Karabiner Mountaineering Club

April 2002 Forthcoming Meets

All note the following small print when taking part in meets :-

23^rd/24^th March - Feshiebridge - Mark Garrod

Mill Cottage (NH 844 047)

Excellent accommodation 15 minutes from Aviemore in the Cairngorm mountain range.

Ideal situation for winter climbers, skiers and walkers alike, guaranteed weather on the hills and a real fire to welcome you back to the hut.

In order to find out what weather conditions are guaranteed simply book your place by handing over £10 to me as soon as possible, come on the meet and make the most of the last Scottish winter meet, in one of the finest mountain areas in Scotland.

Mill Cottage is on a forestry commission site just off the A9 full directions on how to find the hut are in the back of the handbook or see me closer to the date.

29^th March / 1^st April - EASTER

The Hut is reserved for the K.M.C.

7^th April - Stanage, Black Slab area - Craig Marsden

Where to go early April?, difficult one this the key requirements would appear to be; somewhere that dries reasonably fast, a cafe failry close and lots of old tried classics, some good old routes as well. Black slab area would appear to satisfy most requirements.

I shall be somewhere in the vicinity from around 11.00am onwards and will welcome all comers.

14^th April - Hotpot and Slide Competition - The President

The Climbing: Stanage High Neb Area.

Weather permitting, meet up at the High Neb area of Stanage anytime after 10.30am to sample some of the finest routes on Peak gritstone. What more can I say except that a balaclava may be useful to avoid pestering by the clubs very own paparazzi, otherwise know as Wavey Davey and Big Andy.

Duncan Lee.

The Walk: Edges Walk.

Route: Grindleford - Froggatt - White Edge - Longshaw Lodge - Burbage - Higger Tor - Millstone Edge - Grindleford.

Maps: OS. Outdoor Leisure Sheets -1 & 24

Meet at 9.30am. for 9.45am. start on Grindleford Station approach road near Cafe GR251788 - parking on the road. Refreshments are available at Longshaw Lodge and the Station Cafe.

A good tramp around the Eastern Edges of the Peak District on good paths and tracks. Distance about 12 miles. The walk can easily be modified to suit the conditions.

Iain McCallum.

The Hotpot.

This year the meal and slideshow will again be held at The Navigation Inn in Buxsworth (near Chinley) priced at £6 per person. The pub is open all day with the meal being served at 7.30pm. As usual there is a vegetarian option available so let me know your preference when you book. Please book early as I need to let the pub know the final numbers a week before hand.

The Slide Competition.

As per usual the four categories are:

1. Mountain action
2. Mountain landscape
3. Rock climbing action
4. Human interest.

Please remember that there is a maximum of three slides per person for each category and that it would help our impartial judge (yet to be announced to avoid bribery or blackmail) if you clearly mark each slide with your name and the category that you wish it to be entered into. The slides also have to have been taken during the last twelve months. The last date to hand in slides for the competition is Thursday 11^th April.

Anyone who wishes to show other slides after the competition are most welcome to do so. Try not to put the competition entries to shame as happened last year.

Anyone interested in the climbing who needs a lift, wants to book a meal or has slides to enter can generally find me at the pub on most Thursday evenings or can contact me at home.

20^th/21^st April - Ty Powdyr - Frank Williams

Aircraft Archaeology and Metal Fatigue research samples

We're planning to down to the hut on Friday and have a walk on Sunday.

I'm proposing to do a round of ten to twelve miles taking in about ten aircraft crash sites above Aber. We'll park at Aber (Grid ref: 663720) ie the general car park, at 9:45 for 10:00 start. The walk takes in Llwyndmor Bach, Carnedd Llewelyn, Garnedd Uchaf, Foel Fras, Drum, Tal-y-fan etc and returns to Aber. Possible pints in the pub.

The reasons for all the crashes hereabouts is to be found in the location of the RAF stations at Valley, Mona and Bodorgan on Anglesey and in the mist and mountains to the east of the straits, where some thirty aircraft crashed north east of Ogwen Valley on the Carneddau as they tried to return to base. We will visit some of these crash sites to view the wreckage in some cases and only the sites in other. Details of the drama, rescues, and grid refs as handouts on the day.

Sunday 21st: sorry we have to go to a christening, so Margaret and I will be leaving Ty Powdwr on Sunday morning. I'll find another leader for Sunday. Any volunteers with ideas?

