The Lairig Club
Encyclopedia
The Lairig Club, commonly referred to as “The Lairig” is the University of Aberdeen
’s Mountaineering Club and was founded in the early 1940s. Members take part in a wide range of activities from hillwalking
and sport climbing
right through to winter climbing and alpinism. Due to the university calendar and its close proximity to reliable venues winter mountaineering is the main focus of the club along with hillwalking. Over the winter season the club prides itself as being one of the most active university mountaineering club in the UK and works with the mission statement: “To give the opportunity to participate in, and develop the skills for, safe mountaineering in all conditions.” The club has a long and distinguished history painted by famous names such as Tom Patey
and Andy Nisbet, two of Scotland’s most prolific new routers, who learnt their trade in the Lairig.
Membership of the club is open to all students who are members of the University of Aberdeen Sports Council. The club is run by a committee of senior members who are elected at the annual general meeting and serve for one academic year. Positions on the committee are:
Captain, Secretary, Treasurer, Safety and Training Officer, Equipment Officer and Social Secretary
The minimum number of members allowed in the club is seven.
Notable achievements by the Lairig Club during this era include: Patey and Gordon Leslie’s ascent of Douglas-Gibson Gully on Lochnagar
in 1950, the first grade V winter climb in Scotland. In June 1952 eight club members made an en masse first summer ascent of Parallel Gully B, the last of the major gullies to be climbed on Lochnagar. Another Lairig meet in the December of that year saw the first ascent of The Scorpion another early grade V on Carn Etchachan by Patey, Taylor, Grassick and Nicol. First winter ascents of Mitre Ridge on Beinn a’ Bhuird (V,6) by Brooker and Patey and Eagle Ridge (VI,6) on Lochnagar in four and a half hours by Brooker, Patey and Taylor proved that the Lairig really were at the head of their game. Even today with modern equipment and techniques these routes are still well respected and serious lines. It is interesting to note that other than the first ascent of Raven’s Gully in Glencoe
by Hamish MacInnes
and Chris Bonington
in 1953 all the grade V routes in Scotland were confined to the Lairig’s stomping ground of the Eastern Cairngorms in the early 1950s and it is ironic that it was Lairig members Patey and Nicol who teamed up with Hamish MacInnes to climb the first grade V on Ben Nevis, this came in the form of the much prized first ascent of Zero Gully.
Activity was not just limited to the high mountain cliffs and the club were also responsible for the early development of the North East sea cliffs. Several routes put up by Lairig members are now graded VS and above. The Sickle HVS 5b was climbed in 1944 by founding member W. T. Hendry and marked a huge advance in rock climbing standards. Routes such as Brooker’s Arete and Nicol’s Eliminate give clues as to who was behind most of the new routing in the 1950s.
Throughout the period the club flourished, attracting students from the University who all shared a common love of the hills. Trips were organised every weekend to bothies in the North East such as Bob Scott’s, Corrour and the Glas alt Sheil and occasionally a bit further afield. A good day in the hills was just as important as a good evening back at the bothy with good friends and this is still very much the ethos of the Lairig Club today!
developed during the Autumn of 2008 by members of the club.
Hans Puffin is said to have been born on the island of St. Kilda
, off the north-west coast of Scotland and home to one of the largest puffin colonies in the United Kingdom
. Despite being born on the island, Hans's family migrated from St. Kilda shortly after his birth to the village of Lochinver
, Sutherland
, in order to avoid being eaten. In Lochinver, the Puffin family resided for Hans's childhood in a small council-run burrow just off the road to Suilven
.
Despite being born and brought up in the North-West of Scotland
, Hans Puffin mysteriously acquired a cockney
accent, and a fondness for jellied eels
and pie 'n' mash shops. One theory as to Hans's acquisition of a cockney accent is that in order to be a cockney, the saying goes, one has to be born within the sound of Bow Bells, and it is suggested that the wind to St. Kilda was blowing in from London on the day of Hans's birth.
The name Hans was given to him as the Puffin family originally came from the island of Værøy
, in Lofoten
, Northern Norway
, from whence they emigrated due to frequent pestering by Puffin Dogs (the Norwegian Lundehund
), hence the Norwegian connection.
Hans is well-known for being a drunkard, and at times suffers from a gammy leg. His frequent associates and drinking comrades include Genf Seagull, Greg Cat, John Ptarmigan, Clive Otter, Steve Dog, Barry Pigeon and Reginald-Fotherington Turtle.
