LOMOND

MOUNTAINEERING CLUB ;

JOURNAL

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ot

EDITORIAL

Here, at long last, is Lomond Journal No.ll.

, lt is almost nine months since the last Journal

appeared on the news-stands, and I trust that your long vigil may be compensated by the pleasure of reading the excellent articles by fellow-members to whom many thanks are tendered.

Ihe reason for the delay is a simple one, and one which we all regret. i refer, of oourso, to the emigration of our Editor, Joe Hutton. On October 29th, 1943, in company with Tommy McGinnis, he flew to Canada, there to start life afresh. E am sure that everyone will join with me in wishing them all the very best of luck in their venture,

And now let me say "Thank you" to those who helped me to produce this Journal =

To Sam Drysdole and George Fraser who gave valuable assistance and experience,

lo Nancy Sinclair for her striking cover design.

Io Mae Duncan for tho typewriting and final Printings | |

Gent. MoDOUGALL Editor.

AUSTRIAN HOLIDAY

As the train drew out OT Innsbruck , leaving the igna dE benind; l had the unaccountable feeling that I would prefer to be going home rather than south to the Otztal for another six days' holiday. . So enjoyable hed iw the days at Ehrwald and so good the company, that it seemed that anything else would be anti-elimax. : |

in such a state of mind, I had little interest in the picturesque landscape flashing past the carriage window or in the animated scenes at the frequent stops. Changing into the bus for Solden, I was soon jolted out of. my day-dreaming.

Austrian drivers are never egi and to the normal disregard for the conventions of the &d, this individual Saeed: wore. pian 6 lITUlo incompetence. He proclaimed airily

that Lt was his first time out on such a vehicle, and proceeded

to demonstrate. the truth of his statement.

lu was impossible to remain indifferent EAS such

circumstances, and the method of our progress made the tortuous

road even more spectacular. Ihe. eye ,either drawn upward to Some snow-clad peak = pe down to the dizzy depths of a

ravine, was never at St, and gradually I decided that there

might be something is esd remaining days.

Iie” Lee lord 5t the Hore? Post, despite the fact I

it was evening; greeted. me with the Words "Good Morning; how

are you?" and. was rather disconcerted when I answered. He had evidently no idea that a reply was needed and I learned

Llater.to keep sil de when, on frequent UP UR RUE, he used the

same salutation:

The village, cling ging vo the hillside, was full of odd corners, many of which I tried [us record as farthtully as possible. That afternoon I spent climbing one of the nearer peaks to get a view of the country round about and make further photographs. : being alone, the only Wey oi tackling any of the more dirlloult peaks was to hiré a guide. My German was barely sufficient to explain to mine host that what I wanted was a companion rather than a guide, but eventually he grasped my. meaning and announced that he would get just the man, the best guide in the valley.

As good as his word, he informed me, an hour later,

that Kneissl would arrive &t- three o SERTE and that a "cheep" - or so it sounded to me = would take us up the valley. This last word puzzled me but, as I had already discovered, with German words the best way was to.wait and see.

reo

Cee SS ee Oa oe Comm.

Austrian Holidey (cont.)

At three o'clock the guide duly arrived, a rosy-cheeked man whose age might have been anywhere between forty and Sixty. Half-an-hour and a quarter litre of red wine later, my curiosity was satisfied when a jeep drew up outside. |

ud

Before we reached our destination, this willing little vehicle had ten people clinging to it, while behind dragged a trailer with all our. gear and supplies for the valley. URG its advent, transport had been by pack-mule in summer and sleigh in winter. he road, constantly swept by avalanches during the thaw, was sketchy in the extreme, and brought out the best qualities in both driver and car.

From Vent, the highest village in the valley, we plodded up to the Breslauer Hut in the gloaming of a beautiful evening which presaged, according to my companion, good weather for several days. Already we were on the best of terms, and he showed a willingness to talk interestingly on a variety of subjects which made him good company. Plans were made for a traverse of the Wildspitz on the morrow, descending to the Braunschweiger Hut, and in no time at all we had reached our destination. :

On awakening next morning, I was at once conscious that it was brighter than it should have been, and a glance outside confirmed my fears. Six inches of new snow lay everywhere, and mist blotted out everything. Disconsolately, I went down to breakfast, only to find Kneissl confident that it would yet be a good day. |

After a leisurely meal we set off, still in dense mist which, however, had a luminous quality suggesting that the sun wasn't far away. Much to my relief, our plans were to hold, and we made tracks for the South West Ridge with the remark that the ordinary route was only for old women. _

Still in mist, we struck up over broken ground to the crest of the ridge, which consisted of curving edges of snow intersected by rocky towers. The snow, being fresh, was piled up in authentic knife edges along which we trod delicately, especially on the descending portions where the eyes, plunging downwards through the thinning mist, gave a realisation of the oiriness of the situation. |

Only one of the rock sections was anything approaching difficult, the far wall of o chimney some sixty Feet high. Stepping into and across the chimney, the whole of the gully was Visible, with a dark break indicating the bergschrund = waiting to réceive anything which fell down it.

