South Wales Mountaineering Club

Clwb Dringo De Cymru

www.southwalesmountaineering.org.uk

Newsletter, Easter 2004

Notes from the Editor

Welcome to the Easter edition of the Club's Newsletter. OK, I'll own up, it's the March edition slightly late but worth waiting for, I'm sure you'll agree. I broke new ground when I started to include photos in the Newsletter. Here's another first - special offers. Not only an offer of money back on your membership fee but an offer of free membership of the Welsh international Climbing Centre! Read on for details of these exciting offers.

If you have missed any of the recent past editions of the Newsletter you can now find these on the Club's website (address above). There you will find issues dating back to December 2000.

John Goodwin

Reports from the committee

"What's the committee been up to through these long winter months?" I hear you ask.

Well, the committee is having a thorough look at how we communicate with each other within the Club and how the club communicates with the outside world. This has included looking at various options for maintaining the privacy of members' addresses when we send out e mail notices. We have been exploring the potential of a bulletin board which will enable this and much, much more. Posters are being drafted, to publicise the Club in shops, leisure centres etc.

We have started to undertake a thorough review of the Club's constitution which is looking a bit dated in several respects e.g. our equal opportunities statement. This is going to be a long business, spread across several meetings. In the end we will come up with some options for change which will, of course, have to be put to the next Annual General Meeting.

There's been the usual financial stuff to sort out; finding bank accounts that pay the maximum interest etc.

And of course hut business takes up much of the committee's time. Recently we have debated (at length) replacement cooking facilities. Should we have an oven or not, that was the question.

We need to establish a list of reliable local (local to Deiniolen that is) contractors that we can call on when things go wrong. If anyone has any recommendations please let Kim know.

We have agreed a rise in hut fees for non-members - so now your annual membership fee even better value for money. Non-members will pay £6 per night, £3.50 still for members.

The guidebook is coming on by leaps and bounds. All text and covers are printed, some of the pictures have to be sorted still but it should be with the distributor in April and on the shelves for the summer. There will be a launch party - prepare to clear your diary!

How often have you been irritated by the awkward size of you SWMC membership card? What, never? You haven't noticed that it doesn't neatly fit in any of the compartments of your wallet? Well, someone has. Look forward to credit card sized membership cards!

Oh, and we've sorted out a meets list. See below for details.

The next committee meeting will be on 20^th May 2004. if you have anything that you would like us to consider, just let a committee member know.

Contacting the committee

We believe that it is important that you know who's on the committee and how to contact them. In the last edition I published a list of details which I won't bore you with again (after all you can look up the December 03 edition on the website now). However, Sian has a new mobile number and Sylvia's details were, unfortunately, omitted - so here they are now.

Money back offer!

We've received the following message from the BMC to thank those club members who did not claim back multiple fees from the BMC in 2003 for their support. Also to give members the opportunity to claim back multiple subscriptions for 2004.

"Thanks to all club members who didn't claim back their multiple subs from the BMC last year. Once again this money went towards many good causes. If you are currently affiliated to the BMC via more than one club you can claim back your additional subs for 2004 if you wish. Please notify the BMC membership Services Team in writing or e-mail office@thebmc.co.ukstating which clubs you are presently affiliated to".

Letter from the Barn Warden

There's been an epidemic of verrucas in the SWMC, to judge from the many excuse notes received for non-attendance at the work weekend on the 13/14th. Thanks go to Gwyn for turning up on the morning after his coronation as CC president - nice to know he hasn't forgotten the SWMC since his elevation. If anybody is going up to the barn and would like to do some work there in exchange for a refund on barn fees, I can negotiate.

There is now a coffee percolator in the kitchen, as well as a new toaster. The long-awaited CHIP folder has arrived from the BMC which gives a wealth of local information on shops, services etc. This is in the living room.

Finally, if you were at last year's AGM and took a barn key which was supposed to be returned to John in Cardiff, could you contact John or me as soon as possible.

Kim Collis

Hut keys are available from Kim or, for members living at the Cardiff end, from John Goodwin, Nigel Lewis or Pete Bennett.

Club Meetings

With the passing of winter slide show evenings and climbing walls are put aside in favour of climbing out of doors on real rock.

In the Cardiff area climbing at Taff's Wells on Wednesday evenings is the order of the day, adjourning to the Ty Nant afterwards. From the first Wednesday in May onwards we anticipate being able to go further afield. Meet in the car park at Asda, Coryton at 5.45pm, leaving at 6.00pm sharp!

Sian is keen to organise some social evenings in Cardiff for members old and new. Anyone who's interested or has any suggestions for good places to go should get in touch with her (contact details above).

