Sheffield Mountaineering

After three fabulous winter trips to The Cairngorms with Sheffield Mountaineering, it’s now time to leave the axes and crampons at home and enjoy everything these magnificent mountains have to offer in summer conditions. As an added bonus there will also be the option of a trip to Ben Nevis to scale the mountain by the North Face Ledge Route.

The Cairngorms (Aviemore)

Meet at: Outside the Nevisport shop, 100 Grampian Road, Aviemore PH22 1RH. The plan is to travel up on Saturday 12th then meet socially for an hour or two in the evening before the week’s activities begin the following morning. We will be leaving to travel back home on the morning of Saturday 19th. As an environmentally conscious group, we actively encourage car sharing. Further details of car sharing arrangements from Sheffield, Manchester and elsewhere will appear in the comments section nearer the time.

While Ben Nevis is Britain’s highest individual mountain, The Cairngorms are undisputedly our highest mountain range. As well as boasting the largest concentration of towering peaks, it is the only place in the country where you can walk for miles in a straight line without ever dropping below 1000 metres in altitude. The range contains five of the six highest peaks in the UK namely Ben Macdui (the second highest at 1309 metres), the mighty Braeriach (1296 metres), Cairn Toul (1291 metres), Sgor An Lochain Uaine (1258 metres) and the eponymous Cairn Gorm (1245 metres).

If all that isn’t enough, The Cairngorms also offer a plethora of classic scrambles and high quality, easy grade, multi pitch rock climbs. Superb routes such as Fiacaill Ridge, Angel’s Ridge, Ptarmigan Ridge, Afterthought Arete, Pygmy Ridge and Lairig Ridge can all be found here along with many more rocky delights. The area also boasts some of the finest scenery in the British Isles along with a myriad of flora and fauna. Even in poor weather, lower level walks in the vicinity still provide plenty entertainment.

All activities will be on offer, peak bagging hikes, scrambling, rock climbing and anything else you might prefer.

As the aforementioned highest mountain in Britain, Ben Nevis needs no introduction. Tens of thousands of pilgrims reach its 1345 metre summit every year and virtually all of them do so by the Pony Track (the main tourist path). Very few venture round to the other side of the mountain and on to its imposing North Face but that is exactly what we plan to do. Our route of ascent will be via The Ledge Route, which follows an implausibly amenable line up that towering North Face. It is a long and sustained scramble with some dramatic positions but is never overly technical. (This one will be weather dependent and will require a 7am departure from our base in Aviemore).

Feel free to do what ever you want on any given day. It is common practice on these trips to split into smaller groups/pairs so everybody gets the chance to do something they are happy with.

Difficulty: Strenuous but non technical Hiking, Scrambling of mostly Grade 1 and Grade 2 (Fiacaill Ridge/Ledge Route), possibly some Grade 3. Rock climbing of Moderate and Diff grades, possibly harder if people fancy it.

For more information on scrambling grades see:

A special event to celebrate the life of our very popular member Alex Syed who we lost earlier this year. A rambunctious exuberant chatterbox always at the heart of the banter on group hikes and a dedicated adventurer who drove all the way from Birmingham to join us. Alex was a regular at our events until his tragic accident in February.

As always, everybody is welcome including those of you who didn’t know Alex.

This event will also be a fundraiser so in place of the usual event fee we ask you to make a donation to Scottish Mountain Rescue using this special page we have set up:

https://www.justgiving.com/page/gerry-sheffield-mountaineering-2

Route: Cave Dale, Mam Tor, The Great Ridge

Meet at: Outside Hope Primary School, Eccles Close, Hope, S33 6ZF. As an environmentally conscious group, we actively encourage car sharing. Further details of car sharing arrangements from Sheffield, Manchester and elsewhere will appear in the comments section nearer the time.

This is one of the most popular walks in the Peak District justifiably so. The hike features some highly picturesque scenery as well as a series of peaks on a long undulating ridge with stunning views all the way.

The full day will include a gentle stroll across fields from Hope to Castleton, a walk along the Limestone Way in the shadow of Peverill Castle and through Cave Dale surrounded by spectacular limestone cliff faces, a hike up over Old Moor and across the head of the breathtaking Winnats Pass before an ascent to the summit of Mam Tor, then a continuation along The Great Ridge over Hollins Cross, Back Tor and Lose Hill before descending to our starting point in Hope.

Photos of some of our our previous outings to Mam Tor and The Great Ridge can be seen here:

Open to both beginners and people with more experience.

Many of you have said to us that they have been scrambling for a while but lacked some of the fundamentals, key skill knowledge and how to safely scramble.

This session is to help you understand and practice these skills both in terms of moving on rock and decision making so you can start to scramble more adventurous routes and to keep safe in the mountains.

Skills covered:

• What equipment should you wear & why
• It's all in the feet (Gerry is correct)
• Building sure footedness
• Decision making (don't blindly follow the person in front)
• Can you retreat if you find the route too challenging?