Page 8 - 2006 AMA Summer

Rock Training.
hurtling past our minibus. As we had a break in a local hostel, we fought our way past a number of the rear markers who had decided that their times could suffer further by drying out against the radiators. Lance Armstrong would have been so ashamed!! We stopped on the way back for some single-pitch action on a crag situated on a rock face above a road tunnel - luckily it was bolted. A fall is bad enough without then having to contend with being run over.
Our first foray was up through the north face of the Eiger on the local train to the Jungfraujoch top station to carry out further training. The train fare also bankrupted half the participants - it certainly concentrated the mind into the exchange rates between pounds and Swiss Francs. I “How much? That’s double my air fare out here from the UK" was one comment. We made our way along the tourist track on the glacier to the Monchjoch Hut. This is normally pisted, wanded and full of trainer-clad Japanese and overweight Germans but today, there were white-out conditions and knee-deep snow, and onty the British were
out. At this stage, one of the teams of photographers accompanying us decided that action photography was not their bag and that they would
Ice Training.
rather prefer to do the studio shots. They descended on the next train. It was a kit carry for the remainder with much of the training gear being carried up - oxygen systems and fixed rope being the main loads.
After the typical Monchjoch Hut first night headaches (it is at 3627 metres after all!) the following day dawned clear but with a biting wind. Training was carried out in two areas; one group trialled the oxygen system whilst the other fixed ropes on a nearby snow slope.
The original plan to fix the south face of the Monch was foiled by the fresh snow, making for dangerous avalanche conditions. Instead, we ascended the normal PD route up the south ridge which was an excellent acclimatisation peak, and a good introduction to Alpine mountaineering for the Leeds University team who were conducting physiological trials on us. This involved waking up. collecting your pee in a
cup, assessing its colour, estimating how much weight you had put on the night before after beer and pizza and having various fieedles stuck into you - 1never realised that my ear lobe holds about a pint of blood after a particular feisty test in the Monchjoch Hut. It took an hour to stem the flow although I am now a certified blood donor at my new unit.
Mountaineering..
The team practising their mountaineering skills.
6 ARMY MOUNTAINEER
Team briefings.
We also trialled food for the hill. This ranged from the simple Jelly Babies to some rather odd nutrition bars called “All the Way” which had obviously been designed by some US Airborne/Ranger freak. Apparently if you eat them, you are not allowed to turn back on a route.
As the weather window was closing again, we all ascended the Jungfrau in teams of three before making our way back to the Sphinx top station at the Jungfraujoch and the descent back to Lauterbrunnen. Whoever thought of putting a ‘Bollywood-themed’ restaurant at the top station must be an absolute genius, because I am sure no-one else would have been so radical!! The smell of curry when you have a bit of an altitude stomach is worth
noting in your list of things you never wish to experience in life. On returning to the valley the weather had started turning and further technical training was carried out with Mike
Twid' Turner including
stretcher lowers, mountain plans were discussed and amended as required and Dave Wilson demonstrated to everyone why he is a purely G3 operations type soldier, as he explained his logistics plan for the ascent. He will now be known as “Son of Bonington’’ forever more, with the detail that he put in. Other cragging days were conducted but the rain precluded any further forays up into the high mountains, although many
were relieved that a second
train journey did not have to be made, as they were about to fall behind on their mortgage repayments.