Some years ago, and as a new member to the club, I recall, with no little horror, the sight of Martin Collins pole dancing in Skye. Surely such an aberration was a one-off. How could that ever happen again? It was therefore, with a sense of déjà vu, that Martin Collins gyrated with his pole on Friday night and marked, after the absence of a year or two, the MMC return to the Glen Brittle Hut.

A poor forecast, that never materialised in all its fury, didn’t put off our brave band and Saturday saw the island covered with Moray mountaineers. 

It was good to see a strong contingent of climbers aboard for a weekend. Graeme Jones and Martin Collins had ambitions for Corrie a Vattee, but after aborted attempts at scaling vertical slime were happy to boulder and do other such climbing stuff.

Malcolm, Andy Illona Jenny and Joe ascended Scron n Ciche and as that’s all they wrote, its all we’ll ever know.

Ever up for a challenge of a different nature, Bob MacDonald and Colin Cowie completed a magnificent triathlon. Paddling up Loch Harport into a slight swell, they then cycled from Portnalong to Talisker Bay and back. The event, which is to be an exhibition sport at the 2012 Olympics was completed by heroic amounts of booze being consumed. We are not worthy

Ella, Drummond, Fiona, Alan, Graeme M, Penny TWD and Jake, having taken note of the forecast, decided on a mid-morning start and headed for the Trottenish Ridge. The Old Man of Stoer was soon reached, but there then followed a 2 hour detour up some foul cliff, which deposited the group back to  where they had started. Forced back by the loose rock and dangerous slope, the main talking point was precisely how many lives did Drummond have after his latest escape from the Grim Reaper?

Dan, Jenny and Katie went for a short trip up onto the ridge to have a look at Sgurr nan Each and Sgurr Dubh. It being a day of persistent drizzle and clag on the Cuillins, this inevitably turned into an 11 hour epic of aimless scrambling and impromptu caving. However, and despite the constant whining of the girls, Dan’s consumate mountaincraft saw them safely home. (Dan told me to write this).

Graeme G and Maggie, not content with mocking the ‘mountaineering’ part of the MMC by staying resolutely at sea level, even went below it! Graeme swapping a rucksack for air tanks and flippers at Loch Harport, with Maggie – as ever – catching all the fish. Their activities have been brought to the attention of the committee, but due to the sublime scallops served up for Sunday breakfast,  they may have just got away with it.

Sunday promised a better day and so it proved as we hurtled off like a flock of turtles.

Illona, Graeme J, and Martin headed for Kilt Rock to defy gravity and hopefully not to climb too traditionally.

Jenny, Joe and Andy fled up the ridge again to be scared.

Maggie and Graeme went cycling from Portnalong to Talisker Bay ( that was a FOOT you broke Maggie?) Sol, not having a bike, drove round to pick them up at the end. Graeme then further ravished the sea bed for scallops and is currently under investigation from the Fisheries about his quota.

Fiona and Alan went to do some non-descript hills somewhere that are on a list. Actually, I don’t recall where they went, but I believe it was a fabulous day.

It being Skye of course, and the world being full of ‘baggers’, the ‘In-Pin’ was the goal of many this weekend. And so it was, that far too many of us went 

straight from the hut towards that most infamous pile on the Cuillin.

There are a few parties now being planned as first ascents were made by four of the party, two of whom are now very close to being completists.

Dan and Bob were heroic in both their rope skills and patience as they helped Ella, Colin and Malcolm ascend the peak for the first time in fine style. Drummond went up too (that’s where most of the patience was required).

The final first ascent was of Penny TWD, stuffed unceremoniously into a rucksack and hauled up by her lord and master Graeme M. A tale to be re-told

over a dram or two. Which it no doubt will be. Already legendary.

A magnificent weekend which was used to full effect, as some very weary folk returned home late that evening.

Just a thought, but should we go back next year?

Jake