Young Alpinists Meet 2019 | Valais

This 2-week meet, based in the Valais region of Switzerland from 29^th July to 11^th August, aims to motivate young British alpinists and help them to progress their alpine climbing. Initiated by Tom Livingstone and Ian Parnell it’s hoped that this will be a catalyst for climbers who are looking to progress to bigger things in the mountains.

Mentorship and advice will be available from more experienced climbers including Tom as well as other leading British Alpinists such as Will Sim. The aim is to help the attendees learn new skills and techniques, as well as gaining an increased knowledge of many of the key components of alpinism by climbing with a variety of partners in a supportive team atmosphere.

All 19 attendees have been vetted for their previous alpine climbing experience and all have had to demonstrate that they’re capable of operating independently, with some already having completed some excellent routes.

Tom commented:

‘As with any alpine climbing trip there can be no certainty about the weather, the conditions we might find in the mountains or what it will be possible to climb.   Part of the lesson will be to an extent ignoring grades, egos and some of the other factors that negatively impact decision making.  With good planning and by reacting appropriately to what we find up high we can stay safe whilst hopefully climbing some great routes. The climbers will almost certainly be pushed outside of their comfort zones at times but the idea is to progress in a way that will begin to open up new possibilities and objectives.’

The attendees will all be responsible for themselves, and should be fully aware this is not an instructional event or an introduction to the basic skills of Alpine climbing.

The event is supported by the BMC, with all attendees benefitting from a BMC bursary, made possible thanks to the generous support of the British Mountain Medicine Society. In addition to this they will each also receive alpine gear worth more than £500 from Mountain Equipment including a Tupilak Atmo jacket and Tupilak 37+ pack.