University of Aberdeen
The University of Aberdeen, an ancient university founded in 1495, in Aberdeen, Scotland, is a British university. It is the third oldest university in Scotland, and the fifth oldest in the United Kingdom and wider English-speaking world...
’s Mountaineering Club and was founded in the early 1940s. Members take part in a wide range of activities from hillwalking
Hillwalking
In the British Isles, the terms hillwalking or fellwalking are commonly used to describe the recreational outdoor activity of walking on hills and mountains, often with the intention of visiting their summits...
and sport climbing
Sport climbing
Sport climbing is a form of rock climbing that relies on permanent anchors fixed to the rock, and possibly bolts, for protection,...
right through to winter climbing and alpinism. Due to the university calendar and its close proximity to reliable venues winter mountaineering is the main focus of the club along with hillwalking. Over the winter season the club prides itself as being one of the most active university mountaineering club in the UK and works with the mission statement: “To give the opportunity to participate in, and develop the skills for, safe mountaineering in all conditions.” The club has a long and distinguished history painted by famous names such as Tom Patey
Tom Patey
Tom Patey was a Scottish climber, mountaineer and writer. Although he was a leading Scottish climber of his day, particularly excelling on winter routes, he his probably best known for his humorous songs and prose about climbing, many of which were published posthumously in the collection One...
and Andy Nisbet, two of Scotland’s most prolific new routers, who learnt their trade in the Lairig.
Membership of the club is open to all students who are members of the University of Aberdeen Sports Council. The club is run by a committee of senior members who are elected at the annual general meeting and serve for one academic year. Positions on the committee are:
Captain, Secretary, Treasurer, Safety and Training Officer, Equipment Officer and Social Secretary
The minimum number of members allowed in the club is seven.
The “Golden Age” of the Lairig Club
For a period of time during the 1950s the Lairig Club was at the forefront of Scottish winter climbing with members setting new standards and developing new techniques in the sport. The Lairig along with other Aberdeen based clubs; The Cairngorm Club and the Etchachan Club were responsible for the development and first ascents of most major venues and routes in the Eastern Cairngorms. The most active club members of this time were local Aberdonians Bill Brooker, Tom Patey, Mike Taylor, Ken Grassick and Graeme Nicol.Notable achievements by the Lairig Club during this era include: Patey and Gordon Leslie’s ascent of Douglas-Gibson Gully on Lochnagar
Lochnagar
Lochnagar or Beinn Chìochan is a mountain in the Grampians of Scotland, located about five miles south of the River Dee near Balmoral.-Names:...
in 1950, the first grade V winter climb in Scotland. In June 1952 eight club members made an en masse first summer ascent of Parallel Gully B, the last of the major gullies to be climbed on Lochnagar. Another Lairig meet in the December of that year saw the first ascent of The Scorpion another early grade V on Carn Etchachan by Patey, Taylor, Grassick and Nicol. First winter ascents of Mitre Ridge on Beinn a’ Bhuird (V,6) by Brooker and Patey and Eagle Ridge (VI,6) on Lochnagar in four and a half hours by Brooker, Patey and Taylor proved that the Lairig really were at the head of their game. Even today with modern equipment and techniques these routes are still well respected and serious lines. It is interesting to note that other than the first ascent of Raven’s Gully in Glencoe
Glen Coe
Glen Coe is a glen in the Highlands of Scotland. It lies in the southern part of the Lochaber committee area of Highland Council, and was formerly part of the county of Argyll. It is often considered one of the most spectacular and beautiful places in Scotland, and is a part of the designated...
by Hamish MacInnes
Hamish MacInnes
Dr Hamish MacInnes is a Scottish mountaineer, leading mountain search and rescuer, author and advisor. He is the leading Scottish winter mountaineer of the generation following W. H. Murray....
and Chris Bonington
Chris Bonington
Sir Christian John Storey Bonington, CVO, CBE, DL is a British mountaineer.His career has included nineteen expeditions to the Himalayas, including four to Mount Everest and the first ascent of the south face of Annapurna.-Early life and expeditions:Educated at University College School in...
in 1953 all the grade V routes in Scotland were confined to the Lairig’s stomping ground of the Eastern Cairngorms in the early 1950s and it is ironic that it was Lairig members Patey and Nicol who teamed up with Hamish MacInnes to climb the first grade V on Ben Nevis, this came in the form of the much prized first ascent of Zero Gully.
