On The Hills

  1. 1938

  2. Himalaya.—F. S. Smythe again reached Camp Six on Everest, as one of Tilman’s lightweight party of seven from Britain. Conditions were very severe with no good interval before the monsoon, and the E. side of the North Col so dangerous the attack was diverted to the W. side. In the forced retreat with a paralysed man the E. side had to be used again, luckily without disaster.

The Alps.—Watts was ski-ing at S. Anton in February. Davidson had good weather and a successful time in the Maderanertal. Harold Booth made the very fine traverse of the Klein and Gross Simelistock. Thornton and White did the Weisshorn, Matterhorn, and Zinal Rothorn. Nelstrop in addition to some strenuous failures, climbed the Petit Dru, Requin, and Moine. E. E. Roberts and Rigg climbed the Boktschingel, Claridenstock, were beaten off the Todi, and in two weeks of continuous cloud managed the Sonnig Wichel and Salbitschyn. At the latter hut occurred that rare event, theft of food. Slingsby visited the Jura, Engstlen Alp and Joch Pass. W. M. Roberts and friends made the tour of Mont Blanc as far as Col Ferret, which was closed by the local Swiss to keep out foot-and-mouth-disease. At Zermatt they found very few climbers. Sale, Reed and Evans from Bel Alp climbed Fusshorn, Nesthorn, and Monch.

Norway.—Beetham spent some time in the Lofoten Islands but had no good weather. Goggs had a walking tour in Jotenheim. Godley and Wardle were ski-ing in March at Finse—had much rain, which never comes that month !

At home Sidney Thompson continued to select the stiffest routes on British crags. At Easter E. E. Roberts was in the Teallachs and Cairngorms and was led by J. H. B. Bell up a new climb on Sgoran Dubh, while Platten took 26 people into Dan-yr-Ogof in dry weather wading the Third Pool. In the W. Highlands Crawford visited Mull and Glen Etive, D. Burrow reached Uig (Skye) and saw the Quiraing, Botterill and Woodman were yachting along the coast.

  1. 1939

  2. Lawton at Wengen and Thornton at Lech in Arlberg were ski-ing at New Year. Catlow did the Jungfrau, Monch, and Eiger in the first week of January and had a good fortnight ski-ing. Later on Godley and Wardle had also good sport in Norway.

Zermatt was very popular. Evans did the Matterhorn ; Fred Booth and Marsden Dent Blanche and Dom ; Sidney Thompson, Monte Rosa, Matterhorn, Rothorn, Dom, Rimp-fischhorn. Thornton got the last two and the Allalinhorn and was only induced to return home in haste with great difficulty.

Smythe had a strenuous three weeks in Dauphine and the Mont Blanc range, making a four days’ high level traverse from the Trelatete and down the Brenva face.

Nelstrop was out a week and climbed the Matterhorn ; in August he did all the 3,000 ft. peaks in Wales in 26 J hours ; New Year’s Eve he spent in a tent on the top of Snowdon. He had bivouacked there at the end of ’37 and put up a tent in a storm high on Crib y Ddisgl in the last hours of ’38.

On Christmas Eve between 2 p.m. and midnight S. Thompson and friends crossed from Aviemore to the Shelter Stone by the Larig and the March Burn, favoured by bright moonlight and good snow. Thence to Cairn Toul and the Corrour Bothy, thence by Devil’s Point to Glen Einich Bothy.

  1. Nelstrop was very successful at Easter, on Ben Nevis, Observatory Ridge, Raeburn’s Arete, etc. ; variation left of Route 1, Rannoch Wall (Glencoe), Church Door Buttress, Cioch Direct, Kelly’s route to Sgumain, White Slabs (Coire Ghrunnda).

Sidney Thompson was active in Skye till driven away by hot weather and midges. Fred Booth and E. E. Roberts in September walked over the Maiden Way to Alston, becoming convinced that this Roman road over the Pennines cannot have been a cart road. The little known seven miles of the range was then followed from Gildersdale to the N. end of the Pennines, Cold Fell.

  1. 1941

  2. Slingsby was at Aviemore in May, and bagged the four great Cairngorm mountains; W. M. Roberts from Braemar in July bagged Lochnagar and Ben Macdui. Rigg and E. E. Roberts had some good climbing from Rosthwaite in marvellous summer weather, such as we have not had since.

Sidney Thompson in September with his wife climbed Gardyloo Gully (very dry), Cam Dearg Route i, a possible new climb on No. 3 Gully Buttress, Crowberry Ridge, and the Chasm (Glencoe). In a November week-end from Grantham they arrived at Aviemore 4.3O a.m., cleared the forest in the dark 9 a.m., and bivouacked in a ruin N. of Bynack Lodge,; could not leave till daylight at nine, down Glen Tilt to catch the night train, 7 p.m.

  1. 1942

  2. Slingsby in July had two days on the Cruachan group, did Ben Lui, then early train to Corrour station, over Ben Alder and by Lock Pattack to Laggan Hotel, a tremendous distance.

  3. 1943

  4. In June Reed and Sale climbed from Rosthwaite, found Moss Gill worthy of its name and Tennis Court Wall green with slime. The Booths and .Falkingham had an August week among the Cairngorm summits, spending two nights at the Shelter Stone.

