In May 2023, Keith Ball, Mike Pescod and AC member Guy Buckingham travelled to the Garhwal Himalaya for an attempt on the unclimbed south-east ridge of Thalay Sagar (6805m). The expedition was supported by both the Alpine Club Climbing Fund and the Mount Everest Foundation.
Mountain Equipment have now released a short film of their expedition which you can watch below.
Alpine Club member and Editor of the Himalayan Journal Harish Kapadia has, over a period of nearly two decades, conducted interviews with many notable figures from the world of mountaineering. In 2023, Kapadia formally made a gift of these recordings to the Alpine Club Library.
From December 2023 onwards, we will be releasing these interviews once a week via our YouTube channel so that they can be enjoyed by mountain-enthusiasts throughout the world. Episodes will release on Thursday mornings UK time. If you subscribe to the channel, you will receive a notification when new episodes go live.
The first episode, an interview with Sir Chris Bonington conducted in March 2008, is now online and can be watched below. In the recording, Sir Chris discusses his personal journey into climbing, his 1970 expedition to the south face of Annapurna, the evolution in Himalayan style from siege to alpine and his experience of managing mountaineering teams in a leadership role.
The Alpine Club Library holds a wealth of mountaineering material to which we are very pleased to add these recordings.
In the summer of 2022, artist and AC member James Hart Dyke retraced the footsteps of famed mountain artist Gabriel Loppé. His aim? To paint as Loppé had, capturing the sunset view from the summit of Mont Blanc. In the process, James produced a series of paintings which captured his journey, including two works carried out from the summit itself.
James at work on Mont Blanc
On 5 December 2023, James's latest exhibition 'Mont Blanc: The Summit Paintings' will open at the Alpine Club's Charlotte Road premises, where his pictures from the climb will hang alongside one of Loppé's original summit paintings from 150 years ago. There will be the opportunity to meet James and to hear him discuss the experience of painting at altitude in a Q&A with the Club's Honorary Keeper of Pictures, William Mitchell.
The event is free to attend and open to all, but we do ask that you register your intention to attend using the form below.
Doors will open at 7PM for a 7:30PM start.
The exhibition will run from 28 November 2023 to 31 January 2024. Details on how to visit are available here.
From 2024, the Alpine Club will support the work of the Jonathan Conville Memorial Trust through an annual donation that will provide 10 places on the JCMT’s Summer Alpine Course.
The Jonathan Conville Memorial Trust, founded following the death of mountaineer Jonathan Conville in 1979 has, over the past 44 years, provided more than 5,000 subsidised places on introductory training courses in North Wales, the Alps, and Scotland. Their work has equipped generations of young climbers with the skills they need to enjoy the mountains safely.
As the largest organisation representing alpine climbers in the UK, the Alpine Club, which was founded in 1857, has many members who took their first steps into the mountains under the supervision of the JCMT. To recognise that long-standing relationship and to ensure that future generations of enthusiastic young alpinists can start their alpine careers on the best possible footing, the AC has committed to provide financial support for the Trust’s ongoing work.
Alpine Club President Simon Richardson said:
“Together, the Jonathan Conville Memorial Trust and the Alpine Club have both made huge contributions to British alpinism. This is a natural partnership that not only allows young climbers to get the early support they need, but hopefully also demonstrates a path to future progression and many years of successful climbing through the Alpine Club”.
Neil McAdie, Chair of Trustees for the JCMT said:
“We’re extremely grateful to the Alpine Club for their generous commitment to fund an annual ten places on our Summer Alpine Course. These courses are life-changing experiences for many of our attendees and donations like this allow us to continue offering that experience into the future.”
You can learn more about the Alpine Club at www.alpineclub.org and you can donate to the ongoing work of the Jonathan Conville Memorial Trust at www.jcmt.org.uk.
