From: brendan@buck.ac.uk (Brendan Murphy)
Subject: Re: Alpine Club Symposium
Organization: University of Buckingham
Date: Thu, 19 Nov 92 21:15:27 GMT

In article <CALUM.92Nov17095211@ivy.clu.cf.ac.uk>, calum@ivy.clu.cf.ac.uk
(Calum Gordon) writes:
>
>Went up to North Wales this weekend to find out what the Alpine Club
>"annual symposium" was all about - quite a grand title befitting the
>crusty traditions of this elite club. Typical British snobbery to call
>it "The" Alpine Club as if it's the only one around (aka THE Royal
>Society).

It was the first one though :-)

	[stuff deleted]

>The illustrated talks included:
>
>	- Early British alpine exploration and the first years of the
>	  Alpine Club (hilarious sketches of unlikely situations and a
>	  massive binge on top of Mont Blanc by a Victorian party)
>	- Lesser known areas: Bernine and Bregaglia (two quieter
>	  corners of the Alps boasting many fine routes)
>	- In Monte Viso's Horizon - Some Classic 4000'ers (Will
>	  McLewin - Boardman/Tasker award winner 1992, an 
>  	  account of his experiences climbing four classic 4000'ers)
>	- Some harder classic routes (in the Dolomites, Cross Spur on
>	  the Grand Jorasses, Mont Blanc)
>	- Dauphine region (featuring rock and icefall routes)
>
>All were very good, despite continual problems with the remote
>projector control. Well done to the guy from Barnsley for his
>no-nonsense "not in the club tradition" talk. 

Andy Cave is a no-nonsense sort of guy.  He *is* in the club though :-)

The club is conscious of its poor image amongst people below 80 and is trying
to attract younger activists (difficult because of the healthy anarchic 
tendencies of such people).  Here are some of the benefits as I see them:

o Affiliation to the British Mountaineering Council and therefore access to
  their insurance scheme, et al.
o Free access to the Himalayan Index - a PC database of all Himalayan and
  Karakoram peaks over 6000m compiled from all English speaking journals and
  other sources.  Has anyone heard of anything like this elsewhere?  Shame 
  it's not on the net.
o Access to an excellent library (if you can get down to London).
o Regular speakers (Bonnington, Diemberger, McCartney Snape within the last
  4 months) if you can get down to London...
o A useful annual journal (not as good as the AAJ but improving).
o Discount in Alpine huts (although I don't know many Brits that use them).
o Gear discounts in most shops.
o Alpine guidebook discounts.
o Major discount if attending the annual symposium.
o Membership of a club that represents UK climbing interests abroad (that can
  express the opinion of its members on bolting in Chamonix, for example).

>If the purpose of such
>events is to inspire you to get out there and climb something then
>it must have succeeded. The 1992 Alpine Journal also provides many
>pages of motivation and is worthwhile reading.

The primary purpose of such events in my opinion is to consume vast quantities
of alcohol with a group of like-minded bullshitters.

Brendan
-- 
********************************************************************************
Brendan Murphy					brendan%buck.ac.uk@uknet.ac.uk
Department of Computer Science			Tel: 0280 814080
University of Buckingham, MK18 1EG, UK		Fax: 0280 822245
********************************************************************************

Newsgroups: rec.climbing