Annual AGM held 9th November 2021

The 48th annual AGM for Aberdeen Mountaineering Club was held as a joint face to face and virtual meeting, with members gathering at Ye Old Frigate or joining the meeting remotely using Zoom.  

The usual formalities were conducted with reports from moderator Ed, secretary Mark M, treasurer Hazel and NEMT representative Morna.  

Committee elections were made, with the new committee confirmed as:

Moderator - Hazel Meehan
Treasurer - Duncan Thow
Secretary - Mark Moynagh
Climbing Rep - Ewan Paterson
Social Organiser - Ann Baddeley
IT Officer - Andrew Stalker
NEMT Rep - Morna Harper

Full minutes have been distributed to club members.  

Steall Hut Meet, Glen Nevis (5-6th November)

A small group (7) of AMC members headed to the Steall Hut in Glen Nevis, owned and maintained by Lochaber Mountaineering Club, for a weekend of walking, climbing and wild weather.

The Steall Hut
(photo credit - Hazel)

The hut is a short walk from the car park at the end of the road in Glen Nevis along a well-maintained path.  Arriving in darkness, you hear the thundering water as you head through the spectacular Nevis Gorge.  At the head of the gorge the glen opens out into the tranquil Steall meadow, and in daylight a view of the famous An Steall Waterfall dominates.  

An Steall Waterfall
(photo credit - Ewan)

In darkness, however, the welcoming lights (unless you are first to arrive of course) of the hut beckon you over the famous wire bridge!  Try not to fall in, with bags laden with provisions for the weekend ahead.

The weekend’s forecast was dismal, but with the objective of climbing Sgurr Choinnich Mor, a short distance further up the glen, 5 members headed off from the hut with waterproofs already donned (Hazel, Morna, Linda, Mark M & Duncan).  Charlie and Ewan instead decided to opt for a day at the (warm and dry) climbing wall in Kinlochleven.

 

Linda crossing the famous wire bridge
(photo credit - Hazel)

 

The wind was strong, gusting 50mph at times. The group were sheltered for the majority of the walk until arriving near the col between Sgurr Choinnich Beag and Mor where the strong gusts made for hard walking.  A quick summit stop and return to the sheltered lee was made, with no time for a picnic!  

Arriving back at the hut, preparations were made for the usual evening feast prepared by Morna, Linda, Ewan and Hazel, with wine (gratefully carried) by Duncan. 

The evening meal
(photo credit - Hazel)

Sunday’s forecast was for dry but even stronger winds.  Having felt the blasts the previous day, only Morna and Linda were brave enough to head out to tackle An Gearanach, immediately behind the hut, crossing the An Steall water to make their attempt.  Reaching 800-odd metres, they retreated finding the wind simply too strong.  Some of the rest of the group set off on expedition to the nearest coffee shop in Fort William, followed by a stroll at the Pattack Falls, to the east of Loch Laggan on the way home.

The walk back to the carpark
(photo credit - Hazel)

A fantastic time was had by all, on one of the first few meets to go ahead since the relaxing of covid rules.  We hope a full programme is ahead of us for the rest of 2021 and in to 2022.   

AMC Meal and Awards

This year we were able to hold the awards meal once more with a fine visit to Rustico. Almost everyone got what they ordered, and it was good to hold an indoor event again with such a large turnout. 

The awards were as follows:

The golden whisk went to Ewan for a fine meat patte made on one of the hut trips.

The care bear went to Hazel for looking after the club. 

The rusty piton went to Charlie for falling into the sea, not once but twice! 

Meters climbed went to Ewan for his enthusiasm throughout the year. 

And finally the wooden compass went to Mark Cadman, which should serve him well on his expedition to the South Pole… and always point the ‘white’ way.

Club walk up Pressendye

With the government coranivurus guidelines having eased allowing organised activities for larger group sizes from multiple households, it seemed a good time to start organising some day walks.  

The weather looked good for Saturday so a few club members headed for a wander up Pressendye near Tarland, organised by Juliette.    

