Page 7 - 1993 AMA Summer

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Struggling near the summit of Cotopaxi 5897 m etres/19348 ft
JSAM 92 Report
The Dolomites of northern Italy provide a truly remarkable setting for a Joint Services Alpine Meet. The many thousands of feet of vertical limestone, dramatically slashed by abysmal gullies and lethal stone-chutes and conveniently divided by boulder covered scree ledges and grass terraces, are interlaced by a network of cable cars, chairlifts, multi-hairpinned roads, huts, way marked paths, via
ferrata and the colourful rope lacing of the climbing hordes. It was to this climber’s playground that the members of JSAM 92 set forth on the 28th of August, travelling by a variety of means from BAOR and the UK.
Based at the little village of Canazei, nestling far below the Sella Pass, JSAM 92 was provided with all the ingredients for success; an excellent turnout, plenty of sunshine, and close proximity to the Sass Pordoi. Sella, Sassolungo. Piz di Ciavazes and Marmolada climbing areas. Many climbs proved to be within a short walk of a convenient car park or lay-by (as little as 10 minutes to the Sella Towers), while for the more imaginative (and wealthy) the excellent variety of huts provided access to the remoter cliffs. For those of a pedestrian inclination, the abundant viaferrala provided much entertainment, particularly in the wake of the occasional storm, while those with itchy feet took themselves off variously to Brenta, Catanaccio, Civetta, the Pala Group and the Tre Cima di Lavaredo.
In truth the weather was somewhat too fickle for comfort. September is relatively late in the season, and the torrential rain that met most meet members on arrival at the waterlogged campsite boded anything but well. Predictably, the locals soon yielded the customary intelligence that this had been the first rain for months, but to be fair the sun was soon out and drying the rock. The fortnight saw a mixture of bright warm sunshine, ferocious storms which produced deep frost and snowfall, and, towards the end of the meet, lingering mist and rain. Most avoided being caught out by the worst of the weather, with the exception of those young Sapper NCOs Andy Copley and John Allison who found themselves sheltering from the lightning in a cave on the Marmolada, and one or two ill-advised folk who chose to do a viaferrata in quasi-winter conditions. A number even entered into the spirit of winter mountaineering by climbing the glacier on the north side of the Marmolada, an easy but entertaining (!) outing.
The meet was not without its share of characters, and the Army was represented by a total of 17:-
The prolific team of Cockwell and Kivell, who as young officers and university students had no shortage of time and energy and
Mike Smith on Piz Ciavazes, S Face Direct (IV)
Ex Blue Triangle June 1992.
Army Mountaineer 7