NMC Awards 2014

Reach for the Stars (Altitude)

Nominations:

  • Simon Pike attempting an unclimbed peak in Nepal, but had to turn back due to the difficulty of the route and the weather conditions (when people were killed in blizzard conditions).
  • Trish and Mark for Mount Toubkal in Morocco -4,167m (13,671ft). An incredible achievement for Trish who has only recently started to climb big mountains, plus she did this without having her own gear as her bag hadn’t arrived from the UK.
  • Alan and Claire summited Stok Kangri in India on August 6th-6127m (20,182ft). This was Claire’s first experience of passing the 6,000m mark.

The winners: Alan and Claire

Junior Section:

Maisie for climbing Snowdon twice in a fortnight (via the Watkin Path the 2nd time and in poor weather conditions) for doing Pen Y Fan twice (along with Corn Du & Cribin) and for also summiting out on Bleaklow Head in the Peak District.
 

Navigation Award

Nominations:

  • Team B on the Navigation Weekend at Plas Y Brenin; this was Belinda, Jilly, Angela T, Andy M and Maggie. They didn’t get lost but their poor instructor Karl looked worn out and had almost given the group up as a lost cause by Sunday. He was very patient as all needed a lot of reinforcement (finding North on the map helped!). There was a lot of laughter and fun compared to Team A, who looked so serious!
  • Claire. This nomination is not a Navigational error but for taking the group down a very challenging route on the Isle of Skye whilst climbing Bla Brenin. At the start Keyna charged ahead and found her own way to the summit leaving the rest of the group climbing an interesting, but rather difficult scree slope. Once it was established which peak was the summit, all started the descent (it was a route but not the best according to a guidebook!). It involved going down a scary gully on backsides (Alan) or on all fours. Marion/Mark also had to cope with getting Chip (dog) down as well. It is now re-named by a few as the Mountain from Hell.

The winner: Claire

Girl Guide/Boy Scout Award (for being fully prepared in the hills and saving the day)

Nominations:

  • Pam Love for her rope knowledge and skills helping folks through a tricky section of a Grade 2 scramble in Wales.
  • Alan who supplied an ancient inner tube to Andy Challinor on the bike ride that promptly exploded after less than 10 metres cycling and the bang from the explosion could be heard 100m down the road!!!
  • Simon Pike for having enough crampons to go round in Scotland & showing people how to use them. Also for bringing along enough compasses for everyone on the Dartmoor trip to have one, where he also helped teach people how to use them.
  • Mark C for all his super lightweight gear e.g. in Scotland his pack was the lightest weight of the group despite containing a speaker for the evenings’ music. Compared to Keyna’s not so light weight approach, saucepan, frying pan, 3kg of pasta and enough gas for a Himalayan expedition!
  • James for managing a BBQ at the barn in Wales in early January for Keyna’s 50th birthday, using various bits of garden furniture to shield the sausages from the rain.

The winner: Simon
 

Cat Herder (A new award for this year)

This goes to someone who has had the most people on the trips they have organised this year. (Should it be cattle herder? No apparently cats are a free spirit so this is more appropriate for our club).

The winner: Marion
 

Golden Underpants

Nominations:

  • Alan and Marion on Andy Moss’ Cycle Ride as they didn’t like the look of the 1ft deep muddy byways and instead opted to cycle back on themselves and go the longer way round.
  • Keyna who came off her bike more than once on the Wessex Way bike ride. On one slightly technical downhill section she fell cutting her check and giving herself a huge black eye despite the bag of frozen peas. So for the next 2 weeks she tried to cover it with make-up (much to the amusement of her friends and work colleagues).
  • Claire/Alan and Maggie who on the Lakes trip in Buttermere at the end of May – got there early to get a good pitch but set up camp at the bottom of the tiered site, which then due to the rain became a quagmire (or mini Glastonbury) by the end of the weekend.
  • Dan S (junior) who had his first bouldering experience, whilst on the Forcan Ridge in Scotland (seeing his disco knee was like going back to the 70’s!).
  • Andy Moss for the same reason in South Snowdonia.

The winner: Keyna
 

Gadget Award

This year there is a new award for a backpacker extraordinaire with his minute sack and miniature kit. He now has a drone and as we speak he is in Hong Kong, the gadget man’s dream!

The winner: Mark C
 

Gordon Ramsey

Nominations received for:

  • Sarah and Andy for cooking a real Scottish meal in Scotland with Haggis interspersed with Robert Burn’s poetry.
  • Sarah R for Keyna’s huge 50th birthday cake in the Brecons in many different colours. Also, for her home made Thai curry on the Wales scrambling trip
  • Marion for cooking a delicious Easter Sunday Roast in Scotland, plus another equally good meal. In Cornwall after doing a long walk she bought some ingredients and knocked up the most delicious hot scones, which were enjoyed with Cornish clotted cream and jam to celebrate the November birthdays. She did this without, any scales which was incredibly impressive. They were delicious but then she also cooked the main course for dinner which was equally good.
  • James for sheer dedication to BBQ-ing in the rain in January at Keyna’s 50th birthday.
  • Barry for organizing superb food at the New Inn on his 3 Peaks trip

The winner: Marion
 

Karl Pilkington (from Idiot Abroad) or No Fixed Abode

Out of 17 trips this year:

  • 3rd place Sarah R who attended 6
  • 2nd place Claire who attended 11
  • 1st place Alan & Maggie who attended 12 (not all the same ones)

 

Mountain Achievement Award

Nominations:

  • Tricia for her trek and ascent of Mount Toubkal without her own gear. Plus staying in a very basic bunkhouse on the Wessex Way trip.
  • Andy M Wessex Way. These trips rarely win as they are attended by fewer members but they can involve the most organisation including three different nights accommodation rather than just the one and the logistics of getting the bikes on trains etc. etc.
  • Dan S for his 1st bouldering experience on the Forcan Ridge and scrambling in South Snowdonia.

The winner: Dan Seymour
 

Best Trip

Nominations:

  • Claire’s Brecon Beacon trip
  • Claire’s Winter Skills Weekend in February
  • Claire’s camping trip to Buttermere, Lake District
  • Barry’s 3 Peaks trip
  • Andy Moss for the cycling trip.
  • Maggie’s Navigation Weekend at Plas Y Brenin
  • Marion’s trip to Cornwall the stunning setting of Beach Head NT bunkhouse in Cornwall with beautiful coastal walks on the doorstep
  • Maggie’s Scotland at Easter -great accommodation (including the bothy), great weather, great food, great walks, scrambles, biking and backpacking.

The winner: Maggie, closely followed by Marion’s trip to Cornwall

 

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