Club News

Club News

Kapadia Interviews Go Online

Kapadia Interviews Go Online

Alpine Club member and Editor of the Himalayan Journal Harish Kapadia has, over a period of nearly two decades, conducted interviews with many notable figures from the world of mountaineering. In 2023, Kapadia formally made a gift of these recordings to the Alpine Club Library.

From December 2023 onwards, we will be releasing these interviews once a week via our YouTube channel so that they can be enjoyed by mountain-enthusiasts throughout the world. Episodes will release on Thursday mornings UK time. If you subscribe to the channel, you will receive a notification when new episodes go live.

The first episode, an interview with Sir Chris Bonington conducted in March 2008, is now online and can be watched below. In the recording, Sir Chris discusses his personal journey into climbing, his 1970 expedition to the south face of Annapurna, the evolution in Himalayan style from siege to alpine and his experience of managing mountaineering teams in a leadership role.

 

 

 The Alpine Club Library holds a wealth of mountaineering material to which we are very pleased to add these recordings.

 

 

 

Mont Blanc: The Summit Paintings - Grand Opening

Mont Blanc: The Summit Paintings - Grand Opening

In the summer of 2022, artist and AC member James Hart Dyke retraced the footsteps of famed mountain artist Gabriel Loppé. His aim? To paint as Loppé had, capturing the sunset view from the summit of Mont Blanc. In the process, James produced a series of paintings which captured his journey, including two works carried out from the summit itself. 

James at work on Mont Blanc

On 5 December 2023, James's latest exhibition 'Mont Blanc: The Summit Paintings' will open at the Alpine Club's Charlotte Road premises, where his pictures from the climb will hang alongside one of Loppé's original summit paintings from 150 years ago. There will be the opportunity to meet James and to hear him discuss the experience of painting at altitude in a Q&A with the Club's Honorary Keeper of Pictures, William Mitchell.

The event is free to attend and open to all, but we do ask that you register your intention to attend using the form below.

Doors will open at 7PM for a 7:30PM start.

The exhibition will run from 28 November 2023 to 31 January 2024. Details on how to visit are available here.

 

 

 

 

 

Alpine Club partners with the Jonathan Conville Memorial Trust to Provide Mountain Safety Instruction to Young People

Alpine Club partners with the Jonathan Conville Memorial Trust to Provide Mountain Safety Instruction to Young People

From 2024, the Alpine Club will support the work of the Jonathan Conville Memorial Trust through an annual donation that will provide 10 places on the JCMT’s Summer Alpine Course.

The Jonathan Conville Memorial Trust, founded following the death of mountaineer Jonathan Conville in 1979 has, over the past 44 years, provided more than 5,000 subsidised places on introductory training courses in North Wales, the Alps, and Scotland. Their work has equipped generations of young climbers with the skills they need to enjoy the mountains safely.

As the largest organisation representing alpine climbers in the UK, the Alpine Club, which was founded in 1857, has many members who took their first steps into the mountains under the supervision of the JCMT. To recognise that long-standing relationship and to ensure that future generations of enthusiastic young alpinists can start their alpine careers on the best possible footing, the AC has committed to provide financial support for the Trust’s ongoing work.

Alpine Club President Simon Richardson said:

“Together, the Jonathan Conville Memorial Trust and the Alpine Club have both made huge contributions to British alpinism. This is a natural partnership that not only allows young climbers to get the early support they need, but hopefully also demonstrates a path to future progression and many years of successful climbing through the Alpine Club”.

Neil McAdie, Chair of Trustees for the JCMT said:

“We’re extremely grateful to the Alpine Club for their generous commitment to fund an annual ten places on our Summer Alpine Course. These courses are life-changing experiences for many of our attendees and donations like this allow us to continue offering that experience into the future.”

 

You can learn more about the Alpine Club at www.alpineclub.org and you can donate to the ongoing work of the Jonathan Conville Memorial Trust at www.jcmt.org.uk.   

 

 

 

Ramsden and Miller Make the First Ascent of Surma-Sarovar (6605m)

Ramsden and Miller Make the First Ascent of Surma-Sarovar (6605m)

Less than a month after being announced as the recipients of a Piolet d'Or for their 2022 ascent of 'The Phantom Line' on Jugal Spire (6563m), Paul Ramsden and Tim Miller have returned from Nepal with another stunning first ascent on an unclimbed peak.

Miller and Ramsden on the Summit - Photo: Paul Ramsden

The pair, along with Hamish Frost and Matt Glenn, travelled to the Salimor Khola in the far west corner of Nepal. The area had seen very few previous visits and the team had limited information and no photos of the valley to help with their planning. Howerver, what they saw on Google Earth looked promising and ultimately, the huge effort required to reach the valley proved worthwhile.

Over fours days, Ramsden and Miller established a route to the summit of the previously unclimbed Surma-Sarovar (6605m). Their route climbed the mountain's colossal north face which stretches for 2km above the valley floor. Miller noted that the route's major difficulties involved crossing a rock band between 6000 and 6250m. After this, the weather turned and the pair summitted in poor conditions before starting a complex descent, made more hazardous by the fresh snow. The whole descent, which involved downclimbing a long ridge, took two days.

The line of ascent (right) and descent (left) Note: The image does not show the entirety of the north face - Photo: Hamish Frost

Commenting on the expedition experience overall, Miller said: "The social aspect of being a team of four was definitely the highlight for me and we all agreed that it was the wildest trip we had ever been on."

Glenn and Frost made attempts on two adjacent peaks, but on both occasions were forced to retreat in the face of poor conditions.

The expedition was supported by both the Montane Alpine Club Climbing Fund and a grant from the Mount Everest Foundation.