Category: Member Posts

JUST BACK FROM A BIT OF AN ADVENTURE – CAN ANY OF YOU WELL TRAVELLED MEMBERS NAME THIS CRAG?

Geoff Gosling writes:   Received this article from our friends Tony & Di. Interesting reading.   Mirella Tenderini Yesterday at 04:02  · REMEMBER OF A ALPINIST “” I had read about him and I had heard so much about him that I already felt like I knew him, but when I first met him in Buxton in 1984 I confess that I was intimidated. It has never happened to me with a mountaineer; that same day I met Chris Bonington and other British mountaineer Olympus characters and I found myself, as always with the mountaineers, in good comrade company. Don had a singing expression in his celestial eyes and mouth folding in the corner free from the gum and he didn’t seem to take me seriously when I asked him to interview him. ′′ It’s already written everything in my book,” he said. But his book – this, which we now publish in Italian – was now exhausted and untraceable. I had searched for it in vain in London in all the Oxford Street books and English friends who owned a copy were reluctant to separate it even for a short time. ′′ I wish he would tell me about[…]

Carole writes: High Camp 2020 Total HASL 16,138 feet Can confirm 2 cats & several dogs, plus 35 intrepid members and guests equipped with an assortment of tents, bivvy bags, 2 vans, 3 chairs & a sofa, successfully yomped to the top of Mont Blanc on Saturday night.  Weather good, air thin, alcohol potent and views amazing. All have now safely returned to base camp.

Now that the toilet/shower block is available, we have had the following bookings:- 28 – 30 September – 2 tents, 3 people 6/7 October – 3 tents, 4 (maybe 6) people Before making a booking, please read the Conditions of Use (in the ‘Huts’ section). Stay safe. Bill and Steve

Carole Smithies writes: Pleased to report we have amassed a total virtual HASL of 11,932 feet.  So 25 intrepid members & guests are preparing to camp on Aneto tonight, which at 11,168 feet, is the highest point in the Pyrenees.   We are coming from far and wide; Austria, Switzerland, Corsica & France, to say nothing of Bristol, Bangor, Bakewell & Broadbottom.   It’s not to late to join us, just send me an email, or phone and say where you will be camping/bivvying. There will of course be wine at nine by the  leader’s tent. Carole

We’re a bit over a month into the “Climbing WhatsApp group” experiment and it has exceeded my expectations – 80 members and loads of ad hoc gatherings (not “meets!”) that wouldn’t have happened otherwise. A wet Wednesday (aren’t they all!) a couple of weeks ago was a great example of spontaneity – lashing down in Manchester in the morning, real-time conditions reports from Tideswell during the day, and a bunch of intrepid optimists setting out for Stoney on the strength of the Met Office prediction of a sunny evening. In the end a dozen of us (two groups of no more than 6 of course!) managed to snatch a few enjoyable routes from what would otherwise have been a washout (duly celebrated outside in the beer garden at The Moon). The Wednesday before, WhatsApp had come in handy in convening at shady Staden in the heatwave, but more importantly enabling John to warn of a rampaging cow on the approach – real-time objective danger updates! Saturday again saw the triumph of optimism over common sense when a few of us met up at Bamford. Great to catch up with Will (our most recent member), Alice and Ted and kudos to[…]

For those who aren’t aware of this, there is a proposal to build a tidal power plant off Holy Island (Anglesey) – which as planned will curtail / change sea paddling there. If you have kayaked off Anglesey last year please complete the following survey: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/YFX7S85?fbclid=IwAR1XLXWFqTOF9K_A2FzhBp3fjKb6NkwQJPJIaWV7X2lLndnyMB-3vyMjlDI For more info look at: https://www.snowdoniacanoeclub.org/single-post/2019/12/18/Morlais—Marine-license-application

Hi folks, I have set up a group on WhatsApp for cyclists.  To join, you can use the link that is on the Club Facebook page, or message/email me and I will add you.  Hoping to use this to arrange ad hoc rides to make use of weather windows.  We will have to observe the current guidelines for social distancing and cafes, but this is unlikely to be a problem.  Thanks Ellie

Following the success of the 2020 Rucksack Club Calendar (we raised over £1,500 for The BMC Access and Conservation Trust as well as generating great publicity for The Club) we’ve decided to go again for 2021. This year we are raising funds for Urban Uprising https://www.urbanuprising.org/about who support young people from diverse, disadvantaged backgrounds to discover climbing and use it to help improve their physical, social and emotional wellbeing. In their words: Elevating and Inspiring Young People Through Climbing More than 50 Rucksack Club members contributed photos last year (either in front of or behind the lens) which is a brilliant advert for vitality of The Club – Many thanks to everyone who took part (and of course to those who bought one!) We need your photos again this year. Ideally these will feature a Club Member or Associate Member in a relevant outdoor activity (last year we covered climbing, mountaineering, hill-walking, fell-running, MTB, skiing, ski-touring and wild swimming – let’s have a few caving shots this year and maybe a parapent!) I’m hoping to keep the spirit of last year and feature photos from the relevant month, but I’m open to a bit of flexibility in light of the[…]

Steve and I want to open the toilet/shower block in time for the Bank Holiday weekend. We looked at how we could open the main part of the hut but decided it was not manageable under current Welsh Covid 19 rules. Opening the toilet/shower block means that Members could camp on the lawn and (depending on vehicle numbers) park their motorhomes. To remain within the rules, we reckon the lawn would take up to 4 tents (2/3 person type, with 1 in each corner), and 2- 3 motorhomes. The details need to be worked out, and there are a lot of issues, not least how to manage bookings fairly. Anyway, the question is – are Members interested in this proposal? If so, Steve and I will crack on with the details. Let us know as soon as possible.