Page 13 - 2004 AMA Summer

Above: Stuart Macdonald running it out on an unnamed and ungraded mixed route
qpt to Rjukan in
in 1997. It was a ut^trip to escape a
desperate Scottish winter andJwas a fantastic success. Huge icefalls filled the valley anp place Was deserted.
almost guaranteed rain, sleet and slush. Chamonix would be too expensive at that time of year, and the ice falls might not have formed. Valdez in Alaska was too far for a short trip. Rjukan would have the best condi­ tions, rapid access to climbs, and for a group of six would be a good price.
Flights, hire cars, a log cabin, and all our food worked out at about £500 each for a ten day trip. The decision made, we then took all the money we had “saved” and bought lots of shiny new gear. This taken into account, we probably could have stayed in the Ritz and just watched climbing videos for the same
Suffice to say, Rjukan was awesome. We climbed ice. We climbed mixed. We climbed on lead. We climbed on top ropes. But most of
all, we climbed ! Over a ten day period we climbed as many pitches as you would in a season in Scotland (a good season at that!). We never queued. We never got out of bed before 7.30. We never got off the hill after 5pm. We ate smoked salmon (by the tonne!). We drank duty free. We had a white Christmas. We lived in a great cabin. But most of all, we climbed!
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Rjukan is simply brilliant. If you haven’t been, you should go. There’s nothing more to say than that.
Footnote: StuartMacdonaldilmM now the RATO for Wales OTC
and is available for unit expedi­ tions. Quals: ML(W), SGL,
JSRCI, JSSI(A), STL, AJSMEL+Klettersteig Ldr, WCL.
TA units will have to pay MTDs. Regular units will have to pay a negotiable fee. Contact: stumacdonald312@hotmailW?flr~
Tl| ings have changed a little Below: Stuart Macdonald about to climb the since then. Most Climbers
cnix o i Topp pa Toppen" have now heard of Rjukan, -------------- with some regarding it as
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one of Europe’s premier ice climbing resorts (as good, if
not better than Cogne and La Grave!). You will also now see other climbers in the
valley, but don’t expect to queue for the routes!
The decision to return was a simple one. Me and a group
of friends wanted to go somewhere over Christmas
and New Year for good climbing, and we didn’t want to pay the earth. The beers
...went down easily as we sat in a Llanberis pub discussing
options. Scotland was ruled out immediately due to
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by Stu MacDonald
ARMY MOUNTAINEER