Issue 28 September 2005
EXECUTIVE NEWSHuts News
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| Comments | Against | For |
| 1. Existing accommodation in the Lochnagar area | There is already mountaineering accommodation in the Lochnagar area, including a property adjacent to the stable and a bothy at Glass-allt-shiel. | The property adjacent to the stable is limited exclusively to staff and students of Aberdeen University. The unlocked bothy at Glass-allt-shiel, which is maintained by Dundee University Rucksack Club, has on occasion been badly vandalised and out of use – and it can't be pre-booked. |
| 2. Accessibility by vehicle | You can't drive to the front door. The 1 km walk-in would discourage potential users, especially in winter. Also, the main road up Glenmuick may be blocked in winter after snow. | What's wrong with a long or long-ish walk in? Think of Coruisk and the Ling hut. Are people mountaineers or motor-tourists? If the Glenmuick road was blocked then the snow gates on e.g. the A93 and A939 would also probably be closed, so people wouldn't get that far. And they can always 'phone the AA before they set off, of course. |
| 3. Location | It isn't central as a base for accessing the S Cairngorms in the way that, for example, Muir Cottage at Linn of Dee is. | It's a base from which to access some of Scotland's best mountain terrain. Lochnagar is one of the jewels in the Scottish mountaineering crown in its own right. |
| 4. Interest | The hut would be of limited interest to hillwalkers as once they had ticked off all the nearby hills they probably wouldn't return. | Of limited interest to blinkered list-tickers, perhaps, but people who really love the hills return to locations time and time again. There are plenty of Munros and Corbetts in the area for the walkers as well as fine rock and snow & ice routes for the technical climbers. And we mustn't forget our brethren S of the border. |
MCofS Annual General Meeting 2005 Report
The full minutes of the meeting are available on the website or by an SAE from the office.
Election of Executive Committee Members:
John Mackenzie (President), Derek Edge (Treasurer) and Nick Halls (Secretary) were re-elected for further terms. David Gibson was put forward by his club, the Grampian Club, Dundee and was elected as an Ordinary Member. He joined the club in 2001 and was elected to the club Council in 2005. He has an extensive experience of hill walking and climbing in Scotland since 1986. It was noted to the meeting that an outstanding place on the Executive would hopefully be filled by co-option – if anyone is willing to be co-opted to the Executive please contact the National Officer at the office.
Subscriptions:
Membership fees were agreed with increases in order to help fund Access & Conservation work and capital expenditure on IT (including the forthcoming UK IT Membership Database project). Members should note that increase in insurance was less than estimated but that young people under 16 within clubs now had to pay a membership fee under a new 'Club Youth' category. Club secretaries and treasurers have been sent more detailed information via a “Club News Sheet”.
Incorporation of MCofS:
It was agreed by the meeting to move towards incorporation at a Special General Meeting, when draft Memoranda and Articles of Association would be presented with more accurate costs that may be incurred. It was agreed to look into the possibility and benefits of charitable status at the same time.
Nominations:
Nominations received after the deadline and not circulated to all members before the meeting were discussed on the understanding that club representatives did not have mandates to vote. Ian Bryce (Cairngorm Club) asked that MCofS members be urged to object to the Pylon proposal and the governments plans to change the compulsory planning process. See the 'Access & Conservation' and 'Guest Article' pages for further details.
Neil Cuthbert (Glasgow JMCS) asked that the Executive look into other operational systems for getting members views on policy issues. See the 'Comment' by Fred Belcher.
Finally thanks were expressed to Alastair Sutherland for his sterling work as our auditor over the past years, and his replacement would be looked into after the results of our incorporation investigation.
MCofS Annual Gathering Report
By Kevin Howett
The event got off to a hard hitting start with three very different films on the Friday night, all pertinent to the subject of the debate scheduled for the Saturday and which neatly set the scene. Scott Muir introduced his 'Sport Mixed' film “A Fist Full of Steel”, dry-tooling across the steepest caves in the world; Kevin Neal introduced his wry depiction of 'full winter conditions' in “Hot Aches” filmed under very difficult conditions which any winter climber in Scotland can relate to; whilst Pete Murray introduced the first ever screening of his new film about sport climbing in Scotland entitled “Chains” which everyone I spoke to thought was one of the best films about Scottish climbing yet to come out of Scotland.
