A Sexy Guidebook and the BMC Area Peak Meeting

© Mick Ryan - UKClimbing.com
photo
Guidebooks are sexy
© Niall Grimes

Launch of the BMC Froggatt to Black Rocks guidebook

Gritstone gods Johnny Dawes and John Allen were there, and so were the BMC guidebook team and anybody who had anything to do with the new BMC Froggatt to Black Rocks guidebook. The place was the Green Room on Devonshire Street, the trendy area of downtown Sheffield buzzing with post-exam students and townies on a mid-week night out. The curry was good, and so was the beer and the company.

The BMC Froggatt to Black Rocks guidebook joins the award winning Stanage and The Roaches in the BMC series that covers Peak District climbing. Next up is Over The Moors, then Peak Limestone. Collectively a great series of definitive guidebooks that British climbers should be very proud of. I think that globally the UK stands proud, along with several excellent foreign guidebooks (check out Scot Jerry Handren's Red Rocks guidebook) in the world of guidebook design, content and production.

The BMC Froggatt to Black Rocks contains many well known crags and some obscurities, and as ever Niall Grimes has written an illuminating historical essay that I fell asleep reading last night, I look forward to finishing it later today. Top marks BMC and the editors of BMC Froggatt to Black Rocks Steve 'Offwidth' Clark and Lynn Robinson.

Rab Carrington (BMC President), Niall Grimes (Series Editor) and a very happy Steve 'offwidth' Clark and Lynn Robinson.  © Mick Ryan - UKClimbing.com
Rab Carrington (BMC President), Niall Grimes (Series Editor) and a very happy Steve 'offwidth' Clark and Lynn Robinson.
© Mick Ryan - UKClimbing.com

BMC Peak Area Meeting

On Wednesday 9th June, a misty and rainy night, around 25 climbers met at The Winking Man Pub near the Roaches. On the agenda was the somewhat controversial topic of Fixed Belays at Millstone the subject of which was brought up by Martin Kocsis, BMC Volunteers' Officer in his BMC Climber magazine column and on various forum threads at UKClimbing.com. Martin was not at the meeting.

Do we need bolted belays at Millstone? The consensus at the meeting was no. But concern was raised that Martin Kocsis shouldn't be writing personal opinion columns under the BMC logo. Henry Folkard was concerned about Martin's latest opinion piece in Climber magazine where some conservation bodies are mentioned in a disparaging tone. Henry has to deal with these conservation bodies on many access issues in the Peak and such comments could make his job difficult. Many agreed that Martin's articles are a good read and thought-provoking, but the opinion was that really no-one from the BMC should be writing hot topic polemics in a BMC column. Take away the BMC logo and that would be fine.

Henry gave a rundown in his usual comprehensive and witty style on all other access issues and these will be summarised by the BMC Peak Area Meeting. There was nothing to report on the Bolt Policy item that was on the agenda.

One subject that was raised and provoked some discussion was an application by The Climbers' Club to borrow £200,000 from the BMC to help the CC purchase a new club hut in Grange, Borrowdale. This application will be going in front of the BMC National Council for consideration.

The chips and butties were great. Thank you.

The next Peak Area Meeting is in September, location and date to be announced. Keep your eye on the BMC Community Website linked below.

The BMC Peak Area Meeting at the Winking Man, last Wednesday night. Henry Folkard holds court  © Mick Ryan - UKClimbing.com
The BMC Peak Area Meeting at the Winking Man, last Wednesday night. Henry Folkard holds court
© Mick Ryan - UKClimbing.com

For more information BMC Community Website



Exciting stuff going by the fella on the far left of the Henry Folkard photo.
11 Jun, 2010
"an application by The Climbers' Club to borrow £200,000 from the BMC to help the CC purchase a new club hut in Grange, Borrowdale" I hope if granted it'll be on condition they make it available to all other BMC clubs
11 Jun, 2010
The one with his hand to his ear? Think he was getting the translation from Yorkshire into Staffordshire dialect through his earpiece.
11 Jun, 2010
Does the Guide come with the free Guidebook holder shown in the first photo?
14 Jun, 2010
Can I just say, as someone who, like Martin, has spent some time writing a column in a climbing magazine, it's a tricky job and one in which lots of things have to be balanced. For one, despite the fact that it gets published and printed in many thousands of magazines, you pretty soon come to the frame of mind that nobody reads them. In my experience they get written, printed and sent out and that's the last you ever hear of them. You virtually never get any feedback. I don't know if this is that same for martin, but the offshoot is that you just end up writing whatever pleases you, just for your own entertainment. I don't know if he gets any positive feedback. I have read and enjoyed his column, but I certainly wouldn't tell him so - and i work in the same office! Martin seems to have got a lot of stick for this. It doesn't seem all that to me, but if people do feel their efforts are undermined by it all I'm trying to say is that in that role it's easy to write what is on your mind for your own entertainment. Also a lack of response may well ead a columnist to stray into more provocative terrain to try to stir some interest in their pieces. Provocation and offence can often be the same thing seen from different sides. Or who knows. Maybe he was just trying to offend.
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