Patron: H.R.H. THE DUKE OF EDINBURGH, K.G., K.T.
Report of the Chairman 2000 - 2001
The success rate of expeditions supported by the MEF during 2001 was higher than for many years, with 26 of the 39 expeditions achieving their prime objectives and 7 succeeding on others, leaving only 6 that could really be described as 'unsuccessful'.
With its comparative lack of bureaucracy, the most popular continent was South America with 4 expeditions to Bolivia, 3 to Chile, 2 to Peru and 1 to Argentina.
One of the teams visiting Bolivia had intended to go to the Cordillera Apolobamba, but local unrest put the area off limits, so they headed for the Cordillera Real instead, where they climbed a minor peak for acclimatisation, then were forced to abandon their trip due to the worst weather for 35 years. A female team in the same area achieved a probable first ascent and 5 new routes, whilst a persuasive group of medical students from Edinburgh found sufficient volunteers - including a BBC film team - on whom to inflict a series of medical tests at a permanent laboratory at 5200m. The activities of a team in the Quimsa Cruz were curtailed by heavy snow, but not before they had climbed 2 previously unclimbed peaks and several new routes.
In Chile a traverse of the Mount Trinidad horseshoe - involving the first ascent of 4 peaks - was made, but a big wall line on the NW arête of Trinidad was abandoned with A3 climbing taking too long. A team attempting a new route on the South Tower of Paine abandoned the climb, but were successful on the nearby Cerro Mascara, whilst further south an expedition into the Darwin range climbed their intended mountain - but then found it was not Mount Bové as they had assumed, but another unclimbed peak, which they named Mt Ada.
Although Peru is no longer as popular as in past years, both expeditions recorded successes, with the first ascents of the East Face of Santa Cruz Chico and the Central Buttress of the S Face of Quitaraju, the latter proving much harder than anticipated.
In Argentina, 6 weeks of appalling Patagonian weather with 8 metres of snow prevented a 2-man team from Llanberis making progress above a snow cave at the base of their intended route on the East Face of Torre Egger.
The Himalayan countries showed a resurgence in popularity, with 4 expeditions to India, 3 to Nepal and 2 to China/Tibet.
Of the expeditions to India, three were successful: in Ladakh, Chakula received its first ascent, as did Yamandaka and 2 other peaks in the Arganglas range plus Tagne and Sagar in Zanskar. In the Nanda Devi area, a team was unable to find a safe route on the North Face of Tirsuli West, but made the first ascent of Shambhu Ka Qilla instead.
In Nepal, the failure of teams on Raksha Urai (due to rotten snow 150m below the summit), and the South Ridge of Kantega (due to a very active icefall and bad weather) was to some extent compensated by another team's outstanding first ascent of the frequently tried NW ridge of Ama Dablam.
Both expeditions to China carried out valuable exploration, with the first ascent of Pk 5760m in the Kangri Garpo by a New Zealand team, and Peak 6061m above a tributary valley of Karyafdi in the Kun Lun area. by a team that drove all the way from the UK.
In Pakistan, a team made the probable first ascent of 'Ice Cream Peak' W of Solu Brakk in the Arandu valley area, whilst a team on Greater Trango retreated from 5700m after spending 7 days confined to portaledges.
Greenland continues to offer rich pickings to exploratory climbers, with two expeditions to the northeast each achieving over two dozen first ascents. Several teams were successful on big walls, the first ascent of the N Face of Tupilak - in winter - deserving especial mention. Two teams that combined sailing with climbing in south and west Greenland also recorded successes, one also taking advantage of its mobility by sailing to Bylot Island and repeating Tilman?s traverse.
In North America, Alaska remains as popular as ever, with four of the five expeditions recording successes, particularly on Denali, Mount Hunter and in the Cathedral Mountains. Unfortunately deep snow, unstable seracs and generally unsettled weather repulsed a team hoping to climb a new route on the Broken Tooth.
In Central Asia, Kyrgyzstan is attracting some of the more enterprising teams. A group in the Western Kokshaal-Too explored two previously unvisited mountain ranges and made several first ascents, whilst another team hoping to climb Pik Dankova failed, but made the first British ascent of Pik Molodezhnyi instead.
As in 2000, an expedition to an area of Africa whose climbing potential was little known was supported, this time to Mozambique, where two ?big wall? routes were climbed on the Nampula Towers.
The two caving expeditions - to Mexico and to Vietnam - each managed to explore and survey some 'new' stretches of cave, but neither reached the record depths they had hoped to achieve.