Swansea members meet every Wednesday through the summer at 5.30pm sharp at the Gower Inn for rock climbing on the Gower - e mail Tim Hoddyor telephone him on 01792 520362 for further details.

In both Cardiff and Swansea novice climbers are encouraged to attend the first Wednesday of every month when we can make better provision for your needs. It would help if you could contact a club member first.

Club Meets List 2003

If you are interested in knowing further details of any of these events, contact the meet co-ordinator or check out the Club's website.

If you have any ideas for a day, weekend, week or longer climbing, at home or abroad and you'd like to open it up to other Club members, just let me know!

John Goodwin (jngoodwin@ntlworld.com/ 029 2030 9056)

You can find an up to date version of the Meets List on the Club's website at:

http://www.southwalesmountaineering.org.uk

Climbing partners wanted

Club member Steve Lucocq and Chris Flint are climbing in Ailefroide
(Ecrins) in June and are looking for another pair (or pairs) to travel
out and/or climb with them. They fly out of Gatwick on June the 4th to Geneva and return on June the 13th. Contact Steve at stevelucocq@hotmail.com

A new member in Cardiff, Niall Campbell, is interested in meeting up with other climbers. He is a good climber and has his own gear etc. He lives in Ebbw Vale. He works shifts so there are lots of opportunities for weekday climbing. Anybody interested or able to put him onto
others can contact him on 0796 759 5870.

BMC Dates and Information

A proportion of your SWMC membership fee goes to the British Mountaineering Council. This brings third party insurance benefits but also goes to finance BMC activities. The BMC is a democratic organisation. You can have your say on the website or at regular meetings, Area Committee meetings are open to all.

The BMC is also looking for people to act as volunteers in various capacities. More details on the website at:

http://www.thebmc.co.uk/thebmc/areacom/area_meetings.asp?area_drop=7

Symphonies and Dinner Plates

I've been trying to work out the best way to have my mid life crisis for some time now. Thrashing my guts out on the KIMM mountain marathon didn't quite hit the spot. Kerb crawling in the sleazier parts of town didn't seem my cup of tea; neither did eloping with the secretary. "Let's take the kids skiing - without the wives," I innocently said to HG recently. I forgot to tell him that the only accommodation available was a campervan. He didn't forget to tell me that we would be staying in one of the ice-climbing centres of the world, Alpe D'Huez, near La Grave.

My only previous climbing experience was a few trips to the indoor wall with the kids and a single trip to Taff's Well quarry in which I'd spectacularly failed to climb a single route. Give the boy his due, HG has the gift. He should have been an American TV evangelist. Within the week I was a signed up member of the South Wales Mountaineering Club and a week later I found myself up the Symphonie making dinner plates.

Symphonie d'Automne is a III/3+, 4+ 120 metre ice fall a short walk from one of the ski lifts. I'd had the pleasures of ice climbing explained to me, the numbing cold, the wet, the anaesthetic hands and had dressed accordingly. I wasn't prepared for the baking sun and the sweat ran freely - and that was just the walk in. We had begged and blagged some axes and crampons (thanks Linda and Gary). With my canoeing helmet I even looked the part, unlike HG who insisted on wearing something on his head that looked like a spare piece of packaging from a 15 year old washing machine.

HG led. I wasn't prepared for the showers of lumps of ice that landed on my helmet like rocks from a volcano. "Leave some ice for me!" I shouted after him. Then it was my turn. Not quite sure what to expect, my first few placements of the ice axe were recordable on the Richter scale. Slowly I learnt that it was a lot easier to extract the tips if they weren't embedded up to the shaft. My foot placements took a little longer to learn. The first few I scraped a shelf large enough to bivvy on, but gradually I worked my way up. Removing the screws was easier than I thought (I knew all that DIY would come in handy one day). I joined HG at the first bolted belay.

A crowd of on lookers had now gathered below hoping for some action. I was to disappoint. I belayed HG onwards and upwards. However a strange magnetic attraction had developed between me and the bolts. My number of "life firsts" was now in triple figures and my only thoughts were to quit while still ahead. I payed out the rope until it ran out leaving HG 20 feet from the top. He abseiled down to join me and we ab'ed off together - another first for me - never having done it before. Arriving at the bottom I realised how easy it had all seemed and was gutted that I hadn't pushed on to complete. I immediately had to have another go doing the bottom section again (and pose for photos).

Time had run out, the French social workers would be after us if we abandoned the kids any longer, besides we had a nice night in the 'van to look forward to, if we were lucky it would only be minus 10 degrees tonight???.

Did I enjoy it? You bet! Will I do it again? I can't wait - but don't tell the missus - she's only just started talking to me again.

