Cordee SMC Journal 2017

The 208th edition of the Journal (first published in 1891) contains articles, fiction and poetry covering almost every aspect of mountaineering in Scotland and much further afield. In rock-climbing Jules Lines succeeds on a grade IX at Creag an Dubh Loch. By complete contrast Steve Hindley describes an ascent of Beinn Vrackie: a commonplace experience which, in the end, allows him to glimpse The Parishes of the Infinite.

Abroad, Alan Hunt recalls classic ascents of Cook and Tasman in N. Zealand, a country which Mike Dixon also visits, while Ross Hewitt describes first skiing descents on South Island in Going Big Down Under. Hamish Brown completes an arduous trek in the Atlas mountains by riding a log on an extraction lorry. Smiler Cuthbertson goes Hot Rockin? in the Costa Blanca, while Rob Adams visits Val di Mello in north Italy.

In darker vein Bill Sproul recounts the events on the Eiger in 1962 which led to the death of his friend Tom Carruthers. There are notable near-misses too: Ken Crocket and partner survive an epic on Carn Dearg, while a very youthful Gordon Smith makes his first climb at Craig a Barns which might well have been his last. The story of Harold Raeburn's early encounters with verticality is revealed by Mike Jacob in A Baptism of Eggs. In search of trophies young Harold went solo where most of us would only go with rope and modern gear. Jacob, steeped in climbing history, also traces the development of the Club 100 years ago.