Loppé Exhibition Opens on Monte Bianco Skyway

Over 20 scale reproductions of the works of famed mountain artist Gabriel Loppé have gone on display in the Pavillion Station of the Monte Bianco Skyway. The exhibition, 'Gabriel Loppé: A Life on Mont Blanc' is a collaboration between the Skyway, The Association Amis de Gabriel Loppé and AC member William Mitchell.

Loppé was the earliest pioneer of high altitude painting and the first non-Britain to be made a member of the Alpine Club.

His most enduring working relationship was with Mont Blanc, which he was estimated to have climbed some 40 times, painting numerous scenes from its summit. Given his history with the mountain, there is perhaps no better place for an exhibition of Loppé's work than in the panoramic space of the Pavillion Station at 2,200m.

The exhibition will run until the Summer of 2023 and is open to visitors whenever the cable car is operating. Tickets are available to book via the Skyway website.  

AC member William Mitchell, who has curated the exhibition, has produced an accompanying 60-page catalogue which is available in English, French and Italian. French speakers can also enjoy an interview in which William discusses the exhibition on TGR Rai.

The Death of HM Queen Elizabeth II

The Alpine Club Committee was deeply saddened to learn of the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. For seventy years she had been a rare constant in the life of our nation, serving as a source of comfort and pride to many. With the news of Hillary’s and Tenzing’s ascent of Everest reaching the streets of London on the morning of her coronation, 2nd June 1953, she had a special place in the hearts of mountaineers. 

With her husband HRH The Prince Philip, who was an honorary member of the Club, she attended a number of Alpine Club events, including our 1957 centenary celebrations (pictured). She was also a regular attendee at anniversary celebrations for the first ascent of Mount Everest adding, in the words of former AC President Stephen Venables, "lustre" to those occasions. 

2022 Albert Mountain Award Winners Announced

The King Albert I Memorial Foundation have announced that the recipients of the Albert Mountain Award for 2022 are German climber Bernd Arnold, Belgian alpinist Sophie Lenaerts, long-distance hiker Nam Nan-hee from South Korea and The Society for Ecological Research in Munich.

The foundation, registered in Zurich, honours people or institutions that have achieved outstanding and lasting merit through their achievements in an area related to the mountains. The Albert Mountain Award is presented every two years.

The ceremony for the 2022 awards will take place on 23 September in the Swiss Alpine Museum in Bern where there will also be the opportunity for attendees to view the current Korean exhibit: 'Let's Talk About Mountains'.

^{Nam Nan-hee}

^{Bernd Arnold}

^{Sophie Lenaerts}

Wrights Retreat from K7 Central

Americans Jeff and Priti Wright report that they were forced to turn back 100m shy of the summit of K7 Central (6,858m) after encountering difficult climbing that resulted in a number of lead falls and ate into their weather window. The pair told ExplorersWeb that the climbing above 6,500m weighed in at M5 and 5.11 with little solid protection.

Having decided to abandon their attempt, they retreated down the hazardous Central Couloir of the West Face, completing a 13.5Km round trip from their basecamp at 4,350m.

This was the first time that a team had attempted this unclimbed Pakistani peak.