Mountaineering

Cuillins

This header photo is of the Cuillin Ridge on the Isle of Skye, which is by far my favourite UK mountain range, traversed end-to-end in a day only once in each direction, but all summits have been traversed many times.

This Skye Cuillin Photo Compendium comprises a collection of full-screen-width photos taken by AAC(UK) members during a week on the Isle of Skye in 2018.

Where it all started

I took up an interest in mountaineering while still at school, joining the local mountaineering club, and taking part in many weekends with them in the mountains. They taught me rock-climbing, and it was on one of their meets that I led my first VS, called “A Eliminate” on Dow Crag, Coniston.

During the summer break between school and university in 1962 I went on a two-week ab initio training course in alpinism in the Ötztal Alps, led by an Austrian Guide, where we were all taught step cutting, up, down, and across slopes, all forms and methods of using crampons, crevasse self- rescue using prusik loops, assisted crevasse rescue by those on the surface, moving together roped up, belaying techniques on rock, snow and ice, and avalanche and crevasse awareness. Summits climbed included Wildspitze, Weisskugel, Similaun, Hochvernagspitze, Hinterer Brochkogel, Vorderer Brochkogel, Hintere Schwarze, Grosser Ramolkogel, and Scalfkogel. These include 7 of the 10 highest mountains in Austria. This predated the introduction of both climbing harnesses and climbing helmets. I still have the ice-axe I bought for this occasion, an Aschenbrenner Führerpickel, together with the crampons, obviously hand-forged by a blacksmith, with the place of origin, Fulpmes, stamped on them.

The Wildspitze

A year later in 1963 I joined a two-week formal consolidation training course in Alpinism including a hut tour, in the Sonnblick/Grossglockner region, which consolidated everything learnt the previous summer. Summits included Grossglockner, Glocknerwand, Sonnblick, Hoffmanspitze, and Grosses Weisbachhorn. These included a further 2 of the 10 highest summits in Austria. That was the very last occasion I ever climbed anything with a mountain guide.

The Grossglockner

As a mountaineering club instructor, in Snowdonia in January 1965 I led parties up the North Face of Grib Goch, up Nameless Cwm onto the Glyders, up Tryfan via its North Ridge, up Snowdon via Central Trinity Gully. In April 1965 in Scotland, I led parties up Central Gully on Bidean nam Bian in bad weather, which was my first ascent of anything in the Scottish Highlands, followed by Carn Mor Dearg to Ben Nevis, the Aonach Eagach ridge and finally Aonach Beag and Aonach Mor.

In August 1965 in the Pennine Alps, I led parties up Mont Collon via its West Ridge, the L'Eveque Traverse, the Petit Dents de Veisivi Traverse, and finally the Zinal Rothorn Traverse, up Rothorngrat and down the Bosses Arete, my first 4,000m peak.

And so it went on thereafter, year by year.

Log of climbed Klettersteigs (= German) or Via Ferratas (= Italian)

DATE	AREA	KLETTERSTEIGS CLIMBED
04-Aug-85	Dolomites	Brigantia Tridentina, Pisciadu
05-Aug-85	Dolomites	Possnecker, Piz Sella, Grabo, Miaro, Bogug and Zwischenkofel
07-Aug-85	Dolomites	Sas Songher
08-Aug-85	Dolomites	Plattkofel
09-Aug-85	Dolomites	Il Collac
10-Aug-85	Dolomites	Marmolada West Ridge
11-Aug-85	Dolomites	St Martino di Castrozza
12-Aug-85	Dolomites	Bolver Lugli, Cima della Vezzana
05-Aug-86	Dolomites	Della Alleghesi
06-Aug-86	Dolomites	Attilio Tissi
07-Aug-86	Dolomites	Sentiero Bernini
10-Aug-86	Dolomites	Via della Bochette
12-Aug-86	Dolomites	Possneckar
06-Sep-92	Dolomites	Oskar-Schuster Weg, Plattkofel
20-Aug-01	Dolomites	Tofano de Dentro, Via Ferrata Formenton
21-Aug-01	Dolomites	Kleiner Lagazoi, Rock Tunnel
22-Aug-01	Dolomites	Cristallo Central Summit, Climbing Path Marino Bianchi
23-Aug-01	Dolomites	Punta Fiammes, Via Michielli (Strobel)
24-Aug-01	Dolomites	Punta Sud, Via Tomaselli
07-Aug-16	Dolomites	Oskar-Schuster Weg
08-Aug-16	Dolomites	Brigata Tridentina, (Pisciado)
09-Aug-16	Dolomites	VF dei Finanziera
10-Aug-16	Dolomites	VF delle Mesulez (Possnecker)
30-Jun-04	Austria	Seeben Klettersteig
01-Jul-04	Austria	Leiner Klettersteig, Reinhart Schistel Klettersteig
02-Jul-04	Austria	Crazy Eddie Klettersteig
03-Jul-04	Austria	Mindelheim & Northern Schafalpenkopf Klettersteig
12-Aug-12	Raxalpe	Karl-Kanter-Steig
13-Aug-12	Raxalpe	Wachthüttelkamm & Bismarksteig
14-Aug-12	Raxalpe	Weichtalklamm
15-Aug-12	Raxalpe	Kronich-Eissenweg & Haid-Steig
16-Aug-12	Raxalpe	Reisstalersteig, Gretchensteig, Karl-Kanter-Steig & Bismarksteig

21 July to 04 August 2007 with the Austrian Alpine Club (UK) in the Dolomites, but I camnnot find the records.

The 508 Scottish Three Thousands

Scotland has 508 mountain summits at 3,000 feet or more above mean sea level. There are 282 principal summits, known as Munros after Sir Hugh Munro (1856-1919) who tabulated them in 1891, and there are 226 additional 3,000 foot summits, subsidiary to these Munros, which are known as the Tops. This makes the total 508 Munros and Tops, but when I completed them in June 1999, there were believed to be 511. Three Tops were subsequently downgraded as not being quite high enough. I completed the 511 (48% of them solo) in 110 hill-days during 30 visits to Scotland spread over 26 years. Attached, is a comprehensive Tally of the much-enjoyed challenge.

