Dominic Oughton – Page 3 – The Rucksack Club

“Get Out There!” VEST now added to the range!

17th May 2023 Dominic Oughton Member Posts

A few people have twisted my arm to add a vest to the range, so I’ve updated the order form with options for a blue (sapphire like the regular T) and black vest in wicking / tech fabric. Same logos, spec and pricing. Yes, I realise the photo is of a T-shirt – use your imagination 😉 If you open the link to the order form below you’ll find the two additional options at the bottom. No need to re-enter your previous items. I plan to close the order book at the end of the month so ORDER NOW FOR GREAT GEAR WHEN YOU “GET OUT THERE!” Link to order form

‘Get Out There’ Tech T-Shirts and Cycling Tops – Place your order NOW

11th May 2023 Dominic Oughton Member Posts

Many thanks for those of you who responded to my request with some input to the design / colour selection of our new ‘Get Out There!’ merchandise. The Rucksack Club has spoken (with a clear-cut winner for each) and it’s now time to ‘put your money where your mouth is’ 😉 Hopefully, if your ‘favourite’ didn’t make it to the ‘top of the pops’ you’ll be able to go with the flow with the majority. As with the T-shirts last year, I’ll be placing an order based on specific requirements from members, rather than having a guess and ending up with a load of unsellable XLs or whatever, so please use the following order form to pick what you want: https://forms.office.com/r/TbTpNPp3SS Pricing is £22 for the Tech T-Shirts and £35 for the Cycling Tops (plus £3 for P&P per order / not per item or you can collect for free) Once the products arrive (I’m guessing mid June) I’ll be back in touch to arrange collection or delivery (you can select your preference in the order form) and also pester you for money! As with the T-shirts last year, every penny of profit[…]

Alpine Meet – Ailfroide Ecrins – 1 to 15 August

5th May 2023 Dominic Oughton Member Posts

Jez Nasse is coordinating a summer Alpine meet in the first two weeks of August this year, based at the Ailefroide campsite in the heart of the Ecrins National Park. It’s a fabulous venue, with something for everyone: access to major Alpine peaks including Barre des Ecrins, the highest mountain in the Ecrins National park at 4,102m climbing and cragging on long routes and single pitch granite, direct from the campsite nearby world-class limestone sports climbing numerous via ferrata in the Briancon valley road biking and mountain biking to suit all levels and tastes stupendous walking in a fabulous setting Most of all, it’s a gorgeous campsite, spread over 17 hectares and perfect for families. Jez writes to advise that they don’t take group bookings but that you can reserve your space directly with the campsite here Get in touch with Jez directly (details in the handbook) if you are interested or want to know more information.

Rucksack Club Merchandise – What do you want to wear when you ‘Get Out There!’?

28th April 2023 Dominic Oughton Member Posts

There was a lot of interest on the recent survey in a ‘Get Out There!’ Tech T-shirt and/or Cycling Top so I’ve picked up the baton, and hatched a cunning plan with Climbers Against Cancer This is along the lines of last year’s regular T-shirt collaboration, for them to source and print a jointly branded CAC – ‘Get Out There!’ version of both. Here’s a pic of the T-short logos: … and an example Tech T-Shirt: … and Cycling Top: With the potential for spiralling variants of colour / size / style it would be ideal if we can go for just one colour and style of each, but not if that would severely limit sales, and so I would welcome your input (rather than me second guessing). It would be helpful if you could indicate your preferences and add any comments. Please complete this short survey to have your input (This isn’t a commitment to order 😊) SURVEY NOTE – as with the T-shirts, every penny of profit (at least £10 per item) will go to fund cancer research. What’s not[…]

MUMC Stanage Top 50 fundraiser in support of Ogwen Valley Mountain Rescue

17th April 2023 Dominic Oughton Member Posts

MUMC are attempting to climb all the UKC top 50 routes at stanage edge in a day on Saturday 22nd April to raise money for Ogwen Valley Mountain Rescue. As a completely voluntary organisation all the money raised goes directly toward assisting people in the mountains. Why not come and join in, and of course your donations would be very welcome! Link to donate below ⬇️

