Category: Featured Meets

Carole Smithies writes: More sad news I’m afraid.  Arthur Howcroft, who was 96, passed away on Saturday 25th February.  Arthur only joined the Club in 2000, but he quickly became a stalwart of the Wednesday Walkers. The funeral will be on Thursday 30th March at 1pm in the Rowan Chapel at Stockport Crematorium.  I understand Arthur planned every detail of his funeral well in advance and it will very much reflect his passion for walking and the mountains.  He even left instructions as to what walking gear he wished to be cremated in -including his red bobble hat! Arthur wanted his funeral to be a celebration of his life.  So, after the service, do join his friends and family at the Heaton Sports Club, Green Lane, Stockport SK4 2NF for refreshments and to share your memories. Please, let me know if you will be at the funeral and/or the get-together, so I can let the family know. Contact details in Handbook.

Carole Smithies writes: Sad to report Peter Greenaway, who joined the Club in 1963, passed away on Sunday 19th February.  He was a Vice President in 2003.  Peter who turned 90 last year was a very active member of the London Section of the Club for many years. He chaired the LS Committee from 1998 to 2001.   I will post the arrangements for his funeral as soon as I receive them.

Carole Smithies writes: Sad to report Trevor Hart, who joined the Club in 1963, passed away on Tuesday 14th February.  After he and his family moved South, Trevor was a very active member of the London Section of the Club. He chaired the LS Committee from 1996 to 1999. Trevor’s funeral which took place on 2nd March was for the family only.  Afterwards, they celebrated Trevor’s life by going for a walk and a pub lunch.

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

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

Joint RC/CC Meet 10-16 July 2023, Bosigran, Cornwall It’s time to think about summer! I am running a joint RC/CC Meet at the Count House [with Rob Seymour as the CC host] for the week of 10-16 July. The RC has 17 beds set aside for members to book and, to date, I have 10 RC members booked, so the bunk spaces are starting to fill up. There is, however, a reasonable amount of space for both tents and vans. I have had a request from a member to bring 3 guests too, but have asked that, at this stage, we wait to see what the demand is from RC members. The Count House is superbly situated, being about a 10 minute walk to Bosigran, with many other excellent Cornish crags within walking distance or a short drive away. There is also excellent walking, biking, sea kayaking or just lazing around enjoying the sea air! The plan is to have a BBQ, which the CC is kindly hosting, at the weekend. As it’s two weeks after the Gogarth Meet, you’ll have your sea-cliff legs [and head!] well in tune! Come and join us for all, or part of, the week[…]

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!