Enormous holds in sound rock made the prospect an enjoyable one, and soon led to the top, and Irom there, scrambling up alternate rock and snow took us to the sumni Ue Kneissl «

Austrian Holiday (cont.) | =

fel Ss surprised at our speedy progress, announced that he was going to sleep for an: hour, by which tinc the mist should have óleared and we should See, among other RIRES, the Dolomites. :

hie he de a o re against the sammit cross, l watched the scene around. o as if drawn are “by sone giant hand, the clouds were dispelled, revealing

ow upon row of peaks. go ig , usua 4 when the viewpoint is

heehee than its surroundings, t their size was dwarfed, but none che less, the panorama of rock and snow, dappled by the shadows of tae low remaining clouds, was an impressive one.

The clouds to the South-East Stubbornl y refused to part, but for a few seconds a break showed and. through it the fantastic shapes of the Dolomites were to be “Seen. TNEI? sudden appearance and equally sudden disappearance seemed to heighten the nightmare quality of these astounding peaks,

Te the gigas we were soon on the gla acier; well covered in new snow. Making & fresh track over it, we success.ully negotiated the crevassed sections to the

Braunschweiger Hut for a welcone drun-up..

Contrary to all the talos, the guide was.in no hurry, and” suggest Led that we wait till tho eool-of the evening before Garry dS. XL. Accordingly, we.resunod our way at five-thirty and the lights of Solden were beckoning. to us for the last taree-quarters of our walk downhill. 3

Next norning the weather was mil and truly broken, and I had reason. vo feel pleased that I'd snatched these two fine ARFS e ur E now takes its place among my | memories and is, I hope, the beginning of & closer acquaintance with the peaks of that district.

Se DRYSDALE.

GLEN NEVIS FOOTBRIDGE

At long last, something is being done to provide a footbridge across the River Nevis near the Youth Hostel. Pans had been.prepared for a bridge in steel, but permits coula not be obtained for the quantity required, and an up- aoe ;he-minute alternative is a bridge in aluminium alloy.

imilar to that recently. erected by “the Cairngorm Club, but lo The cost- ot such à bridge is estimated at £600 and the S, Y. Ha E who are sponsoring the scheme, have launched an appsel for funds |

WESTER ROSS

In July '48 Archie Kay, my wife, young Robbie and myself arrived at Achnashellach. We went over the Coulags Glen; climbing Moz all Chean Dearg and An Ruadh Stac again. This was our first visit to these peaks for quite some tine and, as I have already said in a previous journal, the former mountain, Meall Chean, Dearg, has probably the finest view- point in all Ross-shire. We then nade our way across Less

rough moorland to Glen Torridon.

Bad weather, and the necessity to obtain provisions to

augnuent our meagre supply of food, kept us from clinbing for

sone days. And then Archie had the misfortune to upset a billy-can of boiling water over his foot. It was quite & bad burn, so we had to wait yet another couple of days before doing any olinbing.

Friday came, and with it, brilliant sunshine. 9o, in the carly morning, we all set off up Beinn Eighe, Archie clinbine well 2h spite ot his bad foot, Going up, he | stripped to the waist, but he soon put his clothes on when we net with a strong wind and cold rain on the summit ridge. The pinnacles of Beinn Eighe were climbed in the worst Of weather, and with their rocks being loose, we did not enjoy then very much. We then traversed the long, rough ridge to the highest point, Stac Ruadh Mor and descended the steep screesslopcs of Coire Mhic Fhearcher. Thio corric is described as the wildest in Scotland, and so it appeared to us, looking at its rocky buttresses rising sheer fron the

-corrie floor with its lochan surrounded ny massive slabs and

the overflow of the lochan cascading down a series of huge rock steps. The walk back through the Corrie Dhu, past the northern flanks of lovely Liathach, was accomplished in sun- shine, and it was a very weary party which eventually arrived back at canp aiter a long and satisfying i.

After a few more days of bad weather, we rose early. one morning and made for the eastern slopes of. Liathach We climbec in sunshine, but nist hung heavily on the sumit ridge and we only received occasional glimpses of the road and Loch Torridon fer beneath us. Liathach is a delightful nountain with steep sides to the north and south, and a TALUL narrow ridge interspersed with sharp pinnacles. West of the highest top; Spidean A'Choire Liath, there is a series of inkopaehi ne pinnacles. They are composed of sandstone and have fine holds. Though not as sensational as the guide book pictures thon, they would be quite spectacular under SnOWe |

During the renainder of our holiday, Fionn Bhean at Achnasheen and "TR io Fannichs" from Loch Luichart were . visited, ana IL this they are worthy of separate mention in

a later Journal .