AMS

Everest and Charles Bruce (1866 - 1939):

the Welsh Connection

Charles Granville Bruce was the youngest son of Henry Austin Bruce (1815-1895). His father Henry was born at Duffryn, Aberdare, attended Swansea Grammar School, and trained as a barrister. In the 1830's coal was discovered beneath the family's land, and with the development of the industry they became extremely wealthy. Charles father was the stipendiary magistrate for Merthyr Tydfil (1847 - 1844), Liberal MP for Merthyr Tydfil (1852 - 1869) and Home Secretary in Gladstone's Government (1868 -1873). He was created first Baron Aberdare of Duffryn in 1873.

Charlie "Bruiser" Bruce was the youngest of 14 children. His early life alternated between the "pompous formality" of London, Harrow, and the family home in Aberdare. Here his mentor was a local farmer and inn-keeper - who in his youth had worked as a hunter in California & British Columbia. He taught Charlie how to hunt, find his way around the local hills, and drink.

One of Charlie's most notable achievements was running down a "rough crew" of local poachers. Half a century later he was proud to list their names in his memoirs:

"Bill the Butcher, Shoni Kick-O-Top, Billie Blaen Llechau, Dick Shon Edwards & Dai Brass-Knocker".

He and the local game-keepers chased one to the narrow ally-ways and courts of Georgetown. The poacher was only caught when a furious husband found him snoring in his wife's bed, and threw him out on the street. The gang were duly punished, but gained revenge by returning to Charlie's house and stealing all the weapons from his father's gun-room.

From school, Charlie entered military college. He had enormous physical strength, was an enthusiastic boxer and 300 yard runner - in the 1880's he represented England against France in an international running meet. He joined the Indian Army in 1888 and became a career soldier serving with the Ghurkha regiment (1889 - 1920), rising to the rank of Brigadier-General. As a lieutenant he was assigned to a post at Abbotabad - a British Hill Station in the "Panjab" - where he developed a passion for the locality, wrestling and climbing.

Bruce had an akhara (wrestling pit) dug near his residence - where he practised on most days. Both the British and the Rajahs wagered thousands of rupees on professional wrestling matches, and took inordinate pride in having the strongest sides. In the 1910's he was patron of the wrestler Rahim Sulaniwala - who went on to become a famous champion.

Bruce took special pride in the native troops and became fluent in Nepali. He introduced hill racing to his Ghurkha regiment - and in 1891 took his champion runner Pabir Thapa to Zermatt, Switzerland to learn ice-climbing techniques. They stayed in Aberdare en-route - where Thapa enjoyed himself "running down" poachers. Despite his poor English, he was very popular with the locals. He disappeared for the last 3 days of his visit- and was found living it up with some coal miners in Ton-Y-Pandy. Bruce went on to train the Ghurkhas in mountain-warfare. In 1897 he equipped his troops on the Northern Frontier with shorts, and is widely credited with their introduction to the British Army.

Bruce's climbing experience was impressive. He spent 10 climbing seasons in the European Alps and took part in 3 of the earliest climbing expeditions to the Himalaya. In 1892 he and a troop of Ghurkha soldiers accompanied Conway in his exploration of the Baltoro region of the Karakorum - visiting Muztagh Tower, Broad Peak and K2.

In 1893 he was with Younghusband on the mission to the Hindu Kush to bestow recognition on Nizam-uk-Mulk as Mehtar. He and Younghusband were probably the first to discuss mounting an expedition to climb Everest. In "Himalayan Wanderer", Bruce says that it was Younghusband's idea. In the "Epic of Mount Everest", Younghusband says that it was Bruce's. In 1895 he joined Mummery and Collie's attempt on Nanga Parbat, but had to depart early because his leave was up. In 1906-7 he and Longstaff took another troop of Ghurkhas to the Nanda Devi group - visiting Dunagiri & Kachenjanga, and climbing Trisul.

"It is impossible to enumerate all the peaks seen, but when I state that in a county no greater than Carmarthenshire and Glamorgan, there are some 80 peaks all in the neighbourhood of 20,000 ft? it will give an idea? of that mighty range".

In 1914 Bruce went to Gallipoli commanding the 1^st battalion of the 6^th Ghurkha rifles. After 2 months in the front line he was severely wounded - and transferred back to India.

He had perpetual good humour, enthusiasm, and love of alcohol - coupled with competence and shrewdness. He was a superb raconteur, and a fund of bawdy stories. Younghusband described him as

"an extraordinary mixture of man and boy..... you never know which of them you are talking to".

