Page 26 - 2022 AMA Summer

CLIMBINGMEETS
WEEKEND MEETS –
THE STORY SO FAR
By Arthur Daley, Meets Co-Ordinator
As COVID restrictions start to die down and society gets back to some form of normality, the AMA has started up weekend meets again. We aim to run one weekend meet each month from April to October to conduct summer mountaineering activities across the UK. These meets are a fantastic opportunity for members of all levels to get out and walk, climb, scramble and socialise with fellow AMA members. Whether you are looking to just have fun or gain quality logbook experience to advance through the JSAT scheme, I would encourage you to attend a meet.
WHAT TO EXPECT
Each meet has limited spaces, limited by accommodation and instructor availability. With this in mind, we run an application process. First, you will receive an email advertising the meet which will contain details of how to apply to attend with a deadline for attending. Once the deadline has passed, the meet leader will go through each application and work out how many instructors are attending, as activities are dependent upon instructor availability. You will then be notified by email as to whether you have a place on the meet. For those who are unsuccessful for one meet, we always aim to prioritise you a place for future meets, so that everyone has a fair chance of attending at least one.
On the Friday of the meet, you will arrive and be allocated your lodgings for the weekend, which is often a bunkhouse or similar type of accommodation. This is a time to check in with the meet leader and get settled before wandering to the nearest pub for some refreshments. Saturday morning, the day usually starts at 09:00am with a safety brief. This is a mandatory requirement for all attending. This will be the opportunity to do a final roll call and explore what people want to achieve over the weekend. There is absolutely no requirement to know anyone before attending, as here you will be split into groups depending upon activity and instructor ratio. The meets are run in strict accordance with Army Training Group and JSP 419 policy. They are ‘on duty’ events and as such, attendees are required to stick within their JSAT qualifications remit.
After the safety brief, instructors will complete a daily risk assessment and book their group out with the meet leader. It is then off to the crags and hills to do what we came to do before returning to the accommodation for the evening.
On Saturday evening, we usually try and book a group meal at the nearest pub. This is always a great evening where the conversation centres around the day’s events and we usually find that those
North Wales Meet (2018)
that had only just met in the morning are chatting like old friends.
Sunday morning is similar to Saturday with a safety brief, only this time we hand back the accommodation. The meet leader will try and mix the groups up on the second day so that everyone gets to climb, walk or scramble with different people. After Sunday activities, attendees will return to their home location under their own steam.
Each weekend meet is only made possible by the small team of volunteers who help organise and run the meet, the instructors
Twistleton Scar
Lake District (2019)
26 / ARMY MOUNTAINEER