Re HUTCHISON.

im

IRELAND

On descending Carrantuchill (3414 ft.) on the Maegillycuddy's Reeks, I got & glinpse of a very large pinnacle which attracted ne very nuch. Inquiring at the local tavern, l discovered that they called it the Hag's Tooth "an! sure, sorr, there isn't nobady at aal been on bOp BV LE, "Well", I replied, "I'll be back next year add d a EG |

So in the summer of '48, back we went to Killarney, got Paddy S ponies at the Gap of Dunloe and, well loaded with grub, set off into the hilis. On the way, Paddy, who does & wee bit of mountain guiding, told me of an Englishnan whon he once took up Carrantuchi Lr. He wanted Paddy to lead hin up the Tooth. "No, no", said Paddy, "Yez can go yersel. eee à BULGE s i'll be after Watching ye tron below",

We. left Paddy and the-ponies at an old do and started.our Sot up the Glen until we found an ideal canp Site beside a very beautiful lochan. There was plenty of firewood ‘consisting of old tree stumps and roots lying about ln proiusion. And there, right above us, stood the Hag' Toothe ys ^s

NO, next morning off wo set, scrambling rapidly up the steep hillside till we reached the base of the Tooth. We could have contoured a. little and found a shorter route to

Lts surat, but l wished te ollnb it direct. The first few pitches were well broken up with plenty of vegetation, but further up the rock inproved. We next caue to & series of shelves, all of which seemed to be overhung, but which always had ‘an escape.

We were now thrée-qua ters of the way up and, on looking back down, I noticed a large party of tourists,

conunplete with guide. We gave then & shout and & friendiy WAVG a They answered us and settled down in confort to

spectatee SO With an audience to spur is, we set off again an fine su le, Two more pitches fell, and we were right below the summit on a ledge with seemingly no escape. eae the left it petered out at an exposed face with small holds, and to the right-was a very nasty looking corner. There we were, stuck, with an audience watching our every nove.

Taking a deep breath, and making sure I was well belayed,

I climbed out to the corner Where, glory be, i found & little CAINE ys I nanaged.up this with a considerable struggle and scovered I was on the final slope. My second man cane up panting, and in a few more minutes we were on the top of the

Hag's Tooth.

what a cheer we got. from below, and what a feeling of triumph we experienced! The actual top was small, and there was only & short descent to the other side. In fact, the Tooth could be clinbed fairly corlortably by this back route.

Later /

Ireland (cont. )

Later in the day, going down the Glen, I met the guide and the party of tourists and, though he was pleased that we had succeeded in clinbing the Tooth, I think he was a little bit piqued that the highspot of his spiel was now denied hin. His vaunted "Inaccessible Peak" had at tong last been . conque ered.

E ee de HARVEY, $33535595$5555355 jo e E RABBURN'S BUTTRESS l had an anbition - quite B lorvty One TOO Y... NING hundrod feet of it. | I |

It all started back in the April of '42 when Gs Prager and l1 spent that glorious week at Nevis, DIDI TO Gisappearing

‘ince! tho RAF, "That wes the week when it didn't rain on

Nevis, when the sun shone every day and the mountain was. equal parts of perfect climbing snow and dry warm rock. This was when you coul stand on the summit snows and gaze into the o of the sky where the blue wes so blue that it was going

1 black if you looked long enough, and you were aware of the say rere of space beyond the linits of colour - the week when

you could do a comfortable rock climb and then glissade over

the shoulder .of Carn Dears almost to the door of your tent at he edge of Lochan Meall an Tsuid - the drean week.

The clinbing gane was still new to us then. We knew

that we nast clinb, but we knew very little else about it.

We had.a rope, and we scrambled around learning how to use it. We also had ambitions. Mine was in the shape of a Buttress - one which has the appearance of an oversized church steeple leaning against a suitably proportioned wall - Raeburn's

Buttress to be exact. I conceived an aspiration to clin this. | | |

The book said it was "Severe", re pe. vilewinc it fron the easy Ledge Route, it looked inpossible! "Sole d sisser.

I said, and turned my back on the mountains for the next five. yosnro,. - DIT ever cia) Du ny nind from then, for always there was with ise uu menory of that glorious week and the joy we had known in discovering the sport of sports. And always there was the vi 51 0ri of the Buttress, massive and gracefully tapering, knowing no freezing rain or wreathing nists.

Silent, complacent,basking in the sunshine of menory.

