For the fifth year the Lakes Area Committee organised a youth meet at the FRCC Climbing Hut and Cottage at Rawhead in Langdale.

Twenty five youngsters applied for the weekend, however this had to be whittled down to the available spaces and adult helpers. In the end seventeen assembled on the Friday evening with high hopes for the weekend. Many friendships were renewed and new ones made with those coming from principally Kendal and Penrith areas but also Keswick, Carlisle, Richmond, in North Yorkshire, and Durham. The purpose of the weekend is partly instructional, however it is required that all the youngsters should have climbed outside previously. Their experiences varied from the occasional school trips up to a regularly leading in the E Grades. The adults attending the weekend are not instructors but have many years experience and able to pass on their knowledge and ideas over the weekend. The underlying idea of the weekend is as a climbing meet, experiencing staying in a climbing hut, visiting new crags, making contacts with others and often just a chance to get outside and climb on crags and not on a climbing wall. The weather over the weekend was excellent though for those up high on Saturday a little chilly. On the Saturday there were groups at Gimmer Crag, on the side of the Langdale Pikes; Wallowbarrow Crag in the Duddon Valley and also on Dow Crag, above Coniston. The differences of climbing was perhaps emphasised by two neighbouring routes on Dow Crag – with Black Wall – at HVS, a not too well protected climb, but very much in the climbing wall mode giving a relatively pleasant route to second (and abseil descent) – whereas Hopkinson Crack (at only hard severe), just to its left, gives a different proposition with a wet corner crack necessitating all types of contortions for elevation. A rather busy “Arete Chimney and Crack” (HS) and “Eliminate A” (four star VS) with “Leopards Crack” (HVS) and “Nimrod” (E1) were enjoyed to show the best that multi-pitch routes have to offer. Similarly on Gimmer Crag (the crag in the sky) in its superb positions and Wallowbarrow Crag. A communal meal was enjoyed in the evening followed by a slide show on recent activities including Moroccan Rock. The weather looked a little doubtful on Sunday but in the end it turned out fine. Groups split into going to White Ghyll (some via Scout Crag) and Black Crag above Wrynose Pass. Black Crag is a great little crag – more like an overgrown bouldering area on beautiful rock. A more amiable length but still some difficult routes. Notable ascents on Glass Slipper (E2) – not well protected but lovely to top rope – and the harder Needle arête (E3). Just above Rawhead, Scout Crag gave a fine crag with easier routes to lead (for some a first lead) then up to the crag of White Ghyll where Hollin Groove (Sev) and Slab Route 1 (Sev) gave ideal routes for leads. Over the weekend everyone climbed well at all grades; some climbing multi-pitch routes and also some leading for the first time. I would think all would agree that Daniel Varien’s weekend was impressive with his tally of leads of extremes finishing with a very smooth ascent of Palladin (E3). I would like to thank all of the adults who came and helped over the weekend and I hope they enjoyed the camaraderie. I would like especially to thank Helen Twyford for contacting the schools and climbing walls to publicise the weekend and drawing together the applications from the youngsters; Dave Staton (chairman of the Lakes BMC committee) for arranging the meals on the Saturday evening with “Wilfs”; John Shaw (chairman of BMC youth committee) for helping over the weekend; Vanessa Hall and Dave Turnbull from the BMC for communication prior to the weekend and last but not least Molly Hamer, who is one of the FRCC’s well known elderly members, who arrived on the Friday, unaware of the youth meet, for a quiet weekend, but who mucked in and helped over the weekend. Without accommodation the weekend would not have happened and I would like to thank the Fell and Rock Climbing Club for the use of their hut – this does, however show one of the benefits of membership of such a club – which is looking for new young members. In the current climbing scene of climbing walls many do not make the step outside onto trad Crags either through choice, lack of contacts or sometimes just a need to drop apparent climbing grades to adjust to leader placed protection. This weekend helps with that transition. I believe it is important that more specific “wall to crag courses” should be arranged by outdoor centres, climbing wall centres and even the BMC. Cragging adds a depth to climbing which can lead on to the other branches of the sport from bouldering through to mountaineering in the greater ranges. I believe that these Lakes Youth meets are a little gem and with a bit of effort could be done in other BMC areas. They are not too much of a chore and the youngsters attending as well as the adults helping get a lot out of them. For me there are many memories – Simon Platt dressed as a Tiger ascending the “Tiger Traverse”; Tom Newman on “Nimrod”; Daniel Varien cruising up “Waste Not, Want Not”; Matthew Murgatroyd and Tom Vaughan sharing leads on “Hollin Groove”; and Kate Forrester with Jill Aldersley on “Slabs Route 1” – and many more. - Ron Kenyon

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