On The Hills

1962

Tallon and Anderson, with two companions, visited the Encantados region of the Pyrenees; this had been the subject of an article in the Rucksack Club Journal after a visit in the spring of 1958 by a member of that Club and H. L. Stembridge. They found it as attractive as reported though the spring would have suited them better than August for climbing, the snow gullies could then have been climbed to the ridges with more satisfaction than the negotiation of dangerously loose rock under summer conditions. The ridges themselves were delightful, reminiscent of Skye; also a fine rock route to the summit of Pic de la Ratere. Four camp sites were occupied in the high valleys: in the Colomes; on the western side of the Beciberi Ridge; at Montaro, above the Estan Negro and, finally, near the Encantados Peak itself. Peaks climbed were: Colomes, Ratere, Beciberi South, Senalada, Punta Alta, Basiero and Saburedo. The traverse of the very fine Aiguilles de Tramesane was defeated at the second abseil due to shortage of rope. The camp in the beautiful mountain setting at the foot of this ridge was so enchanting that they were loth to tear themselves away from the pleasures of bathing or just relaxing.

Richard Gowing was at Saas Fee with the Oxford University Mountaineering Club. He climbed the Fletschhorn by the ordinary route, the Lagginhorn by the south ridge, was baulked of the Lenzspitze by bad weather and got soaked on the way back from the Ulrichshorn. From Zermatt he and Roger Allen climbed the Rothorn, traversed the Wellenkuppe and Obergabelhorn but again bad weather deprived them of the Tasch-Dom traverse. After the Weisshorn by the ordinary route they were joined by Dr. Hamish Nicol who led them up the Matterhorn by the Zmutt Ridge in 11 hours from the Hornli, including 2\ hours’ step-cutting in hard ice.

Allen, F. D. Smith, Varney and David Stembridge were in the Mont Blanc massif. After a successful ascent of the Aiguille du Geant, they got benighted below the Dent du Requin, returned by the Aiguilles du Plan and du Midi and made a memorable traverse of the Grepon, getting involved in an electrical disturbance on the summit and again spending a night out in the ‘Crevasse’ on the way down.

T. H. Smith spent 3 weeks in the Yukon and Alaska. Bad weather prevented him from achieving his object, Pinnacle Peak, in the St. Elias Range, but he was able to spend some time at a high altitude glacier research base camp of the American Geographical Society; he also did some panning for gold.
Frank and Harry Stembridge went to Corfu in October. They found the island delightfully unspoilt, with pleasant low hills to walk over, and friendly villagers.

Chapman and a friend tramped the Cairngorms in January, walking from Aviemore over the pass of Ryvoan and Lairig an Laoigh to Glen Avon. From Faindouran Lodge they went down Glen Derry to the Lindbeg Bothy and crossed the Lairig Ghru to the Sinclair Bothy in a blizzard with the visi-bility so bad that they had to rope up.

Harben, Woodward, Henderson and Barker spent the pre-Whitsun week in Skye and completed the Cuillin Ridge Walk. Not out to break records, they started with a night out on Gars Beinn and finished on Sgurr nan Gillean after a second bivouac in Fionn Coire.

1963

The President, with three Past-Presidents, was ski-ing at Wengen. They found the new Mannlichen lift a great benefit and had plenty of snow for the glorious runs down to Grindelwald.

T. H. Smith skied at Zermatt, he successfully dodged typhoid germs; Henderson was at Geilo and Watts at Gstaad where the snow throughout February was 6 ft. deep and the ‘moguls’ terrifying.

Hilton, Leese, Tregoning, Marshall, Cullingworth and two guests, as an alternative to going to Ireland, spent Whit week in Wester Ross camping near Loch Lurgan. Hills climbed included Ben More Coigach, Cul Mor, Stac Polly, An Teal-lach, Ben More Assynt and Suilven.

Richard Gowing, David Smith and Roger Allen camped at La Berade in the Dauphine. They climbed the Aiguille Dibona by the Boell Route, with an A.l variation by mistake for the crux. From the Temple Ecrins Hut they climbed the Pic Coolidge, followed by the big excursion of the holiday, an attempt on the classic traverse of the Barre des Ecrins by the south face and the north west ridge. They reached the summit of the Pic Lory, 4,086 m., at 6 p.m., too late and too misty to go on to the Barre, 4,101 m.; they found the sharp north west ridge difficult and were overtaken by darkness in the middle of the Glacier Blanc. After a comfortable bivouac they were prevented by a snowstorm from crossing the Col des Ecrins and returned by the Col de la Temple. The stay in the Dauphine was rounded off by crossing the Col de la Girose, ascending the Rateau by the south ridge and abseiling on to the Meije Glacier. They finished the holiday by climbing the Finsteraarhorn and, on a glorious day, traversed the Gross Fiescherhorn to the Jungfraujoch.

Henderson, in the Dolomites, climbed the Punta Clark, being directed along his route through a loud speaker in the valley, operated by an English-speaking major in the Alpini who was in charge of some military manoeuvres.

Crowther spent June in Co. Kerry, he explored the mountains of Macgillicuddy’s Reeks and did some climbs with members of the Tralee Mountaineering Club. He found this fine mountain area very little known, most attractive and rather mysterious.

The winter of 1963/64 was remarkable for lack of snow, not only in the Alps but in most of western Europe. Even so Frank Stembridge was ski-ing at Davos, the President at Cham-pery, Harben at St. Anton and Ziirs, Barker at St. Anton, T. H. Smith at Grindelwald, Watts at St. Moritz and Gstaad, where the snow arrived in time for Easter.

Harben, Henderson, Woodward and Barker built a ski tow at Ringinglow, near Sheffield. The power was supplied by a 1940 Fordson tractor and an endless rope passed round a lorry wheel fastened to one of the jacked up rear wheels. The tractor was 30 feet from the top pulley, which consisted of a motor car wheel fixed in a frame. This was attached by a rope and pulley blocks to an iron stake driven into the ground. A similar arrangement at the lower end made it possible for the tow rope to be tensioned. The tow was 700 feet long with a vertical rise of 125 feet and a capacity of about 300 persons per hour. It was used successfully on 22nd February, though part of it ran across grass. A few weeks later after a six inch fall of snow it was in use for three days.

Chapman and a friend were again in the Cairngorms in February, they walked into the higher reaches of Garbh Choire where they found enough snow to build themselves an igloo in which they spent two nights. The first day they climbed out of the corrie up a snow gully and on over Angel’s Peak, Cairn Toul and Braeriach. Next day they walked at high level over to Glen Feshie and stayed at the bothy of Ruigh-aiteachain.