Gogarth Meet – 10th and 11th June 2023

31st March 2023 Dominic Oughton Featured Meets

It was brilliant to get back to ‘Business as Usual’ for the 2022 Gogarth Meet, with more than 70 Rucksackers and Guests enjoying a sunny, if a tad breezy, BBQ on Porth Dafarch beach (and the odd bit of climbing of course!) We will be crossing fingers for even better weather this year, but otherwise it’s the same old formula that has served us well for the last 20 years. Come equipped with a rack & rope; a bike; kayak or pair of binoculars; or just a tube of factor 50 and a bucket and spade – whatever you need to ‘Get Out There!’ and work up a thirst / appetite. Bring your friends and family – the more the merrier! In terms of logistics, plans will be familiar to anyone who’s been along for any of the last 20 years: Camping is pre-booked at Valley of The Rocks https://goo.gl/maps/WHtttGVJG5DkdWxf7 – you don’t need to book separately, but on arrival please let them know you are there. They’re offering a special rate for The Rucksack Club and are always very welcoming, so be sure to say Hi and thank you! 😊 The Saturday morning rendezvous is the South Stack Café[…]

Catch Up Video from Tuesday’s Zoom Show: Expedition Alpinism with Will Harris and Baffin Big Wall climbing with Neil Chelton

16th March 2023 Dominic Oughton Featured Meets

A huge thank you to Will and Neil for an enthralling and entertaining show on Tuesday evening – two thrilling tales of cutting-edge exploits in remote and extreme environments, made all the more enjoyable by the self-effacing style of both these highly-accomplished climbers. Here’s the link to the whole show: And a separate link for Neil’s presentation as there were a few glitches on the video quality on the zoom recording: If you are wondering why Neil was appearing via a pre-recorded video rather than “live” from the West Coast, it’s because he was on a mission for a solo-Big Wall-winter ascent in Yosemite. That’s hardcore! That’s it for the 2022-23 Winter Indoor Programme. They’re all available for catch-up on the Virtual Meets Gallery Virtual Meet Gallery If you’ve got suggestions or even better fancy volunteering for the 23-24 season then please get in touch! Meanwhile, thanks for your engagement over the last 6 months and looking forward to seeing you “on the hill” in the near future. Cheers, Dom

Tuesday 14 March – Success and Failure: Expedition Alpinism with Will Harris and Baffin Big Wall climbing with Neil Chelton – Zoom

1st March 2023 Dominic Oughton Featured Meets

The season finale will feature two thrilling tales of new routing in remote and extreme environments: Will Harris is a British Mountain Guide, based in Chamonix, a highly accomplished Alpinist, and a Rucksacker. He’s made numerous lightweight expeditions in the Greater Ranges and is going to talk about success and failure in alpine climbing in general – with tales and photos from lots of times when it went wrong as well as once or twice when it went right. Neil Chelton is one of the world’s most capable Big Wall climbers and the founder of the instructional website: https://www.vdiffclimbing.com/ He and his partner Maria Parkes have just completed an epic first ascent in Baffin Island, involving a ten-day approach and 20 days on the wall! If you can’t wait until March, there’s a sneak preview here: Admission is FREE for EVERYONE – Be sure to share the event with your friends 🙂 Zoom Doors open at 7:15pm and the show starts at 7:30pm. Zoom link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82807381553 Meeting ID: 828 0738 1553 Passcode: The year of Founding of the Rucksack Club

High Risk with Brian Hall – now available to view on catch up

15th February 2023 Dominic Oughton Featured Meets

If you missed last night’s zoom indoor meet (other priorities on Valentine’s Day?) you’re in for a treat – you can view the catch up video by clicking on “Virtual Meets” in the “Get Out There” menu (along with every other zoom show from the last 3 years). Alternatively you can go straight to the “High Risk” action by clicking here: And don’t forget, if you enjoyed Brian’s fascinating and forthright insights into the High Risk world of cutting-edge mountaineering, you can still get a signed hardback copy of his Boardman Tasker winning book. Only a few left and they’re now out of print – special Rucksack Club price of £22 if you can collect or £25 including postage. Email me at dominic@oughton.uk.com. Cheers, Dom

Wednesday Evening Climbing Wall Meets

24th January 2023 Dominic Oughton Featured Meets

The Rucksack Club meets every Wednesday evening through the winter at a climbing wall in Manchester: Summit-Up, Oldham (25 Jan, 15 Feb, 8 March) https://summitupclimbing.com/ BlocHaus, Manchester (1 Feb, 22 Feb, 15 March) https://www.blochausclimbing.com/ Awesome Walls, Stockport (8 Feb, 1 March, 22 March). https://awesomewalls.co.uk/stockport/ Look out for the “Get Out There!” T-shirts and come and say hello! And keep an eye out for the start of our outdoor Wednesday evening meets at local crags throughout The Peak and the North West – starting as soon as the clocks go forwards!