ClimberMayJune2020

72 MAYJUN 2020 http://www.climber.co.uk

The Last Blue Mountain

By Ralph Barker

Vertebrate Publishing £14.95 (paperback)

The mountains of the world call to those

for whom life, at times, feels in some

ways compromised by a lack of adventure

and challenge. They hold a beauty that is

so diffi cult to ignore. Mountains encourage

the most intense friendships and some-

times demand acts of heroism beyond

the comprehension of many. This is one

such story.

The Last Blue Mountain by Ralph Barker

journeys with a group of young Oxford

students to Haramosh in the Karakoram

mountains in 1957. The team was led by

Tony Streather, a respected British climber

who had already been part of the fi rst ascent

of Tirich Mir in 1950 and the fi rst ascent of

Kangchenjunga in 1955.

The book documents the team’s walk-in

through the stunning Kutwal Valley and their

climb towards Haramosh II which would

lead them to their objective. They were all

intoxicated and entranced by the amazing

environment which surrounded them.

Climbing and life was good.

The team established four camps on the

mountain. Tony, Bernard Jillott, John Emery

and Rae Culbert then climbed on while the

fi fth team member, Scott Hamilton, retreated

to offer support lower on the mountain.

Soon the four men reached the ridge

that led to the top of Haramosh II. It was a

glorious sight but sadly there was no easy

route ahead to Haramosh. Their exhilarating

expedition had ended. Bernard and John

REVIEWS

A55 Sport Climbs By Michael Doyle Pesda Press £19.99

This is the third edition in the series,

all written by local activist Michael Doyle

and covers the increasingly popular sport

climbing area centred along the North

Wales A55 corridor. The majority of the

climbing is within a 15-mile radius of

Colwyn Bay with one notable exception,

the recently developed Tydden Hywel an

outlier on the charming Llyn Peninsula.

I have a copy of the fi rst edition and was

curious to see to what recent develop-

ments to the area would prompt me

to replace my well-thumbed edition.

Quite a lot it would seem. Firstly, the size

of the book which has more than doubled.

The guide features 21 crags or sectors with

a total of 437 climbs compared to 280 in

the second edition, demonstrating admira-

bly the extent of development since the

initial 2010 edition. Much of this develop-

ment has been taken up by the discovery

or rediscovery of new crags and quarries

high on the slopes of Penmaenmawr

Mountain, previously dismissed or perhaps

unnoticed by the hordes of climbers

hurtling along the busy expressway below.

There is a well-informed introduction to

the area which makes good use of that local

knowledge (I must check out the fi sh and

chip shop in Llandudno Junction). The layout

is clear and concise with each crag having

its own map as well as a summary of aspect,

grades, approach, etc. I particularly liked

the beta on local conditions, very useful

when making that all important sport plan.

The popular and well-established venues

of Castle Inn and Penmaen Head are once

again well-covered, whilst some of the

newly developed cliffs are well worth a visit.