The Lairig Club
Established | 1940's |
---|---|
Founders | W. T. Hendry |
Founded at | University of Aberdeen |
Type | Mountaineering Club |
Legal status | University Organisation |
Purpose | "To give the opportunity to participate in, and develop the skills for, safe mountaineering in all conditions." |
Location |
|
Membership | ~100 |
Website | https://www.ausa.org.uk/sports/club/lairig/ |
The Lairig Club, commonly referred to as "The Lairig" is the
The "Golden Age" of the Lairig Club
For a period of time during the 1950s the Lairig Club was at the forefront of Scottish winter climbing with members setting new standards and developing new techniques in the sport. The Lairig along with other Aberdeen-based clubs; The Cairngorm Club and the Etchachan Club were responsible for the development and first ascents of most major venues and routes in the Eastern Cairngorms. The most active club members of this time were local Aberdonians Bill Brooker, Tom Patey,[2] James Mike Taylor,[4] Ken Grassick and Graeme Nicol.
Notable achievements by the Lairig Club during this era include: Patey and Gordon Leslie's ascent of Douglas-Gibson Gully on
Activity was not just limited to the high mountain cliffs and the club were also responsible for the early development of the North East sea cliffs. Several routes put up by Lairig members are now graded VS and above. The Sickle HVS 5b was climbed in 1944 by founding member W. T. Hendry[5] and marked a huge advance in rock climbing standards. Routes such as Brooker's Arete and Nicol's Eliminate give clues as to who was behind most of the new routing in the 1950s.
In 1966, the Lairig Club constructed a Bothy refuge in the Garbh Choire complex, facilitating access to nearby ice climbing routes. The refuge, originally built about 50 years ago by the club, is now under the care of the Mountain Bothies Association.[6][7][8]
Throughout the period the club flourished, attracting students from the University who all shared a common love of the hills. Trips were organised every weekend to bothies in the North East such as Bob Scott's, Corrour and the Glas alt Sheil and occasionally a bit further afield. "A good day in the hills was just as important as a good evening back at the bothy with good friends" and this is still very much the ethos of the Lairig Club to this day.[9][10][11]
Death of Graeme Cooper and Richard Hardy
On 19 November 2006, Richard Hardy, 18, and Graeme Cooper, 23, tragically lost their lives whilst they were returning from a climb in the
A 1-minute silence was held throughout the University of Aberdeen in their honour. [15] An annual running race around Loch Muick is organised by the club to honour their memory and to help raise money for local mountain rescue trusts.
Committee Structure
Membership of the club is open to all students who are members of the University of Aberdeen Sports Council. The club is run by a committee of senior members who are elected at the annual general meeting and serve for one academic year. Positions on the committee are as follows:
- Captain
- Secretary
- Treasurer
- Safety Officer
- Training Officer
- Equipment Officer
- Social Secretary
The minimum number of members allowed in the club is seven.
Affiliations
Lairig Club is a full member of Aberdeen University Sports Union.
References
- ^ "Hillwalking & Climbing". www.ausa.org.uk. Retrieved 11 September 2020.
- ^ a b "Scottish mountaineer Tom Patey died - On this day in history". History Scotland. 25 May 2014. Retrieved 11 September 2020.
- ^ "Andy Nisbet (1953 – 2019) | Scottishwinter.com". Retrieved 11 September 2020.
- S2CID 70643805.
- ^ "List of First Ascents - THE COAST SOUTH FROM ABERDEEN" (PDF). SMC. October 2017.
- ^ "Garbh Choire Refuge". cairngormwanderer. 13 March 2012. Retrieved 27 December 2016.
- ^ Reporter. "Operation carried out to expertly restore Cairngorms refuge". Press and Journal. Retrieved 11 September 2020.
- ^ Smith, Bob (31 January 2018). "Mountain Bothies Association to take over care of remote Garbh Choire refuge". grough. Archived from the original on 3 December 2023. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
- ^ One Man's Mountains, Tom Patey
- ^ Cairngorms, SMC
- ^ North East Outcrops, SMC
- ^ "Families left shellshocked by deaths of 'ill-equipped' climbers in Cairngorms". www.scotsman.com. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
- ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
- ^ "BBC NEWS | UK | Scotland | North East/N Isles | Hearing told of climber's death". news.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
- ^ "BBC NEWS | UK | Scotland | North East/N Isles | Silence for Cairngorms climbers". news.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 28 November 2016.