Join Us for the Launch of Dorothy Pilley's 'Climbing Days'

Dorothy Pilley was one of the most significant figures of early 20th Century mountaineering. A member of numerous mountaineering clubs and a founder of the all-women Pinnacle Club, she climbed extensively in the Alps and North America, alongside her husband Ivor Richards. In 1928, together with Ivor and the guides Joseph and Antoine Georges, Dorothy made the first ascent of the north-north-west ridge of the Dent Blanche.

This, and many of her other pivotal climbing experiences, were immortalised in Dorothy's autobiography 'Climbing Days'. Despite Dorothy's significance and the book's warm reception, the title has sadly been out of print for several decades. However, thanks to the work of Dorothy's Great-Grand Nephew Dan Richards and publisher Canongate Books, a new edition of the book is set to be published in 2024.

This new title, the first since 1965 to feature all of the original photographs, will become part of the Canongate 'Canons' collection and will receive its official launch on 2 July at the Alpine Club's premises at Charlotte Road London.

To help celebrate the book's re-release and Dorothy's remarkable life, the evening will include a discussion by Dan Richards (who has written a new foreword for this edition), writer and academic Dr Sarah Lonsdale and UKClimbing Editor in Chief Natalie Berry. 

The book launch is free to attend and there will be the opportunity to buy copies of the book on the night as well as to view a small display of some of Dorothy's posessions from the Club's collection. The event will start from 7PM and you can sign up to attend via the Google form below.

2024 GRIT&ROCK Expedition Award Recipients Announced

Since 2017, the UK-based charity GRIT&ROCK has sought to encourage female participation in pioneering alpine ascents by provided funding to female-led expeditions. In its eight years of operation, it has provided $70,000 in grants to 30 female-led expeditions.

^{Nadine Lehrner, Isidora Llarena, and Rebeca Caceres who received a GRIT&ROCK grant for their 2023 expedition in Patagonia}

The recipients of the 2024 grants are as follows:

Performance Category

Chantel Astorga and Fanny Schmutz received $2,000 towards their planned expedition to open a new route on east face of Shivling (6543m)

AC member Fay Manners and Michelle Dvorak were awarded £1,500 towards an exploratory expedition to Sikkim.

An all-female team of Lise Billon, Raphaela Haug and Babsi Vigl received $1,500 of funding towards an attempt at a full traverse of the Moose’s Tooth in Alaska's Ruth Gorge.

Exploration Category

Olga Lukashenko, Anastasia Kozlova and Daria Seryupova were awarded $1,500 for an exploratory expedition to Ashat Wall in Kyrgyzstan to attempt the first ascent of Argo and Sabakh peaks.

An all-female team of Canadian climbers, Flavie Cardinal and Jasper Pankratz, received $1,000 for an exploratory big wall climbing expedition to the Turbio valley in Argentina.

Apprenticeship Category

A team of six UK-based climbers: AC member Elizabeth Porter, Martha Gutteridge, Charlotte Krishik, AC member Isabel Jones, AC member Caitlin McHale and Jinjie Cheng were provided with $1,500 in funding for an exploratory expedition to the Rushan range of Tajikistan.

The jury also elected to continue their funding for the French National Female Alpine Team (ENAF) and the female members of the Alpine Club's Young Alpinist Group with grants of $2,000 and $1,000 respectively.

The Award is open to individuals and climbing teams of any nationality with a majority of female participants.

'Going Up to Balliol' Exhibition

AC member, Honorary Keeper of Artefacts and former Club Librarian Nigel Buckley has organised an exhibition at Balliol College, Oxford, looking at the college’s connections to mountaineering.

The exhibition features mountaineers including Arnold Lunn, Charles Evans, Tom Bourdillon and Stephen Venables and makes use of a number of items from the Club's collections, including Bourdillon’s Everest diary and down suit.

The exhibition, which is being held at the Balliol Historic Collections Centre is open to visitors at the following times:

• Sunday 21 April, 11.00am—4.00pm
• Thursday 25 April, 3.00pm—7.00pm
• Friday 3 May, 11.00am—4.00pm
• Wednesday 8 May, 3.00pm—7.00pm
• Monday 13 May, 11.00am—4.00pm
• Sunday 26 May, 11.00am—4.00pm
• Wednesday 29 May, 3.00pm—7.00pm
• Thursday 6 June, 11.00am—4.00pm
• Saturday 8 June, 11.00am—4.00pm
• Monday 10 June, 11.00am—4.00pm

There will be three evening lectures running alongside the exhibition:

• From 7PM on 25 April, Tim Expley will present ‘Mountaineering to Alpinism: A Steep Learning Curve’. 
• Balliol alum James Ogilvie will discuss ‘Getting High: Climbing the Seven Summits’ from 7PM on 8 May and
• At 7PM on 29 May, Mick Conefrey will give a talk on the 1953 Everest Expedition.

The exhibition can also be viewed by appointment. Further details are available at the Balliol College website.

Mount Everest Foundation Launches New Film

The Mount Everest Foundation (MEF), an organisation administered jointly by the Alpine Club and the Royal Geographical Society, has, for 70 years, provided funding for exploration in the world's mountain regions. This has often taken the form of grants for mountaineering expeditions, but has increasingly focussed on funding for scientific expeditions as well. Some of the most iconic ascents in mountaineering history were supported by the Mount Everest Foundation; from the first ascent of Kangchenjunga in 1955 to the first complete traverse of the Mazeno Ridge in 2012.

To celebrate its 70 year history, the MEF has commissioned a new film detailing their proud legacy of exploration and outlining their current priorities. You can watch it below.

You can learn more about the MEF, including how to apply for funding, via their website.