28^th April - Birchens Edge - Susan Brooke

I will not insult your intelligence by giving directions, as this has previously been the best-attended meet of the year. If you need help phone me or see me at the pub on Thursday. Once again those that can will and those that can't can join me in a massive picnic at the bottom. Remember this is a family friendly crag and it would be great to see the crèche in full swing once again. I am aiming to get to the crag at about 11.00am and am sure to be the last one to arrive!

4^th/6^th May - BH Southern Seacliff Odyssey (Part One) - Rick Davies

North Devon – Also known as The Beach Boys Saga!

Looking for something a little bit different? Fancy really getting your sense of Adventure going?

The look no further, this is the meet for you! This meet will take you to North Devon, an area that unfortunately was closed for much of last year due to F & M.

So what's in store for you if you go? Well there's superb climbing in the entire grade ranges, in the lower grades routes like Ben (S), Scrattling Crack (VD) and Marion (HS) all stand out. Moving up a grade or two routes like Kinkyboots (VS), Sexilegs (HVS) Midnight Cowboy (HVS) Lunakhod (HVS) Clawtrack (HVS) all stand out, not to mention the awesome Wreckers Slab (VS) – one of the biggest sea cliff climbs in the country!

And for those with rather more daring intentions look no further than routes such as The smile (E1) – would make an excellent first E1! Rude Nude (E3) The Verger (E1) Sacre Coeur (E2) and Blisterin Barnacle (E2). If this doesn't wet your appetite perhaps you should check your pulse! Or are these a bit too easy? Then take a closer look at Smoothlands or Lower Sharpnose point – the homes of some of the best higher E grade routes in the country.

Oh, and did I forget to mention the sunshine?

Where to stay? I'll be stopping at a small and friendly campsite just outside the village of Kilkhampton where it's normally about £3 per person per night. In the village there is a good fish and Chip shop and several good pubs. Further a-field there is a Safeway super market in Bude (7 miles). If it's too hot to climb or you just fancy a day down at the beach there are some superb beaches in the area, in particular Sandy Mouth, and if you're feeling really wild you could hire both a surfboard or body board and wet suit for about £6 a day from Zoomajay's in Bude.

So come on – lets go surfing now, everybody's learning how come on a surf safari with me!

For Further Info ring me or email me.

11^th/12^th May - Ty Powdyr WORKING MEET - Hut Committee

Come down to the hut for a weekend with a difference. For more details contact Iain McCallum.

18^th/19^th May - Kielder Wild Camp & Cycle - Virginia Castick

The plan is to camp at the Forest Enterprise site on Friday night, G.R.627939 (Landranger 80). The driving time is about 3 hours and about 150 miles. On Saterday afternoon, after a walk, sail or bike ride (lots of stuff for hire), I intend to walk or cycle in to one of the Forest's designated wild campsites - details later. After an exciting night amongst the bogs and midges, walk out for a further day of Keilder's attractions or climb at Crag Lough which you can drive past on the way home.

15^th/16^th June - The Southern Seacliff Odyssey (Part Two) - Rick Davis

Swanage, Dorset – Also known as The Beach Boys Saga!

This is the second part of my sea cliff odyssey this year it was meant to be a trilogy, but like Douglas Adams my numeracy is a little bit on the dodgy side!

Anyway, Swanage is a superb venue for a weekend's summer climbing with vast amounts of sun-kissed limestone by the sea!

So, what's there for you? Well there are routes of all grades, but to get the most out of this meet you really need to be able to climb VS (at one end of the rope anyway), as this is the starting point of the best routes. In the area there are so many quality routes that its hard to pick out some that grab the attention, at VS Freda and Old Faithful are the obvious *** routes, in the HVS range why not try Lightning Wall, Fraggle Rock, Finale Groove The Golden Fleece or perhaps the pick of the crop, Behemoth.

In the higher grades there are at least as many *** routes, Mars and Elysium stand out at E1, Gypsy and Buccaneer at E2, and Soul Sacrifice at E3.

So, where to stay? I'll be camping at Tom's Field (which does have facilities such as showers), which is near to the village of Langton Matravers, from which you can easily walk to any of the crags or most importantly, the pub! Of course if this seems all a bit to stressful there are also some superb beaches in the area which you could take advantage of (or use to soothe the ego if you find the routes a bit nasty!).

As for the weather well……. I'm picking up good vibrations; she's giving me excitations, good, good vibrations……..

For Further Info ring me or email me.

April Newsletter Index.

Copyright © 2002 Karabiner Mountaineering Club