That was how it wa in tiie onile Ol '424 Since then, Nevis has shown nd other sid es to his nature, but there was a day in the summer of 'AS when he turned on the '42 mood. : That was the day when, with club menber J. Murray, and a tittie nore experience then before, 1 sot out to-tackle this old anbition of mine. Murray also wanted to do this climb LOT

fo

Raeburn! s Buttress (cont.)

for the very good reason that this was the one he was at in the course of his going over all the Nevis "Severes", working from right to iorri z

. But my Buttress had been intruded upon in my absence = & new route had been made up the front of it by another party. This I noted with some slight resentment, because my Buttress was no longer the same as the one of my dreams. However, insufficient information was available on the new route, so up we went by Raeburn’ S original one,

Up by ihe two hu uds fcot gully- cum-chimney ~ pull up the steep wall to the right, into the wet cave with the chockstone belay - across the delicate sloping step and over the vertical wall to the crest of the Buttress proper - time for a smoro and a look round = rattle up over the broken rocks to where the Buttress narrows to a spire - a good belay and a strenuous pull up, slightly overhanging, to “he knife edge of the summit overlooking an exhilarating exposure of a vertical nine hundred feet.

Reeburn's Buttress had not failed me!! The resl- isation was equal to the Md E That other party Was forgiven.

Yes, this now route follows a prominent crack right up the front of the lower Buttress where Raeburn's route takes the nasty gully to the left. It is a clear, exposed and attractive-looking route. It was done in 1943 and has not been repeated since. — | :

There has been a recent rock fall at the place where you traversed out from “the lower sully into the start of the crack, and you will now have to find your own route to this point. : | :

And iE have an se cl dy w oe a E oe We CARR. S§S$SSSSHsssssssss MOUNTAIN RESCUE Just a short note to remind all members that A. Slack still requires names of volunteers for rescue-work. Ad

is understood he has only a few members and would like some more to complete the list.

THE CLUB BUS.

milium of PES Que learn “at Soak hand OT pens IS

journeys to ond from the mountains? . Probably. they have a picture in their mind's eye oi & sta andard vehicle, carrying an always. consté ut. number E passengers on a journey which id'merély a means to an end. Perha»s they imagine thirty- two people in two neat double rows, conversing quietly or TOER ep. the pa gene Scene. E GONE UE cM ;

“Yes, Sie might be. Adest Du. Sometimes it is. Often the double rows are-neither neat nor quiet, and for- severol months during the winter, the passing scene is not Vilslbloa . Avon “the pug" J tecit TES rather. 3-dotteorys varying from a softly-lit well-sprung luxury vehicle to a rack- -less, comfortless box. On the outward Journey , comfort matters little, but, after a tiring day ; soft cushions and plenty of ies room- meen much - especially to,a ski-ing novice a ay RAE | ue

! But whatever the condition of the bus, for a few short hours each week-end it becomes a meeting place where old friends can greet each other and new friends are made quickly. To town-dwolling coun dry fuvevs wno travel to work each day by this mode of transport, the mmm journey is as welcome as an oasis in an arid Waste :

Many end varied are the pictures conjured up by a survey of Saturday evening runs, and it would perhaps not be politic to enlarge on some of them in print. One member... keeps reminding us to "drop the veneer" - but few need that admonition. By the time twenty-nine bodies, twenty-nine large rucksacks, twenty-nine pairs of skis, twenty-nine pairs ena sticks and sundry tents, ropes and other articles are pushed, squeezed, balanced and kicked into some semblance of order, there is very little polis jh OF any kind left.

Sometimes the journey is enlivened by an epic poem: or an argument, depending on the mood. Often plans are made or the day's-activities recalled. Perhaps the most pleasant times are those rare occasions-when everyone agrees to. sing the, same song at the same time and we have Orpheus-like renderings of. incomparable nostalgi ic Gaelic melodies, and although the present heroine seems to be a girl called "Queenie", there is no doubt thet she and her ilk will never oust the Floras, Mairis and Jeanies from the songs of the climbers. PE i

That then is "The Pus", About “per Trees” ss T. well, perhaps another day.

NEW YEAR 1940/49 |.

We arrived in Aviemore at 4-o'clock on a dark December morning, and stood entranced at the vision of. snow. on the. ground and snow gently falling It was the realisation of all our hopes and dreams for a “white Hogmanay - in sharp contrast to the previous New Year which we had spent frozen and miserable, hounded oa cd to post, and drenched With Ley rain. ! | 3

pam Drysdnis ud I were the first of a- fairly large |

party intending to see the New Year in at Clach Bharraig, and

we had'left Glasgow at 10 o'clock on December 28th with Skis, 1Ce~axes, a. seven days’ pack cscecseesvese and two ‘bicycles. Outside Aviemore Station we prepared for the six mile road journey to Glenmore Lodge. We strapped the skis and ice- axes to the frames, put our packs on and, mounting the bikes, we pushed off = or rather, fell off! I hadn't ridden a bike for a long time, and this was no ordinary thing of steel, fashioned by men; it was alive, it had a mind and a Will of its own; the filthy brute was possessed of an evil Spirit. We. would travel smoothly for a short distance, then, when I was lulled into a sense of false security, it would switch its tail, buck like a mad horse, and we would wrestle desperately for control of the handle-bars. . For six long weary miles we fought a running battle, and every time we stopped, on Fe. I would discover that it had - cunningly interfered with the lever of the gear-change, so that as soon as I p ny foot on the a off came the chain!

