MEMBERS were warmly welcomed to the second meeting of our 2015 programme on Monday, January 19, at the Abbey Hotel, Malvern, by Malvern Probus Club Chairman, Bill Major.

The white tops of the Malvern Hills set the scene for our speaker Roger Smith who, as a member of an 18 strong Army Mountaineering Association Expedition had set out to climb Mount Shishapangma in Tibet. At 8012m it is the 14th highest in the world.

The sheer scale of the expedition surprised all members. Starting out from Katmandu in Nepal with seven tons of equipment on a bus and two lorries, and accompanied by a group of Sherpas they crossed into Tibet along the road to Nyalam. The equipment contained in 113 barrels was finally loaded onto large numbers of yaks with the base camp established at 5200m. The photographs captured the beauty of the location but also the reality of climbing at high altitudes. Strict tests were carried out for altitude sickness, checking and recording body movements daily. 14 of the 18 members had some altitude problems. And then the weather! Severe snowstorms began, and at Camp One at 6500m the tents were buried and avalanches ever present resulting unfortunately in the abandonment of the expedition. Clearly, this was a wonderful team effort and, unlike so many expeditions, they brought back all of their rubbish, one and a half tons of it!

In thanking Roger for his story, David Penter noted the number and variety of questions that members had raised, all in all a fascinating account. A collection was then made for the Charlie Waller Memorial Trust.

Our speaker on February 2 will be Roger Daniel on the theme of Walking Sticks.

The meeting is in the Abbey Hotel, Malvern. Refreshments are available from 10am and the meeting begins at 10.30am

The programme for the first half of 2015 is available in Malvern Library in the small cabinet on the right hand side as you enter the main library. For further information please e-mail t.batesworc@btinternet.com.

TONY BATES