The Mountaineering Council of Scotland

Issue 8 June 2001

Disclaimer: The views expressed by independent contributors are not necessarily those of the MCofS. Participation and Risk: Readers of Scottish Mountaineer are reminded that climbing, hill walking and mountaineering are activities with a danger of personal injury or death. Participants in these activities should be aware of and accept these risks and be responsible for their own actions and involvement. The MCofS provides a range of safety and good practice advice and training for members and the general public.   COMMENT The True Cost of Freedom John Donohoe Aye it's been a richt sair fecht! When the foot and mouth outbreak first hit us we had no idea how far it would spread, especially as precautionary closures were in operation as far north as Inverness-shire. We asked mountaineers to behave responsibly and on the whole they have done so. We started with the whole of the countryside in Great Britain and Ireland closed and a sense of panic and despair. As reliable information emerged that walkers and climbers presented no threat of spreading the virus the business of getting access opened up again got underway. Predictably this has proved more difficult than shutting it, where mixed in with genuine caution were clearly motives more related to turning back the clock. There is evidence of wildlife crime increasing in country areas cleared of potential witnesses, outrages rightly condemned by the Scottish Landowners Federation. There are lessons to be learned. Some landowners and managers were responsive and anxious to restore normal access as quickly as possible. Some Government agencies and landholding public bodies were hesitant and seemed not to be focussed on resolute action to overcome obstacles. No local authority north of the Forth – Clyde belt obtained the statutory authority to close public footpaths and open land but some acted as if they had, with countryside rangers threatening to involve the police in matters proper to the civil law. Access was restored more quickly in areas like Lochaber where local mountaineers and business and tourist interests got together to engage with the Council and landowners. It soon became evident that for much of the Highlands outdoor activities and ecotourism are more important to the local economy than traditional farming and crofting. As a society our values are still skewed with press, population, and politicians more influenced by the plight of Phoenix the calf than the threat to the Nation's physical and mental health by the loss of access to open spaces. For us it showed how important communication to and from mountaineers was. Inevitably it became an electronic operation with sterling work done by Duncan Gray in keeping the website up to date. I realise how frustrating that is for those not yet wired up but there is just no other way our office would be able to cope with the demands for information. The disease has receded, but not the dangers. We now know what it is to be denied access to our hills, glens, paths, rivers, and coastline. The Draft Access legislation contains some real threats to our interests. Hostile landowners, and there are a few, can close land on pretexts without limit of time or extent, local authorities can close land because of extreme weather conditions (Avalanche risk 5?), the criminal law can be involved in access disputes and individuals can be barred from the countryside, without the involvement of the courts, or proper rights of appeal. It is vital that clubs and individuals get involved, read the Bill, and comment in writing to the Scottish Executive, copying to their MSPs and us, by the end of June

