UKH

Tony Moulam RIP. I've just caught this on the latest BMC newsletter. Sad news from one of a special generation who gave so much to British climbing. If you've climbed Mur y Niwl on Craig y Isfa then that route is a small legacy courtesy of AJJ Moulam. I'm sure a fuller obit will follow. I believe a biography is in the offing. He was a link between the old pre-war generation and all that followed, Brown, Whillans etc.

Sorry if this has already been posted.

RIP

https://www.thebmc.co.uk/tony-moulam-obituary

Pardon my spelling of Ysfa!

One of the greats to whom many of my generation looked. AJJM's routes were often sought-after, and once climbed were worn as badges marking progress to becoming a 'real' climber. A sad piece of news.

That really is another great link with the past gone. And those names cited in the BMC obituary redolent of the history of the period.

This sad news brings back a memory of writing to him in 1966 as a teenager who was confused by the climbs on the East Face of Glyder Fach. Somehow the final pitch didn’t fit into the 1964 CC guidebook description.

I received a courteous reply confirming we had climbed a VS variation to Skyline Buttress as he discovered on a solo ascent.

We were mightily chuffed!

Well, Mur y Niwl must be up there as one of the best of his climbs. Well named too, the Wall of Mists,  though why it's upgraded to HVS beats me?

..because its got a fair bit of top-end 4c, fairly complex  traverses that are as serious to lead as to second, some flakey rock and small, awkward belays?

My goodness, that's an inadequate, threadbare obituary. It doesn't even say when he was born. And virtually nothing of his climbing and guidebooks. I hope we're going to see something a lot better than this soon.

A real gentleman. He came to address a university club dinner when I was there, and many years later I had a brief email exchange with him. I still have the picture he sent me of them soloing Giant's Staircase in the equipment of the day - apparently a regular warm-up for PJRH and him. On both occasions he made a strong impression for modesty and approachability. RIP.

jcm

Just picked up on Tony's passing, sad news. I first met him on a misty evening at the Wainstones, NY Moors in 1968. I was climbing alone when a voice behind me enquired "what's the climb," as he thumbed through his guide book... he said he did a bit of climbing and introduced himself... I knew his name from guide book writing. This was the start of a long and happy friendship. 

Tony visited Teesside every  few weeks on business so we used to meet up and I'd show him around the NY Moors sandstone crags which he really enjoyed. In return I would pop down to the Peak District with Johnny Adams and meet Tony and his friends. Really enjoyable days and great memories. RIP dear friend.

Definitely - there is hardly a single Welsh guidebook without a host of Moulam routes

Also noticed on the CC website that Malcolm Howells died recently. I only met him a couple of times but know that he was one of the pioneers of the Gogarth boom in the late 1960s culminating in the first ascent of the Dogs of War (with Paul Trower) in 1976.  He was also a member of the all -stars team that made the first ascent of the Trango Tower in the same year.

I remember Ken Wilson at his lecture to the CC Centenary celebrations describing MH as a Gogarth 60's pioneer and also as a serial faller (in, of course, a rather sterner era in this regard). IIRC he showed an excellent semi-portrait shot of a somewhat bloodied MH after a fall from Naddyn Ddu (a route which has experienced a meteoric fall from part of the Welsh canon to utter obscurity, possibly on account of the kind of hold-shedding which led to the slide in question).

jcm 

[From the CC website]

'We have just been informed that Malcolm Howlells, member since 1966, died recently. We offer condolences to his wife, family and fiends. He lived latterly in the USA.

Malcolm was Committee member from 1970-74 and wrote articles and reviews for the Journal.'

And Gordon thought that the BMC Tony Moulam offering was 'an inadequate, threadbare obituary'! 

We all make mistakes, we all have bad days... but surely the recently departed deserve better than this?

Mick 

To be fair the CC journal does carry some very good obituaries but presumably it can be a while before these appear.  At one time they could be viewed by non members but that does not seem to be the case now.

I've only ever done one route on the far east - Mostest with Dave Williams many years ago.  Always fancied Woubits but never got around to it.  Depending on who you believe Naddyn ddu is either "black shavings" or a welshification of the south Yorkshire greeting "Nah then thee"

Dogs of War on yellow wall has (or had) a reputation for being loose and serious.  Presumably MH would not have been invited on the Trango trip if he was anything other than steady.  Perhaps as a geologist he had a natural attraction to loose rock!

I should think the CC journal will have fulsome Moulam and Howells obituaries. A lot of its members will have been connected with both.