Newsletter no.37 November 1998
EXECUTIVE NEWSCOMMENT
THE GREAT DEBATE REPORTBy Nick Kempe
MCofS RECEIVES BOOST FOR SAFETY WORK On July 1st 1998 the Scottish Sports Council and the Scottish Office agreed to hand over responsibility for the group to the MCofS. This recognises the leading role MCofS has in mountaineering in Scotland. Graeme Simmers, Chairman of the Sports Council said, "The Council greatly appreciated the work of the SMSG which played a vital role in raising safety awareness. By handing over the responsibility to the mountaineering community itself we feel the effectiveness of this role will be increased and the MCofS will be in a stronger position to communicate the safety message". The MCofS has now formerly re-launched this liaison group as The Scottish Mountain Safety Forum. The membership of the forum has been expanded to include all bodies with a direct interest and work in mountain safety in Scotland, to act as a link body for discussion of safety issues. The Forum will still give advice to ministers and a budget of 21K will be earmarked for safety work. In particular, the MCofS will employ an Officer (a Mountain Safety Advisor) who's responsibility will be for all the safety work of the Forum and the MCofS. Details can be found elsewhere in this Newsletter for anyone wishing to apply for the post. Kate Ross, MCofS Vice President said "This extra money will enable MCofS to expand its work in mountain safety. The Mountain Safety Advisor will be able to advice other organisations in safety issues and pass on expert knowledge to mountaineers and walkers throughout Scotland". Ian Collie, past chair of the SMSG will continue as chair of the new Forum during a transitional stage. He commented "I believe the transfer is a logical progression in the development of the MCofS and I am sure that the arrangements agreed by MCofS and the Sports Council will prove to be sound and effective". Some immediate issues to be tackled include a series of winter skills lectures targeting young, novice climbers, the production of a weather assessment brochure and a reprint of the successful winter skills brochure.
Over the years the MCofS has had a joint subscription deal with Climber Magazine that some members have taken advantage of. The past Editors of the magazine had been co-opted onto the Executive committee and Climber has covered MCofS news in more depth than any other outdoor magazine. With a recent change in ownership to Myatt McFarlane of Altrincham and a change of Editor (Bernard Newman, previously Editor of the very highly regarded Mountain Magazine) we have been exploring the possibility of an even closer relationship. Climber and the MCofS are now working together to help members enjoy Scottish mountaineering:
'The Scottish Mountaineer' To be called 'The Scottish Mountaineer', it will be in A4 format and full colour. It will carry the usual news, features and comment, competitions, expedition articles, members 'Bivi Talk' and up to date information about access issues and safety initiatives. The Scottish Mountaineer will be published quarterly starting with the January issue and will be sent direct to all MCofS members. We hope that you will enjoy the new look MCofS magazine. Contributions are always welcome from members on any subject. The Scottish Mountaineer is your magazine.
'Climber Discount offer for MCofS Members' MCofS Members rate : 12 months subscription (12 issues): £25 direct to your door (a saving of £13.20). Alternatively you can take a sample trial subscription for 6 months. You will find flyers enclosed with this newsletter offering a 6 month subscription (6 issues) to climber at a subscription fee of: £12.67 (a saving of £6.45 on regular 6 issue rate of £19.10) NB Members whose interests are hill walking and who wish to subscribe to TGO Magazine can still do so at a discounted price of £19 for 12 issues (normal price £26.00). Contact the office for details of these great savings offers.
The MCofS computers are now ageing and are not coping very well with the scale and type of work being asked of them, so it has been very heartening to have sponsorship forthcoming from two companies to help bring us into the modern age. Calor Gas have kindly donated to MCofS, Pentium computers that were surplus to their requirements after a nation-wide systems upgrade. This has helped us get ready to employ the new Mountain Safety Advisor and to run our membership database on a much more efficient machine. Calor Field Sales Manager and mountaineer Alistair Todd (a Jacobites Club member of old with a good tally of new winter routes to his credit) helped arrange the sponsorship. MCofS Administration Assistant Lorraine Nicholson helped secure a financial award from Mobil as part of their Family Sponsorship Programme; Lorraine's father being a previous employee. Their support will enable MCofS to buy a new printer and scanner, thereby greatly increasing the efficiency of the office. We are very grateful to both Calor Gas and Mobil for their timely support.