EXECUTIVE NEWS Expedition Grant Awards 2001 The MCofS Expedition Screening Committee agreed to grant awards to the following this year: SMC Greenland Expedition A big team including Stephen Reid, Jason Preston and Colwyn Jones will attempt the unclimbed South Ridge of Dansketinde in the Stauning Alps and the unclimbed South Face of Sussex (2,300m). Scottish Cordillera Blanca Jason Currie and Guy Robertson will attempt the unclimbed East Face of Santa Cruz Norte (5,829m). Jointly supported with the BMC. Lobouche / Ama Dablam Jules Cartwright, Rich Cross, Paul Scheizer and Ali Coull will attempt the North Face Direct of Lobouche (6,100m), and the North West Ridge Direct on Ama Dablam (6,800m). Jointly supported with the BMC. Winter Lofoten Islands Pete Benson and Guy Robertson made a first winter visit by Scottish climbers to the awesome rocky peaks of these islands in northern Norway. They had a very productive trip. Pete outlines a short report in the 'Features' section. Help Needed on the Expedition Committee We are looking for volunteers to sit on the committee and also one volunteer to help as MCofS representative on the BMC's International Committee. If you have some experience and knowledge of different areas of the world and can help please contact the National Officer, Kevin Howett. The commitment for the BMC meetings are 5 evening meetings per year.   The MCofS Website Anniversary by Duncan Gray www.mountaineering-scotland.org.uk The website made it's appearance to the world at large in January last year. To the end of January 2001, total visits were about 10,000 and at the end of April were over 40,000. Visitors have come from such diverse places as Canada, Peru, Poland and Nepal, and had access to what is now well over 200 pages and growing, of information about The MCofS and Scottish mountaineering. Some have printed an application form and taken out membership. For those who haven't had the opportunity to access it, the sites content includes: News Sections - for both what's happening within the MCofS and in the Scotland generally. Access and Conservation - has an online form to report access problems, and up to date news of ongoing campaigns. Also currently includes the best advice you will get on the Foot and Mouth crisis. Safety and Training - has details of courses and initiatives. Council Matters - includes details of our organisation, membership and insurance schemes. Young Mountaineers - is a separate section with news, features and events for the next generation of climbers. The Information Service - includes details of the publications and advice available from the MCofS. Many leaflets and information sheets are reproduced on the site. Pitch-In - publishes articles on themes of interest and gives an opportunity to contribute to discussions on them. Original articles are also welcome. The Newsletter Archive - has the full text from our newsletters going back to 1996, and can be searched quickly to find the topic you need. This section also includes book reviews and a link up with the online bookshop Amazon.co.uk. If you're interested in buying one of the reviewed books, or any book, CD or video for that matter, please consider using the Amazon facility, and enter it via one of the links on our site, as in that way the MCofS earns a bit of commission. The site also includes an events diary, useful contact details, literary competition articles and much more. If anyone has any comments or suggestions about the website the webmaster can be contacted at duncan@themcofs.org.uk.   National Rock Climbing Centre, Ratho - Update by Duncan McCallum Scotland's national indoor climbing centre was awarded Lottery grant funding and full backing from the MCofS. It is contained within Ratho Quarry to the west of Edinburgh. It will cater for many other sports as well as climbing and will not destroy the established climbs on the quarry walls and is planned to open in late autumn. Site Works Following a long period of site preparation, the impressive 26m high steel columns that hold up the climbing hall roof and act as the central feature in the main building atrium were erected. Travelling along the M8 from Glasgow into Edinburgh you will be aware of the 75m long triangular roof struts resting on the top of the west wall of the quarry. The lifting of these struts into place will mark the final phase of the main building works prior to being fitted out. The planting works are underway; tidying and draining the quarry basin, constructing pathways for better access, as well as the construction of a mountain bike down-hill course, the cliff tops cleared of rubble and descents constructed, a finally tree planting programme will create a pleasant climbing venue. Climbing Walls Negotiations have been completed with the climbing wall manufacturer, Redrooster of Udens in the Zillertal valley near to Innsbruck. This will give the centre the largest volume of indoor wall surfaces in the world. The massive 22m high lead wall will be the centre piece of the climbing hall and along with free standing movable boulders in the hall, give the NRCC a truly unique offering for local and visiting climbers alike. We soon expect to confirm more of the facilities to be housed in the Adventure Sports Centre at Ratho. Personnel In January we were pleased to welcome Nigel Ward (formerly Operations Director at Deep Sea Leisure PLC) to the team as Managing Director. In May we advertised for an Operations Manager, a Marketing Assistant and a Head Instructor (Climbing Arena Manager).   Climb through History This issue contained the report on the ascent of The West Wall Route by Ben Sparham. Climbers have been completing their routes throughout last year and we are receiving completed articles. We hope to place all these on the MCofS website soon and to regularly feature them in Scottish Mountaineer. The money raised by sponsorship of those climbing is going a long way in helping MCofS activities. There are still routes that have not been allocated, in all grades from simple scrambling to very hard. Why not join us in celebrating Scottish climbing and sign up for a route this summer. Full details and an application form are on the website, or you can contact the Coordinator, Irvine Butterfield at the MCofS Office.   Back to Newsletter index     next article

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