Year of publication 1960 - Fell and Rock Climbing Club

EDITOR'S NOTESA number of events and achievements, some of which are referredto elsewhere in this number of the Journal, invite record or emphasisin these notes. The background is the remarkably fine summer of1959 followed, even more remarkably, by the equally fine summer(up to the time of writing) of 1960. This is reflected in the qualityas well as the quantity of Climbs Old and New which occupy 22 pagesinstead of the normal ten or eleven. It will be noticed that a greatmany of the new climbs were made by our own members.From the Alps, although the weather there in the 1959 season wasby no means uniformly favourable, came the news of notableexploits, the outstanding one being the first British ascent of theWalker Spur of the Grandes Jorasses by Robin Smith and ourmember, Gunn Clark, who were followed a day or so later byDon Whillans, Hamish Maclnnes, John Streetly and Leslie Brown.In Climbs and Expeditions there are brief notes which only hint atthe high standard of other enterprising ascents; nearly all of thesewould be full articles if only Journal space and the time of theauthors permitted.The dedication of the memorial footbridge over the Liza by theRev. G. W. Ellison on the 7th May was the occasion for the meetingof friends of all generations. The day was warm and sunny, theservice simple and effective, with Pillar Rock dramatically dominatingthe scene. Relatives of those members who gave their lives in1939-1945 and whose memory we were honouring were invited andmany others joined them, so that there were over 100 present; aconsiderable number had accompanied the President over Scarth Gapfrom Birkness, a few had walked from Wasdale over Black Sail, anda small party had made their way from the top of Honister Pass viathe 1914-1918 War Memorial on Great Gable and over Kirkfell.There were also representatives of the Cumberland County Councilwho, with the help of our own War Memorial Fund, built the bridgeand have undertaken to maintain it. After the service JohnAppleyard unveiled a memorial plaque fixed to a rock near by. MoreI must not write as the Treasurer, who was very closely concernedwith all the arrangements connected with the building of the bridgeand its dedication, has undertaken to contribute an account for the1961 number of the Journal. There are excellent photographs of thebridge, the personalities and the plaque and these are being held toappear with the Treasurer's article next year.A gathering of a very different character took place in Wasdale onthe 1st June. The visit of the party of Russian mountaineers to thiscountry, following that of Sir John Hunt's private expedition to theCaucasus last summer, has been widely publicized, but our ownmeeting with them in Wasdale was most informal and friendly. OnTuesday, 31st May, when the Wayfarers were entertaining theRussians in Langdale, a number of our members joined them ono