Members: Dan O'Brien, Andrew Croughton, Brian Street, Tim Howarth, Laura Bond, Greg Nunn, Izy Somers, Dave Wylie, Emily Hulley, Sue Brooke, Pete Hughes, Jim Symon, Philippa May, Stu Hurworth, Jared Kitchen, Emily Thompson, Lester Payne, Daniel Arrowsmith

Guests: Jon Vardy, Jasper Ditton, Claire Hawkins, Carrie Marr, Amie

——

On January 25th, 2023, the KMC held its annual Burns Night meet at Ty Powdwr in North Wales. The meet was well-attended, with over 30 members and guests in attendance.

The meet kicked off with a morning of climbing and mountaineering activities. The weather was cold and clear, with plenty of snow on the ground, making for excellent winter conditions. Members split into groups and headed out to tackle the routes and peaks in the area.

In the early evening, everyone gathered at Ty Powdwr for the Burns Night celebrations of a traditional Burns Night supper, included haggis, neeps and tatties, and plenty of whisky to go around.

The highlight of the evening was the whisky tasting run by KMC member Dan O’Brien.

Overall, the 2023 KMC Burns Night meet at Ty Powdwr was a great success. Members enjoyed a day of winter climbing and mountaineering, followed by an evening of Scottish culture and entertainment. It was a fantastic way to celebrate the life and works of Robert Burns and to kick off the new year with our fellow mountaineers.

——

Ok, I confess.  I got Chat GPT, an AI (artificial intelligence) language model to write that first bit of the meet report for me.  I am officially claiming the first KMC report written, at least partially by AI.  If only I could train a machine to climb the route for me!

The weekend started with some unexpected excitement with the gas delivery being late leading to a frantic dash for additional microwave capacity, camping stoves and rough calculations around how many jars of Smash one might need to feed 30 hungry mountaineers.  Luckily the delivery arrived in time and we were spared a microwaved Burns supper - thanks to Mark for sorting the delivery!

Saturday dawned relatively dry allowing for some outdoor adventures with members heading for multi pitch rock climbing in the Moelwyns, scrambling in Idwall and running in the quarries amongst other activities.

In the afternoon, a fantastic team effort on peeling and chopping put us well ahead of schedule for serving dinner. Sadly a minor issue (forgetting to turn the pan on for the potatoes) put an end to talk of an early start and we sat down for dinner at 7.45 after a (slightly ropey) rendition of Robert Burns’ Address to a Haggis from Dan.

The after dinner whisky tasting and entertainment allowed the group to reminisce about the past (this was the 10th edition of the KMC Burns Night meet) with some fun facts about the KMC a decade ago, and movie trailers from 2013 (some good, some bad and some, decidedly ugly!).

The usual 6 drams were extended to 7 this years to celebrate one of our number starting their 7th decade. Dram of the night went to the cask strength (and expensive) Bunnahbhain but the “people’s dram of the night” was probably the Teeling Porter cask as that was the bottle that got finished first.

The evening was rounded off by a poem, again, written by AI , about the KMC in the style of Robert Burns.  Here it is in all it’s glory:

Upon the peaks so high and grand,
The Karabiner Mountaineers do stand,
With ropes and carabiners in hand,
They brave the summits, at their command.

With hearts full of adventure and pride,
They climb the crags, side by side,
Through mist and rain, and winds so wild,
Their spirits never falter, ne’er abide.

For in the mountains, they find their peace,
And in the climb, their hearts release,
The joy of challenge, and the release,
As they reach the summit, in the peace.

So let us raise a glass to these,
The Karabiner Mountaineers,
May they climb on, with ease,
And forever hold the mountains dear.

Let us honour the bard, Robert Burns,
And the spirit of adventure that forever yearns,
In the heart of the Karabiner Mountaineers,
And the mountains that we all spurns.

Sunday Brough hangovers, sweeping, mopping and, for your correspondent, a wobbly trip to the climbing wall.

Thanks to all who attended. Excellent as always!

Dan (welcoming his new robot overlords)

*** MEET FULL - Contact Dan if you want to be added to the waiting list ***

You are cordially invited to join us for the 10th (yes, it is actually is the tenth this time, I double checked!) annual Burns' Night haggis dinner and whisky tasting at the hut. After a big day out on the hills on Saturday we'll get the fire on and prepare the Haggis either caught (for the carnivores) or unearthed (for the veggies), in time for dinner.

After a filling supper we'll adjourn to the fire side and work our way through six very different whiskies, words of wisdom about the topic at hand and possibly a film. There will be the usual multi-media delights alongside some fantastic whisky, audience participation and unexpected surprises!

Cost (not including hut fees) will about £20-25 but will depend on the number of attendees and the cost of the whisky (not confirmed at time of going to press).

As always it'll be first-come-first-served and numbers are limited to around 25 (for logistical reasons) - there will be a reserve list. Please let me know by 5pm 10th January at the latest if you'd like to join me so that I can get appropriate provisions. Also let me know if you'd prefer you haggis caught (meaty) or unearthed (veggie). Once you confirm your attendance, I'll ask those intending to have whisky to provide a deposit of £10 so my bank balance doesn't get too mullered procuring the drinks!

Obviously it is over 18s only for whisky drinkers. Non drinkers are equally welcome as the food, banter, films and photos are an excellent evenings entertainment regardless. The hut is still available for members not taking part in the meet to use, but you should be aware there will be a complete takeover of the kitchen and living room at various points on Saturday evening (there might be room to squeeze in a few extras to see the photos and films).

Finally you should note that this, as always, is going to be a seriously good trip.

Daniel O'Brien