After a really unsatisfactory period of inactivity because of the driech weather conditions, a few of the Strollers spent an enjoyable evening at the Bear Hotel, Crickhowell.
The Earl of Twynyrodyn, Wandering and the super-fit Cynon Valley fiftysomething, were joined by experienced mountaineer Richard W who had just returned from a walking holiday in Ecuador, to listen to International Mountain Leader Allan Gibbs provide an illustrated talk about his experience treking the 'Greater Ridges' of the world.
He provided a detailed insight into the Himalayan experience on the route to Base Camp at Mount Everest. Unfortunately, there were no photographs of the landing strip at Lukla airport! Included in a party of eight that he led a few years ago, were individuals from such diverse backgrounds as someone who laid out the cones on the motorway contraflow systems and a Merchant Banker (boo!). Interestingly Allan indicated that the valleys on the approach to Everest had benefited from significant investment by Sir Edmund Hillary and other climbers and they now had the best equipped hospitals and schools in Nepal.
Allan also spoke about his trips to Mount Kilimanjaro (an extinct volcano with a large glacier) where conditions can be tougher then you expect, Burma, Bolivia, Ecuador and the Alps. Provided you are well prepared for the lack of hygiene in the remote regions, surprisingly he was confident that most of the regular walkers in the room would comfortably be able to climb all of the routes that he spoke about. The biggest problem generally experienced is one of altitude sickness.
He also runs his own outdoor experience training organisation called Golden Valley Training.
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