The MCofS and the BMC organised the first ever British-wide competition for young climbers in May of this year. There were 8 regions participating including Scotland. Each region organised several local heats at different climbing walls. There were both bouldering and leading sections of the event with a point system scoring dependant on the high point each competitor achieved on each 'route'. There were three age categories 7yr-9yr, 10yr-12yr and 13yr-15yr, for both boys and girls. Although the competitors were competing as individuals, the top three from each category went on to compete as a Scottish Team in the grand final held at The Foundary Climbing Centre in Sheffield. The Scottish Team were:
Although the team were placed 5th overall, there were some excellent personal achievements. Perth based Allan Cassidy in particular was placed 5th in the final leading competition of his category against the likes of Adam Dewhurst who is a well known name in the magazines for his hard new routes. Despite being staged very last minute, the event attracted good participation and was a great success. The MCofS would like to thank all those who took part, but particularly the three centres who hosted the event, Glasgow Climbing Centre, Alien Rock, Edinburgh and Hadrians Wall, Falkirk. Without a lot of hard work by the staff at these walls, this event would not have been such a success. MCofS would also like to thank David Cassidy for standing in at the last minute and helping out at the final as the Scottish Team co-ordinator. The MCofS hope that this event will continue on a yearly basis in the future.
Climbers Required to Climb Lots of New Winter Routes
The MCofS and the BMC are to host another International winter climbing meet at Glenmore Lodge after the resounding success of the last meet here in 1997. The meet is the only one of its kind in the world, bringing together some of the best climbers from countries as diverse as the USA, Chile and former Russian states. The member federations of the UIAA [Union Internationale Des Associations Alpine] will be invited to send representatives to the meet. They will be joined by 25 UK hosts and will sample the best winter climbing the UK has to offer (we hope).
The meet will follow on from the Alpine Club Symposium being held in Sheffield on the 6th March and many of the worlds luminaries attending the symposium will be attending the meet. (See 'Other News' for details of the symposium). The itinerary for the week will probably be the same as last time, namely to climb as many hard established or new winter routes as possible in the most foul weather imaginable. On the other hand, you never know, it may be cold and clear with abundant ice - we can but dream! There will be discussions on particularly important issues to find if there is a world-wide consensus for climbing into the millennium. Oh! and don't forget the Friday night Ceilidh to which any climber in the area is invited ! The MCofS are now looking for any Scottish based climbers who can act as hosts at the meet and be based at the Lodge for the week, or even for a few of the days. The meet is entirely free to hosts and visitors alike although you will have to buy your own beers - that would break the MCofS kitty. If you are interested please contact the National Officer for further details and to register your interest.
It is now time to get those applications arranged for expeditions in 1999. The MCofS and Scottish Sports Council offer a total of £2,000 towards any trips originating from Scotland. Applications are considered either direct to the MCofS or in association with applications to the Mount Everest Foundation. The criteria for an award are :
Apply to the National Officer for an Expedition Information Pack.
It's that time of the year again. While the autumn nights get darker and the weekends get wetter, the 'rocks' and 'friends' are stored away but the ice axes can only, as yet, be polished, a climbers mind turns to more ephemeral subjects to occupy his adventurous urges. This year, how about directing those urges towards something else. Put pen to paper and lay bare your soul. Write an entry to the MCofS Mountain Article Competition. This is the 13th year of the competition, started by President Graham Little, and it has proved that there are talented budding authors in Scotland who can even climb a little as well. The winner of the first competition was Edward Waltham with 'Meagaidh and the third week in January'. Gordon Smith won the 2nd year with a light, self-mocking and humourous pice entitled 'The Making of a Mountaineer'. Other past winners have included Kevin Sutton's 'Approaching Sancuary' describing the very personal relationships between family, climber and mountain; Peter Farrington's 'The Main Thing', a thought provoking depiction of an accident and rescue; Robert Davidson has won twice with two stories of the life of Ben Wyvis, in 'Uamhas' and 'The Dipper' and Nic Bullivant too has obvious talent winning twice with 'Pigs Hill' a story about Victorian anglicisation and 'Isle Essex' about a council's promotion of hillwalking. At the 25th Anniversery AGM, past Vice President, Ingrid Parker instigated an additional poetry section to the competition. The inaugural winner was 'Footprints in the Snow' by Jason Brookes whilst a student at Aberdeen University, proving that artistic flair is not dependent on age or experience but on imagination. The 1999 competition :
PROSE - The subject matter can be about any aspect of mountaineering, rock climbing, walking or skiing; fiction or non-fiction, weird or wonderful. It should be a maximum of 2,000 words long, preferably typed, but otherwise written on double-spaced lines and single-sided. Be bold and wax lyrical. Most people have a book inside them - We just want an article!
POETRY - On the same subject as long or as short as you like.
Members should quote their club name or individual membership number. Send your entries to the MCofS office, enclosing an SAE if you wish the article to be returned. Winners will be announced at the 1999 AGM.
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