After the first mile, ie ue assumed a ees marish aspect, and: by the time we reached Glenmore, a numb- ness, caused by the agonisingly heavy rucksack, had. spread over the whole of my nervous system. We eventually reached Clach Bharraig about.8 a.m., just as the first pale rags of dawn — the eastern sky.

We slept nost of that e the Wednesday, and arose in the late afternoon, when we went down to the Lodge and found stables for the bikes. It was a windy day, and snow fell almost continuously. Back in the bothy, we cooked a gargantuan. meal of five courses, then decided to pass the evening talking in. the comfort of our sleeping bags. I can remember Sam saying "I wonder if we'll be snowed in tomorrow" then his voice tailed LONE in a second we both fell sound asleep.

Thursday-came, and the gale was at ek kis. south cones being hoisted frantically all over the country. We went up towards Coire Cas, where, though the snow was still falling, we found odd places where the wind had packed it hard, giving a fairly good ski-ing surface. But ski-ing is a tricky business in a. high wind with a visibility. of two inches - my specs had iced up! 90, after a couple of hours wá : | | $

New Year 1949/49 (cont.)

we came back, ate a brend-a jd me — " and then cycled down to Aviemore. where we had pot-luck at the. Pot-Luück, und see arranged transport: for the) rest of the pa rty, due the: following nights 'We rode back in state tO. Glenmore in the a d ue shooting bre akes |

PI des the er "eed. add. poking an enquiring eye. out of the sleeping bag we could see, through the numerous cracks in the walls,.clear blue skies and a pale winter sunlight

shimmering. on the snow... Up the hill we went, into a new.

wortEd;.-& World where sun and snow: dagzled the eyé, where the:

multi-coloured crystals. gleane d and.glittered like pure cold

diamonds; va world of silence broken only by the musical; crunch of boots On snow and. then later by the soft Hiss aah skis racing over the hard surface, The hours fled past a

we skied up and: down and over the hills and. through the soc where the young pines ‘stood, their arns drooping under a white blanket.too heavy DT, their immature strength... The. light. gradua liy faded, the blue: of sky deepened to a mystical purple, the Lights din the houses of Aviemore twinkled a welcone

ido. n the oe ee darkness.

In Aviemore we had tea and welconed m eight olub-- members who arrived about seven o'clock fron Glasgow. .'" We all went UE. to Glenmore on the es BORE LOST. Ae END

“Clach ere dg the T evening Was a shanbles. “Where. — before two of us had lived in confort, there were now ten. weary bodies feverishly cooking in a space ten feet by four- teen feet, with packs littering the: floor; wet clothes dripping and ten ‘pairs of skis stacked perilously against. the walls): - After the hasty- meal, a gerblance of order appeared, and towa ion midnight, we, settled down and pm to we leone the New ar in the time-honoured tradition.

I'll draw & veil over the rest of the proceedings: sufficient: to say that the bottle was well punished, and a EOD WIEN a. was had by add :

The ilTsl day OX- 1949 came in bright. and clear, and the others went up the hill while I went down. to Avienore tÒ welcone the last enber of the party» ås another had |

“arrived hie | ee that made twelve - and to make

pandemonium complete, “EWO Edinburgh lads drópped in on USe Fourteen in a space. fourteen by ten! When we got to bed that night (after another wee party and a sing Ew were packed as tight as. sardines, and had to play. the ola. NOE! gane of DERE thapa: by nunbers"i a

Sunday WAS & £ zrand day. We a E A Qui ded

behind the hut, and there we.stayed all day: in spite of.

internittent snow showers. We, contrived a slalon SOUR o using empty gin. and brandy Dotted. i n place of the nore:

ed aedi flags, and we ran this course till the snow round the

13 New Year 1948/49 (cont.) oe

the bottles was banked up like the camber on a scenic rair- WAY e And go, with occasional straight hell-for-leather — races, we passed the day. ! | | |

| That was Sunday, and ny last day, for on the Monday morning, with two others, I packed and went down to Aviemore for the fourth and fast. tine. lt had been a menorable holiday and.the finest New Year I've ever spent.

B.S. McDOUGALL 58565656585$5555555

SIEGFRIED AND SAAS FEE

We net Siegfried on the postal bus during the journey fron Stalden to Saas Grund. He was returning from Brique after having had a tooth extracted, there being no other dentist, available in the Saasthal.