Sidney Thompson was stationed for two years as R.A.F. instructor at Montrose and made energetic use of all the leave he could get. Besides Glens Isla and Clova, he made longer expeditions with Mrs. Thompson and was surprisingly well received everywhere. February.—Braemar to Derry Lodge ; forced by gale down to White Bridge, bivouac Geldie Lodge ruin ; down Feshie to Kingussie ; train Dalwhinnie, past Ben Alder, over Beallach Duibh, in the dark to Loch Ossian Y.H.A. ; four nights in Ben Nevis hut, storm, stove would not light. June.—Cycle Lairg to Inchnadamff; Ben More Assynt round; Quinag, Barrel Buttress, to Lochinver ; Suilven, W. face and ridge, four hours cycle with sacks to Achiltibuie, 11.45 p.m. ; Coigach ridge, bad day ; Stac Polly, West face, rain, Dundonnell 9 p.m. via ferry ; An Teallach, 14 tops, bad afternoon ; Ullapool; Seana Braigh, Creag an Duine ridge ; pushed cycles against wind to Alltguish ; Ben Dearg, Cona Mheall; Fannich peaks. Hotels booked in advance. July.—Not a cloud for eight days. Cycle to Kinloch Bervie (new hotel) ; Foinaven ; Arkle, S.W. face, cycle to Scourie ; Ben Stack ; Handa and Durness ; cycle to Cape Wrath; to shepherd’s, S. of Loch Hope ; Ben Hope, Bell’s N. face climb; Ben Klibreck; Ben Loyal. ” Amazing coast, best district in Scotland.”

1944

January.—Dreadful week, Ben Bheithir (Vair) three nights in Nevis Hut. In March over in Ireland he was hospitably welcomed by our good friend, Mr. Barbour, and made a tour of the Marble Arch group of caves. April, Ben Nevis Hut, No. 2 Gully, N.E. Buttress (glazed), Gardyloo ice pitch cut up, 45 ft. from cave. June, Skye Ridge, 24 hours Glen Brittle to Sligachan.

August, Cioch Direct, White Slabs; Crack of Doom, Alisdair Central Gully and Collie’s Climb. Helped by a good day and knowing the three rock climbs Thompson then did the whole Ridge and Blaven in 20 hours 20 minutes solo. Times : Glen Brittle 4.50 a.m. (dark), Garsven 7.20, Alasdair 8.55, Inaccessible Pinnacle, 10.05, Bidein 12.50, Bhasteir Tooth, 2.30 p.m., Sgurr nan Gillean 3.0, 20 mins. rest, Uamha 4.05, Foot of Blaven 5.30, Blaven 7.00, Loch Scavaig 9.30, Glen Brittle 1.10 a.m. (very dark).

Autumn, 12 days in the Hebrides, three steamer trips. Uig (Lewis), three days, Raonasgill, Mealsval with interesting slabs. Tarbert (Harris), three days, Clisham, Laxadale Hills, Loch Boisdale (S. Uist) poor hotel, Ben More, sunshine above sea of clouds.

Stringer took a detachment of troops in training over the highest Syrian mountain and Chadwick ascended a peak near the Gran Sasso in Italy. The Booths and Falkingham climbed many Munros from the Spital of Glenshee and spent one night in the heather.

1945

At Easter F. and H. Booth, H. L. Stembridge and E. E. Roberts went to Loch Troolhead in the singular hills of Galloway, and climbed Curleywee, Merrick and Kirriereoch. Later the Booths climbed from Capel Curig, and Ellis and the brothers Roberts were at Cautley, the most interesting expedition being over the Calf to Simon’s Seat.

Sale and Reed for a second year had a walking tour in the Pennines and found accommodation in the most lucky manner. Rigg has done much in S. Wales, including the ridge over the Brecon Van to Carreg yr Ogof.

Hilton had marvellous weather in August at Bridge of Orchy, climbing Achallader, the Sron na Creise-Clachlet-Stob Gabhar ridge, and others.

1942-44

All the above seems very small beer beside the innumerable ascents, treks, and bivouacs of F. S. Smythe in command of Mountain Warfare Training Schools first in the Cairngorms and then in the Canadian Rockies. See Alpine Journal May and November, 1946. Living out in the open in snow-holes and tents in the Highlands in the Winter of ’43 was more severe and trying through damp and wind than the low temperatures and dry air of the Rockies in ’44.

W. E. Evans was also instructing in Mountain Warfare in 1943 in Syria among rocky dry hills, mostly limestone, and deep gorges, before his regretted death when reconnoitring.

1946

Nearly every month of the War years broke a record, good or bad. One year February had 95 hours sunshine (far over average) and August 95 too, less than half the average. Last Summer kept up the habit on the wrong side.

F. S. Smythe had a magnificent year. Five bad weeks in Switzerland, terrific snow at the end of March, three good weeks. He made the High Pennine traverse on ski with Beloieff, Cima di Jazzi to Rosa Blanche, and went on alone through the Oberland from the Galmilucke via Finsteraarhorn to Goppenstein station, quite safe owing to the huge snowfall.

In the Summer out to Canada, where he found a fine range unclimbed and made seven first ascents there. Much heavy back-packing, more climbing round Mt. Robson.

Harold Booth went to Saas Fee, camping, and climbed Lenzspitze, Nadelhorn and others.

White was in Provence in July, grand weather, and most happily got in touch with M. de Joly, who took him and Mrs. White down the grand Aven d’Orgnac. Also they followed the Gorges of the Verdon, 22 miles, sleeping out one night.

The rest of us unwisely stayed in Britain. Beetham and Burnett had a grand caravan trip to Arrochar and Glencoe hills. Nine were on Ben Nevis at Easter. Hilton did Loch-nagar and Ben Macdui from Braemar, whence the Editor did Beinn a Bhuird and with his brother various Munros. Chadwick and Blair had good fortune at Glen Brittle, climbed almost all the ridge and had a long climb on Clach Glas.

Platten and Rigg were in Dan yr Ogof at Easter, dry conditions, only three hours needed for the cavern beyond the pools. Rigg was in the second visit to the newly dug out Ffynnon Ddu, and after a week with Marsden at Glyn Tawe, went on to the grand Great Tynings Cave.