbing guides – Fair Head and Ramore Head in particular. The other day I noticed a Youtube video of Alex Honnold doing a free solo ascent of one of the hardest routes on Fair Head…though not one we put up! Who has had the most influence on your mountain experiences? Lionel Terray. His book ‘Conquistadors of the Useless’ triggered my lifelong love of the mountains. How did you come to join the RC? I was a keen runner, however the thing I seemed to be best at was the seriously long stuff where keeping going is all that matters. In my fifties I spent years trying to do a[…]

Everest…listen to the Cerys Matthews interview

26th May 2019 Andy Tomlinson Member Posts

Everest is, once again, hitting the news for all the wrong reasons. However on 6music this morning Cerys Matthews interviewed Harriet Tuckey on her Sunday morning show. Cerys’s in-depth interview with Harriet, the daughter of Griffith Pugh, provides a fascinating insight into the key role that Griff Pugh played in ensuring the success of the 1953 Everest Expedition. Many members attended Harriet’s lecture to the Club earlier this year…whether you attended her lecture or not, this interview provides insight into the unique role played by this enigmatic man…not only in relation to Everest, but many other aspects of his life, including his ground-breaking work combating hypothermia in the UK in the 1960s. [Note the interview starts around 30mins into the Show].