ON THE HILLS

1949. – Skye. The Ridge Walk. At midnight on the night of Monday 3rd July Jorgensen and a companion set out from Glenbrittle House. They had taken the precaution of laying a depot of sandwiches at the bottom of Inaccessible Pinnacle the previous Sunday, and had arranged for^a. party carrying a thermos of hot coffee to meet them at Banaihdich at 8.30 a.m. on Tuesday. 

They started the actual ridge walk from Gars-Bheinn at 2.39 a.m. The coffee rendezvous at 8.30 a.m. worked admirably, Jorgensen being two minutes early and the thermos four minutes late in misty weather which continued during the morning and was responsible for a slight error in navigation on Bidein Druim nan Ramh at 11.30 a.m.

The climb from the foot to the summit of Bhasteir Tooth took 32 minutes, using Naismith’s Route, and Sgurr nan Gillean was reached at 2.52 p.m. exactly 15 hours after leaving Glenbrittle. Jorgensen continued on foot to Glenbrittle, and arrived at the house at 6.38 p.m. making a total time of 18 hours 46 minutes. Actual time on the ridge was 12 hours 13 minutes, which included 2 hours 14 minutes of resting time.

The same route had been followed by Fry with two com­ panions in 1946; their total time was 18 hours 40 minutes, taking 12 hours 50 minutes on the ridge, including 2 hours 8 minutes resting time. In 1944 Sidney Thompson did the Ridge and Blaven and back to Glenbrittle solo in 20 hours 20 minutes. (Y.R.C.J. No. 24, p. 175.)

Jorgensen carried a 100 foot rope which was used in the following places :-

Thearlaich Dubh Gap – Abseil down short side. Climb long sic(e.

Inaccessible Pinnacle – Abseil down short side.

Bhasteir Tooth Naismith’s Route, in one run-out.

Sgurr Mhic Coinnich – Climb by King’s Chimney.

From this it will be seen that the term ” walk ” may perhaps be a little misleading.

1950. The Continent. – Ten men visited the Alps, and Fox, Kelsey and Oxtoby, in a very strenuous fortnight, crossed the Eigerjoch (19 hours), did Kamm West Ridge, Griinegghorn, Gross Griinhorn and traversed the Finsteraarhorn. Fox and Kelsey then went on to do the tremendous Charmez-Grepon traverse and later Blaitiere.

Jorgensen, with Fry and two members of the Climbers’ Club, climbed in the Mont Blanc area, using as their base the Hotel du Planet, Argentiere. From the Refuge Albert they climbed the Petite Fourche and the Aiguille du Tour by the north ridge. An attempt on the Petite Aiguille Verte direct from the hotel had to be abandoned about 100 metres from the top due to a vertical ice wall. The Aiguille du Moine by the south face was done from the Couvercle Hut, a pleasant route on excellent rock. The Tour Ronde was climbed from the Torino Hut on the Italian side. The south east ridge was found to be somewhat loose in places, and a member of the party was slightly injured, fortunately without serious con­ sequences, when a large boulder came away unexpectedly. A thunderstorm defeated their attempt on the Dent du Requin.

As a last expedition this party planned to traverse Mont Blanc, Mont Maudit and Mont Blanc du Tacul, descending to the Requin Hut. The Aigille du Gouter hut was reached via the Tete Rousse Chalet, but the next day the weather prevented any activity apart from a bout of abseiling practice from an ice bollard carefully fashioned by Jorgensen. After two more days of snow and thunder lack of food and fuel forced a retreat.

R. L. Holmes spent three weeks in Norway, climbing Skagastolstind by Slingsby’s Route, making other ascents from Turtegrö and enjoying a week of climbs and walks in the eastern Jotunheim. He returned with some wonderful photo­ graphs, the one of the Midtmaradalstind being used for the menu card at the 37th Annual Dinner of the Club.

Frank Stembridge was ski-ing in Switzerland, Harry Stembridge walked in the Appenines, Nelstrop had a camping holiday in the Pyrenees, Harold Armstrong spent six weeks walking in Germany and Holland, Chubb revisited his favourite Evolena, and Hilton traveled to the Dolomites.

Britain. – Jorgensen, attracted thither by W. A. Poucher’s picture in the ” Hills of Britain ” calendar, spent Easter exploring the Five Sisters of Kintail in foul weather. He met ‘ verglas ‘ problems on Bealach Coire Mhalagain and The Saddle, and had to abandon Spidean Domhuill Bhic (3,082 feet) when 60 feet from the top, harried by the same wind that made the official Easter meet in the Cairngorms such an event. However, he found a good snow climb on Sgurr Fhuaran and made the traverse of Sgurr a Baealaich Dheirg and Saileag, the two last-named on a day when the peaks were visible and their loveliness filled him with quiet wonder.

1951. Frank Stembridge was ski-ing at Wengen in the New year, and Watts at Gstaad.

Jorgensen and Fry spent Christmas ski-ing in the Cairngorms, and were rewarded with two days of perfect snow and sunshine after a gruelling 31 hours’ journey from Yorkshire to Lui Beg with snow-blocked roads and engine trouble.

Fox, Spenceley and Jones were climbing in the Alps in the early summer, Roberts was at Engelberg in July, and Watts was walking in the Brenta and in the Oetztal in August.

Jorgensen visited South Africa in the spring and succeeded in combining business with a good deal of climbing and mountain walking.

R. L. Holmes and Oxtoby visited Sutherland; J. Holmes, Godley and Harry Stembridge went to Ireland and explored the district round Manorhamilton with promising results.

Harney, who has spent several weeks in Iceland surveying the glaciers, has written to us from a camp 15 miles on to the ice cap and 3,000 feet high. Here he and a single companion were mapping, naming and trying to climb a group of nunataks which have appeared from the ice within the last fifty years. Many of the peaks they found inaccessible owing to tremendous overhangs of worn lava, and to gnarled insecure rocks. In compensation they had magnificent views, a sward of the loveliest Alpine plants, which included Gentians, Saxifrages, Moss Campion and Thrift, the company of Ringed Plovers, Sanderlings, various Geese, Greater Black Backed Gulls, Flycatchers and the Arctic Skua. The onset of the long winter night was offset by the glories of the Aurora.

Stoney and Marshall had nine days in Alpine conditions at Glen Barrisdale at Easter and Stoney had twelve good days in the Oetztal in the summer covering many peaks including the Wildspitze.

Kelsey, stationed in Manitoba has made good use of his leave by expeditions from Lake O’Hara to Mount Victoria and from the Glacier National Park to Leda and Eagle Peak, but was defeated by bad weather on Mount MacDonald.

Fox has had another highly successful season in the Alps during which he traversed the Adler horn and Strahlhorn, ascended the Rimpfischhorn, The Zinal Rothorn, Wellenkuppe, Ober Gabelhorn, Dent Blanche and Matterhorn (by Zmutt ridge). . Thence moving to Chamonix he traversed the Chardonnet and Argentiere and ascended the Tour Noir. Thence intending to repeat Smythe’s route over Mont Blanc he traversed the Aiguille de Beranger and the Domes de Miage to the Durier hut where bad weather forced a descent.

Lovett, Brown, Adams, Wharfdall and Wilkinson attempted Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowden in 24 hours, three of them completing the course in the stipulated time. Some very fast times on the hills and on the roads were nullified by unexpected delays and mishaps ; otherwise they would have recorded a truly remarkable time.