Yearbook 2014 – 2015 0 Contents 2 Meet the Committee 3 A Note from the President 4 A Note from the Social Secretaries 6 Tongue 8 Arrochar Sep. 21st 9 Kinlochleven Oct. 3-5th 11 Loch Lochy Oct. 10-12th 14 Buttermere Nov. 7-9th 16 Braemar (Christmas trip) Nov. 28-30th 19 Islay (Hogmanay) 21 Winter Skills Daytrips Jan. 18th 22 Cannich (Burns) Jan. 23-25th 33 Kingussie Feb. 13-15th 35 Glen Shiel Feb. 27th- Mar. 1st 37 Arran Mar. 13-15th 39 Achmelvich Apr. 3-6th 43 Glencoe Apr. 24-26th 45 Sock Wrestling Champions 47 Photo Competition Winners 48 End of Year Awards 49 Quotes A note from the editor Here it is finally. You requested style and I have done my best to fulfil your wishes. I hope you are happy with the outcome! It’s been great fun putting together the yearbook and I want to thank all who wrote entries. You were all so creative, and wonderful; easy to persuade and delivered on time! There was no need for me to demonstrate how I kill fish… I hope you don’t mind me taking pictures without asking. There were so many great photos to pick from this year and I have tried to include pictures from a variety of people. This is my last year with the club and as always it has been fantastic. Although you might not get completely rid of me yet, I’d like to say thank you to everyone who made these three years so incredible for me. Keep bagging munros, singing on the hills, being silly and providing quotes, taking care of shy freshers, going on epic adventures and being the best club at the Edinburgh University! 1 Meet the Committee Secretary President Callum Girdwood Treasurer Vice president and Alumni Officer Alex Collins Lucy Nunn Jasmin Watt Meets Secretary Training, Safety and Social Secretaries Ruth Ginty Development Officer Gregor Boyne and Helen Main Owain Simpson Gear Publicity and Yearbook Webmaster Officer Secretary Stuart North Tonje Moen Edward Tissiman Members Without Portfolio (aka ‘Random Bods’) Simon Coffey and Joy Edwards-Hicks 2 A note from the President Choose hills, Choose great company, Choose boots, waterproofs, axes, crampons, a wee dram, not a canoe, Choose fine weather, choose shit weather, choose cloud, rain, snow, hail, Choose hypothermia on a blizzard swept ridge in the arse end of nowhere. Choose an EPIC, choose a faff, Choose 3am for the “sunrise”, and choose at least 3000m ascent, Choose a pair of forks over an axe, a hillwalking skirt, fairy lights for your bag, Choose to work at Tiso for the staff discount, buy primaloft, merino, gore-tex, vibram, Choose pizza, choose jelly babies, brownies, Arnaud’s chocolate, that extra bowl of custard, Choose the Aonach Eagach, Stac Pollaidh, all the Mamores, the Ridge of Death, Choose a beach in the far North West, Choose to leap head first off a dune, Choose to light a bonfire, Choose a beard. Choose to come to the AGM to make up the numbers, Choose to deafen your secretary with an air horn, Choose to ceilidh violently, with a violin not a flute, Choose that glass of free wine not the water, Choose the Canadian Barn Dance, Flying Scotsman, Strip the Willow. Choose to floor your lassie. Choose an effective Committee, and a competent yearbook editor, Choose to vote at the AGM for a dictatorial Nunn, and Simon as Safety Officer for a bit of fun, Choose an army of freshers, just don’t choose to lead them up Arthurs’ seat, Choose to go on both freshers’ day trips, and wake up on time, Choose to organise trips, but avoid Easter and Glen Shiel, Choose to ignore the 50mph speed limit, or choose not to drive the bus. Choose to ignore Hollie. Don’t choose to stay in the Corrie Croft Bunkhouse on Arran, choose to camp outside instead, But do choose eccentric and fun hostels - we miss you Gerry :( Choose running into the fire, into cars, fire extinguishers, CHOOSE THE COLOUR GREEN, Choose the Clachaig, not the Hive, choose a good pint of ale, not a dog-piss glass of tenants, Choose spewing to save the Queen, a bowl for the port, choose to leave the cutlery at home, Choose to go to the pub, choose that extra pint and many types of whiskey. Choose not to remember. Choose a loony dook to sober up, and choose Ruth to make you some tea, Choose spectacular views, choose the best group of friends, and if you can - choose not to leave. It’s been an incredible 5 years, Thanks to everyone who has made it such amazing fun, Ah, it’s so nice when it slips in so easily. – Alex Collins And I wish you many adventures for next year and beyond! Alex Collins, EUHWC President 2014-2015 3 A Note