Orion M.C.

Quick report as Ickers might still be on an everlasting train journey and Craig has child duties today:

Wheather was appaling -as forecasted- on Saturday and slightly better (if not as good as forecasted) on Sunday.

So Saturday was mainly spent: drinking tea, snacking, discussing card game rules, occasionally even playing cards, an obligatory walk up the Corries to check out conditions - getting very wet along the way...

Sunday, with snow instead of rain and slightly reduced wind speeds Ickers, Craig and me climbed Gardyloo Gully (after having jogged past the climb we originally intended - Tower Scoop, without noticing it).
Gardyloo Gully - especially the cave/ tunnel pitch was very cool and great fun to climb - shame that Ickers had my camera in his pack whilst leading it.

Really nice hut, nice crowd of people and very good fun, very cosmopolitan - Slovakian, Dutch, French, Italian(??) oh and a couple of English - climbers to mingle with...

Will try and post some pics of climb tomorrow.

Ah, so the SMC were not in residence I take it? "Nice people" is not what you normally get Chez Charles. When I was there last, famous Mr C made a dramatic entrance which consisted of not speaking to any of the assembled commoners (not even "hallo" I recall - let alone any banter) but instead climbing onto the table in his muddy boots - where various people were eating their dinner and resting their mugs of tea and ale - to access the SMC stash-hatch located in the ceiling above. How nice it musta been without them there.

Sounds fun wknd, one day out of two for CIC hut is good!

Andy not make it?

Glad you got something done Silke.Look forward to the pics

Yep you are right Martina, there were no SMC people anywhere around....

We offered tea and brief asylum to the poor dutch and slovaks that slogged up Saturday morning in the rain, Ickers donated his wine to the french party in the evening, Jules - from the Lomond Club went down to Fort William on Saturday to sherpa up every food and drink anybody wished for incl. enough beer that lasted for the parties arriving on our departure, a fry up breakfast and sunday morning papers...and lots of banter...very pleasant.


Craig on Gardyloo Gully:


A challenge: Spot the odd one out:



(Well I admit, rather easy - last year's Ben Nevis weekend with Neil and Alasdair - Neil was right: you have to pay for those brilliant weather days...)


The 5-second good weather window on the descent Sunday afternoon:

I don't believe it Silke...did you eat a fry up

You turn your nose up whenever I cook my traditional fry up in huts

Mind you, I do fry everything and anything in sight Maybe that's what happened to Andy's boots at Milehouse a few years back

Heard that there was a fatality on the Ben late on Fri afternoon. Reports mentioned that a climber fell. Did you guys hear about that while you were up there

This was on the BBC web page last Thursday:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/nort ... 199727.stm

Was a guy from leeds...see here....

Ben nevis fatality

I love your avatar Graham....

Graham: Andy came along (and carried food+ drink up) but returned on Saturday (without using any of his provisions) - very good of him.

Scott: I do eat the parts that are identifyable (bacon, mushrooms, etc)..i.e. no sausages of whichever round, triangular, square...shape, no 'puddings' of whichever colour...

We only heard rumours about the accident whilst being in the hut.