Hi all,
Great to see the planning progressing, and without wishing to dampen anyone’s enthusiasm, time for a post on a slightly more serious note.
Khalid and I had a chat and thought it a good idea to provide a bit more detail about the meet, and in particular be upfront about how it is run so as to avoid any misunderstandings later.
Just like the Scottish Winter Trip, everyone will have different levels of experience and different route aspirations. Usually that translates into people pairing up or forming groups for specific objectives, so helpful to have routes or peaks in mind and start the discussion about what you want to do. I see some of that on this thread already which is great.
You’ll be responsible for your own and your partner’s safety, so please be honest about your technical ability, experience and fitness levels. Some routes are suitable for gaining experience on with more experienced and willing partners, but none of us are guides. If you are starting out, you’ll need to find someone with similar goals and pick your routes carefully, and of course the option is there to hire a guide/go on a course, and gain experience that way.
That doesn’t mean we won’t be doing our best to make sure everyone is included and has a great trip, and the more people we get along, the easier it will be to team up for routes.
Finally, it’s also a reminder that there is plenty of time brush up on and learn new alpine skills. Depending on the route these could include cramponing technique, taking coils, moving together safely, glacier travel, crevasse rescue, navigation, doing a multi-pitch abseil quickly and efficiently, to name a few.