MCofS Winter Skills Lectures
Mountaineering Council of Scotland Winter Lectures
Winter Lecture Series
Winter 2010 sees the introduction of a new expanded MCofS Winter
Lecture Series. Following on from the success at the Clachaig Inn
each winter, the lectures will now run from three different
locations.
The Clachaig Inn, Glencoe (Tuesday evenings)
The Mountain Cafe, Aviemore (Wednesday evenings)
The Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team Base (Thursday
evenings)
The focus of the lectures is to entertain and educate on winter
mountain safety. In order to deliver this, an inspiring array of
speakers has been chosen who are guaranteed to provide an
entertaining night out! All the speakers have spent many years in
the mountains and will draw upon their own experiences to illustrate
hard lessons learnt. Each presentation will last approx 45 minutes
and there will be opportunity at the end of each evening for any
questions. Whether you are a hardened climber, or up in the
Highlands for your first winter experience, you can ensure a good
night out and learn something new.
The MCofS Winter Lecture Series is free of charge and open
to all.
The Clachaig Inn, Glencoe
The Clachaig is the birth place of the Winter Lecture Series.
Tuesday evenings from the 2nd February see the return of the series
for a six week period. The evening talks will begin promptly at
20.00, however feel free to arrive well in advance to enjoy a bar
meal and a pint or two.
This winter’s speakers are:
2nd February & 9th February
Roger Wild
IFMGA mountain guide and ex Mountain Safety Advisor with the MCofS.
Roger has a wealth of Scottish mountaineering experience to draw
upon. Roger will be talking about Winter Mountain Navigation.
16th February & 23rd February
Nick Carter
Nick has climbed extensively around the world since
the early 80's, but is probably most well known for his hard winter
ascents. Nick climbs up to grade VIII in Scotland including the
first winter ascent of Hung, Drawn and Quartered (VIII,8) and the
second winter ascent of Sidewinder (VII,8) on Ben Nevis and Genesis
(VII,7) on Beinn Bhan. As we all know, to be successful and safe
climbing in Scottish Winter you need to be much more than a ‘hot
shot’ climber. Getting to and from the routes can be a challenge in
itself. Nick will share some of his experiences with us.
2nd March & 9th March
Rosie Goolden
Rosie is a well known face in the Scottish winter mountaineering/climbing scene and one of only a handful of female MIC’s. She has spent the last 10 years guiding in Scottish Winter and was the founder of the hugely successful initiative ‘Chicks Unleashed’.
The Mountain Cafe, Aviemore
This famous cafe must be the perfect venue to spend a winters
evening after a day on the hill. The cafe will be open from 18.30
onwards - use the entrance around the left hand side of the
building. Food is available at 19.00; there will be a choice of meat
or veggie at an excellent price of £8. The evening talk will begin
promptly at 20.00. The Mountain Cafe winter lecture series will run
on Wednesday evenings for eight consecutive weeks from 20th January
2010.
This winter’s speakers are:
20th January & 27th January
Ian Sherrington
IFMGA Mountain Guide and Senior Instructor at
Glenmore Lodge. Ian has extensive experience of mountaineering,
climbing and skiing in Scotland and is looking forward to sharing
some of his adventures with you.
3rd February, 17th February & 3rd March
Simon Steer
Simon combines his day job
in the Scottish Government with the role of Deputy Team Leader of
the Cairngorm Mountain Rescue Team. He relaxes by climbing hills
slowly; making easy rock or ice routes look hard; falling off his
mountain bike and posing as a ski patroller on Cairngorm. He also
lectures on wilderness emergency care to anyone willing to listen.
In his 14 years in the rescue team, Simon has been involved in a
great many incidents (some funny, some not) and will be sharing some
of those tales with you.
10th February & 10th March
David (Heavy) Whalley – this is Mr Mountain Rescue!
What Heavy hasn’t been involved with in his 37 years in mountain rescue isn’t worth knowing about. Heavy spent his working life in the RAF and rose to the dizzy heights of Team Leader for both the Kinloss and Leuchars Mountain Rescue Teams. He is now retired from the RAF and spends his spare time collating the Scottish Accident Statistics for the Mountain Rescue Committee of Scotland and is still active in mountain rescue as a member of the Torridon Team. Heavy is a larger than life character and guaranteed to provide an entertaining evening.
Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team Base,
Fort William
This venue is the fantastic, new purpose built facility for the
Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team, located on the Ben Nevis Industrial
Estate on the north side of the town. The LMRT have kindly opened
their doors to the public to host the Thursday evening lectures. The
lectures will run for eight consecutive weeks from Thursday 21st
January, starting at 20.00. The lectures are free, but visitors may
wish to make a donation to the Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team.
This winter’s speakers are:
21st Jan & 25th Feb
Cameron McNeish
Cameron is well known for his work with media, he regularly appears on our TV screens with classics such as his walk through the Far North West of Scotland. Cameron manages to juggle his day job (editing TGO Magazine) with an active and enthusiastic love of the Scottish Hills.
28th Jan & 11th Feb
Stuart Johnston
Stuart has been an MIC for many years and now runs his own successful mountain training business ‘Stuart Johnston Mountaineering’. He balances this with his commitment as a member of the Tayside Mountain Rescue Team and Training Officer for the Mountain Rescue Committee for Scotland.
18th Feb & 11th Mar
Di Gilbert
Di is another one of those rare female MIC’s. Alongside her many years experience climbing in the Scottish Mountains, Di has made many ascents in the greater ranges including Denali and Everest. Her vibrant personality and enthusiasm for the Scottish Mountains will ensure an entertaining and informative evening.
4th Feb & 4th Mar
Richard Bentley
A well known MIC, Richard has been running his own mountaineering business for many years from the foot of Ben Nevis. Richard has climbed throughout the world but is probably best known around Scotland for his coaching and teaching of winter climbing, his love of hard mixed climbing and his knowledge of Ben Nevis in Winter. He is a member of the Lochaber Mountain rescue team and occasionally masquerades as a Ski Patroller on Aonach Mor!