Between 1923 and 1925 Bruce was president of the Alpine Club. Because of his experience in the Himalaya he was appointed leader of the second British expedition to Everest in 1922. He was skilful in bridging the cultural divide between Sahib and Sherpa. He had long advocated training Indians in mountain techniques - with a view to forming a body of porters and guides like those in the European Alps. He called his men porters rather than coolies. He was particularly liked by the local peoples, and for the 1922 expedition collected a cohort of local men, and enthused them with an esprit de corps. He later christened an elite group of high altitude porters the "Tigers".

He was universally admired by the expedition team - George Mallory in particular, liked and trusted him. Bruce was wary of oxygen apparatus; nevertheless, George Finch and Geoffrey Bruce (Charlie's cousin) used oxygen to set a new height record of 27,300 feet on Everest, via the North Col.

In 1924 Bruce led the 3rd expedition to Everest, aided by 4 Ghurkha NCOs. Several stories of him survive the trip. On the trek to Tibet, two of his muleteers got drunk and bit a local Tibetan woman. As punishment he fined them, and made them carry the 80 lb "treasury" - double the normal load - on a 3 day march. Arthur Hinks - the rather mean-spirited secretary of the expedition committee seated in London - was exasperated by the official expedition correspondence reaching London.

"Captain Noel will be arriving in Darjeeling with a box 40 foot long and I am currently scouring the country for an adequate mule".

"Please note that I am doing my best for this expedition. I have interviewed the Viceroy, I have preached to Boy Scouts, and I have emptied the poes in a Dak Bungalow. This is the meaning of the term General. They are cheap at home, they are more expensive out here. Hurry up with that thousand [pounds] please".

Sadly, Bruce contracted malaria - from tiger shooting in India before the expedition - and had to be stretchered out of Tibet. Felix Norton took over the leadership, and went on - without oxygen - to set a new height record of 28,000 feet - less than 1000 feet short of the summit. Two days later George Mallory & Sandy Irvine set off on their summit attempt using oxygen. They disappeared, and it is still argued whether they reached the top. Mallory's body was found below the North East ridge in 1999.

Bruce did not return to Everest. Between 1931 and 1936 he was Honorary Colonel of the 5th Royal Ghurkha Rifles of the Indian Army. He died of a stroke in 1939.

Huw Rees, February 2004

Bibliography:

Bruce CG, 1910. Twenty Years in the Himalayas. London: Edward Arnold.

Bruce CG, 1914. Kulu and Lahoul. An account of my latest climbing journeys in the Himalaya. London: Edward Arnold.

Bruce CG, 1922. The Assault on Mount Everest 1922. London: Longmans, Green & Co.

Bruce CG, 1934. Himalayan Wanderer. London: Alexander Maclehose & Co.

Summers J. Fearless on Everest, 2000. Weidenfeld & Nicolson.

Younghusband F. The epic of Mount Everest, 1926. London: Arnold.

Meeting at WICC

As "new" managers of the Welsh International Climbing Centre we thought it about time we had an open meeting with members and casual users of the centre and the climbing wall and bouldering facilities in particular. There have been many changes at the centre recently and it has been noted that some climbers are unhappy money has not been spent improving the wall.

This is your chance to meet & discuss with management, staff and fellow climbers the way forward. As Manager I would greatly appreciate your feedback so we can invest in projects for the benefit of all our users. We have several ideas and are hoping to gain grant funding or put grant applications in this year but to ensure we spend wisely we need to ensure we know what you, the climbers would like and expect.

The meeting has been arranged for Sunday, 25^th April at 6 pm at the Centre and I look forward to meeting you. If you are coming an email or phone call (01443 710749) would be appreciated before hand so I have a rough idea of numbers.

I look forward to meeting you all on the 25^th

 Vaisey Bramley
Activities Manager
The Welsh International Climbing Centre

Free membership of the Welsh international Climbing Centre!

Rather a cheap ploy I'll admit, making you plough through the whole of the Newsletter to find out about the free offer and, guess what? There's a catch.

In the item above Vaisey alludes to the fact that there has been some criticism of the routes at WICC not being changed frequently enough. I am informed an offer of free membership has been made to members of the SWMC, worth a staggering £250 (so I am told) in exchange for route setting.

It is not clear quite how many routes you will have to set to qualify for the deal. There may be a possibility of sharing this out between several individuals. The route setting will have to be done on Saturday and Sunday nights when the Centre is closed, so having a life may disqualify you. If you think you might be interested contact Gary Lewis.

The next newsletter

- will be published in June 2004. Please submit news items, letters, articles or pictures by 1^st June to me at jngoodwin@ntlworld.com. All submissions will be considered for publication and almost definitely printed.