Siegfried was of average height, wiry built, spoke English, had a most infectious smile and a humorous twinkle in nis eye. His face, neck and hands were burned a’ deep mahogany brown and he looked exceedingly fit. We spoke of climbing = ny home-made axe coming in ior sone. jesting comment because of its weight - and we Learned that besides being a guide, Siegfried was also the head forester. | Before we parted in Saas Fee, which is reached by a mule- track from Saas Grund, we had gained a lot of local information, including a grand camping site anongst beautiful tall larches of great age. Also, we had promised to. consider utilising Siegifried's services as guide onan expedition to the Nacelhorn or Lenzspitze, the Dom being inpracticable from Saas Fee for at Least ten days yet, due to the recent. bad weather and fresh snows.

The next two days were spent in expeditions to Saas Alnagell and the Bidenalp, but I.could see that Willie Russell was getting a bit restive, so one evening in Saas Fee we fixed up With Siegfried to start off the following dey for the Nadelhorn, the party to consist.of the guide, Willie Russell, a lone English bachelor (Husband by name) and myself.

Winnie was to accompany us as far. as the Uischabel Hut.

Off we set the following afternoon. I was put in the lead on the track to the Uischabel Hut, probably on account of ny short legs. However, Siegfried was very pleased with the tine taken by the party, and in 3$ hours we reached the

hut, ‘a.saall but very clean anà very confortable place

perched on rocks looking straight down to Saas Fee, about 5,000 feet below.

The f

Siegfried and Saas Fee (cont.)

Ihe weather seemed to be worsening, and when we bedded down Or ihe nilisHt on our communal couch, lI, lor ono, had- doubts about getting a climb at all. oeigfried, however,

remained optinistio. -

And he was justified, for at 2 a.m. when we wakened and looked out of the window, the moon was riding high in the sky, bathing rock pinnacle and ice and snow alike in an unearthly silver radiance. An hour.later we set off up the rocky ridge until we came in full view. of. the Nadelhorn and Lenzspitz, when we roped to cross the glacier which was covered with the recent snows. oteady plodding across the glacier’ and up the snow slopes to the col brought us wonderful views of the sunrise over a sea of cloud, the Pig Bernina sticking up.like a rocky island. The ridge we followed grew narrower, there was uore rock and less snow, and although no serious technical difficulties were encountered, care had to be taken, and at last cane the nonent when we realised we had gained our objective. We were on the sumit of the Nadelhorn, 14,200 feet above sea level. The panorana was indescribable - north, south, east and west, wherever the eye roamed there were mountains, glaciers, snowfields, set against sky and cloud. |

Willie and I were both pleased that we had no physical disconfort, although Hubby wes showing sone signs of wear and tear. We all had a spot of cherry brandy, took nore photo-

graphs (sone ih. colour) anc then began the descent.

We-were, enveloped in nist on the glacier,. but stuck to our incoming tracks and crossed safely, although little fissures were now showing here and there. After a hearty meal in the hut, supplemented by a bottle of wine supplied by Winnie to celebrate the occasion, we continued the descent in rain to Saas Fee, which we reached safely in’ the late afternoon. nu

Siegfried complimented the party on its showing, and suggested we should clinb the Allalinhorn guideless, and take Winnie along. This was done a few days later with Willie Russell as guide, unpaid. Hubby was in grand form, and again we had the wonderful experience of climbing in noon- light, watching the marvellous sunrise, and reaching our peak.

elightful place

In retrospect, I consider Saas Fee a dà | an ideal companion

for an Alpine holiday, and Sie fried Bunann on the mountains.

J. SHANKS.

- CLUB NOTES. -

Office-Bearers,

: Office-bearers elected at the Annuel General Meeting are as Lollows:- dac a ee eee |

President ^ Je Harvey | Vice-President Mes. M. Haining. - Secretary - G.A. Fraser. Treasurer - S. Drysdale Journel Editor —-cOEG.-MobDougall. | : | eru = Ha suey: A. Hutchison

J. Haining

auditors ~ A Back. | ea a - Delegates to A.S.C.C. - Pel. McGeoch. renew = CU lg Ninlin.

Gornmititoeog.

Convener - Ås Slack. Comittee. - Messrs. W. Gordon, E.S. McDougall, Se | d. Stevenson; Misses M.W.Ferguson; B.E. Sinclslre ia ie Oe

Transport

Convener = ke Russell. i Connittee = Messrs. F. Huggins, J. Allison, | CP. ocatford; Miss N. Parker.

Club Roons

tte oca ans P"ORÉ Reet! SEE Me aepes cum coues Sere PSS geery EEE Gee Core zed o sae iesus Se MM aed ->

New Menbers.

