Beer, Buffets And Big Issues With The BMC

The good old British Mountaineering Council (BMC) is holding a series of open debates to give climbers the opportunity to come along and express their views on the BIG ISSUES - their caps - facing British climbing.

The evenings will be hosted by the BMC President and CEO and will also feature panels of leading climbers including Mick Fowler, Pat Littlejohn, Gary Gibson, Neil Gresham, Andy Kirkpatrick and others. There will also be beer, buffets and slideshows, so there's more to it than the entertaining spectacle of climbers kicking the verbal stuffing out of each other...

Possible issues for discussion are vegetated crags, decaying fixed gear, over use and access problems but the whole point of the evenings is that you can bring up whatever you think is important.

So far there are three confirmed meetings:

• Birmingham: The Rockface -Thursday 23rd September -7.30pm
• Llanberis: The Heights - Saturday 25th September - 7.00pm
• Skipton: Herriots Hotel - Friday 1st October - 7.00pm

The Yorkshire meeting will focus on the issue of fixed equipment replacement and retro-bolting, and will be chaired by Mark Radtke with Paul Clarke, Andy Cave, Mark Vallance and Dave Turnbull on the panel.

The meetings form part of a national debate, which is being supported by three major articles in the BMC's Summit magazine. For more information on the meetings, see the BMC website at www.thebmc.co.uk/thebmc/org/state_debate.htm