Towards the end of 2001, the MEF joined with the British Mountaineering Council at the Kendal Mountain Film Festival and the Festival of Climbing in Birmingham to present lectures on recently supported expeditions. We are delighted to confirm that we will be at Kendal again this year on the weekend of 15-17th November, and look forward to meeting old friends there.
At its recent meeting, the Committee of Management agreed to offer support to 33 overseas expeditions and - unusually - 2 UK based projects in 2002. It was felt that the projects would meet the MEF criteria by adding to the available knowledge on the effects of altitude on the human body (02/38), and ways of withstanding the hostile environment of high mountains (02/49).
At the Annual General Meeting held in December 2001, it was agreed that membership of the Committee of Management should be reduced from 6 AC and 6 RGS representatives (as it had been since formation) to 4 from each body. This was achieved almost entirely by 'natural wastage', as Bob Schroter and Nigel Winser, representing the Royal Geographical Society, and Derek Fordham, representing the Alpine Club, completed their six-year terms – and Tony Streather agreed to stand down a year early in the interests of increased efficiency. At the forthcoming AGM, I will complete my term of office as Chairman, and will hand over to Dr Charles Clarke, who is already heavily involved in planning our celebration of the Fiftieth Anniversary of the First Ascent of Mount Everest: more details are given on the MEF News Update page on this website.
After seven years on the MEF Committee of Management, I would say how much I have enjoyed the experience, and to recognise the hard work and dedication of all the members of both the Committee of Management and the Screening Committee. Seven years may seem a while, but I would first like to recognise the remarkable three decades jointly contributed by Nigel and Shane Winser on both committees. The greatest contribution to ensuring the smooth functioning of the MEF is undoubtedly made by Bill Ruthven, our Honorary Secretary, in spite of the challenges of wheelchair access. The last few months have been hard for Lindsay Griffin, chair of the Screening Committee, and I hope he will soon return to full health (and his inimitable chairmanship). Finally, I should mention Richard Morgan, our Treasurer, for keeping me well-informed and ensuring that our funds are well-managed, and for his caution. I certainly hope that our plans for the Fiftieth Anniversary will be rewarded with success, and that Richard will have a larger portfolio to watch over - and that the MEF will be able to spend more each year in supporting an increasing number of exploratory and research expeditions.
Martin Price, Chairman MEF Committee of Management, June 2002
With its comparative lack of bureaucracy, the most popular continent was South America with 4 expeditions to Bolivia, 3 to Chile, 2 to Peru and 1 to Argentina.
One of the teams visiting Bolivia had intended to go to the Cordillera Apolobamba, but local unrest put the area off limits, so they headed for the Cordillera Real instead, where they climbed a minor peak for acclimatisation, then were forced to abandon their trip due to the worst weather for 35 years. A female team in the same area achieved a probable first ascent and 5 new routes, whilst a persuasive group of medical students from Edinburgh found sufficient volunteers - including a BBC film team - on whom to inflict a series of medical tests at a permanent laboratory at 5200m. The activities of a team in the Quimsa Cruz were curtailed by heavy snow, but not before they had climbed 2 previously unclimbed peaks and several new routes.
In Chile a traverse of the Mount Trinidad horseshoe - involving the first ascent of 4 peaks - was made, but a big wall line on the NW arête of Trinidad was abandoned with A3 climbing taking too long. A team attempting a new route on the South Tower of Paine abandoned the climb, but were successful on the nearby Cerro Mascara, whilst further south an expedition into the Darwin range climbed their intended mountain - but then found it was not Mount Bové as they had assumed, but another unclimbed peak, which they named Mt Ada.
Although Peru is no longer as popular as in past years, both expeditions recorded successes, with the first ascents of the East Face of Santa Cruz Chico and the Central Buttress of the S Face of Quitaraju, the latter proving much harder than anticipated.
In Argentina, 6 weeks of appalling Patagonian weather with 8 metres of snow prevented a 2-man team from Llanberis making progress above a snow cave at the base of their intended route on the East Face of Torre Egger.
The Himalayan countries showed a resurgence in popularity, with 4 expeditions to India, 3 to Nepal and 2 to China/Tibet.
Of the expeditions to India, three were successful: in Ladakh, Chakula received its first ascent, as did Yamandaka and 2 other peaks in the Arganglas range plus Tagne and Sagar in Zanskar. In the Nanda Devi area, a team was unable to find a safe route on the North Face of Tirsuli West, but made the first ascent of Shambhu Ka Qilla instead.
