01 cover.indd 1 40 16/11/05 2:02:39 pm www.thebmc.co.uk Winter 2005 UK £2.50 The Issue The Glacial fragments in Breidarmerkurlon. Aka “the James Bond lagoon”, Iceland. Photo: Alex Messenger. Global Warning Changes at the UIAA are bad news for the mountain environment hree things happened in early November, poor agricultural society to one that is urban and pointing that maybe eight long-haul return flights which seemed closely related to me, fully industrialised. The consequences of China’s – there’s a training climb planned in Mexico T and made me appreciate just how big a rise on its own environment and ultimately our – might undo some of the great environmental disaster the resignation of Alan Blackshaw as own are already colossal and will only get worse. work she was promoting. president from the UIAA - and the dramatic lurch China currently uses 40 percent of the But then the truth is that Marianne is just of climbing’s world body in favour of competition world’s cement, a quarter of the world’s steel plugging into a world of cheap international climbing - could prove to be. and eight percent of the world’s oil. The latter travel that older climbers have enjoyed for First, Joe Simpson appeared on the front page figure can only grow, as six-lane highways snake the last decade or so. Who am I to judge? All of the Independent. Not, this time, promoting out between ever-expanding cities. America is I would say is this: at the moment, the BMC his epic tale Touching the Void, but outlining the routinely cast as the world’s environmental villain, has no policy on climate change, although it changes happening in mountain ranges around but at least in the USA you can complain about is currently under discussion. You may think it the world. There was nothing new in the article, what’s happening, which can get you locked up doesn’t matter a damn what a few climbers think and I’m not a big fan of the Independent’s or worse in China. in the face of 1.3bn Chinese on a mission to go stunt front pages, but the force and position Third, and this might be seem trivial in shopping, but I beg to differ. But with the UIAA of Simpson’s article crystallised the sense that comparison, I got an email from someone now in a state of flux, where is the concerted things are pretty bad out there in the mountain called Marianne Becnel from Utah inviting me international voice proving that we’re not just environment, and we should be paying more to support her “dream”, and that of her friend a bunch of selfish, self-regarding idiots who attention. Nate, of becoming the youngest woman and can’t see further than our own entertainment? Second, the Chinese leader Hu Jintao arrived man to climb the so-called Seven Summits. Now, Alan Blackshaw passionately believed in the in London for talks with Tony Blair. Coincidentally, Marianne is only 17, so I’m not going to get too UIAA linking closely with the UN on the issue of I had just come back from a climbing trip to heavy with her, but I have to tell you that she is climate change. What will the new masters at the China, to the fringes of Western Sichuan, an doing this project to support ‘Leave No Trace’. UIAA recommend? area that was historically part of Tibet. Stays (You can find out more about what they do at in Beijing and Chengdu impressed on me, in a www.lnt.org and get a great deal on a Subaru at - Ed Douglas. way dry statistics can’t, the convulsions China is the same time, apparently.) I emailed Marianne What do you think? All feedback to experiencing as it moves from an economically and thanked her for the opportunity while [email protected] Summit - Winter | 3 03 The issue.indd 6 16/11/05 2:03:46 pm WELCOME TO... ISSUE 40 Summit is the membership FEATURES magazine of the British Mountaineering Council. The 16 Direct Action BMC promotes the interests Just what does it take to climb 9a? of climbers, hill walkers and mountaineers and the freedom to In an exclusive interview we ask Contents enjoy their activities. The primary Rich Simpson. work of the BMC is to: » Negotiate access 22 Cold Sweat improvements and promote cliff Gary Rolfe has some tips for a and mountain conservation. world gone soft. » Promote and advise on good practice, facilities, training and 28 Circuit Training equipment. » Support events and specialist Niall Grimes hops around the programmes including youth Burbage Valley. and excellence. » Provide services and 34 It’s Cuillin Winter information for members. Skye in winter is not just for the BMC expert mountaineer, says Ben 177 - 179 