This Article first appeared in
AAC(UK) Newsletter 180
published Winter 2008
[Return to Index of Meet Reports]
Our intention is to populate this right hand column with photographs taken on this meet. If you attended the meet, have good digital photographs which might be appropriate, and would be willing to see them displayed here, please send them to our Webmaster. If you would like to see examples of how we would use them, please see either the Solu Khumbu article from Newsletter 170 or the Dolomites Camping article from Newsletter 176.
A 60th Anniversary Dinner
by Pam Hamer
A score of us came together in August with the aim of inviting Austrian friends from the OeAV to join us in celebrating the 60th anniversary of Sektion Britannia. Links to the Admont section, based in the Gesause region of Styria, had been forged during the previous year when our Hut Fund contributed to refurbishing the kitchen at the Admonterhaus The section also runs the larger Oberst Klinke hut across the valley and that was where the various walking, climbing, and ‘Klettersteiging’ sub-groups assembled by various routes; finding the weather in Austria just as ‘mixed’ as it was at home.
Indeed, although the backdrop to the Oberst Klinke hut is the spectacular wall of Kalbling 2196m, little of that could be seen on the day of the dinner as a group of us marched up and back through the mist. Fortunately however the sky cleared and the sun shone by the time our guests arrived at the hut. As well as members and officials from Sektion Admont, we were delighted to welcome representatives from Styria, and from the OeAV’s governing body, the Bundesausschuss. Thanks to the enterprise of our Treasurer we offered Pimms, as a very British aperitif, while we were entertained by a musical trio from Admont. The bass and accordion were expected but the string instrument played with a small hammer, whose name seemed to translate as a ‘plinkenplonk’, was definite local colour.
Helmut and Maria, the hut warden and his wife, had laid on a splendid buffet meal. The music trio played again before the dessert and our Secretary manfully (or maybe womanfully!) tested her command of the Austrian accent with a welcome to our guests. Our Chairman, and President, each proved less proficient but were admirably brief in endorsing our pleasure in being an active part of the OeAV, and helping fellow Sections in Austria in their work to maintain the hut network. The guests demonstrated their command of English with congratulations on our anniversary, and then an equal dexterity of foot as the trio played on. A fine morning followed. A couple of our guests were fitting in a climb on Kalbling but for our members it was time to take to the road. For some there was return home at the end of their holiday, for others further exploration of some of the lesser known huts in the Austrian mountains.
[ Return to Index of Mountaineering Articles ]
Last updated: 05 December 2008