We have much pleasure in welcoming to the Club the 1948 crop of new members. They are - |. |

Messrs. J. Brabender 31,91, 48} W.H. Dickie 3/ 3/ 48. | d. Murray Tl Af £8 W. Mackie 5/5/48

Je Haniiton (2/6/48). @. McDonald (2/65/49

J. Allison 15 19740 W.S. Beattie (6/10/48

Ås Gornlie 6/ 10/ 48 J. McLennan 6/ 10/ 48

Ra Brew — 1015 4B I. Burne UU Io 49

Misses M. Morris

da Hanilbon

(3/13/48)

== CLUB NOT DS ~~ Club ROOMS o

During the first few months of 1948 we-had no thought but that our Club rooms in Waterloo Street were permanent. But in April, dire rumours spread, and in May our worst fears were confirmed - we had to "up and siti" oo members of the Club were to be seen, complete with stethoscope, haunting factors' offices and peering through their keyholes.

We are, however, very fortunate in having an Hon. Pres, who hob-nobs with the powers-—behind-the-throne in the estate

agents' world. An acquaintanceship with Mr. A.E. Pickard led to-us being housed in our present rooms , and we entered invo Lormal occupation on the first week in June. since

then, a few odd pounds (or was it tons?) of elbow. grease

have transformed them to the cosy meeting place they are now, and Willis Russelt would like to thank all Midas Who e 4s ood the e: ld pe greases . But he issues a note of warning There is still some work to be done, and heh vibudm like to See one small room rigged up as a ski-store and the other made.

into a committee room.

Thanks are due to Margaret Morris who supplied us with the table tennis board at a tax ean price. yam Drysdale hopes to arrange -e tournament to be run off. on Friday evenings. ;

5§5559850056598

pegs Functions.

The Annual Dance this year proved an even bigger success than its predecessors, and members and friends enjoyed. them— selves immensely Hela in.Cranston's Tea Rooms instead of our usual haurit, the Prince of Wales, the organisers were gratified by the large and unusually early turn-out. A

private licence added to the. happy atmosphere of e UK

and dancing (and drinking) cont inued to a late Hours

"The first Annual Smoker was a memorable occasion. The idea of a smoker had been sponsored for a long time by P. McGeoch, ond he and his &d-hoo- committee saw ive fUÍTIOR- on November Leth. The programme or Toasts and speeches was religiously adhered to, the only interruptions being caused by the gentle subsidence of a few weaker brethren who were solemnly .and-devoutly escorted to the wee room, there, no doubt, to meditate on the sins of moderation and temperance. The Whole affair was on unqualified . success and seems to have instituted a new tradition. E i : : |

: 56$699595555665

- CLUB NOTES - x m ST MIC acia SE I a. >

Lib rary $9

tne library is at last to be run efficiently. Mr.-R. Brown has taken over the job and is endeavouring to trace books on loan to members, and to build up a complete OASEPTPAIY. . À donation of any mountaineering book, in any

Shape of condition, would be appreciated.

Lantern Lectures.

Ine winter season.of lectures is now at itg peak and

Willie Russell is to be congratuleted on & varied and highly entertaining programme. ^ It opened on October 20th,. when

We were treated to that old favourite "The White Hell of Pitz Palu", then on November 17th we had an illustrated talk With the-COlub" by the Hon. President, in which he traced the growth of the Club since its inception "'way back in the good. old days", SS ea

The next lecturer was Sam Drysdale who,on 15th December, gave us some impressions of his holidays in Austria, with the aid of some really good colour slides. | :

| On 2nd December we had the pleasure of hearing Miss Ann Sherriff give an illustrated talk on-her Swiss holidays. Due $0.8 slight acc her slides for an “Alpine Summer"

: | x 9

lecture were misplaced, but she promises us the pleasure of

seerne them in the near future,

This was followed on 19th January by a lantern lecture from T. Weir on the "Extreme North West", when he dealt with a region which, although not so well.known to ug as Glencoe, Skye, etc., nevertheless holds a very real fascination.

fhe tiat TOY the Temel is not yet complete, but we.c t diverse and as interesting as ¢ ible. Willie Russell, Wao 8 arans ne this, will le S have fuller details at a later date. At the moment he has two nights booked — one on l6th February, a lecture by Scott Johnston on the Geology of Scottish Mountains, an another, a musical evening on 25th February with works by Wagner and Sibelius. The latter Will be presented by Jimmy Gilmour. .: | | |

L

Keep your eyes on the notice board for further dates.

Exhibition of Prints. : Ine Exhibition of Prints was held from December 17th to > e4th, and we thank members of the Rooms Committee and all Who

helped to arrange and mount the photographs.. Scenes of Scottish hills were well to the fore and there were some — Superb views of Swiss and Austrian peaks. ..Àn unusual —

feature of this year's exhibition was the "Criticism of Prints" by D. Henderson. | E

frost before we arrived, whereas those who s the bus had a.week of exceptionally wild weather to endure.

