https://www.thebmc.co.uk/bmc-alpine-skills-lectures-2018-alpine-adventures

Leeds: Tuesday 24 April (6.30pm to 8.30pm approx)University of Leeds, address TBC

“Get ready for your alpine adventures at one of our alpine skills lectures this April. Tickets on sale beginning of March.Who can go? The Alpine Lectures are brilliant for anybody new to alpine climbing who want to further develop their skills. You’ll go from bumbling about to striding with confidence to the summit after you’ve gained all the knowledge from our alpine experts Steve Long and Calum Muskett.”

Hi All,

I saw the winter selection of films, which were really good, and now the summer film selection is coming to Leeds. basic details are below  – but go online for full details:

http://www.mountainsonstage.com

“Mountains on Stage is back ! After a memorable winter, the beautiful days are approaching and with them comes the new Summer Edition!

We can’t wait to share with you our new programme: spectacular ascent of a virgin summit in Nepal with David Lama and Conrad Anker,  the long awaited return of the Belgian team composed of Sean Villanueva and Nicolas Favresse, the exceptional discovery of the crystal diggers in the Chamonix Valley, historical achievements like the first ascent of a 9a+ by Margo Hayes and great experiments with the Flying Frenchies surfing in the air…”

The AGM will occur on Wednesday 14th March 2018 at the Cavendish Arms in Embsay. Please come along.

There will be a subsidised meal at approximately 7pm for those that request it (more details to follow soon),   followed by the AGM at approximately 8pm.

If you have any agenda items then please email any of the committee members.

Agenda items so far are: New committee members (Amanda Marriott to take over as new members sec, and Andy Barton to take over as Tuesday night climbing meets sec); Should the club make any donations this year.

Current Committee members are: Chairperson- Sylvia Vida; Huts Sec – Shirley Emptage; Social Sec – John Ward; Treasurer – Michael Faulkner; General Sec – Jon Lury.

Outgoing Committee members are: Vikki Bassek – Tuesday evening climbing meets sec; Andy Hudson – New members sec. Many thanks to Vikki and Andy for many years of volunteering!

Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour is coming to  Leeds on 08 and 09Feb2018,  and to Harrogate on 22Feb2017 (also at Hebden Bridge on 08Feb2-18). Full details of the films, venues and how to book tickets can be found at the link below. They show 2 separate selections of films on different nights – the red films and the blue films.  I saw the Banff MFF world tour last year and I recommend it – prepare to be inspired!* Tickets are approx. £14.

https://www.banff-uk.com/tickets

Jon Lury

*anybody who saw the film of Alex Honnold “questing” up E1 rock covered in snow, while wearing floppy approach shoes with crampons on (….and he’d never worn crampons before…..), during the full traverse of the Fitzroy range with Tommy Caldwell, will know what I mean!

ALPS 2018: I sent this as an email to those that expressed interest. I’m also posting it here in case anybody else is interested.

Just to stimulate your thoughts about location ….

Dates: Sat 07 July to Sun 22 July 2018 (should be just before the main rush of French school holidays).

Location:  I am focussing on 3 areas which I mentioned before: Arolla, Vallorcine/Chamonix Valley, and Ailefroide/Ecrins National Part. I think you can almost guarantee that there will be some via ferratas and mountain biking in all areas.

Ailefroide, in France, in the Ecrins National Park, also known as the Dauphine alps. Further South than the main Alpine chain. Other villages and campsites are nearby:

pros: no lifts (this is a +ve in my opinion). lots of easy alpine mountaineering routes (F and PD, 3000 – 4000m) and hut to hut link ups. Rugged walking. reputation for good weather. Driving time to Chamonix = 3.5 hours.  Deirdre and Peter know a lot about the general area and there are other villages, potentially with better campsites, lower down the valley.

cons: the rock climbing looks hard (VS upwards) but there may be easier stuff lower down the valley. Deirdre and Peter are already going to this area later in summer 2018, so they would not go on the CMC trip.

Arolla, in Switzerland, in the Val d’Herens Western Pennine Alps. There are other villages in the Val d’Herens – so there is a choice of campsites and you can access a lot of mountains. Also the Rhone valley to the North has a lot of valley level bolted crags (in my limited experience):

Pros: lots of easy alpine mountaineering routes (F and PD, 3000 – 4000m) and hut to hut link ups and walking. No lifts (this is a +ve in my opinion, in that it means the area is quieter).

Driving Time to Chamonix =1hr 35mins. Driving Time to  Saas Fee =  2hrs. So its quite easy to get to other areas.

cons: It looks like there is not much rock climbing  in Arolla but the main Rhone valley is only an hour away and I think there are lots of bolted crags there.  Switzerland is more expensive than France and Italy.

Vallorcine, in France, Northern end of Chamonix valley close to the Swiss border:

pros:  Vallorcine campsite is recommended by club members who went there a few years ago.

The high parts of the Mont Blanc chain do feel quite serious, but there are easy mountaineering routes dotted around most of the Month blanc chain (F and PD, 3000 – 4000m), particularly at the North end on the Swiss border (e.g. the Trient glacier area, and this end of the valley is quieter). There is also the Aiguilles Rouges.

Good walking.  It looks like there is quite a lot of rock climbing.  Lots of lifts in the main Chamonix area (this is a positive if you are prepared to pay for them and because you can get very quick access to the glaciers on the Mont blanc side and to the Aiguilles Rouges on the other side. The northern Swiss end of the chain does not have any lifts so is quieter).

Driving time to Arolla 1hr 35 mins  .

cons: The Chamonix area can be very busy.

Please reply to all with any ides or comments.

Jon