from the Social Secretaries The year kicked off, as it always does, with the long snake of hungover freshers and even more hungover committee members winding their way to the top of Arthur’s Seat. As fun as being whipped in the face by a biting wind is, we were all relieved when we got to the pub to continue the copious drinking from the night previous. Things only got messier from there. The Rubik’s cube pub crawl saw our members turn up to McSorleys in some of the most garish, block colours seen this side of the 80’s. There was some hurried changing of luminous orange boxers for blood red miniskirts as everyone tried to look as sexy as possible in full yellow dungarees and matching headband. By the time we descended on Hive, leap frogging down the Cowgate, there wasn’t a single person (including Edward) who hadn’t been ravaged by face paint. Special mention to Jack Gillespie who showed up half way through the crawl in “regular clothes” and ended the night resplendent, head to toe in red, complete with a rather conspicuous bulge in his new found tights. Our next event took a rather sombre turn. The hillwalking film night social never fails to move grown men to tears as the democratic vote inevitably yields the most harrowing in outdoor cinematic experience. This year’s light hearted titillation was “Into the Wild”, a romantic story of a man who needs to lose himself in order to find himself or, depending who you talk to, an idiot who doesn’t know how to read a map… Two words in conjunction that never fail to excite: hillwalking ceilidh! The absence of stalwart folk soc band member Alistair Mackie was made up for by the audacious enthusiasm of foolhardy ceilidhers trying to bring down the walls of Lauriston hall by throwing other people into them! The Christmas meal also happened. 4 The second semester kicked off in a slightly tamer manner with the planned raucous night in Hive turning into a rather more subdued night the old favourite haunt: the Royal Oak. The EUHWC pub quiz in the basement of Clerks bar was brimming with fun facts on mountains, history, beards, pornographic adaptations of popular Hollywood movies, geography, and the some of the least efficient but possibly most imaginative ways of maiming or killing Edward with the use of physics. The clubs annual general meeting (with free wine) saw the next years fresh faced committee get sworn in on the back of some excellent and inspirational speeches on what it means to be a hillwalker living at this pivotal moment in history. This orgy of voting and democracy was of course followed by another riotous round of raucous ceilidhing ending, as it always does, in severe internal injuries and at least eight cases of mild concussion. No sexy gaiters were worn this year. Gregor and Helen I could drown a baby in my ball sweat right now. – Stuart Social Secretaries 2014/15. 5 Tongue 'Tis not through envy of thy happy lot, But being too happy in thine happiness,— That thou, light-winged Dryad of the trees In some melodious plot Of beechen green, and shadows numberless, Singest of summer in full-throated ease. -Keats, Ode to a Nightingale #whoelse #vagueandtenuouspoeticlinkstoreallifeexperiences #academic The melodious breaths of summer touched our south facing backs as we, the intrepid, took the club to a new frontier, the north coast. Our journey, so full of excitement and sexual innuendo, flew through Ardgay and Bonar Bridge to the tune of Ed and Owain’s giggles. The tone was set, heady -dizzy- giddy, Tongue was on the lips as we sang with full throated ease. Callum, seconded by Jasmin, led the walk to Ben Hope on Saturday 24th May for the pleasure of 16 other hillwalkers, a veritable riot that ended up on Achininver beach where a good bunch of folks braved the fresh ocean water for a swim while others were exercising their skills in bouldering or sculpting their friend Henri the turtle. Owain, Alex C, Kyle, Steph, Andrew G, Ed and Simon under took a stupid walk, of idiotic proportions to get their summer into full swing, polishing off Ben Hope and Ben Loyal in one day and 30+km, including an elegantly posed for river crossing, an exquisite waterfall, some beaut torrs, a mis-judged descent route -and on one occasion, Edward’s unhappy face and ant-stung southern regions. 6 Saturday night gave us one of the best deserts of the year: a cake/pudding made with multiples layers of biscuit and blueberries. The screams of Ed still echo with the intransience of a nightingale’s trills.