- CLUB NOTES -

Co ES A eS 0i

Climbing Meets in 1948.

the January bus runs were largely devoted to ski-ing, and in the middle of the month the show extended right down to the roads although the mist interfered with visibility. The Club skied at Lawers, Glen lyon, Ba and Ben Dubhorsig, the last named trip being marred by & downpour about 3 p.m. which drenched everyone and gave the bus the atmosphere of a '"stesmie',.

During February, the ski~ing progressively improved.

though the snow retreated. On the 22nd, the Club occupied Ba

and enjoyed some of the best ski-ing of the season. This rau of good weather continued into March, the Friday night run to Glenshee on the 5th being a conspicuous success, with a superb day on Saturday, followed by drizzle on the Sunday. The following week showed a great retreat of the snow-line and only the steep-snow skiers braved the slopes of Meall a Bhuiridh. This week the rock climbers returned to the attack on the Buchaille. Ihe next. week provided poor weather for Cruachan, but on the 26th the Club was fortunate for'once in its selection of Easter resorts, for the northern. slopes of Cairn- gorm provided ample sport for the 60 skiers and hill-walkers we transported there. Those members who preceded the buses were doubly fortunate, for they had several days of strong sun and tayed behind after

April started cold and windy and so continued for three weeks while we visited Glencoe week after week. Of 40191 fee the lengthening Saturday evenings made some climbing possible before turning in... The last trip of the month was a Friday night run to.Fort William which provided us with dome of the finest climbing of.the year.-- Route I Carn Dearg was much appreciated, both by.those who climbed it and those who watched irom the 0.1.0. hut door.

Je 23

Ihe most memorable run before the holidays was that to Langdale on the. 1&th June. This was practically an all-member week-end and fine climbing was had on Bowfell and Gimmer Crag, Ihnen, with a last run to Glencoe, the Club split up for the summer holidays. Switzerland, Austria, the Pyrenees and Skye

were among the places visited.

Autumn Club meets were distinguished by the incessant rain and filthy weather. Glencoe, Glenstrae and Cruachan were visited by sodden members, while the short week-end at Ben Aan gave us some delightful rock climbs. the year came to an end with everyone preparing feverishly for the ski-ing season. New skis and sticks were purchased, new bindings fitted; and the large number of skins betokened the enthusiasm of the Club. for Ski-ing. New Year proved this enthusiasm justified, as large falls of snow were reported by members who saw the New Year in at Clach Bharraig, Auch, Glencoe and Glen Affric.

So ended 1946, Let us hope that 1949 will bring ug better weather and even more enjoyable Club neets.

- CLUB NOTES ~

one ae eee

Comings and Goings.

October 1948 saw the enigration of Tommy McGinnis and Joe Hutton to Canada. The news of their intending departure was received with disbelief at first and then, as thé truth was realised, with something akin to disnay. Both were prominent members: of the Club.

Tommy, with his mischievous twinkle and unconquerable Spirit, was known far and wide, and his clinbing technique puc nin im the front prank of Scottish clinbers, while Joe, steady and as firm as the rock he climbed, was ever a firm favourite in. the Club. They will both be nissed,

At the moment they are in Hamilton, Ontario, but plan to Lo travel cross-country to British Columbia to investigate the elinbing and ski~ing there, :

Another departure was that of the lightbodys. ‘Ton

has landed a nice job with the Colonial Or oe if Cyprus,

and will be out ihere for the next two yeers. t€ 50,-all the best Tom, see you in 1951. | es PEN,

lIhere have. been some. changes in the list of Offices Bearers since the 1948 Annual General Meeting. The one which leaps to the eye is. thet caused by the resignation of M. Finlayson from his position as Secretary of the Club. Calum has now been pronoted to the rank of inspector, snd with erine thriving as it is today, he hasn't much free tine. Ine loss of his services is a great one, his enthusiasn and quiet efficiency having stamped hin as a perfect Secretary, de sheped the policy of the Club during the difficult war years, and we are all indebted to hin for helping the Club to attain its present stature. We thank hin and congratulate him om his promotion. We trust that his successor, G. Fraser, will maintain the excellent standard set by Calum, and we shall give hin our fullest support.

Gencué OT eme Meus BE penni Qe FO a in aed A emp DEAS SUA

B uc. ug Icd Do uw 5

SSE aR RS DAMM CS eee ees Comm n c SES eet eee

News has just been received that J. Brabender and W. Gordon are off to Corada shortly for a working holiday, and plan to meet McGinnis and Hutton.

Is this the start of the Lomond Mountaineering Club of Canada? $ee000e0 |

Nancy A-nolairp-is now out of iid bee and her bones are reported as setting nicely, thank you. ohe broke the tibia and the fibula while ski-ing above Black Rock on Fe LIDUEBIV 26th: wisker |

Anyone like to buy & tes pair of Vorlage pants With & blue stripe down the loc? sen Nc o

z IMPORTANT a Tite now ee for you TO plan tlU

article you intend to write for the next issue of the Journal. Cesate

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