Welcome

We are a team of eight students and recent graduates that will attempt the unclimbed peaks of Kyrgyz Ridge of the Tien Shan, Kyrgyzstan in August 2012. We believe no other climbers have attempted these objectives because the peaks are not high or technical enough to entice the top international teams to deal with the remote conditions. We have our eyes on up to ten 4000m to 4500m peaks. We are proud to have gained support from a range of organisations, all of whom we are indebted to.

Dave Farrow's picture

Captain Scott Society Award

Submitted by Dave Farrow on

We have been awarded the 'Spirit of Adventure' Award of £2000 by the Captain Scott Society.

The Captain Scott Society celebrates the final Scott expedition, and the link with Cardiff, where Scott set sail from in 1910. They celebrate with a replica of the farewell meal hosted at the Royal Hotel, Cardiff on the 13th June each year.

The 'Spirit of Adventure' Award is awarded to the individual or group that best exemplifies Captain Scott's 'Spirit of Adventure'. In particular, the Society is looking for adventurous 'firsts'.

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Mount Everest Foundation Approval

Submitted by Dave Farrow on

Our expedition is now supported by the Mount Everest Foundation with a grant of £1350.

The Mount Everest Foundation is the original – and still the most important – charity in the United Kingdom devoted to the support of mountain exploration and science. Founded after the successful ascent of Everest in 1953 and financed from surplus funds and the royalties of John Hunt’s 'The Ascent of Everest’ and a nation-wide lecture tour by the expedition members, the Foundation was established to encourage ‘exploration of the mountain regions of the Earth’.

Jo Smith's picture

Ropes, rocks and rivers: a weekend of teamwork and training

Submitted by Jo Smith on
Breakfast in the Gudgeon household on Saturday.

Earlier this month, the team headed to the Lake District on an intrepid expedition to practise mountaineering and rescue skills. This was, admittedly, made somewhat less intrepid by the warm hospitality of Bethan's parents, who put us up in their house in Ambleside, let us strew kit in various degrees of dampness all over it, and fed us handsomely throughout. The weather was also kind, serving up sunshine and blue skies with only a small interlude of rain.

Our first session - emergency rope-work - took place at the glamorous location of the bank behind Greenbank Road. As Dave demonstrated each technique on various willing victims, we split into pairs to practise, using trees as anchors and the steep slope to simulate a crevasse. The over-arching aim was to rescue a casualty who became incapacitated on the other end of the rope. To do this we practised escaping the system, hauling, lowering, and assisted and counterbalance abseils. By the end of a few hard hours, the bank was looking distinctly more brown than green, and several of us were longing fervently for some good snow to dig an axe and crampons into as we slid about helplessly on the mud! We moved to cleaner, flatter ground to practise carrying, and took the opportunity to tie up Joe (who accepted the role with glee) in a rope stretcher.

Dave Farrow's picture

Flights Booked!

Submitted by Dave Farrow on

Our Aeroflot flights from London to Bishkek, via Moscow were booked last night, the most expensive purchase most of us have ever made (£5000 total).

We are now trying to stay safe until we book insurance (being done individually today). The BMC have been brilliant and very useful over the last few months in advising us on insurance matters, and making sure we get what we need.

Now we have flights and insurance we are committed and very excited!

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Daydreaming

Submitted by Dave Farrow on

I thought I would update the website, with how the expedition is coming along from my perspective.

I started planning this around 9 months ago, and since then it's been hectic: finding a team, finding some mountains that look interesting enough without being too 'interesting', filling out application forms and contacting everyone I can think of for advice. Finally, this week, most of our application forms for funding and support are complete.  Our insurance has not quite been confirmed, and until then we can't book flights - leaving me with a few quiet days.

In one of these quiet periods I began (for the first time) imagining the team on the expedition, and what it will be like: at base camp, spending all day growing restless; getting up in the middle of the night, sleepy yet excited; on the mountain a dawn, awe-inspiring; at a summit… 

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CATSE team out over the New Year

Submitted by Michael Fordham on

Members of the CATSE team were out in force over the festive season, enjoying some of the most awful weather of the year. Several team members spent time in the Scottish Highlands over the New Year, based around the Lochaber area, where 100mph gusts combined with the rain and snow to produce some rather unfriendly conditions on the hills.

A number of team members were also out with CUHWC in Seathwaite in the Lake District in early January. You can find a report of the Scottish fun here, and see photographs here. For Seathwaite, photos can be found here. The team will be out and about over the coming weeks, including on a team training weekend in March.

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Out of CUHWC

Submitted by Michael Fordham on

A brief glance over the biographies of the team members will demonstrate how intricately we are all involved with the Cambridge University Hillwalking Club (CUHWC). Every member of the CATSE team has served on the committee of the club, including five past (or near-past) presidents. CUHWC exists, according to its own constitution, to 'promote and coordinate hillwalking and to encourage responsible hillwalking.' Every year the club runs around fourteen trips to the mountainous regions of the UK, particularly the Lake District and Snowdonia. All of the members of the CATSE team have spent many a weekend travelling to the mountains to go walking in wind, rain and snow (with some occasional sunshine).

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