Every month during the winter the Alpine Club hold lectures at the Outside Café. There are usually around 30 in the audience but I often wonder why there aren't more! The lectures are a mixture of really fascinating historical stories and gripping accounts of recent feats of alpinism from around the world.
You don't need to be an AC member and it's free to enter (although voluntary contributions are collected at the end to help pay for staging the event).
A great example is the recent talk by Hywel Lloyd (Chairman of the AC Library Council) who gave an illustrated summary of the British Everest expeditions between 1921 and 1953. He also brought props: an ice axe from the 1930s and a boot used by Dr Raymond Greene (brother of novelist Graham Greene) on Everest in 1933. If you are thinking that the boot held by Hywel looks huge, then you are right because Raymond Greene was 6’4” tall.
Standing next to Hywel is the sartorially elegant ex-BMC President, Bob Pettigrew. Bob is wearing a replica Harris Tweed jacket as worn by the leader of the 1924 Everest expedition, Edward Norton.
The March lecture is by Paul Ramsden. His forays into the high Himalaya, particularly with Mick Fowler have become legend. Last year Paul and Mick pulled off an ascent of the previously virgin Kishtwar Kailash via the difficult southwest face. Forming the last major peak at the eastern end of the Kishtwar Himalaya, Kishtwar Kailash (6,451m) had never previously seen a serious attempt.
"We climbed the southwest face of the mountain in a seven-day round trip from base camp. The 1,500m ascent, ED and Scottish VI, featured spectacular situations and varied climbing, but was very different from expected, with many features and near vertical monolithic rock walls."
On Wednesday 12th March you can hear Paul tell his story - come to the Outside Cafe in Hathersage for a 19.30 start.
Further lecture dates for your diary:
Pete Livesey: Fast and Free - NOW SOLD OUT
Wednesday 19th March, 7.30pm
Mark Radtke and John Sheard will be launching their collected biography of Pete Livesey (1943-1998), one of the UK's leading climbers in the 1970s. He was also a top fell-runner, athlete, caver, canoeist and orienteer.
With contributions from Geoff Birtles, Martin Berzins, John Cleare, Jean Claude Droyer, Jim Eyre, Peter Gomersall, Dennis Gray, Ron Fawcett, Peter Livesey, John Long, Nicho Mailande and many more, there will be no shortage of stories to tell!
This event is ticketed (£5 each inc. glass of wine and buffet). You can buy your tickets directly from the shop in Hathersage or online.
Joe Fitschen: Going Up
Saturday 5th April, 7.30pm
Joe was a pioneer in the Golden Age of Yosemite climbing during the late 50s and 60s. In 1960 he made the second of The Nose on El Capitan. This is a rare opportunity to hear from a visiting American who climbed with the likes of Royal Robbins, Tom Frost, Chuck Pratt and Yvon Chouinard.
Tickets @ £5 will be available soon.
Jerry Gore: The Wall of Paine
Wednesday 23rd April, 7.30pm
Mountaineer, businessman, father, ex-Royal Marines Officer, Jerry Gore was diagnosed a Type 1 insulin dependent diabetic in 2000.
This is the story of how Jerry overcame his condition, testing his blood sugar levels and injecting insulin up to 8 times a day, and his recent attempt aged 52, to climb the largest unclimbed wall in South America, in one of the most inhospitable regions on the planet, to raise money to help save the lives of 7 young diabetics in war-torn Ecuador.
In November 2013, together with two of Britain’s best mountaineers - Twid Turner, and Calum Muskett – Jerry made the first ascent of the S.E. Wall of The South Tower of Paine in Patagonia.
Tickets @ £7.50 will be available next week. (60% of all monies raised will go Jerry’s “Ecuador Project”.)