Burton Road, Winston. Manchester, M20 2BB Tel: 0870 010 4878 Fax: 0161 445 4500 38 Icy Fruit offi [email protected] Scotland is nice, but Europe has www.thebmc.co.uk the ice. Jerry Gore takes a look at the Ecrin. President: Mark Vallance Chief Executive: 42 Southern Discomfort Dave Turnbull Tales from the edge of the world by Summit Editor: Tom Chamberlain. Alex Messenger [email protected] 47 Expeditions 2005 EDITORIAL Who’s gone where and done what? Contributions should be sent to the editor at the above address. Every care is taken of materials sent for publication, however these are submitted at the sender’s risk. The views expressed within are of the contributors, and not necessarily the BMC. PUBLISHING Advertisment Manager: Sarah Cureton 01778 392047 [email protected] Classifi ed Sales: Charles McKenna 01778 392054 [email protected] Production Co-ordinator: Emma Robertson 01778 391173 [email protected] Graphic Design: Chris White PUBLISHED & PRINTED BY Warners Group Publications plc, West Street, Bourne, Lincs. PE10 9PH Tel: 01778 391117 Neither the BMC nor Warners Group Publications plc accept responsibility for information supplied in adverts. Readers are advised to take reasonable care when responding to adverts. RISK & RESPONSIBILITY Readers of Summit 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. 4 | Summit - Winter 04-05 Contents.indd 4 16/11/05 2:04:46 pm Walking Out Foreword recently had bits of my backbone screwed together. Handy, you might I say, for running the BMC and while recovering in hospital my thoughts turned to my final six months as President. You might think there wouldn’t be anything left to do, but you’d be very wrong. As the American writer Elbert Hubbard once said about life, “it’s just one damned thing after another.” I got discharged home to discover that we’d lost the battle of Singapore. Alan Blackshaw’s tenure as President of the UIAA had been abruptly curtailed. The details are murky and the argument was highly political, focusing on how the world’s representative body for mountaineering is controlled. It involved the International Competition Committee (ICC), that part of the UIAA that oversees competition climbing, becoming increasingly frustrated with what they felt as half-hearted recognition by some member federations. Personally, I find it difficult to see how important competitions will eventually prove in the world of mountaineering. The two branches, mainstream and competitive do not always fit well together. What’s more, competitions absorb resources and that is resented by other climbing activities. I can’t help concluding that the forced resignation of our Patron, Alan Blackshaw, is particularly ominous. Alan, who has done so much for mountaineering, particularly in the recognition of climbing as an Olympic sport, finds himself the first mountaineer to be kicked out of the nest by the fledgling, competition cuckoo. Over the last year I’ve not been able to walk any distance, though I’m pleased to report that thanks to my operation I’m now up to five miles a day. This enforced restriction has resulted in the development of the British Mountain Map project. Printed on plastic, these maps are totally waterproof, virtually indestructible and have been designed specifically for mountaineers. This morning the very first one, to the Lake District, landed on my doormat. Prior to publication we did quite a lot of market research. I was surprised that several well-respected climbers and even some of my friends questioned the BMC’s involvement in this project, but to me it seems like a perfect match. (And, to quote Elbert Hubbard again, “enthusiasm is the great hill-climber.”) Pure hill walkers account for 16 percent of our membership, we’re encouraging more to join, and this is our first product to specifically help them. So it seems like an easy choice to me. My bet is that not only will the maps make a reasonable profit, which will be ploughed back into access and other useful programmes, they will also reflect well on the BMC as a whole. So if you¹ll forgive the plug why not get yourself one for Christmas. Mark Vallance Mark Vallance BMC President REGULARS 3 The Issue, 6 News, 10 Access News, 11 Holwick Scar Access Special, 12 Letters, 13 Frontline, 52 Hill Skills, 54 Climb Skills, 56 Area Noticeboard, 57 On the Ground, 58 Events, 66 Last Thoughts SPECIAL OFFERS 14 Stuff Your chance to win: Rab Neutrino Jacket, Techtrail Axis alti-watch, Keith Sharples Calendar, Bouldering Mousemat, Mont Blanc Massif - The Hundred Finest Routes.