Activity was not just limited to the high mountain cliffs and the club were also responsible for the early development of the North East sea cliffs. Several routes put up by Lairig members are now graded VS and above. The Sickle HVS 5b was climbed in 1944 by founding member W. T. Hendry and marked a huge advance in rock climbing standards. Routes such as Brooker’s Arete and Nicol’s Eliminate give clues as to who was behind most of the new routing in the 1950s.
Throughout the period the club flourished, attracting students from the University who all shared a common love of the hills. Trips were organised every weekend to bothies in the North East such as Bob Scott’s, Corrour and the Glas alt Sheil and occasionally a bit further afield. A good day in the hills was just as important as a good evening back at the bothy with good friends and this is still very much the ethos of the Lairig Club today!
Hans Puffin
Hans Puffin is a fictitious, anthropomorphic puffinPuffin
Puffins are any of three small species of auk in the bird genus Fratercula with a brightly coloured beak during the breeding season. These are pelagic seabirds that feed primarily by diving in the water. They breed in large colonies on coastal cliffs or offshore islands, nesting in crevices among...
developed during the Autumn of 2008 by members of the club.
Hans Puffin is said to have been born on the island of St. Kilda
St Kilda, Scotland
St Kilda is an isolated archipelago west-northwest of North Uist in the North Atlantic Ocean. It contains the westernmost islands of the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. The largest island is Hirta, whose sea cliffs are the highest in the United Kingdom and three other islands , were also used for...
, off the north-west coast of Scotland and home to one of the largest puffin colonies in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. Despite being born on the island, Hans's family migrated from St. Kilda shortly after his birth to the village of Lochinver
Lochinver
Lochinver is a village on the coast in the Assynt district of Sutherland, Highland, Scotland. A few miles northeast is Loch Assynt which is the source of the River Inver which flows into Loch Inver at the village. There are 200 or so lochans in the area which makes the place very popular with...
, Sutherland
Sutherland
Sutherland is a registration county, lieutenancy area and historic administrative county of Scotland. It is now within the Highland local government area. In Gaelic the area is referred to according to its traditional areas: Dùthaich 'IcAoidh , Asainte , and Cataibh...
, in order to avoid being eaten. In Lochinver, the Puffin family resided for Hans's childhood in a small council-run burrow just off the road to Suilven
Suilven
Suilven is one of the most distinctive mountains in Scotland. Lying in a remote area in the west of Sutherland, it rises almost vertically from a wilderness landscape of moorland, bogs and lochans known as Inverpolly National Nature Reserve....
.
Despite being born and brought up in the North-West of Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, Hans Puffin mysteriously acquired a cockney
Cockney
The term Cockney has both geographical and linguistic associations. Geographically and culturally, it often refers to working class Londoners, particularly those in the East End...
accent, and a fondness for jellied eels
Jellied eels
Jellied eels is a traditional English dish that originated in the 18th century, primarily in London's East End. The dish consists of chopped eels boiled in a spiced stock that is allowed to cool and set, forming a jelly...
and pie 'n' mash shops. One theory as to Hans's acquisition of a cockney accent is that in order to be a cockney, the saying goes, one has to be born within the sound of Bow Bells, and it is suggested that the wind to St. Kilda was blowing in from London on the day of Hans's birth.
The name Hans was given to him as the Puffin family originally came from the island of Værøy
Værøy
Værøy is an island and municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Lofoten traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Sørland. Værøy was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838...
, in Lofoten
Lofoten
Lofoten is an archipelago and a traditional district in the county of Nordland, Norway. Though lying within the Arctic Circle, the archipelago experiences one of the world's largest elevated temperature anomalies relative to its high latitude.-Etymology:...
, Northern Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, from whence they emigrated due to frequent pestering by Puffin Dogs (the Norwegian Lundehund
Norwegian Lundehund
The Norwegian Lundehund is a small dog breed of the Spitz type that originates from Norway. Its name is composed of the prefix Lunde, from the Norwegian lundefugl , and the suffix hund, meaning dog...
), hence the Norwegian connection.
Hans is well-known for being a drunkard, and at times suffers from a gammy leg. His frequent associates and drinking comrades include Genf Seagull, Greg Cat, John Ptarmigan, Clive Otter, Steve Dog, Barry Pigeon and Reginald-Fotherington Turtle.