It finaly here, the 2010 meets program was unveiled at the AGM this week and is available to download in pdf format by clicking the link below.  As ever, if you wish to attend a meet please visit us on a Tuesday night before the meet.

We have a good variety of meets planned. We have winter mountaineering and mountain biking in Scotland. We are due to visit many parts of England and Wales to climb, walk and mountain bike.

We also have number of members planning a trip to Yosemite, America in September and a long weekend meet on the Isle of Skye, Scotland in May.

2010 Meets Card.pdf

The Book,

“Pete’s Himalayan Adventure”

By Pete Dutfield

Has been out of print for some time now but for those who are interested there is a copy available for loan in The Wolverhampton Lending Library.

The book is a recollection of an old man’s trip to the Khumbu Valley and Everest Base Camp. The trip was organised by Andrew Tomlinson (Tommo) and Andy Clarke for the spring of 2006, with young Richard Wilkes and the author making up the rest of the team. It goes on to describe the classic trek from the infamous Lukla airstrip, past traditional Sherpa villages and monasteries and cumulating at the incredible viewpoint of Kala Patar above Base Camp. On the way, sometimes camping, sometimes staying in primitive lodges or teahouses, they spend time in the amazing town of Namche Bazaar, well worth a visit in its own right. They encounter problems with Yaks and their crossing of the 5330 metre high Cho La Pass is thwarted by the worst snow storm at that time of year, throughout the last forty years.

Throughout the trip they are cared for by the poor and impoverished but always friendly and happy people of the Khumbu Valley.

The book is an almost day to day account of the trip and should be read by anyone contemplating a visit to that fantastic valley.

A tale of a classic trek told with feeling and well worth a read.

The foreword written by Andy Clarke, former chairman of Wolverhampton Mountaineering Club, is included below. » Read more: Pete’s Himalayan Adventure

For the last two weeks we have been meeting at the Clarendon in Chapel Ash which is a pleasant enough pub as a stop-gap, but not really suitable in the long term.

We’ve now found a pub which might be suitable. It’s “the Wheatsheaf”, in the town centre, about 5 mins walk from the New Inn, and just in front of the Express & Star offices. The attached map shows its location. The beer is good, we can have sole use of a room every Tuesday, and Val, the landlady/barmaid, seems very friendly.

Car parking is available in nearby Tower St. and Castle St. in pay and display spaces, which are free in the evenings.

The proposal is to use this pub on a trial basis for the next few weeks (say 3 or 4), and see how we get on.

As you go in the door from the main road, a short corridor leads past the 2 bar entrances on the right, and “our” room is on the left.
Val will expect us from 9.30 onwards, so if you arrive early and our room is locked, just introduce yourself to Val, and she’ll open it. It’ll be obvious who she is!

See you at the Wheatsheaf (map) next Tuesday

Well its that time of year again. Christmas is just round the corner as is the AGM but I have something to reveal far bigger than either of these. The 2009 meets card has been published! You can download a copy here.