The weather this year was thankfully good on the Saturday and most people opted for outdoor events, which left some of the indoor coaching and technical sessions thin on the ground, but John Armstrong, Dave Macleod and Scott Muir combined their sessions to offer a crash course in a range of disciplines to a group of hardy souls.
Whilst others were having fun, MCofS President and National Officer (me) were meeting with our sister bodies the BMC and the MCofI (Ireland) at the Mountaineering Coordination Group, discussing joint approaches to Government on energy policy, to UKsport on funding for mountaineering and to our insurers on premiums.
For the first time we held a REALrock session weekend in parallel with the gathering. 10 children and their parents took advantage of the blistering heat to climb at Kingussie Crag ably assisted by Ruairidh Mackenzie (MCofS Area Youth Coordinator for North Scotland) and John Orr.
Saturday's Annual Gathering Debate was a constructive one and the results can be read in a separate report.
The day was rounded off with an excellent presentation from Liz Duff of the 198?? Ascent of Everest's North West Ridge; in many ways a tribute to Mal Duff. Liz was accompanied by author and poet Andrew Greg on guitar, whose songs and poems absolutely captured the spirit of the expedition, of which he was a member. Their unassuming, unpretentious, funny and at times poignant presentation was a fantastic end to the day's activities.
Those exhausted from the day and retiring early (before midnight) missed fire-ball juggling and an equally spectacular lightening display through to the small hours. Some did not go to bed!
The Sunday dawned wet and horribly midge-ridden, so the bouldering master-class scheduled for the REALrock children was hastily changed to indoor coaching and included a session of dry-tooling. Children and parents became absolutely absorbed by it, performing moves that would be found on grade VII or harder. Not quite Real Rock, but tremendous fun.
See you next year?
To Bolt or not to Bolt [in the Mountains]?
“The Future of Scottish Climbing”
AGM Debate
Report by Kevin Howett
(National Officer)
Discussion of the MCofS draft revision of the bolts policy (particularly regarding bolts in summer & winter) saw about 50 interested folk properly debate the pros and cons (and without a punch-up!). Various views and points have been covered in past issues of the magazine and these were reiterated at the debate, but the key points that emerged were:
1. The dilemma of whether MCofS, as the representative body of all members, should adopt a strong stance to maintain the adventure ethic by discouraging the use of bolts on all mountains, or whether MCofS should embrace all disciplines of the sport equally, but ensure that they do not detract from each other and therefore accept bolts in exceptional circumstances. It was agreed that MCofS had in fact already accepted an approach to encompass all disciplines of the sport in the past and Scottish climbers had also done so by their acceptance of bolts per se, and on a specific mountain crag in summer.
2. The debate agreed that the previous 'bolt policy' was no longer applicable. The difficulty and steepness of sport routes was felt to be less important than their situation.
3. The attempt by MCS to define where bolts can be placed using the 'feel' had received a mixed response – either as leading to a bolting extravaganza, or as severely limiting sport climbing development – in equal measure. Only a few people indicated that it may work, although most commented that it was too 'vague'. The debate felt defining the 'feel' was difficult but no one could give a better alternative and it was certainly the case that activists decide on venues using similar sorts of criteria.
4. It was agreed by all sides that adventurous bolt-free climbing should remain as the primary ethic in summer and winter for all Scottish climbs; MCofS literature should state this as a starting principle. The key was then to find a way of agreeing 'exceptional' venues for summer and winter sports climbing (particularly in the mountains), that did not affect adventurous style or future development.
5. It was suggested from the floor, and agreed by those at the debate, that this could be achieved by MCofS setting up an independent panel which could adjudicate on applications for the development of sport climbing venues. The primary concern of this panel would be to maintain the adventurous style of Scottish climbing, whilst accepting the development of sport climbing where this does not detract from the primary ethic, particularly in the mountains.
Those at the debate who wish to develop exceptional venues for winter sport mixed climbing (of which they feel there are only a limited number) indicated they would be happy to apply to such a panel and accept the outcome. But what do you think? How could we ensure an unbiased panel? Would climbers be happy to make the whereabouts of their projects available to the panel and then accept the deliberations of the panel?
It's an interesting idea, but would it work? Send your comments to me at kev@mountaineering-scotland.org.uk or by post to the office.
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