The 14 Welsh Three Thousands

For decades it had been one of my favourite day-walks, from Pen-y-Pass to the Aber roadhead, completed on 19 occasions, 10 of them solo. The first successful crossing was on the 5th July 1969 and the 19th was on the 26th June 2010.

I organised and coordinated a ramble over the 14 Welsh Three Thousands, which was completed in one day in 2019 by 39 AAC(UK) members, split into several groups. One of these groups wrote this Article which was published in the AAC(UK) Newsletter.

I was well on the way to organising a one-day circuit of the 14 Welsh Three Thousands in 2020 as a round trip starting and ending at the Mountain Hut we'd be staying in, to simplify transport, but the Covid Pandemic put a stop to it. The route would have been: Glan Dena > Tryfan > Glyder Fach > Glyder Fawr > Pen-y-Pass > Crib Goch > Crib y-Dysgl > Yr Wyddfa > Nant Peris > Elidir Fawr > Y Garn > West End of Llyn Ogwen > Pen yr Ole Wen > Carnedd Dafydd > Yr Elen > Foel Grach > Foel-fras > Foel Grach > Carnedd Llewelyn > Glan Dena. In case it can be organised in the future, here is the comprehensively documented Meet Sheet for it, which anyone is invited to freely use.

A UK Mountain Odyssey in 2016

I organised and led this Mountain Odyssey undertaken by a party of three in June 2016. We started by climbing all 8 of the 3,000 ft hills in England, then all 11 of the 4,000 ft hills in Scotland, then the National Three Peaks (Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon) in less than 24 hours, and finally all 15 of the 3,000 ft summits in Wales, taking just 7 days, without ever exceeding road speed limits. I was 73 at the time, and it turned out to be my serious-Mountaineering 'Swan Song.'

Mountaineering Opportunites in the Armed Forces

The opportunities to receive mountaineering training and then to amortise it, all on duty and at no charge and with all expenses paid, are detailed below, aimed at persuading civilians to consider an Armed Forces career:

RAF - My 20 year Military Career in the Royal Air Force.
ACF - My subsequent 10 years part-time service in the Army Cadet Force.

Mountaineering in the Bolivian Andes with RAFMA

RAFMA Annual Journal is my account of a mountaineering expedition to the Bolivian Andes with the RAF Mountaineering Association in 1992, that was published in the RAFMA Annual Journal.

My Personal Log is an illustrated personal log of what I achieved during that expedition, as a member of the two-man advance party.

Trekking in the Himalayas with RAFMA

Mel and Mary joined a party of RAFMA Old Timers on a Himalayan expedition in 1998. We enjoyed seventeen days trekking, two days river rafting, and five days sightseeing, exploring and relaxing. Here is the Itinerary of our expedition.

The 19 younger more-energetic members of our RAFMA party climbed Ama Dablam at 6,812 metres.

The following five articles are informative and educative
covering safety-related mountaineering issues

My Mountaineering Club Record

I have been an active member of three nationally-based mountaineering clubs through the many decades.

The Chamois Mountaineering Club

I joined the CMC in 1964, the year that is was founded, and served as Secretary, Treasurer, Chairman and President.

The Royal Air Force Mountaineering Association

I joined RAFMA as soon as I took my commission in the RAF in 1974, taking part in numerous mountaineering trips in the UK and the European Alps, as well as expeditions to the Andes and the Himalayas. I served RAFMA as Treasurer for 6 years, taking over handwritten ledgers and computerising the book-keeping. Subsequently, I served as Club Chairman for 3 years. I am still a member, although necessarily inactive; this enables RAFMA to focus its meets programme on the younger more ambitious climbers who are serving in the RAF, and not provide meets for elderly ‘has-beens’ like me. unlike civilian mountaineering clubs such as the CMC and the AAC, (and I am speaking from decades of experience.)

The Austrian Alpine Club (UK).

For decades I was one of the overwhelming majority of members who only ever joined the AAC(UK) in those years I was planning an overseas mountaineering expedition, solely for the world-wide mountain rescue, medical and repatriation insurance, without age limit, together with full alpine hut rights, that were all included for no extra charge in the membership package.

Eventually, I was persuaded to take a more active interest, and I organised and led Club Meets in the UK and the Alps, introducing an annual week in the Skye Cuillin, an annual one-day traverse of the 14 Welsh Three Thousands and a fortnight in the Italian Dolomites climbing Via Ferratas (Klettersteigs).

I also served as Club Webmaster for 6 years.

I stopped attending meets once I reached my mid 70's, and ceased being a member in my early 80's.

Other Clubs

I was also for many years a member of two other clubs, solely to enjoy staying at their huts for solo midweek rambles, always choosing days with excellent weather. These were:

The Midland Association of Mountaineers, using ‘Glan Dena’, their hut in Snowdonia’s Ogwen Valley, used for 19 one-day circuits of the seven 3,000 footers in the Carneddau;
The Yorkshire Subterranean Society, using the ‘Old School House’ at Helwith Bridge in the Yorkshire Dales, to enjoy ready access to the Yorkshire Three Peaks, my favourite English Day Walk, traversed on 40 occasions, 29 of them solo.

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