Views on the way up

The higher hills looked stunning as the group made their way (individually) to Tarland.  The group set off walking along quiet country roads before making their way up the hill.  They had great views on the way up, though the weather got a bit atmospherically hazy towards the top.  It was, however, mild and calm throughout the day allowing for a leisurely outing with plenty of socially distanced conversation.

Beech trees

A physically distanced lunch break

It was a lovely area to explore and great to meet up with other people.  Hopefully we will have plenty more opportunities to walk together over the winter.

Club hosts virtual slideshows during coronavirus pandemic

Due to the ongoing global pandemic, social distancing measures and requirement for the public to stay at home Aberdeen Mountaineering Club has been hosting weekly virtual slideshows using video conferencing software to keep members enthused and connected in place of the weekly pub meet. 

Club members have been presenting beautiful photographs of expeditions and holidays from recent and past trips. 

So far we've heard from Donald on his time spent in the Antarctic, from Mark Cadman on his trip to climb Aconcagua, from John & Ann on their recent trip to Costa Rica and climbing Mount Chirripo, from Liz on her and Carl's trip to Svalbard and Duncan on his 3 trips to New Zealand.  There are more slideshows scheduled in the coming weeks and this is expected to continue while social distancing measures are in place.

Of course all club walking and climbing activities are on hold now and club meets suspended until further notice.   

Banks of the River Dee Litter Pick

Scuz organised a litter pick along the banks of the Dee on Sunday 1st March with 8 members of Aberdeen Mountaineering Club plus two members of the public joining in.  Using equipment generously supplied by Aberdeen City Council, the team spent over 3 hours collecting a vast amount of litter and debris from the riverside.   

The banks of the River Dee

Judith demonstrating the litter picking equipment

Moragh with a broken brolly

Scuz with a weighty haul

The pile of rubbish at the end of the litter pick

Thank you to all the volunteers and to Aberdeen City Council / Clean Up Aberdeen for providing the equipment and uplift of the rubbish. 

To find out more about Clean Up Aberdeen visit the website here.

AMC Norway Ice Climbing Trip 2020

After a very slow start to the Scottish Winter it finally arrived just in time for a group of AMC members to travel to Norway in search of ice to climb.  Roddy, Derek, Mark C & Simon flew from Aberdeen to Oslo then drove 2.5 hours West to reach renowned ice-climbing destination Rjukan. 

Roddy, Mark & Derek at the airport

Mark with a friendly polar bear at Oslo airport

A typical Norwegian accommodation, home for 5 days

Similar to the UK, Norway had sadly suffered from a warmer than usual winter season with many of the usual climbing areas lacking in ice. 

The first day of climbing was at Krokan a short distance away.  Despite the lack of ice further down the valley the group found many routes in reasonable condition.

Mark setting off

Mark climbing

Light falling

After a wet day the warmth of the hut was useful for drying clothing and equipment. 

Drying time in the accommodation

Returning to Krokan the following day, Jomfrau (WI4) was found to be a bit hollow with a large crack running across the top of the waterfall.  This was rather disconcerting so the team climbed an adjacent route (Fyrstikka WI5) and put a top rope in to allow the route to be climbed safely. 

Derek climbing

Popular climbing venue Krokan drawing the crowds

On day 3 the weather improved so the group decided to try a new area, Kong Vinter, 45 minutes drive from their base.  This was a great area with plenty of multi-pitch options that had seen very little traffic. 

Kong Vinter, Derek abseiling 60m

Mark at pitch 2 stance

All 4 chose to climb Kong Vinter WI4 which felt tough for its grade as the ice was fresh and brittle. 

The final day of climbing was back to the Kong Vinter area to climb a variety of single pitch routes, with an early finish to ensure plenty of time to dry out equipment and drink a final beer before the journey home the following day.

Mark, Simon & Derek

With points sharpened the team returned to Scotland in time for the arrival of winter conditions.