In Nepal, the failure of teams on Raksha Urai (due to rotten snow 150m below the summit), and the South Ridge of Kantega (due to a very active icefall and bad weather) was to some extent compensated by another team's outstanding first ascent of the frequently tried NW ridge of Ama Dablam.
Both expeditions to China carried out valuable exploration, with the first ascent of Pk 5760m in the Kangri Garpo by a New Zealand team, and Peak 6061m above a tributary valley of Karyafdi in the Kun Lun area. by a team that drove all the way from the UK.
In Pakistan, a team made the probable first ascent of 'Ice Cream Peak' W of Solu Brakk in the Arandu valley area, whilst a team on Greater Trango retreated from 5700m after spending 7 days confined to portaledges.
Greenland continues to offer rich pickings to exploratory climbers, with two expeditions to the northeast each achieving over two dozen first ascents. Several teams were successful on big walls, the first ascent of the N Face of Tupilak - in winter - deserving especial mention. Two teams that combined sailing with climbing in south and west Greenland also recorded successes, one also taking advantage of its mobility by sailing to Bylot Island and repeating Tilman?s traverse.
In North America, Alaska remains as popular as ever, with four of the five expeditions recording successes, particularly on Denali, Mount Hunter and in the Cathedral Mountains. Unfortunately deep snow, unstable seracs and generally unsettled weather repulsed a team hoping to climb a new route on the Broken Tooth.
In Central Asia, Kyrgyzstan is attracting some of the more enterprising teams. A group in the Western Kokshaal-Too explored two previously unvisited mountain ranges and made several first ascents, whilst another team hoping to climb Pik Dankova failed, but made the first British ascent of Pik Molodezhnyi instead.
As in 2000, an expedition to an area of Africa whose climbing potential was little known was supported, this time to Mozambique, where two ?big wall? routes were climbed on the Nampula Towers.
The two caving expeditions - to Mexico and to Vietnam - each managed to explore and survey some 'new' stretches of cave, but neither reached the record depths they had hoped to achieve.
Towards the end of 2001, the MEF joined with the British Mountaineering Council at the Kendal Mountain Film Festival and the Festival of Climbing in Birmingham to present lectures on recently supported expeditions. We are delighted to confirm that we will be at Kendal again this year on the weekend of 15-17th November, and look forward to meeting old friends there.
At its recent meeting, the Committee of Management agreed to offer support to 33 overseas expeditions and - unusually - 2 UK based projects in 2002. It was felt that the projects would meet the MEF criteria by adding to the available knowledge on the effects of altitude on the human body (02/38), and ways of withstanding the hostile environment of high mountains (02/49).
At the Annual General Meeting held in December 2001, it was agreed that membership of the Committee of Management should be reduced from 6 AC and 6 RGS representatives (as it had been since formation) to 4 from each body. This was achieved almost entirely by 'natural wastage', as Bob Schroter and Nigel Winser, representing the Royal Geographical Society, and Derek Fordham, representing the Alpine Club, completed their six-year terms – and Tony Streather agreed to stand down a year early in the interests of increased efficiency. At the forthcoming AGM, I will complete my term of office as Chairman, and will hand over to Dr Charles Clarke, who is already heavily involved in planning our celebration of the Fiftieth Anniversary of the First Ascent of Mount Everest: more details are given on the MEF News Update page on this website.
After seven years on the MEF Committee of Management, I would say how much I have enjoyed the experience, and to recognise the hard work and dedication of all the members of both the Committee of Management and the Screening Committee. Seven years may seem a while, but I would first like to recognise the remarkable three decades jointly contributed by Nigel and Shane Winser on both committees. The greatest contribution to ensuring the smooth functioning of the MEF is undoubtedly made by Bill Ruthven, our Honorary Secretary, in spite of the challenges of wheelchair access. The last few months have been hard for Lindsay Griffin, chair of the Screening Committee, and I hope he will soon return to full health (and his inimitable chairmanship). Finally, I should mention Richard Morgan, our Treasurer, for keeping me well-informed and ensuring that our funds are well-managed, and for his caution. I certainly hope that our plans for the Fiftieth Anniversary will be rewarded with success, and that Richard will have a larger portfolio to watch over - and that the MEF will be able to spend more each year in supporting an increasing number of exploratory and research expeditions.
Martin Price, Chairman MEF Committee of Management, June 2002
